Linda Martin

Linda Martin
Background Information
Origin	Belfast, Northern Ireland
Birth date	17 April 1953
Death date	N/A
Age	72
Eurovision Song Contest - 1st Entry
Year	1984
Country	Ireland
Song	Terminal 3
Semi Position	--
Semi Points	--
Final Position	2nd
Final Points	137
Eurovision Song Contest - 2nd Entry
Year	1992
Country	Ireland
Song	Why Me?
Semi Position	--
Semi Points	--
Final Position	1st
Final Points	155

Linda Martin is a Northern Ireland-born singer and television presenter of Italian, Irish and Scottish ancestry who has had a long and successful career in Ireland. She is best known for representing her country on two occasions.

Her career began in 1969 when she joined the band Chips, scoring hit singles in Ireland and becoming one of the top bands on the live circuit, later making the rounds of British and Irish television and also entering the Irish national final for Eurovision many times. Linda broke away from the band in 1983 after she won the Castlebar Song Contest and decided to focus on a solo career.

As a soloist, she entered the Irish national final many times throughout the 1980s. Her first breakthrough was winning the 1984 national final and going on to the Eurovision Song Contest 1984 in Luxembourg with the song Terminal 3 written by Johnny Logan. Her performance got a massive reception from the spectators and ultimately finished second by 6 points behind Sweden.

She won the national final again in 1992 with another one of Johnny's songs, Why Me?, sending her to the Eurovision Song Contest 1992 in Malmo, running neck and neck throughout the voting with the United Kingdom's Michael Ball. In the end, she emerged the winner with 155 points, giving Ireland its fourth victory. She remains one of five artists today who finished first one year and second in another year, however she is one of two along with Russia's Dima Bilan to win on her second try while finishing second on her first.

Linda has also served as a spokesperson for the Irish results in the 2007 and 2022 contests.