can France’s candidate for Eurovision win?

2023-05-09 16:51:00

ZARRA EUROVISION. Last straight line before Eurovision for the French candidate, La Zarra, who is taking her first steps in Liverpool.

Summary

Last straight line for La Zarra! France’s candidate for Eurovision 2023 took her first steps on stage in Liverpool during one of the general rehearsals for the European competition, the video of which was posted online. Note that this Tuesday, May 9 will also be broadcast on France 4 the semi-finals of Eurovision, with, therefore, the passage of La Zarra with his song Obviously.

Note that France is qualified from the outset for the grand final of the European singing competition, being one of the biggest financial contributors to the event. The first videos of La Zarra at Eurovision were well received by the public present on site and encouraged Eurovision bookmakers, whose forecasts are closely followed each year, to give France a chance, now in fourth place in their ranking.

But the candidate from France is, with her song Obviously, credited with only a 6% chance of winning according to them. Even if the fans of La Zarra can largely hope for a better place than last year, with the 24th place of the group Alvan & Ahez, it is a safe bet that it will not repeat the exploit of Barbara Praviperformer of Voilàwho had made an impression and finished in second place at Eurovision 2021.

As a reminder, in addition to Barbara Pravi, second in 2021, the last Top 10 at Eurovision dates back to 2016 with sixth place for Amir, the best ranking since … 2002.

La Zarra takes its first steps in Eurovision

For its first Eurovision appearance, the Zarra appeared atop a circle-shaped plinth draped in shimmering fabric and jutting five meters off the ground. She herself was dressed in a fitted dress made entirely of black and red sequins. The cylindrical column, covered at the top with mirror tiles, delivered a spellbinding scene that will end with the appearance of the French flag on an LED wall at the very end. A successful performance from start to finish by the singer, who reassures after a few weeks of doubt.

In April, La Zarra had indeed drawn criticism from many commentators after having canceled his concert during the “Eurovision in Concert” evening, a preview of the Eurovision final bringing together fans and candidates from different countries. . Evoking a “personal problem” she had drawn the spotlight on her, but also shed light on her doubts and her own demons. A page now turned?

On the strength of its reputation and this first performance, La Zarra has recently climbed into the top 5 of the best bettors among the candidates for Eurovision, behind the candidates from Sweden and Finland, arch favorites. Does she really have a chance of winning Eurovision? It is not too risky to predict a better place for France than last year, an edition won by the Ukrainians of Kalush Orchestra and at the end of which the French of Alvan & Ahez had finished in second to last place. of the rank.

This year, therefore, France Télévisions is betting on Obviously, a title subtly located between French song and electro or even disco. On Sunday February 19, a few weeks after being announced as a French representative at Eurovision, La Zarra unveiled this track with which she will defend France in Liverpool on May 13. A title written by the artist herself with the Canadian Benny Adam and produced by the electro duo Banx & Ranx.

“The song Obviously arrived while I was doing a seminar in the South of France for my second album, which will be released after Eurovision and will be followed by a tour. I hummed it and it stayed. We wrote it in three nights, because we don’t sleep. It was very easy to do, in a good mood, very passionate, even if the note where I sing the great France was hard for me”, explained the artist to the Parisian after his selection.

Why did La Zarra cancel a concert before Eurovision?

The singer La Zarra was forced to cancel her visit to the “Eurovision in Concert” evening, organized on Saturday April 13 in Amsterdam. This evening brings together, each year, thousands of fans of the ceremony, who come to listen to the candidates from different countries a month before the big European competition. Noticed, the absence of France was nevertheless shrouded in mystery. If the Eurovision France Twitter account then advanced “a personal problem” of La Zarra, the tricolor representative indicated for her part that she was going through “difficult times.”

In a long message posted on Twitter, La Zarra wrote: “I would have liked so much to be with you all, but sometimes life decides otherwise. So I will need a few days to manage these difficult moments. These moments of intimacy are going to be important to me. Thank you for your kindness.”

But what really happened in Amsterdam that caused La Zarra to cancel his performance at the last minute? The Parisian has since referred to a “family event”. But one month before the grand final of Eurovision, such a last-minute cancellation has caused serious concern.

La Zarra wanted to reassure his fans in a video

In a short video, posted on social networks on April 26, La Zarra spoke again to “reassure”. Three weeks before the contest, she spoke “a few days away from leaving for Liverpool” and wanted “absolutely to send a message of thanks” to her fans for the messages of support received after her abrupt cancellation.

La Zarra, facing the camera, assured above all that he was “more determined than ever to wear the colors of France with pride and love”. And to address his detractors: “So even if we can’t always be unanimous, so many of you have simply told me that you believe in me and in my song. And that’s all I need. I need.” “We are ready, we are more than ready. We are going to make the Liverpool stage sparkle. We have prepared a dazzling, dangerous and so chic à la française”, concluded La Zarra, thus giving an appointment to his fans on May 13.

Who is La Zarra, French candidate for Eurovision?

Fatima Zahra Hafdi, known as La Zarra, was born on August 25, 1997 in Montreal, Canada. In the columns of Parisian, she says she comes from a family of seven children, including six girls, born in Quebec to parents who emigrated from the Maghreb. But refuses to give his age. In 2016, she collaborated with Niro on the song white spring. But before breaking into music, La Zarra worked as a hairdresser. She then moved to Paris.

It is in 2021 that the notoriety of La Zarra explodes with the song you will go away, which plays in a loop on the radio as well as on television. Nominated in the Francophone Revelation category at the NRJ Music Awards 2021, she released her first album, Treacheryin 2022. The following year, she was appointed by France Télévisions as the French representative at Eurovision 2023, on May 13 in Liverpool, England.