FRANCE 2025

The French song was unveiled on March 15th with a live performance of the song during the half-time of the France V Scotland Six Nations rugby match at the Stade de France in Paris. January 2025, France Télévisions, announced their selected representative and the track would be released at a later date. Going to Basel is Louane with the song "maman" (mum)

Louane's real name is Anne Peichert; she is 29 years old and from the Pas-de-Calais region of France. Her first foray into talent shows was in 2009 when she took part in the second season of the show L'École des stars on the D8 channel. Four years later she was persuaded by Bruno Berberes to enter "The Voice: La Plus Belle Voix". Sadly her father died during the filming for the show but vowed to continue in his honour and got all the way to the semi-finals. A year later, her mother also died. She was spotted during The Voice by Éric Lartigau, who cast her in the lead role in his film "La Famille Bélier" which required her to learn sign language. She then won the César and Lumière Awards for Most Promising Actress for this role. Since then she has also participated in a number of film and TV roles as well as dubbing animated films such as Trolls and The Incredibles. In total, Louane has released 5 studio albums, 19 singles and 5 concert tours. Her music spans all the realms of French Pop from dance to chanson.

After an elongated introduction and set up to the show the song proper starts quite quickly with a rather long verse which goes straight into the chorus which repeats the title several times at the end. The second verse is a little shorter but this is followed by two renditions of the chorus, both with extended endings. The song finishes with a shortened chorus and a child's voice in the background saying 'maman'. Louane is wearing a long sleeved black dress studded with crystals which gently glitters. The Stadium is mostly in darkness with the lights of the crowd visible all around - a sight probably to be seen in the competition itself.

The reveal video, although grand, does not give us much idea as to what might be in store in Basel. The only thing I can fathom is that Louane may be static on stage with musicians around her. The song doesn't lend itself to much action on stage, apart from maybe some contemporary dancers. I have to admire Louane's tenacity, courage and control at being able to sing live in front of such a big, and possibly hostile audience (they were mainly there for the sport, not the Eurovision) as well as the nerve of singing so high in the air. There were some wobbles vocally but I feel that performing like this will make performing at Eurovision a breeze. Her concert experience will be invaluable when it comes to showing experience and stagecraft. The fact she is known across the Francophone world will help get votes from the jury and televote. The song feels like a female version of last year's entry which will give it some memorability. The tune is simple to remember and the repetition of 'maman' means even those with rudimentary French will get the gist. This is a nice ballad with a simplistic core and a pure heart but I wonder, compared with the entries around it, if it leaves the listener a little underwhelmed and wanting more.

ARTIST - Louane
SONG - maman
WRITING/PRODUCTION CREDITS - Anne Peichert, Tristan Salvati

FRANCE 2024

The French act and song was revealed on November 8th 2023 - first via posts on social media, then with the première of the song during the France 2 news bulletin show "20h". The first song selected for Malmö is "Mon Amour" (My Love) sung by Slimane.

Slimane Nebchi is no newcomer to singing competitions: Nouvelle Star in 2009, X Factor in 2011 and Encore Une Chance in 2012 and season 2 of Je Veux Signer Chez AZ. In 2016 he won The Voice: la plus belle voix as part of Team Lorent Pagny. His discography includes multiple single releases as a solo or featured artist and 4 albums - all of which reached the top 10 in France, Wallonia and Switzerland. Days after his announcement as the 2024 French representative, Slimane won the NRJ award for best French-speaking male artist.

The song is a slow growing ballad sung entirely in French. During the premiere performance, Slimane is alone on a small pedestal amidst a slightly larger space. He is wearing a black outfit with a mirrored vest over the top. This is used to good effect later in the song as it creates swirling and swooshing effect against the lights as the song builds. Slimane's vocal is almost faultless and there us a lot of emotion behind the voice. Verse one begins in a soft voice with piano backing and by the final chorus there is a full orchestra and real power and urgency behind Slimane's vocals.  In a short amount of time we get to hear the whole gamut of Slimane's range and vocal dexterity. The ending is, however, slightly unexpected and a slight let down given the how well the song has built up. This said, during his New Year Eve performance in front of a huge crowd in Paris, the song's construction was slightly different - including a longer intro and ending on a more powerful note. One of the benefits of declaring early is one can 'test out' versions of the song before declaring the specific version on March.

The video production is simple but effective and has a less frenetic "Voila" energy about it. There was a good balance between Slimane looking directly down the camera and performing outwardly to the hall. The sweeping shots made the song intimate and I can imagine the shots sweeping 360° so that the audience is also in view. This measured and commanding show proves that a good song and performer is absolutely enough to make a mark - something of quality needs very little extra to shine. On the other hand, the production could be made more memorable visually with an more honed stage or light show. I hope the objective of the song is not lost in any visual revamp but it may need more direction, especially taking into account the vastness of the Malmö stage and the fact that this entry is a one-man show. 

ARTIST - Slimane

SONG - Mon Amour

WRITING/PRODUCTION CREDITS - Slimane Nebchi, Meïr Salah, Yaacov Salah

FRANCE 2023

The French song was revealed on February 18th during the France 2 show "20h30 le dimanche" presented by Laurent Delahousse. Earlier in January, the French broadcaster announced that Quebecois singer-songwriter La Zarra had been internally selected as their act. Her song is called "Évidemment" (Obviously)

La Zarra - real name Fatima Zahra Hafdi - is a Canadian singer and songwriter based in France. She was born in Montreal to parents of Moroccan descent and settled in the suburb of Longueuil. Her career began in 2016 with the release of her debut single "Printemps blanc" collaborating with French rapper Niro. Her next song "Tu t'en iras" was not released until 2021 and was certified platinum by Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. La Zarra was nominated for the NRJ Music Awards, the leading French music awards, as "Francophone revelation of the year" and nominated in her homeland at the Gala de l'ADISQ for "Revelation of the year" in part by the success of her debut album "Traîtrise"

La Zarra is on a small platform inside a small dark studio with a lot of strobing lights. She is dressed in a dark tight fitting dress with a cinched in waist, pointy shoulder pads and matching fascinator. She has no particular choreography but does use her arms a lot and moves her shoulders to the beat. After a dramatic instrumental intro La Zarra starts with a staccato and very pronounced first verse; her voice is quiet and has a slightly raspy/whispery tone during the verse and pre-chorus. The chorus builds nicely and has a steady beat throughout although doesn't really build that much. We then have another verse and pre-chorus; the backing seems to be the same as before but her voice is stronger. This then runs into a shorter chorus than the one before. After this there is a bridge that feels like a much wordier verse but has a nice big note to end on. This then runs into the very last repeat of the chorus and finishes with the title of the song.

The song is in a similar genre to her previous songs with a slight Dua Lipa type feel to it. With this it has a bit of a retro 70s/80s disco vibes a la Dalida, Raffaella Carrà, Sheila B Devotion or Dihya. The repetition of the name of the song is well done, earwormy and is kind of unforgettable. The French vibes are evident but is not too in your face. The presentation was done via a lip synced video and this leaves some imagination as to how well this can be sung. Personally I find the sound production a bit flat and I hope she can really accentuate the words and harness her vocal power to make it a little less one-note energy-wise. The exaggerated nature of the chorus makes the title really stand out but the rest of the song feels quite unremarkable. Although this studio setup was good down the lens of the camera, one has to wonder what they have in store for a stage production. I am hoping the classy chanteuse feel will still be there but maybe with the addition of some dancers or cleverer camerawork.

If this song had won through a national final I would be suggesting lots of work to be done to the backing track to, again, make it much more immediate and punchy. I would also go so far as it say that the track doesn't develop anywhere near as much as it could go - I want more instrumentation, bigger drops and a much more compelling ending. However, as it this is an internal selection I very much doubt any of this is on the cards, unless they have a slew of remixes in the bag that could be whipped out before the declarations day mid-March having taken into account fan feedback. I feel like this is a definite effort from the French - something that is relevant, contemporary and fun - but this is no winner.

 

ARTIST - La Zarra

SONG - Évidemment

WRITING/PRODUCTION CREDITS - Benny Adam, Banx & Ranx, La Zarra

FRANCE 2021

The French Final was held on January 30th in Paris (Eurovision France, c'est vous qui décidez!) hosted by Stéphane Bern & Laurence Boccolini. The winner was chosen in two rounds of voting. Eight of the twelve would qualify through to round two with the top 7 chosen by televoting and 1 song chosen by the jury. From there, the winner was chosen by a 50/50 mix of televoting and jury. The winning song was "Voila" (There it is) by Barbara Pravi.

This was, considering the current situation, a full blown production with a small but technologically forward set and well set back audience. Barbara is centre stage dressed in simple black bodice and trouser suit with a statement silver belt around the middle. All of the tension and drama is created not only by her physical performance but also from the unusual camera angles and the use of spotlights and smoke to create movement.

The first line is done without a backing track and then the piano comes in. The tune on the verses is quite staccato, almost spoken, and not particularly memorable. Many of the words, however, are highly recognisable to anybody with basic smattering of French, which in itself is very clever tactic. The verses are rather non-descript and slightly flat but in an odd way this helps the chorus fly and create several stand out moments in the song. The first chorus is shortened and almost temps us with what is to come. There is a slight pause before the third verse which slows the pace down but as the final chorus comes to a conclusion it slowly speeds up to a thrilling ending which, although sudden, is not unpleasant.

The song is sung in very stylised style; slightly jazzy, slightly cabaret and feels unapologetically French without feeling like a pastiche or an angry rant. The instrumental does have an "Amelie" type feel, something which Patricia Kaas' entry also tried to encompass. Her voice is exceptionally clear and the emotion of the song is abundant in every word and movement she makes. Many have already made comparisons with Portugal's winning song from 2017 but this emotion is much more raw, piqued and possibly more aligned to the present world mood.

For me, though, the staging of this song on the night was the real secret weapon. The positioning of spotlights from different angles, the use of the video floor and the slightly intrusive and jittery camera work created real mood and tension. Moreover, at a time when we do not know which scenario will be used to ensure Eurovision takes place, this particular setting is an evergreen. Wherever this performance takes place, this staging will work. It would work in a room full or half full of people or as a static recorded performance in an empty room. This is a very individual song and will work well on one listen. It is certainly a step up from last year's dirge.... Can Barbara make this a double - a French Junior AND Adult Eurovision win ...?

ARTIST - Barbara Pravi
SONG - Voilà (Here)
WRITING CREDITS - Barbara Pravi, Igit, Lili Poe

29/01/12 FRANCE

The French entry, like the past few years, was internally selected.

It was revealed many months ago that Anggun, a French-Indonesian singer, would sing the song in a mixture of French and English. On 29th of January the song was released online. No proper video as yet, just clips of her in the studio.  William Rosseau and Jean Pierre Pilot are the writers of the song whilst Veronica Ferraro, well recognised for her collaboration with David Guetta, was in charge of sound mixing.

I have to say that even after four or five listens of the song - I am confused. What exactly I am confused about is also confusing.... You confused yet?!?!!

The song starts of quite slow and rocky and then slowly ratchets up to its proper speed. Angunn has an intersting voice although it sounds like she's really straining to get those high notes.The songs itself is quite good and has lots of separate parts and section that get inside your head.  The mixture of English and French works well and the choruses are quite memorable. Will be intersting to see if they wake a big thing about the whistling in the background....

I think my unsureness about the track comes from the music. It seems to stop, start, quicken up, slow down, chop and change too much for my liking. It gives it that feeling like there is no continuity, at one point I wan't sure if or when the song was going to end as ech time I thought I was changing to finish it would change again ! Will be interesting to find out which part of the song they use for the voting clip.

Obviously, more will be revealed once it is sung live and I will be very interested to see how the song is made into a show for Eurovision !

SONG  - Echo (You and I)

ARTIST – Anggun

COMPOSERS – Anggun, William Rousseau, Jean-Pierre Pilot

LANGUAGE – French/English

FRANCE

The French song presentation took place during the entertainment show “Chabada” on the 7th of March. It was revealed in late January that 21 year old French Tenor, Amaury Vassili, was to sing the French entry. It was then revealed that he would be singing a song in the regional language of Coriscan called “Sognu” or ‘dream’.

The day before his performance on Chabada the official video was launched and immediately caused a lot of talk throughout the internet. This then caused a lot of interest in his performance on TV. The first time I heard it, it reminded me of 2 of my most facourite pieces of music - Vangelis “Conquest of Paradise” and Ravel’s “Bolero”.

Unfortunately, Amaury was not singing live, however unlike many cases I am not too worried about this. He is obviously a good singer and is used to giving live performances and show sand has a ‘back catalogue’. The stage was not particularly big and he stood alone, although he did have some instrumental backing. He was wearing a red and black leather jacket that seemed slightly military in style. He had very good stage presence and his facial expressions changed during the different tempos and moods of the music

During the instrumental part half way through the audience applauds quite madly and he seems very pleased with this reaction. Also at this point the music starts to grow and the beat of the music feel like it is going faster and more pronounced and makes it all very intriguing. At the end there is more applause and a standing ovation.

This song and this performer are very special. Compared to almost everything selected up to now it has a panache and a class nothing else has. No, it is not a Eurovision song but it stands out so much that the voting public, especially those classically minded will vote for it. He is also not that bad looking! I also think the juries will love this song. I think this song will shake up Eurovision and may well be a vote for the re-integration of the orchestra!

SINGER – Amaury Vassili
SONG – Songu (Dream)
MUSIC – Daniel Moyne, Quentin Bachelet
WORDS – Jean-Pierre Marcellesi