From our special correspondent in Amsterdam (Netherlands)
Less than a month before the Eurovision final, which will be held on May 11 in Malmö (Sweden), Slimane completed his “preparties” tour on Saturday with the Eurovision in Concert in Amsterdam. Last weekend he was in Barcelona and London. These events, bringing together a large number of the artists competing in the competition, serve as an aperitif before the musical competition followed by some 100 million viewers.
” I’m eager to ! Now, I only want to be on the Eurovision stage and sing My love », assures the singer who will represent France. 20 minutes met him at his hotel, a few hours before he performed his song at a packed AFAS Live. He delivered one of the most notable performances of the evening.
The crowd of nearly 6,000 people, where the Dutch were of course the majority, took up the chorus of My love. A good omen for Eurovision? Maybe. But Slimane, who continues his tour Cupid Tour at the same time, warns: above all, he wants to stay focused in the final straight and deliver a performance of which he can be proud.
Eurovision takes place in less than a month. How do you prepare?
I’m preparing myself psychologically, of course. I try to project myself, with good energies, it’s important. I’m on tour, I’ve done TV performances in Croatia, Italy, Belgium… I would say that the preparation began when my candidacy was announced. I’m not doing anything special right now because the final is a month away. We continue.
For the moment, does the Eurovision adventure look like what you imagined?
I think that pre-games are not yet what I will experience in Malmö. I don’t say to myself “These concerts happen like this, so at Eurovision it’s going to be like this…” But I imagined something very friendly [amical], where things would go well, which would do me good. This is what I’m experiencing, so I’m so happy.
What do you gain from participating in these pre-concerts?
This allows me to meet other artists. It is important for me to open up culturally to others. I want to see what is happening, what is being done and take on everyone’s energies. There is a particularly cool atmosphere between the artists and I didn’t imagine it like that. It’s very friendly [amical]. It’s also an opportunity to meet the Eurovision audience, it’s a pleasure. I’m also discovering other ways of doing things, of working, and it’s pleasant.
Do you communicate with the other candidates?
Of course ! We have a WhatsApp group now. We’re all in there and we’re talking, it’s very cool.
What do the discussions look like? Are there any talkers? Jokes?
No, really, it’s very nice, cute. We feel like we’re in a wonderful world and, frankly, it feels really good.
Does it help manage pressure?
Eurovision is so huge that, even between artists, there is no real competition. I think we’re all so happy to be doing this and we’re aware that we’re going to be watched by millions of people. We all want to do well, so there is a lot of kindness.
The Albanian Besa and the Polish Luna each covered your song, “Mon amour”. What did you feel ?
Frankly, I was surprised. The first was Luna. We saw each other in Barcelona and she said to me: “I have something for you to listen to…” All the artists competing this year must do a cover for the Eurovision YouTube channel. Luna said to me: “That’s it…” I started listening and it was My love. It really touched me a lot. Besides, when I talk about kindness, this is an example: she didn’t say to herself “I’m going to cover the song of one of my competitors”. It feels so good. She did a really good recovery, so I was very happy.
For the Eurovision channel, you proposed the “Meya rework”, which is a dance version of “Mon amour”…
In fact, we’re also asked to do a cover of our song. Most other artists have up tempos so, instinctively, they make acoustic versions of their songs. My love, it is already practically a piano-voice. So I didn’t see where to take him. I wasn’t going to do it any more dark [sombre] than she already is (he smiles), so I took the opposite approach by taking her [vers du up tempo]. It’s something that doesn’t particularly suit me artistically but, in the end, I’m very comfortable and proud of this recovery.
In this reorchestration, are there elements that will be preserved for Malmö?
No, it was really an exercise. I took it like that. This allows us to have another version of the song but I have the impression that the primary message of the piece and its emotion are preserved, even if it allows us to experience it differently.
Is singing a ballad in an edition that has a lot of up tempo pieces an advantage?
There was a moment when I said to myself: “But actually you are crazy to go to Eurovision with this song! » When you listen to all the pieces, there is almost a Eurovision “taste” that stands out [auquel Mon amour ne correspondrait pas]. But, little by little, by doing the pre-games, meeting people, I started to think that it was an advantage because she stands out from the crowd. Afterwards, like everything that stands out, you either love it or you hate it. Without boasting, whether for good or evil, I will not go unnoticed.
During a performance on Croatian television, you offered an a cappella passage at the end of “Mon amour”, stepping back behind the microphone. You indicated that this passage would be kept for Eurovision. Are there other elements from your television performances in recent weeks, on “The Voice Belgium” or in Italy, which will remain in the scenography? And is this a way to test the realization?
I don’t really test it because we really worked a lot on the Eurovision performance. But I would say that there is a common thread. I think that when people see my performance in Malmö, they will say to themselves, if they have seen the other performances: “Ah but there was already this thing and that thing! » But there are things that we will only reveal at Eurovision and that is also a choice.
Is it possible to know a little more about the scenography?
I’d say it’s a first date. This Eurovision performance, we thought of it like that. We want the person watching to be immersed with me.
When your song was revealed, you said you were fond of videos from content creators around the world reacting to “Mon amour”. Do you continue to watch what is being said on social media?
Less and less. There, I try to concentrate and not take in too much information for my brain, otherwise I will go crazy (he smiles). But I really liked it at first. It was a way to enter this world of Eurovision. There, as the competition approaches, I stay focused on what I am doing.
Can you ignore malicious comments?
Yes because, from the start, I have had the idea of being proud of myself. I want to be proud of myself when I come off the Eurovision stage and take off my ears [oreillettes]. I want to be happy with my performance and what I did. Here, what we are all working on together is really something that I am very proud of.
“Mon amour” is a gold record in France, it is played on the radio, your audience sings it at your concerts… It is well identified even before the competition takes place, which has not happened for a very long time for a song French Eurovision Song Contest. Do you feel that there is a particular expectation with your application?
I don’t know. I have the impression that everyone is so aware that we haven’t won in a very long time. [en 1977 avec L’oiseau et l’enfant de Marie Myriam] that I almost have the feeling that I’m not being asked too much, so that reassures me (he laughs). It puts less pressure on me. Afterwards, where I am happy is that My love, whatever happens at Eurovision, has had its history and will have its history. That’s why we released it so early. I always say that these are the songs that stay anyway. In any case, I’m very happy with what’s happening with My love.
What would you say to the French public who are waiting to see you at Eurovision and hoping for a good ranking?
That I will give everything, that I will do my best – that I am already doing my best right now (he smiles). Send me your good energies, be with family, friends and party. Watch us, have a good time. I think we all need it.
When revealing your song, you told “20 Minutes” that “Mon amour” was the story of a broken heart and inspired by what you experienced. Did the person who inspired the text recognize themselves?
I think we always recognize ourselves when someone sends us a love letter. But it’s still a song of a broken heart. I’m still heartbroken. I would sing it with a broken heart and I believe that is also what makes the interpretation work.