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Eurovision 2024: France’s First Rehearsal!

Next up on the stage of Eurovision Song Contest 2024 is France. Slimane with his song “Mon Amour” is ready for his first rehearsal on the stage of Malmö Arena!

Who is Slimane?

Slimane Nebchi (known with his stage name as Slimane) was born and raised in France, while he is of Algerian descent through his grandparents.

Since winning The Voice (France) in 2016, Slimane’s rise in popularity has been meteoric, with 2 million albums sold, 5 NRJ Music Awards, 2 billion worldwide streams, 7 million followers on social media and a Victorie de la Musique to his name.

The singer wrote the lyrics of Mon amour and co-composed the song with his inseparable partners and friends Yaacov and Meir Salah, with whom Slimane has been making music since the age of 15.

Slimane was selected internally by France Télévisions for Eurovision 2024. In fact, “Mon Amour” was the first Eurovision 2024 entry released in November 2023.

The Rehearsal

France’s Slimane is up next, with his sweeping ballad Mon Amour. He’s become an established star in his home country since he won The Voice (France) in 2016, and now has his sights set on Eurovision.

The staging for this performance has the same energy as the official video, with lots of close-ups of Slimane sharing his pain and asking the big questions about love. His vocal range and the simple piano accompaniment create a kind of breathless intensity, and nobody does his kind of chanson d’amour quite like France.

Staging wise, it starts with Slimane lying on the floor in a white suit, and he performs the first half of the song on his knees, interacting with the camera in a way that feels like a POV of a really intense argument. The juxtaposition of this with the questions he asks in the lyrics feels really immersive, like you’re part of the encounter. We might have just held our breath for three minutes.

At the end there’s a section where Slimane steps away from the mic and sings the final chorus entirely acapella, in a cloud of smoke. We’ve seen this element before during pre-party season, but in this big arena it creates a haunting echo.

France First Rehearsal Eurovision 2024 Credits: Corinne Cumming

France’s second rehearsal is scheduled for Saturday, 4/5. A TV snippet of Slimane’s performance will provide a clearer picture of what to expect on the Eurovision stage.

You can watch a small clip from France’s first rehearsal from TikTok:

@eurovision Je rejoue la scène… That's how good @Slimane first rehearsal was #Eurovision2024 ♬ original sound – Eurovision

 

Source: eurovision.tv

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Eurovision 2023: France’s First Rehearsal!

Next Big 5 act to step on stage for her first rehearsal is La Zarra, representing France with the song “Évidemment”!

Who is La Zarra?

Fatima-Zahra Hafdi, known professionally as La Zarra, is a Canadian singer and songwriter based in France.

A self-taught musician, this chanteuse channels the style of Audrey Hepburn and Marilyn Monroe, with a healthy dose of Édith Piaf’s sense of tragedy. She rose to prominence in 2016, when she released her debut single “Printemps blanc” in collaboration with French rapper Niro. In 2021, her fame increased with the single “Tu t’en iras”, which was regularly broadcast on radio and television. In the same year, La Zarra was nominated for the NRJ Music Awards, the leading French music awards, as Francophone revelation of the year, boosted in part by the success of her debut and only album so far “Traîtrise”.

La Zarra was internally chosen by France Télévisions to represent France in the Eurovision Song Contest 2023, becoming the second Canadian singer to represent the country after Natasha St-Pier in 2001.

The Rehearsal

La Zarra stands on top of a sparkle-draped plinth wearing a fitted gown made entirely from black and red sequins. The ‘plinth’ is a moving column five metres off the ground, draped in sparkly black fabric all the way to the floor. The fabric disappears to reveal a cylindrical column with a mirror-tiled top.

Corinne Cumming / EBU

Corinne Cumming / EBU

Sarah Louise Bennett / EBU

At the end, the French flag appears on the LED wall.

Sarah Louise Bennett / EBU

You can watch the official snippet of La Zarra’s first rehearsal on TikTok below:

@eurovision Ooh la la La Zarra = ART 🇫🇷 #Eurovision2023 #Eurovision @La Zarra ♬ original sound – Eurovision


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Source: eurovision.tv

Eurovision 2022: First Rehearsal of France!

Today is the sixth day of rehearsals in Turin and the first rehearsals of the BIG 5 countries are going to be held today!

Next up on stage for their first rehearsal is France and Alvan & Ahez with the song “Fulenn“.

Who are Alvan & Ahez?

Alvan is a multi-instrumentalist electro artist from the French region of Brittany, the same place vocal group Ahez hail from. As an artist, Alvan loves to mix different genres within his own music, and despite his sound mostly being rooted in electronica, he also uses a lot of traditional chants and organic elements in his hybrid compositions.

Ahez (Marine, Sterenn and Stereen) are a traditional vocal group who aim to showcase their regional heritage through music, by writing and singing in their native language, Breton. In their songs, they tell contemporary stories that reference the ancient myths of Brittany.

Alvan & Ahez have made it known they want to show that tradition is not something stuck in the past, but rather, it is constantly evolving.

The Rehearsal

France keeps up with the green arena theme by having a podium with some greenery on it. The mix of dance and folk and traditional instruments in this song works quite nicely, and there is cohesion between the matching black and gold costumes and the vocal harmonies and looks like Alvan and Ahez have always been a group of four.

EBU / ANDRES PUTTING

It’s also the most bass we’ve had on any track this year, and it’s pulsing through the arena in Turin, everyone will this song through the floor and this will also be conveyed to the TV audience.

In the second run-through, Alvan finished the song with a wink to the camera. Regarding pyro works on stage, France has two fire pits on each side of the stage and flame jets that shoot up whenever the bass drops and combined to the flashing lighting and the floor graphics, it creates a visually intense spectacle.

EBU / ANDRES PUTTING

Below you can watch a small clip from the French first rehearsal on TikTok:

@eurovision A fiery first rehearsal from France’s @ALVAN 🔥#EurovisionTikTok #Eurovision2022 #Eurovision ♬ original sound – Eurovision

The second French rehearsal will be held on the 7th of May, when we will know how things will appear on screen for the French entry.

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