late late show opening act became more than a contest on Friday night for Jessie Sludds, the Wexford singer who left the studio with a prize that could reshape the next stage of his career. He won the competition and secured a support slot for Shania Twain at Thomond Park in Limerick this July.
How did Jessie Sludds win the final?
Five finalists performed live on the Late Late Show in a contest built around country classics and audience support. Sludds performed Tracy Chapman’s Fast Car in a field that also included Paddy Treacy from Fermanagh, Caitlin Mackin from Armagh, Midnight in Vegas, a girlband with members from Dublin, Waterford and Essex, and Ryan Phoenix from Cork.
The decision was shaped by two juries made up of leading music industry and country music experts. The industry panel gave its top preference to Sludds, while the country experts chose Mackin. That left the final tied before the public vote was added. Treacy came out on top in the text vote, but the overall result still went to Sludds.
For a young singer who gave up his day job to pursue music, the outcome carried more than a title. It gave him a place on a bigger stage, and it gave the competition a clear human face: a performer trying to turn a televised opportunity into work, momentum and recognition.
What does the prize mean for his career?
The prize is not just the chance to perform with Shania Twain in Limerick. Sludds also earned a place on the Late Late Show Country Music Special next October. Those two moments are the kind of exposure he said matters most when building a career.
He described the opportunity to reach a wider audience and connect with new people as the part he was most excited about, while also acknowledging the nerves that come with a big stage. He also said country music is appealing because it tells stories people have lived through, while also changing enough to bring in new audiences.
That view helps explain why the competition drew attention beyond one singer from Wexford. The late late show opening act was framed as a search for a new country music star, but the story behind it was also about access: who gets seen, who gets heard, and how one television appearance can open a door that money alone cannot.
Why did the final draw public attention?
The finalists reflected different corners of the country music scene and different routes into performance. The panel featured Irish country music icons Una Healy and Sandy Kelly, UK artist Ben Earle of The Shires, and Irish radio broadcaster Tom Dunne. Their choices showed how divided expert opinion can be, even when the performers are competing on the same stage.
Una Healy chose Midnight in Vegas. Sandy Kelly selected Midnight in Vegas and Sludds. Ben Earle chose Sludds, and Tom Dunne did the same. That spread of support underlined how closely matched the final was before the public vote settled the result.
The night also carried a broader note of reflection, as the programme paid tribute to the late Moya Brennan, whose funeral was held in St Patrick’s Church in Meenaveal in the parish of Gaoth Dobhair. The contrast between celebration and remembrance gave the broadcast a wider emotional frame.
What happens next for the Wexford singer?
Sludds is heading to Dublin for rehearsals and overnight preparation ahead of the next stage of his work. For him and his family, the week marks a shift from hopeful application to real-world performance planning. The prize places him in front of a larger audience and links him to two major appearances later this year.
The latest late late show opening act result is therefore more than a single-night win. It is a career marker for a 19-year-old singer who entered the contest with encouragement from friends and family, and who now moves forward with a support slot for Shania Twain, a place on a country special, and a sharper sense of what exposure can do.
As the lights go down after the final, the scene that remains is simple: a young Wexford singer stepping out of a televised studio and into a summer booking in Limerick, with the late late show opening act title now attached to his name and a bigger audience waiting.
