🇫🇷 France to use a national selection again in the future?

Could we see a return to a national selection for France in the future? An interview with delegation head Alexandra Redde-Amiel suggests this is a possibility.

Possible return to a national selection?

In an interview on Culture Médias on Europe 1 Radio, host Thomas Isle asked Redde-Amiel why the delegation had reverted to internal selections the past two years. In response, Redde-Amiel said:

“On n’a pas abandonné. Il y a des moments où on se dit que c’est intéressant de quand on a un artiste comme Slimane de mettre entre parenthèses la sélection nationale mais en aucun cas. Moi j’ai plein d’ambitions pour réfléchir à des concepts autour justement de ces sélections nationales.”

“We haven’t given up. There are moments where we say that it’s interesting to put the national selection on hold when we have an artist like Slimane but in no case (would they completely abandon national selections). I have many ideas to think about these concepts around these national selections.”

Alexandra Redde Amiel on Culture Médias with Thomas Isle, 05/04/2024

France last used a national selection in 2022, where Alvan & Ahez won C’est Vous Qui Décidez with “Fulenn”. France Télévisions chosen their last two representatives La Zarra and Slimane, internally.

France’s Eurovision History

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.

News Source: Culture Médias on Europe 1

Photo Credit: Slimane