From our special correspondent in Malmö (Sweden)
“We thought of this Eurovision performance as a first meeting. We want the person watching to be immersed with me,” Slimane revealed in mid-April to 20 minutes. This Thursday, he made his first rehearsal with his song My love on the competition stage at the Malmö Arena.
“He was apprehensive about it, but he is very happy about it,” Alexandra Redde-Amiel, the head of the French delegation, told us immediately. He who dreamed so much of Eurovision is discovering all this from the inside and, for him, every moment is precious. He is very excited. »
“With one gesture, the public becomes his partner”
As the rehearsal took place behind closed doors, 20 minutes was unable to have any other glimpse than the ten photos posted online on the official website. As Alexandra Redde-Amiel explained to us, for the scenography, Slimane and his team made “the choice of simplicity”. The majority of his performance will be a sequence shot during which he will be followed by a steadycamer.
The singer begins lying down. “He touches the camera and, by this gesture, he means that the public becomes his partner,” explains the head of delegation. It was important for him to communicate his emotions, whether love, sadness, anger, as if those looking at him were the person he was speaking to. »
Smoke and fan
Mission accomplished, according to the debrief from the official Eurovision account on Reddit: “Her vocal range and the simple piano accompaniment create a kind of breathless intensity. (…) We might have held our breath for three minutes. »
The sequence shot stops at the moment of a cappella, in the last part of the song. Slimane moves away from the microphone and projects his voice. Smoke arises and the fans are activated. “This moment has something airy,” continues our interlocutor. It screams this love in its pure state. »
White is the dominant color, from the artist’s outfit to the lights, including the microphone and the white rectangle around which the scenography is built. LEDs will not be used, the emphasis will be on close-ups. The objective, summarizes Alexandra Redde-Amiel, was to design a painting that was “both simple, in emotion and intensity. For Slimane, it’s in the eyes that it happens. The strength of his gaze is the strength of this performance, he gives everything. »
“The magic will work in the details”
On Saturday, Slimane will perform a second rehearsal on this same stage, until then, his team will make some modifications. “The magic will happen in the details. There are camera shots to change, lighting adjustments to make, but the fundamentals are there, explains the head of delegation while praising the work of the production. Everyone is very attentive and takes good care of us. The Swedish team is doing an incredible job. »
Slimane is automatically qualified for the final on May 11 but he will make his first appearance on stage during the second semi-final which will be broadcast live on Thursday from 9 p.m. on Culturebox (channel 14), with comments from Nicky Doll . The opportunity, for the most impatient, to discover in full this “first meeting” which he has prepared for a long time.