Thirty-five years after the victory of a Celine Dion defending the colors of Switzerland with the song Do not go without me, another Quebecer hopes to win the most kitsch, the most hallucinated, the most improbable of musical competitions, Eurovision. Originally from Longueuil, La Zarra will appear on the Liverpool Arena stage on Saturday to perform Obviouslywritten with the same accomplices as his success you will go away, Banx Ranx and Benny Adam. “You don’t change a winning team! says La Zarra in an interview with The duty.
Obviously : three minutes and fifteen seconds of pop power that brings classic French chanson (that of Édith Piaf, recalled in the tremolo and prosody) closer to the currents of modern pop, as La Zarra likes to do. This languorous and orchestral introduction stopping at the foot of a subtly disco-house dance rhythm makes two eras collide in the same song, and it works.
By recruiting La Zarra, France is taking this competition seriously: several bookmakers rank it among the favorites with Sweden, Finland, Spain and even Ukraine, which won it last year. Very early on, the French representation at Eurovision had the Longueuilloise in its sights: “When I was approached last September, I did not yet have a song for them. It was a little scary, but the team was convinced: “She’s going to make it.” Immediately, we immersed ourselves in the creation of the song, then the recording, ”says the musician, joined by videoconference in Paris, where she lives today with her daughter.
La Zarra said yes to France, without really knowing what she was getting into, presumably: seen from America, where musical competitions are nevertheless well anchored in the television landscape, Eurovision has the air of a circus where the competitors seem less concerned with the quality of the writing of a song or its interpretation than with its performance, its costumes, wacky and flashy concepts.
“You guess right,” La Zarra replies with a smile. Honestly, you have to be here to see how big Eurovision is. I still learn a little more every day about this contest, but I can tell you that it’s a big machine. There’s also a whole community of 1000% invested fans, who watch your every move, the videos you make”, even the little scandals like this story of participation in a Eurovision promotional show planned for Amsterdam. canceled by the Quebecer who made headlines last month, shortly after our conversation.
Of course, Eurovision is very political. Maybe I’m naive thinking that, but the fact that I’m Canadian softens my proposition. Maybe it could even work in favor of France?
Moreover, Eurovision has a geopolitical dimension that makes it even stranger. We could thus compare the event to the European League championship in football, while pride and national rivalries are revealed in the votes of viewers from all over the European continent (37 nations are represented at Eurovision, 26 will take part in the final of May 13).
The political dimension of the competition is all the more glaring this year as Great Britain has agreed to host the competition in place of Ukraine, which was to host it since it won the 2022 edition. For the second year in a row, Russia (winner in 2008 thanks to the song believe of Dima Bilan) will be excluded because of the war she is waging in Ukraine. “Everyone is very aware of the delicate situation in which Eurovision is taking place this year, recognizes La Zarra. We all support Ukraine” in the war of invasion that Russia is waging against it.
“It is sure that Eurovision is very political, says La Zarra. Maybe I’m naive thinking that, but the fact that I’m Canadian softens my proposition. Maybe it could even work in favor of France? she said, also pointing out that her Moroccan roots could encourage spectators to support her candidacy. “In my opinion, all that, my roots, where I was born, the place where I developed my career, these are advantages. It is the expression of multiculturalism, the reflection of today’s society, it is also breaking down borders with music. »
And costumes, staging, special effects… A few images of La Zarra in rehearsal reveal her alone on stage in a long, elegant dark dress, placed on a stage that will rise towards the sky during her performance. “The scenography, the performance, that will be the most important. I hope to impress the viewer’s mind, using camerawork, lighting and an element of surprise. I want the performance to be like a painting, a sculpture, which we admire. »
By avoiding of course to pour into kitsch, as we have seen so much in recent decades at Eurovision. Many Americans learned about this contest through comedy Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga, which stars Rachel McAdams and Will Ferrell as the singers representing Iceland. Success on Netflix in 2020, the comedy is however hardly a parody…
“An incredible movie! launches La Zarra. It’s one of my favorite movies, I must have seen it about thirty times — I love Will Ferrell, he’s hilarious! It’s true that it’s a bit like that, Eurovision: a kind of parallel musical world, ”adds the musician, promising to return soon to Quebec to present her next album, which could be launched this summer.