Linda Martin facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Linda Martin
Martin in May 2013
Background information
Born	(1952-03-27) 27 March 1952 (age 73) Belfast, Northern Ireland
Genres	Pop, pop-rock, MOR
Years active	1969–present
Labels	CBS, Polydor, Rex, Spider, WEA

Linda Martin (born March 27, 1952) is a famous Irish singer and TV host. She is best known for winning the 1992 Eurovision Song Contest for Ireland with her song "Why Me?". This win was special because it was the first of three wins in a row for Ireland, a record! Linda is also well-known in Ireland as a member of the band Chips.

Early Life and Background

Linda Martin was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, in 1952. Her family has roots from Ireland, Scotland, and Italy. Her father's family name was originally Martini, coming from Italian immigrants who settled in Dublin. Some of her mother's family members were coal miners who moved to Belfast from Larkhall, Scotland.

Music Career

Starting with the Band Chips

Linda Martin started her music journey in 1969 when she joined the band Chips in Omagh. Chips quickly became one of the most popular live bands in Ireland. They released hit songs like "Love Matters," "Twice a Week," and "Goodbye Goodbye" in the 1970s.

In 1972, Linda briefly left Chips to sing with a new group called Lyttle People. However, she rejoined Chips the next year. The band even appeared on a British TV show called Opportunity Knocks in 1974. They promoted their songs on British TV but never had a big hit there.

Chips continued into the 1980s, often trying to represent Ireland in the Eurovision Song Contest. Their last Irish hit was "David's Song (Who'll Come With Me)" in 1982. Linda left the band in 1983 after winning the Castlebar Song Contest as a solo artist. After that, she focused on her solo career but sometimes performed with Chips until they found a new singer.

Eurovision Song Contest Success

Linda Martin tried to get to Eurovision many times. She entered the Irish National finals four times with Chips, but they didn't win. As a solo singer, she tried four more times, and once with a group called 'Linda Martin and Friends'. This means she has entered the Irish National Song Contest nine times, more than anyone else!

She won the contest twice, which meant she got to represent Ireland at the Eurovision Song Contest twice.

Her first win was in 1984 with the song "Terminal 3". This song was written by the famous singer Johnny Logan. "Terminal 3" came in second place at Eurovision, just eight points behind the winner. It also reached number 7 on the Irish music charts.

Her second victory was in 1992 with the song "Why Me?". This song was also written by Johnny Logan. "Why Me?" went on to win the Eurovision final in Sweden! This was Ireland's fourth win at Eurovision. The song became number 1 in Ireland and was popular in many other European countries.

At that time, Linda Martin was one of only three artists ever to finish both first and second at Eurovision. Only two other artists have done this since then.

Television Appearances

Linda Martin has also had a successful career on television. She was one of the hosts on the RTÉ quiz show The Lyrics Board. She also worked behind the scenes with Louis Walsh on the first season of the British TV show The X Factor.

She was a judge on the first, second, and fourth seasons of RTÉ's You're a Star, a show where people compete to become a singing star. She also judged Charity You're a Star in 2005 and 2006.

In October 2005, Linda was a special guest performer at Congratulations, a concert in Copenhagen, Denmark, celebrating 50 years of Eurovision. She was also the person who announced Ireland's votes for the Eurovision Song Contest 2007. In 2012, she helped mentor the pop duo Jedward for the Irish Eurovision final.

During the Eurovision 2013 show, the host made a joke about Johnny Logan winning three times, saying he won the third time disguised as a woman, referring to Linda Martin. This joke caused some discussion in the media. However, Linda Martin later said that all the attention actually helped her. On the same TV show, she performed a cover of the song "Get Lucky" by Daft Punk.

Theatre Performances

Linda Martin has also performed in pantomimes in Dublin. Pantomimes are fun, musical plays often performed around Christmas. She played the Wicked Stepmother in Cinderella, the Evil Queen in Snow White, and herself in Robin Hood at the Olympia Theatre.

She also toured in a musical called Menopause the Musical with Irish entertainer Twink. They had a disagreement during the tour in May 2010, even though they had been friends for 30 years.

Selected Music

Singles with Chips

Solo Singles

• "Why Me?" also reached No. 59 on the UK Singles Chart and No. 29 on the Dutch Singles Chart.

Personal Life and Interests

Linda Martin was in a relationship with musician Paul Lyttle from the early 1970s to the mid-1980s.

Since she was a child in east Belfast, Linda has loved animals. Today, she runs a special place for dogs, a dog sanctuary, in north Dublin.

In February 2025, Linda Martin shared that a political party had asked her to consider running in the 2025 Irish presidential election.

See also

In Spanish: Linda Martin para niños

• List of people on the postage stamps of Ireland (1997)