Read news from:
Austria
SHARE
COPY LINK

EUROVISION

Swiss Eurovision winner sings English song

The winner of a contest to represent Switzerland in this year’s Eurovision Song Contest has been living in England and her entry is sung in English.

Published: 2 February 2015 21:47 CET

Mélanie René, 24, was voted the best hope for the Swiss over the weekend during a televised show, beating out five other finalists with her song “Time to Shine”.

The singer-songwriter was hailed in Swiss media as a citizen of the canton of Vaud.

But the Tribune de Genéve reported on Monday that she was actually born in Geneva to parents from Mauritius and grew up in neighbouring France.

For several years she has been living in England, where she just spent four years studying music, the newspaper said.

“There must have been a problem with the communication,” René told the Tribune.

The confusion about her origins apparently arises because her manager is from the village of Commugny in the canton of Vaud, she said.

However, René did study music in the canton at a music school in the town of Nyon, the Tribune said.

She will represent Switzerland in the Eurovision 2015 semifinals set for May 19th and 21st in Vienna.

The finals will be held on May 23rd. 

You can see the winning entry in the YouTube video below:

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.

EUROVISION

IN PICS: Thousands protest in Malmö against Israel’s participation in Eurovision

Thousands of people joined a demonstration in Malmö on Saturday afternoon protesting Israel's participation in the Eurovision song contest.

Published: 11 May 2024 18:07 CEST
IN PICS: Thousands protest in Malmö against Israel's participation in Eurovision
The protesters gathered at Malmö’s Stortorget Square, with many waving Palestinian flags or wrapping their necks with the Keffiye, the scarf that is a symbol of the Palestinian struggle against occupation.
 
According to police, between 6,000 and 8,000 people took part in the demonstration. 

“Everything as gone according to expectations. Everything is calm and there are no disturbances so far,” Jimmy Modin, the police’s press spokesperson told Sweden’s public broadcaster SVT. 

Photo: Johan Nilsson/TT
 
Some signs reference the disqualification of the The Netherlands’ entry Joost Klein, even though the European Broadcasting Union has asserted that the member of the production team who has accused him of threatening behaviour was not connected to a national delegation in any way. 
 
 

Photo: Johan Nilsson/TT
 
The youth wing of the Left Party carried a sign saying, “Genocide: Nul points — no occupying powers at Eurovision”. 
 

Photo: Johan Nilsson/TT
 
The protesters than moved in a procession down Södergatan and Södra Förstadsgatan, Malmö’s two main pedestrianised shopping streets, to the the Triangeln shopping, before moving down towards Slottsparken, the park where the protest is due to finish. 

 

Photo: Johan Nilsson/TT
 
Members of other communities in Malmö carried banners, such as this one saying “Latinos for Palestine”. 

Photo: Johan Nilsson/TT
 
Some of Malmö’s Jewish community also joined the march, with one protester carrying a Jews for Palestine banner.  
 

Photo: Johan Nilsson/TT
 
Danish police had provided riot vans to help Swedish police control the protest, but at the time this article was posted, there had been no reports of violence. 
 

Photo: Johan Nilsson/TT

Photo: Johan Nilsson/TT

Photo: Johan Nilsson/TT

Photo: Johan Nilsson/TT
 
When the protest reached the Triangeln shopping centre it dispersed and spread out over the square in front.  
 

Photo: Johan Nilsson/TT
 
When The Local was leaving Malmö Arena in Hyllie, there were a handful of demonstrators staging an unsanctioned protest, who police were asking to stop. 
 

Photo: Richard Orange
SHOW COMMENTS