It’s day two of our Irish trip, and the Wiwi Jury – our in-house panel of music unprofessionals – have decided to spurn the traditional pint of Guinness in favour of a visit to a classy piano bar and a listen to Molly Sterling’s “Playing With Numbers”. Are we impressed? Read on to find out…

Denise: I just can’t believe that this girl is so young. She’s really talented and I hope to see her back someday, just not this year in Vienna. It wouldn’t be a bad choice. If another country picked it, I would be quite happy. It’s just that Ireland has some (two!) better songs. She seems to have a great voice, so I’m really curious if she’s able to deliver live.

Score: 7/10

Louis: Compared to the rest of the acts, this is pretty poor. A bit boring and sounding very much the same. I struggled to even make it through the full thing. A song like this is perfect for a toilet break though.

Score: 1/10

Angus: This has a very “A Thousand Miles” vibe and Molly has a stunning voice. It may lack in-your-face attitude but as the Common Linnets show a flashy presentation isn’t everything. Sometimes subtlety wins out.

Score: 8/10

William: This is lovely background noise. I’d happily not listen to it while shopping for groceries or buying beads in an arts and crafts store. I would not, however, download this. It’s too much of a downer and decidedly un-ESC. There is progression, but it’s too subtle to keep me awake. By the time Molly comes alive in what is a rather nice chorus, I’ve lost all interest. She’s playing with numbers, and I’m falling asleep.

Score: 5/10

Feeling like the luckiest human in the world…?? #fuzzyheart #musician

A post shared by Molly Sterling?? (@mollysterlingmusic) on

Robyn: Here’s my issue – Molly is a brilliant singer and the song masterfully evokes a feeling of defiance and melancholy, but it doesn’t work that there’s a 16-year-old singing a really mature song about a complicated relationship breakup. It’s like an X Factor audition – yeah, the song shows off her performance ability but the lyrics are an uneasy fit.

Score: 6/10

William C: Molly’s voice is quite good in the official video, but we have yet to hear her sing live. And the acoustics in the RTÉ studios aren’t renowned for their greatness. I think this will come second on Eurosong night. I wouldn’t mind it winning, but I have some higher preferences.

Score: 7/10

Molly Sterling Playing With Numbers Eurosong 2015 Ireland Eurovision

Mike: This is not my fave in the Irish national final, but I wouldn’t mind if she wins a ticket to Vienna. It’s a nice ballad and if they do well with the staging (Molly, piano, candle – without any tanned, oiled, hyperactive semi-naked backing dancers) there is a great chance we will see Ireland back in the Eurovision final.

Score: 6.5/10

Padraig: There’s no denying that Molly’s a talented young singer, it’s just unfortunate that she’s been burdened with a song beyond her years. Sixteen is an age for letting loose and breaking free from the shackles of childhood, not lamenting the end of a great love affair – and at 16 how great could it have been? There’s still plenty of time for Molly to gain life experience worth singing about, after all Adele didn’t release her debut until the grand old age of 19. She should come back in a few years, with a song more deserving of her talents.

Score: 6/10

Molly Sterling Playing With Numbers Eurosong Ireland Eurovision 2015

Mikhail: This is a nice, lovely ballad. It has some interesting parts in the melody and Molly’s voice is charming. But it can easily send you to sleep. It’s quickly forgotten.

Score: 5.5/10

Kristín: I am slightly underwhelmed here. It’s a very nice everyday ballad, but forgettable, I’m afraid. Molly is extremely talented and has a bright future ahead of her. However, this is not the song that will restore Ireland’s former glory.

Score: 5/10

THE WIWI JURY VERDICT: 5.7/10

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Photos: Molly Sterling Facebook and Instagram

17 Comments
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Andrew
Andrew
9 years ago

Molly’s song is my favourite hands down. Will it win? probably not but I’ve seen her perform she can deliver.I’m not buying the comments questioning what she would know about heartbreak, the song is a co-write with Greg French who is not merely an arranger but a well known songwriter producer, the melody has him all over it ,and some of his familiar lyrical traits. I hope this wins but if she doesn’t, she has a good career ahead of her

Otna
Otna
9 years ago

Wow, underrated much? I think Nikki would be the best choice for Ireland, and I love Erika but I think Molly would do the 2nd best.

CookyMonzta
CookyMonzta
9 years ago

She is my 2nd choice. If Erika fails, I hope they send her.

Peadar
9 years ago

I am friends with Molly and have seen her perform many times, and believe me, she’s probably better live! Just wait until the live performances!

Ron
Ron
9 years ago

For sure Realist, but Molly can certainly win the jury vote, and maybe even the televote. I certainly wouldn’t have Nikki Kavanagh as the odds on favourite anyway : it’s a level playing field as the televoters and juries won’t know who any of the five acts are. I’ve seen one or two people suggest that Nikki might be “the chosen one” but perhaps it’s Molly that RTE wants to win, who knows?

Alex
Alex
9 years ago

Best song in the Irish selection. Molly’s got it all. I really hope she wins.

Realist
Realist
9 years ago

@Ron to be fair on the night there wasn’t that much competition on the jury her only competition was Ryan Dolan and he was Off-key on the night so aimee winning the jury was a given.

Ron
Ron
9 years ago

Nikki is definitely beatable D, especially if her performance turns into a shouty mess on the evening. I would say it is all to play for. Not sure why she’s even such a strong favourite, nobody in Ireland has a clue who she is outside of the hardcore ESC fanbase.

mocosuburbian
mocosuburbian
9 years ago

Awwww but this is my favorite in Eurosong
I feel as if the competition has enough solo female artists singing about empowerment by now
This is actually kind of refreshing
Not finalist material
But it’s classy enough

D
D
9 years ago

This is my favourite of Eurosong but I don’t think it stands a chance. I’m 99% sure Nikki will win but I’m really hoping Molly might be able to upset.

Harry
Harry
9 years ago

This is a very nice song and I think it will surprise us on Friday. It will appeal to the Irish voting audience as it has vibes of when we won ESC every other year. As it is a mostly older audience who watch the Late Late Show, this will certainly appeal to them.

Ron
Ron
9 years ago

I think Erika and Nikki might do each other some damage on the scoreboard, Realist as they’re both fishing for votes in the same pond. The addition of Timoteij to Erika’s act is not necessarily good news for Nikki either as it means she will be performing straight after a very professional looking and sounding outfit.

I reckon Molly has strong chances here. It seems a better song than Aimee’s ‘Crashing Down’ from Eurosong 2013 and if I remember correctly, that actually won the jury vote on the evening.

Realist
Realist
9 years ago

@Ron and molly is the final act of the night so she’s defiantly in with a shot, personally i also prefer the other 2 but this is nice too.

Ron
Ron
9 years ago

On the issue of the lyrics not being suitable for a 16 year old, well they are her lyrics : she wrote the song in it’s entirety (Greg French merely did the rearranging).

I think Molly could be the surprise package of Eurosong with her performance. A lot of focus has gone on Nikki and Erika but Molly could produce the stand out performance of the evening and wow everybody, you never know.

SteKay
SteKay
9 years ago

Honestly think this is underrated. Such a beautiful song.

Mario Euro Vision of Gay Love Ireland Johnny Logan Hold Me Now
Mario Euro Vision of Gay Love Ireland Johnny Logan Hold Me Now
9 years ago

Not bad song! Nice enough! 🙂 6 / 10 0 ~ YES i survived after listening this cr@p sh*t you guys! I need some oxygen to recover! 😛 1 ~ Awful ! Can’t Stand It! 2 ~ Just Bad but not horrible 3 ~ It Sucks But Its Bearable 4 ~ Its not truly bad song but its too weak to win you the listener.. 5 ~ Mediocre song but its OK.. 6 ~ Nice song there…Good enough to pass the test.. 7 ~ Really good song.. It has potentials.. 8 ~ Very GOOD song…Very enjoyable to listen to..! 9… Read more »

Easpag
Easpag
9 years ago

At first, I thought it was nice, but a bit boring. It has really grown on me over time though. With the right staging and good live vocals, it could do fairly well. And whilst I think other songs in the national final have more potential, she’s crept up to become my favourite of the 5.