Last year we saw Ireland’s 2005 singer Joseph McCaul audition for The X Factor UK, making it as far as the six-chair challenge. But now another of Ireland’s former Eurovision stars is taking a shot at a TV talent show. Maria Cuche represented her country over 30 years ago and she’s now attempting a comeback on The Voice of Ireland.
At the age of 19, Maria sang “Wait Until the Weekend Comes” under the stage name Maria Christian at the Scandinavium in Gothenburg. She placed sixth, part of Ireland’s impressive run in the mid 1980s, which included Linda Martin’s second-placed “Terminal 3” in 1984, and Johnny Logan’s second win with “Hold Me Now” in 1987.
https://youtu.be/2iaqFFIzzW8
While Linda and Johnny went on to become legends of Irish entertainment, Marie took a more domestic but no less busy route, moving to France with her husband and being mum to their seven children.
Maria is also legally blind, with 95% of her vision lost. In a recent interview with Ray Darcy, she revealed she’d hidden her eye condition at Eurovision, but now says she’s “proud to be blind”.
Maria’s comeback was at the urging of her eldest son, who helped her record her audition tape and talked his mum through her nerves.
And so, 30 years after her Eurovision appearance, Maria took to The Voice stage as part of the blind auditions phase. She performed Beyonce’s “If I Were a Boy”, giving a spirited performance, which inspired coach (and former The Saturdays member) Una Foden to turn around.
Maria will next return for the Battles stage, which runs from February 21.
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Photo: RTÉ
Why are their buttons in their cup holder while here in the UK it in front of them. It doesn’t have the same dramatic effect pushed to the side, slightly out the way. But I agree withe comment bellow, the voice isn’t that good and the song didn’t suit her.
She did not have a very interesting voice when she was 19 back then (besides having such a boring and dull song) and 30 years later she still sounds as annoying as then … plus: I seriously don’t think this song suits her in any way … it requires true pipes and a lot of emotion, which she does not have nor has shown.