Life after Helsinki 2007 Eurovision

Chances of getting Kendji Girac to do Eurovision anytime soon despite his minor flirting with the idea are rather slim now that France has gotten back to the national final system - unless the new man in charge decides to cancel it all and go internal after all (As Edoardo Grassi was axed in favor of Steven Clerima as HoD after all (and because of) that he has done in the past three years) Kendji is still only 22 even if it feels like he's been around a lot longer already. He rose to the fame in 2014 when winning The Voice and has released three #1 albums with six top-10 hits. His mix of pop, folk and catchy gipsy music is a cocktail that should work everywhere in Europe. He has it all going and would be a perfect choice if France should go internal again. Just listen to Maria Maria , No me mires ma , Color gitano and Andalouse to gt the idea. 

  After two succesful years with Amir and Alma France seems to have found their lost Eurovision identity again, and this year's choice for a national final could have gone so wrong after those two internally selected and hand picked by the new Head of Delegation Edoardo Grassi, mais non! This is propably one of the strongest national final selections this year. This blogger would be ready to send to Lisbon 7-9 of these based on the snippets alone ( click the titles below ), and I would kick out only three of them at this point. Of course, we haven't yet heard the whole songs nor seen the staging and the artists ability to sing live and look good on telly while doing it but.....  At this point my top contenders are Masoe and Nassi, both delivering a song that sounds what French hit music is right now in my ears.  Well done, France! Maybe Marie Myriam, guest of honor in Destination Eurovision will finally see someone take off her crown as the reigning French Eur...

  It's been 40 years since France, once the superpower of Eurovision song contest, won. It's been ten years since they last had a real proper national selection (you can hardly say the 2014 affair was one). With new energetic Head of Delegation and two fairly succesful attempt both with results and commercially they are ready to launch a proper national final for 2018. With the new found popularity among the audience as well, hopefully that reflects also to the artists! The call is now open to anyone to send in a song as long as it is unreleased and unpublished before September 1, and has no more than four writers (good, enough of those "international song writing camp" entries!) and they all belong to the local SACEM. And at least 70% of the lyrics are in French.  Just to help the Edoardo to invite artists, and remind these artists of the opportunity I have gathered here a few, just names that came to my mind once I sat down to think about it for a moment....

Pictured is the national flower of France, iris Once the Eurovision superpower France has been struggling big time in the 2000's culminating in the the last place in 2014 and second to last in 2015. It was a time for a total makeover and in 2016 they did it. Amir was chosen internally, scored 6th place in the final and became one of the biggest hits of the year in France, and in Eurovision general. His success changed apparently also the French public's interest and if it works, don't change it. Stick to Amir's inner circle:   Requiem is   written by Nazim Khaled. Just like Amir's J'ai cherchè .  Alma or Alexandra Maquet (28) is a singer-songwriter. She started with music already as a child and has lived in both Miami and Brazil. She started releasing her own songs few years ago and slowly made her way to television and touring with Amir among other things.  Requiem is her third official single since 2014, and her debut album will be released shortly...

Switzerland is finally getting rid of that insane selection with various internet portals and language slots and all that has made their selection a bit if a mad one the past years. And help them score two last places in the semifinal in a row. Beat that! Anyways, with the help of a new guy in charge, Reto Peritz the new and at least on paper highly improved selection process goes like this: Between September 26 and October 24 there will be only one portal to submit songs. No more same songs in various language and broadcaster based selection portals, and no more a certain number of slots in the final for various languages. And guess what? We can't see and hear the wannabes but ony the 20 member strong jury made of musicians etc that will pick up 20 songs and artists for the live chech up to be held on December 4, 2016.  At least one member of the team (artist, composer, author) must be a Swiss or have a residence there.  The nationa final will take place in tv-stud...

It seems the big names aren't interested, or at least the major labels, sadly, but still France television has received 280 entries for the Eurovision song contest. Once the Eurovision superpower France has lost it completely the recent years when only megastar Patricia Kaas managed to get them back to top-10 in 2009. Last four years they have collected only miserable 41 points finishing 22nd, 23rd, 26th and 25th. So, this year new people in charge and new approach. First of all this open call for song even if the choice will be internal, they will broadcast both the semifinals, and the song may even be in English or at least partly in English, something rather unheard for the French.  France 2 Entertainment dirctor Nathalie André and the new Head of Delegation Edoardo Grassi (pictured) are looking for something more suitable for this era, fun and uptempo it seems. And they are not taking it with Lisa Angell who was considered outdated and boring by many and I agree with them....