After two big disappointments at Eurovision with beginner or emerging artists, France is banking on a new strategy with Slimane for the 2024 edition, a singer with an established career in France. The 34-year-old French artist announced the information on his social networks. “For my parents, For my daughter, For France, For you…”, he wrote in a message accompanied by the hashtag #Eurovision2024.
“Proud to represent France”
On France Inter, the singer said he was “proud to represent France”, thinking of his grandfather who came from Algeria (he was born in the Paris region) to work coal in France. A family story told in an old song “The Grandfather”.
Slimane can boast some prominent titles: more than 30 million plays for “Thousands of I Love You” on Spotify, the number 1 platform in the music streaming market. During the time of his duo with the singer Vitaa, who also now plays solo, he even topped the album sales ranking in France in 2020 with their opus “Versus”. Their title “It’s going to come” allowed them to win a Victoire de la Musique that year in the original song category.
“An artist already in the hearts of the French”
Slimane began to make a name for himself in France by winning the talent show The Voice on TF1 in 2016. He will perform “Mon amour” on Wednesday evening on the 8:00 p.m. TV news on France 2, a title which will represent France at Eurovision at Malmö, Sweden, May 7-11, 2024.
France is therefore relying on an artist “who is already in the hearts of the French and at the heart of a great career”, as Alexandra Redde-Amiel, head of the French delegation, revealed to a handful of journalists, also director of entertainment and games at France Télévisions. In 2009, France chose Patricia Kaas, known, but whose career peak dates back to the 1980s/1990s (she finished 8th).
In recent history, since the beautiful performance of Barbara Pravi, who finished 2nd in 2021, France has been disillusioned. Alvan & Ahez, emerging artists like her from the vote of a jury and the public, in use in recent years in France, finished 24th and penultimate in 2022. La Zarra, Quebecois, choice endorsed (like Slimane) by Alexandra Redde-Amiel, without a vote from the public or the jury, finished 16th in the competition in 2023, with a controversy to boot.
The singer defended herself from having given the middle finger to the cameras at the time of the final counting of points, saying it was a “gesture of disappointment that we use between friends”, according to comments given to the French newspaper’s website. 20 minutes.
A battle plan inspired by that of Sweden, victorious last year
France’s battle plan this year is clearly inspired by that of Sweden, victorious last year thanks to the singer Loreen, already crowned in 2012. “Loreen was already very well known in Sweden and in this case, the country is more supportive of its candidate in charting an international route,” explained Alexandra Redde-Amiel. France also decided this time to reveal its candidate very early. The choice of La Zarra, at the start of her career in music, was only made public in mid-January and her song “Obviously” only released in mid-February.
Stéphane Chiffre, head of Eurofans France taken into confidence at the same time as the journalists, welcomes the choice: “Slimane is very well known, very loved, it’s a first to have an artist at the heart of a career, announced very soon, we can’t wait to see what happens next.” France has not won Eurovision since Marie Myriam in 1977.
Sweden, seven times victorious at Eurovision, will therefore host the competition in 2024, the year of the fifty years of its first success with “Waterloo”, by the legendary group ABBA. The 2023 edition of the competition was watched by 162 million viewers worldwide according to BBC figures.