Despondent duo find plenty to cry about
Liverpudlian duo Jemini were coming to terms today with being the first UK act to score “nil points” in the Eurovision Song Contest.
Chris Crosbey, 21, and Gemma Abbey, 20, notched up the UK’s worst performance in the competition with their song, Cry Baby.
It was penned by Martin Isherwood, who is head of music at Sir Paul McCartney’s “fame school”, the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts.
He started in the music industry as a self-taught guitarist before studying for nine years to gain a masters degree in composition.
Citing the Netherlands’ 1975 winner Ding Dinge Dong as his favourite Eurovision song, he told the BBC’s Eurovision webpage that he wrote Cry Baby on the train to Liverpool.
Sir Paul sent a message to the band before last night’s show: “Best of luck, we’ll all be rooting for you and listening to Terry Wogan commenting on you.
“Go Martin, go Jemini and Cry Baby.”
Chris and Gemma had described Cry Baby as a “very Eurovision, poppy song”.
Last night’s disappointment was a long way from the optimism they showed when they beat off competition from seven other regional finalists in the Song For Europe live television poll in March which attracted the votes of more than 100,000 viewers.
Gemma said at the time: “We wanted this so badly, we’re over the moon.
“We definitely stand a chance in Eurovision – the song’s brilliant.”
Gemma and Chris met at Starlight Performing Arts school in Liverpool, when they were 15.
They had been singing together in bars and doing cabaret in the city since 2001, waiting for their big break.
They are managed by Martin O’Shea who also manages Atomic Kitten.
Chris went to school with Natasha Hamilton and remains friends with her and the rest of the band.
Fellow Atomic Kitten Liz McClarnon described Gemma as “pure talent”.
