26 July (2013-07-26) – 30 August 2013 (2013-08-30)
The Hit is an Irish talent show series that began airing on 26 July 2013 on RTÉ One and sees songwriters showcasing their songs to established artists. The artists then battle one another to find the perfect song they can turn into a hit. It was hosted by Aidan Power and Nicky Byrne.
A pilot episode was aired in September 2012 on RTÉ Two hosted by Laura Whitmore. On 15 March 2013, RTÉ announced that the show had been ordered for a full series to be broadcast in the summer.
On 30 August 2013, Finbar Furey was announced the winner of the series, with the song "The Last Great Love Song". Gerry Fleming, the song's songwriter, won the €20,000 prize.[1] The show wasn't as successful as The Voice of Ireland and was cancelled after one series.
RTVE, the Spanish public broadcaster, was rumoured to be considering using the format as the selection process for its entry in the 2015 Eurovision Song Contest.[2]
Format
In each episode, six chosen songwriters pitch their songs to two established artists in "The Pitching Rooms". The two artists go into each room and listen to the song. Upon exiting the artist can "lock in" their choice or leave the choice open. Each artist must lock in two songs.
The artists meet with both songwriters and discuss possible changes to the song to make it more suitable to the artist releasing the song. The artist produces one song and their choice is revealed when they return to the live show to perform their chosen song.
The two artists then enter a "chart battle" where the song chosen by the artist is available for download. The songs are downloaded using primarily an SMS system and are only available via the system for the week following the broadcast. The song which receives the most downloads goes through to the grand finale, where the songs are performed again with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra and viewers then choose "The Song of the Series", thus "The Ultimate Hit". The winning songwriter receives a €20,000 prize.
Andrew Basquille, Padraic Gillian and Eugene Murphy
"Yes To You"
Furey's choice
Jack Ahern
"Hypnotized"
Not chosen
Karen Alice Dunbar
"Waiting For Your Love"
Mundy's choice
Gerry Fleming
"The Last Great Love Song"
Furey's choice
David McShane
"Captured"
Not chosen
Mark Walsh
"Jigsaw Man"
Mundy's choice
Chart Battle
Artist
Songwriter
Song
Chart No.
Result
Mundy
Mark Walsh
"Jigsaw Man"
5
Eliminated
Finbar Furey
Gerry Fleming
"The Last Great Love Song"
1
Qualified
Grand Finale (30 August)
For the grand finale of the series, the five successful artists returned to perform their song live in the O2, with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra, and the viewers decided who had the ultimate hit via a public vote.[4]
On 20 November 2013, it was announced that RTL 5 would air a Dutch version of The Hit in early 2014. It began on 24 February 2014, hosted by Dennis Weening.[5] The format has also been sold to China, Germany, Finland, Norway, Russia, Spain and Ukraine.
Alexander Anatolievich & Ivan Chuikov (Season 2) Margarita Mitrofanova & Yuri Askarov (Season 1)
Season 1, 2013: "V samoe serdtse" (Artist: Sergey Lazarev; Songwriter: Alexander Penkin) Season 2, 2014: "Davai so mnoy za zvezdami" (Artist: Natali; Songwriter: Alisa Bushueva)
