Brendan Murray

Brendan Hugh Francis Murray (born 16 November 1996) is an Irish singer and former member of the Irish boyband Hometown. He represented Ireland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 with the song "Dying to Try" but failed to qualify to the final. He then competed in The X Factor UK in 2018, finishing in fifth place.

For the American music producer of the same name, see Bighead (producer).

Brendan Murray
Murray in 2017
Background information
Birth nameBrendan John Francis Murray
Born (1996-11-16) 16 November 1996[1]
Tuam, Co. Galway, Ireland
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Singer
Instruments
  • Vocals
Years active2014–present
Labels
Associated acts

Life and career

Brendan was born in Tuam, County Galway.[2] He attended St Patrick's Primary School and St Jarlath's College, both in Tuam.

2014–2016: Hometown
Main article: HomeTown (band)

In 2014, Murray became a member of the Irish boyband Hometown, managed by Louis Walsh. The band achieved three chart successes in their home country, including the number one singles "Where I Belong" in 2014, and "Cry for Help" in 2015. Their debut album, HomeTown, was released in November 2015 and peaked at number four in Ireland.[3] In December 2016, the band announced that they'd be going on an indefinite hiatus.[4]

2016–2017: Eurovision Song Contest

On 16 December 2016, Murray was announced as the Irish representative in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017.[5] His song, "Dying to Try", was released on 10 March 2017. He didn't reach the final, placing 13th out of the 18 contestants and requiring at least 10th to qualify.

2018: The X Factor

In 2018, Murray entered Season 15 of The X Factor UK. During the Six Chair challenge he received a safe seat from One Direction singer Louis Tomlinson, its first recipient, on the way to the live shows. He sang "Break Free" by Ariana Grande for his first X Factor live performance, with a 'This Is Me' theme. The second week, 'Guilty Pleasure' week, Murray sang "Believe" by Cher. On Sunday's results show, he was in the bottom three to compete in the sing-off. He was given equal votes by the judges, along with LMA Choir. The result went to deadlock, reverting to the earlier public votes. LMA Choir had the fewest votes and Brendan was saved and continued to the next week. On the third week of 'Fright Night', Murray performed "Youngblood" by 5 Seconds of Summer. During Week 4 he sang "Everybody Hurts" by R.E.M. for 'Movie Week'. He was eliminated in the semi-final on the Saturday show after he received the fewest votes from the public along with Danny Tetley,[6] finishing in 5th place.

Discography

Singles
Title Year Album
"Dying to Try" 2017 Non-album singles
"If I'm Honest" 2019
"Falling" 2020
"Teardrops"
"Nothing Compares 2 U"
"Let Go"
"500 Days"
"Wishing You Home For Christmas"

References
  1. O'Loughlin, Mikie (17 November 2018). "Irish X Factor star Brendan Murray is loved up with his student girlfriend". Irish Mirror. Retrieved 13 March 2019.
  2. "Brendan Murray through to X Factor semi-finals". 18 November 2018. Retrieved 13 March 2019.
  3. Hung, Steffen. "Discography Hometown". Irish Charts Portal. Hung Medien (Steffen Hung).
  4. "Irish band HomeTown split to pursue individual journeys". Hot Press. 8 December 2015. Retrieved 13 December 2016.
  5. Gallagher, Robyn (16 December 2016). "Ireland: Brendan Murray will sing at Eurovision 2017". wiwibloggs.com. Wiwibloggs.
  6. "Danny Tetley and Brendan Murray eliminated during X Factor semi-final". The Irish News. 24 November 2018. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
Preceded by
Nicky Byrne
with "Sunlight"		 Ireland in the Eurovision Song Contest
2017		 Succeeded by
Ryan O'Shaughnessy
with "Together"
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