Diva Dolls prove they’ve got talent on Irish TV show

Lisburn band The Diva Dolls are still on cloud nine after receiving fantastic feedback from the judges on the upcoming television show Ireland’s Got Talent.

The local ladies - Alex-Jay, Paula Kay, Heather Stranaghan and Kirsty Coard - are familiar faces on the local music scene, having played venues across Northern Ireland and further afield for the last four years,

However, when someone suggested they put their talent to the test on the TV, they decided it would be a great opportunity to spread their wings and raise their profile.

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Ireland’s Got Talent returned for a brand new series on Virgin Media One on February 2 and the Lisburn band will appear on screen on February 9. Hosted by Lucy Kennedy, this year’s series sees an array of diverse performances, including international acts turning up to try their luck on the Irish stage in front of judges Denise Van Outen, Jason Byrne, Michelle Visage and Louis Walsh.

“The final audition was in front of the judges and a live audience at the Helix in Dublin,” explained Alex-Jay, who started the group four years ago. “Surprisingly, even though we have plenty of experience performing, we were nervous but we were excited as well.

“It was difficult to choose what to sing on the day because we wanted something that would show off what we do because we sing in harmonies. We take chart songs, break them down and put harmonies into them. We decided on Wilson Phillip’s Hold On because it is very uplifting and we wanted something that would make people happy.”

And they certainly managed to do that as the audience jumped to their feet in appreciation. They weren’t alone in their enthusiasm either as the four judges were blown away by the performance.

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Louis Walsh told them “There is a market for a girl group like you. It’s very rarely I see a girl group where everybody can sing.” Michelle Visage told them they were “amazing”, Jason Byrone said they were “total pros”, and Denise Van Outen commented: “Diva Dolls, you are just sunshine.”

Alex-Jay said they were delighted with the response and joked: “We told the judges we are the only girl group on the scene who wear Tena Ladies!”

If you want to catch the Diva Dolls in person, they have a monthly Sunday night residency at the Shoe Factory in Union Street in Belfast.