Slimane, a popular songwriter and singer in France, was selected by the French delegation for the Eurovision contest which will be held in 2024 in Sweden. An “excellent” choice, according to the former head of the French delegation.
Slimane will represent France for Eurovision 2024, announced Wednesday November 8 on France Inter Alexandra Redde-Amiel, head of the French delegation to Eurovision and director of entertainment and games at France Télévisions. An internal selection welcomed by Nathalie André, the former head of the delegation in charge of the selection and the president of the French association of Eurovision fans, Stéphane Chiffre.
Slimane’s popularity will “give importance to this show”
“Slimane is an excellent choice”, reacts Nathalie André, current director of programs and music at France Bleu, former director of games and entertainment at France 2 in charge of the selection for Eurovision. She welcomes the decision of the current chrepresentative of the French delegation, Alexandra Redde-Amiel, for this competition “very complicated to organize”.
“He’s one of the greatest French artists of the moment, that’s what’s great.”
According to the music expert, having a singer “extremely popular in France, also one of the most important songwriters of the moment”is a decision “judicious”. Not necessarily to lead France to victory, but above all to “validate the importance of this show, give it credibility. It has long been considered old-fashioned.”
According to Nathalie André, it is also a great opportunity for the artist. “This will give him almost worldwide visibility. It’s a great step for Slimane, as a songwriter as well as a performer,” concludes the music professional, former artistic director of “La Star Academy”.
“A sublime voice and a love song”: the ideal recipe for Eurovision, according to the president of Eurofans
Stéphane Chiffre, the president of Eurofans, the association of French fans of Eurovision, for his part, is counting on Slimane, to ” lead France as close as possible to victory.” “When his song “Viens on s’aime” came out, I said to myself that we should have sent it to Eurovision! I think it would have been a hit.” he assures. For this fan, Slimane “is a great ambassador of France. This artist has it all : “He is unanimous, with a sublime voice, magnificent songs that unite, and can work perfectly at Eurovision.”
According to Stéphane Chiffre, the title My love, presented for 2024, “is a beautiful message for Eurovision”. According to him, “love, a universal theme, is also what is expected of France abroad. When Barbara Pravi finished second in 2021, her song met expectations: classy, beautiful, committed and vocal”.
Internationally, the Eurovision fans club has nearly 17,000 members. Stéphane Chiffre regularly exchanges with some, and he assures that Slimane is attractive abroad. Moreover, every year, Eurovision fans across countries organize their own competition. This year, French fans sent a song by… Slimane!