Who is non-binary pop star Bambie Thug representing Ireland at Eurovision 2024?

Ireland’s Eurovision entry has attracted a lot of attention since the competition began.

Bambie Thug has become Ireland’s first Eurovision 2018 finalist after voting for his performance of Doomsday Blue in Malmo, Sweden. They triumphed with a spellbinding and mesmerizing performance of their alternative chant song in Tuesday’s semi-finals.

Now the singer will now perform alongside 25 other countries this Saturday night. But who is Bambie Thug?

READ MORE: How to vote in Eurovision 2024 and how the voting system works

READ MORE: I’m at Eurovision in Sweden and it’s drastically different to Liverpool

So who is Bambie Thug?

The Cork-born singer, whose real name is Bambie Ray Robinson, was born in 1993 and grew up in Macroom, Co Cork. Bambie’s mother is Irish and their father is Swedish.

The non-binary performer, 31, moved to London on a dance scholarship while training to become a ballerina, Cork Beo reports. However, they broke their arm during college, which led Bambie to study musical theatre.

Their mother, who Bambie describes as “my biggest champion” stayed at home with them while their father worked metal parts and “didn’t have a clue”.

Bambie said they always wanted to be the center of attention growing up in Macroom.

“Growing up in a small place, the furthest I would go was to say I was different. I definitely wanted the spotlight. I wanted to assert myself, but the closest I came was wearing brown clothes with pink tights.

“I don’t think it was until I moved that I realized I really got my agency. I moved to London in my twenties and that’s when I really felt like I was coming into my own. But learning to stand strong in yourself in front of everyone else is a constant learning.” his year my resolution was to fully support myself and be my strongest cheerleader.

“This creative world is amazing, but at the same time it’s tough. You have to have a thick skin.”

Bambie used the term “ouija-pop” to describe his music. In a 2023 interview, they stated: “My stuff is hyperpunk avant electro-pop. We call it grit pop or rotten, but recently I coined the term ‘Ouija pop’.”

They stated that they coined the term due to a reluctance to be “put in a box”, instead combining numerous genres, Bambie “never has anything in mind” when making music. One of their major influences musically is a reluctance to stick to one style or genre; in an interview with NME, Bambie claimed that he could do “everything” creatively, stating his belief that the heavy metal music community has expanded to include more genres and be more accepting of the LGBTQ+ community.

However, they also stated that the heavy metal community was “under attack”, with Robinson considering himself a “rebel”. Bambie focused on trying to be “good role models” with music, stating that many in the industry “become” addicted to drugs.

They stated in an interview with Gay Times: “We have to show healthy behavior. It’s important if we’re going to make a break so that the kids and younger teens who listen to our music and watch us aren’t being fed. this negative behavior.”

Bambie’s debut track, Birthday, premiered in 2021, followed shortly by their first EP, Psilocyber, featuring three singles. They had great success with Tsunami in 2022 and reached over 700,000 listeners.

They have since released 2 more EPs: High Romance in 2021 and Cathexis in 2023.

The self-described “Nightcore Barbie” could be seen performing at the packed Download Festival in June 2023 and The Great Escape in Brighton in May 2023. They also performed live at BBC Maida Vale Studios on Christmas Eve 2022.

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