Nemo’s welcome on his native land lived up to his feat. Winner of the 2024 Eurovision contest in Sweden, the singer was received as a hero late Sunday on his return to Switzerland by hundreds of fans who came to congratulate him on his triumph.
The artist won his country at the end of a 2024 edition marked by a lively controversy over the participation of Israel, in the middle of the war in the Gaza Strip, in which the singer placed fifth. Nemo Mettler won the competition with The Codea highly personal track chronicling her journey toward realizing her gender identity.
“We exist, we insist, we persist”
The 24-year-old non-binary artist landed at Zurich Airport from Copenhagen at 10:38 p.m. local time. Fans gathered behind barriers patiently awaited his arrival while repeating his song.
Applause began to ring out when Nemo appeared, who responded with two thumbs up before taking selfies and signing autographs. “Congratulations “honey pie” (affectionate nickname in English)! “, exclaimed an admirer, handing her a bouquet of flowers.
Others brandished flags displaying in English the message “We exist, we insist, we persist”, in reference to the struggle of non-binary people for recognition of their identity. Another banner proclaimed “Woman, man, human” in German. Nemo joined the group of fans chanting “We broke the codes,” “We exist,” going so far as to hug a fan who was wearing a “Protect trans kids” t-shirt.
Third victory for Switzerland
Nemo Mettler is originally from Bienne, a bilingual German-French town in northern Switzerland, where a public reception is planned to congratulate the child of the country.
This is Switzerland’s third victory in the Eurovision contest since its creation in 1956. As tradition dictates, the country will host the next edition. The European Broadcasting Union, which organizes the event, estimated that 160 million people watched the 2024 competition, broadcast live in the 37 countries participating in the final and on YouTube.