Slimane was the fourth artist announced for the Eurovision song contest 2024 in Malmö, but the very first with the song Mon amour released at the same time and thus the first song of the season, when the whole package was revealed on November 8, 2023. This year France Télévisions dropped the national final and picked internally the biggest name instead. A bit like Italy last year with Marco Mengoni.
Slimane Nebchi (34) is a French of Algerian descent through his grandparents. In 2016 he won the season 5 of The Voice but before that he had already gone through many talent shows: Popstars 2007, Nouvelle star 2009, X Factor 2011, Encore un chance 2012, Je veux signer chez AZ and also did Didier Barbelivien's musical Marie-Antoinette et le Chevalier de Maison-Rouge in 2015.
His recording career started started after The Voice (except for an EP in 2011 that went nowhere) with his debut album hitting #1 and selling triple platinum. Since then he has released three more albums (last one in 2022) each hitting #1 or #2 selling platinum and his third album with Vitaa sold over one million copies earning him a Diamond record. He has scored chart success not only in France but also Belgium, Switzerland and Germany.
He's an album seller as his singles hasn't done so well. Actually he has more singles chart success in Belgium where he has seven Top-singles versus France's one besides a #1 hit Bella Ciao with Naestro, Maitre Gims, Vitaa and Dadju.
He has also starred in two films and has done some television, too: Fort Boyard and Boyard land reality series. He's been in the jury of La France a un incroyable talent, Miss France, The Voice Belgique (2018-19) and The Voice Kids Belgique (2020). So, a real household name in France and beyond.
Between 2018 and 2022 Slimane performed in duo with Vitaa. Their million seller VersuS album was released in in 2019, the second part in 2020 and finally a live version in 2021. The whole project fathered 8 singles, sold over a million in France alone, and scored platinum in Belgium and gold in Switzerland.
He has a lot of collaborations with other artists besides Vitaa including Lea Castel, Jenifer, Kendji Girac, Dadju, Gims, Hatik, Claudio Capeo, Boostee, Patrick Fiori, Mike Singer, Madame Monsier, A Filetta, Nej, Ycare, Soprano, Amel Bent, Camelia Jordana, La Zarra, Lyna Mahyem, Kery James and Manal.
You may have guessed by now Slimane is right into my cup of tea. I knew him beforehand but I must admit since he was announced he may have become my most listened artist this year by far. And Mon amour sits comfortably at the top of my Eurovision 2024 ranking. I said already when released that this may win the whole thing in May, and indeed after a very slow start he has climbed the odds and my guess is still he may not win either the televote nor the jury vote but could end up winning anyways. And I'd be very, very happy!
In our Home Jury he scored a string of straight 10's and 9's but then also 1's and 2's. A total reflection of people's tastes and span of concentration. What is pure gold and wonderful music and emotion to some is a total boredom and nonsense to others.
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