France Télévisions has revealed in a surprise radio interview who will represent the nation next year in Malmö. Bosses at the broadcaster have chosen Slimane to represent the nation, the first Big 5 nation to do so this year. His song will be entitled “Mon Amour” and will be released later tonight.
Internal selection used once again
France’s Head of Delegation Alexandra told listeners the artist chosen has to “have the heart of France”, which the delegation believed he had. He said he was incredibly stressed for keeping the secret, but also was incredibly happy to be joining the Eurovision family. “I believe that Eurovision celebrates liberty and diversity and I’m happy to show my music!”
This is the second year in a row that France has opted for an internal selection, after having ditched their national selection in favour of La Zarra for the 2023 Contest.
France’s Eurovision journey
France is a powerhouse in Eurovision, debuting in the first Contest in 1956. Their first entries finished in second place, but no scores were ever published. Since then, France has gone on to win the Contest five times. The most recent win came in 1977, with Marie Myriam’s “L’enfant et l’oiseau”, scoring 136 points.France has seen a rebirth in results following a change in direction in 2016. Amir finished in 6th position for France with “J’ai charché”, followed by 12th, 13th and 16th places respectively.
For 2023, France moved away from a national selection and internally chose La Zarra with her song “Évidemment”. At the close of voting in Liverpool, France finished in 16th place, earning 104 points. Of these, 54 points were given by the juries, whilst the televote allocated an extra 50 points to France.
What are your thoughts on France’s internal selection? Are you looking forward to Slimane’s song for Malmö? As always, let us know what you think by commenting below. Also, be sure to follow “That Eurovision Site” on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter , Tiktok, Tumblr, Threads and Bluesky as we gear up for Eurovision 2023!
News Source: France Télévisions
Photo Credit: Slimane
