“It gives me Shakira vibes. I don’t know if I like it or not”, “Let’s try again, a little more epic. Think: “stadium””… At the beginning of December, in a recording studio in the heart of Paris, composer and producer Silvio Lisbonne gives his advice to Tali Golergant. The 23-year-old singer is recording fighterthe song with which she will participate this Saturday in the Luxembourg selection for Eurovision, broadcast from 8 p.m. on the RTL channel.
“This part is the most technical vocally. Can we do several takes or will it tire you? », he asks her. No problem for the young artist, studious and determined, who is ready to try different intentions. “I would feel more comfortable singing that part in falsetto,” she suggests. The compliments are pouring in.
“I’m stunned. She is hypertechnical vocally, with a slightly oriental feeling. She lived in Argentina and she also brings that influence to the song,” says Manon Romiti, the co-author of the song.
The song was originally intended for a man.
fighter had been sleeping in drawers for a good three years. “With Silvio and Ana Zimmer, we had a writing session with the Italian producer and composer Dardust. He was coming off his success with Mahmood, who placed second in Eurovision 2019 with Soldi », explains Manon Romiti. “ fighter was bilingual, with lyrics in French and English, from the start. She’s a badass, with ambitions [des écarts de notes] crazy,” she continues, confident that the objective was to nominate her for Eurovision. Luxembourg showed interest. That Silvio Lisbonne and Manon Romiti are French is not contrary to the Grand Duchy’s selection rules: if the performers must be Luxembourgish, the authors and composers of the songs in the running can be of other nationalities.
It was still necessary to find the ideal artist – initially, the title was considered for a singer. Tali only arrived on the project in November. The young woman, who has been studying in New York for four years, attended the Luxembourg selection auditions at the end of the summer, encouraged by friends.
Eurovision especially reminds her of her grandfather, who died in an accident when she was 15 years old. “That brings me back to him. It’s thanks to him that I know about the competition. Every year, he sent me all the information on Eurovision, my inbox was full of it,” she remembers with amusement.
“I often wondered if I was talented enough”
The songs she had initially worked on were not accepted by the selection committee. A new chance is given to her when, in the middle of autumn, she is put in contact with Silvio Lisbonne, because fighter is on the production radar. From her New York bedroom, she recorded a demo, a raw version of the song. “When I listened to those voice memos she sent us, I was like, ‘That’s the one we need!’ », says Manon Romiti.
Tali, who calls herself very “picky”, very selective, in relation to what she does, claims to have found a “connection” with this piece. “It allows me to show the different colors of my voice. And I like the message about feeling worthless, feeling rejected… all these things you can experience as a musician, but about persevering, finding your strength, being a fighter, a fighter. In New York, I often wondered if I was talented enough, if I could make a career. »
THE Luxembourg Song Contest, which will take place this Saturday, from 8 p.m., could act as a springboard. If she won the ticket to participate in Eurovision in May in Malmö (Sweden), she would be keen to represent this country where she studied from primary to high school. “It would be huge,” she imagines. My love for music was born in Luxembourg. I went to the conservatory there, took dance lessons. All the artistic disciplines in which I flourish, I learned them there. »