He took the victory away from the Croatian favorite Baby Lasagna and his very punchy shot. Tim Tagi Dim Rim. Nemo, 24, the first non-binary artist to win Eurovision, seduced Europe with The code at the end of a 2024 edition marked by heated controversy over Israel’s participation in the middle of the war in the Gaza Strip.
“I hope that this competition can continue to foster (efforts for) peace and dignity for all,” said the 24-year-old artist as he received his trophy at the Malmö Arena in southern Sweden, his eyes cloudy with tears. . In her pink and red feather jacket and pink satin skirt, Nemo racked up 591 points.
Nemo said he was “saddened” by the tense context in which this edition took place, which was supervised by an important security system for fear of excesses. “This whole experience was very intense and not always pleasant. There were many things that did not seem to have to do with love and unity,” he said during a press conference about the result of the competition.
Song written in one day.
Born in 1999, Nemo Mettler has a “personality imbued with exuberance, sensitivity, intimacy and audacity,” Swiss Interior Minister Elisabeth Baume-Schneider told X. His victory gives Switzerland, champion of neutrality, its third crown in a competition that aims to be apolitical. The country’s previous victory dates back to 1988 with don’t go without me played by Canadian Céline Dion.
Their very personal song was written in a single day and deciphers the realization of being a non-binary person. The code “It tells the journey I began when I realized that I am neither a man nor a woman,” said the artist who asks to be referred to with pronouns not related to gender and who had raised the non-binary flag during the contest’s inaugural parade.
“In several interviews and videos made before the contest, Nemo periodically suggested the extent to which the simplicity and open-mindedness of the bilingual city of Bienne had inspired and positively influenced his cultural journey,” his hometown writes on its website.
“Like a little star”
Nemo, who now lives in Berlin, Germany, came out as non-binary last November. “I don’t identify as a man or a woman. I’m just Nemo. I like to think of gender as a galaxy. I imagine myself as a little star, floating somewhere inside me. That’s how I feel most like myself.”
“The main question was knowing what my place is if I am neither on one side nor the other. I describe all this personal evolution made up of very beautiful but also very difficult moments,” Nemo detailed in the columns of 20 Minutes in May. 8.
Nemo dreamed of making music from a very young age. Learning to play the piano, violin and drums early on, the budding artist focused on lyrical singing before switching to rapping at age 9 and playing in the musical. Ich war noch niemals in New York At 13 years old. Nemo broke through in 2016 with a Swiss German rap that went viral and participated in Switzerland has incredible talent.
Nemo also won Best Talent at the 2017 Swiss Music Awards, before winning four more in 2018. With his success OfNemo also reached number four on the Swiss charts. “Nemo’s career and talent are remarkable and unique, a perfect example of the diversity and openness of Bienne’s culture,” Glenda González Bassi, director of training, culture and communication at the Bienne city council, told AFP.
“Naturally gifted on stage”
Eurovision is an opportunity to develop your career and “build bridges between cultures and generations,” Nemo declared at the microphone of the real time strategy. “That’s why it’s very important for me to get involved as a queer person in the entire LGBTQIA+ community,” continues the artist, recently seen on the Swiss version of Mask Singer, dressed as a panda.
“Nemo creates and evolves freely between classic, alternative and popular culture. A wonderful example of the inclusive and dynamic culture that we are proud of in Bienne,” Glenda González Bassi also analyzes.
Eli Schewa Dreyfus, Nemo’s former singing teacher, quoted by RTS television, describes someone “with a natural talent on stage”, who also demonstrated it during the Eurovision final. “He was like a fish in water on stage,” he told RTS television. “He sang things in four voices without a problem (…) He had such a natural talent on stage.”
Source: BFM TV
