Everyone's favourite gemini celebrates her birthday today.
It's hard to put into words the impact Nadine Coyle has had on Irish pop culture. From the frantic search for her passport back in 2001, to her unapologetically chaotic pronunciation of
flour during a 2010 appearance on
Sunday Brunch,
she's the gift that keeps on giving, and truly one of Ireland's OG cultural icons.
I remember watching the now infamous
Popstars clip live as an impressionable young wean of ten (I was always a fiend for reality tv), genuinely believing that she'd forgotten her date of birth amidst the excitement of becoming a popstar. Easily done, let's be honest with ourselves.
Incase you need a refresher (although I don't know how this clip isn't permanently playing on loop inside the head of every Irish person, tbh) - in 2001, Nadine Coyle sang her way to the final of
Popstars and earned her place in the line up for new band, Six. In her first interview as an official member of the band, Nadine proudly announced her name, home town and DOB (the fifteenth of the sixth, making her a geminee) and without thinking, divulged that her year of birth was 1985. Chaos ensued.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hLTKJll8pI8
Nadine insisted she'd given the wrong date of birth, and so began a countrywide search for the budding popstars passport. Mammy was on the case in Derry, as Nadine's mentor Linda Martin mused "how could you make that mistake? God bless us Nadine".
Off camera, Nadine later admitted that she had in fact given the correct date of birth. She was still, most importantly, a Gemini, but sadly, too young to keep her place in the band.
All's well that ends well - Nadine went onto audition for a second reality show a couple of years later, earning her place in one of the most successful girlbands of all time - Girls Aloud. But her infamous passport search is what we all know and love her the most for - in previous interviews Nadine has revealed she's had passports thrown up at her on stage, and friends come to her birthday party dressed as the legendary missing travel document.
The passport clip has also provided inspiration for countless creations from Irish artists, comics and sketch makers - here are a few of our favourites:
"Making Me a Gemini" by Michael Fry
https://twitter.com/BigDirtyFry/status/1347316450034409472?s=20&t=7ZnjqcWvhCGCgqmnVwP-xA
Commemorative Pin by The Dirt Bird
https://www.instagram.com/p/CP72XIZHnke/
2016 Snapchat re-enactment by Ruth Jephson
Watch the clip
HERE.
https://twitter.com/ruthjephson/status/732335711366483968?s=20&t=KIRWrw8t9Dszg9kfncG_mA
Nicola Coughlan's Accent in Derry Girls
Famously inspired by Nadine.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWvK6-y5ZWU
Happy Birthday, Nadine. We thank you for your service to Irish pop culture, now and always.
Header image via Youtube
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