Switzerland was the host country for the very first Eurovision Song Contest in 1956, and won with Lys Assia. Since then, the country has only won the Contest one other time in 1988 with (a then very young and unknown) Celine Dion, who famously beat the UK entry, Scott Fitzgerald, by a mere one point. In 2019, Switzerland secured one of their best results in recent years at the contest with Luca Hanna, finishing in a respectable fourth place.
Can the entrant for 2020 and 2021 secure Switzerland a Eurovision victory? Quite possibly, as the singer internally chosen by the Swiss broadcaster is very highly regarded.
Gjon Muharremaj (known professionally as Gjon’s Tears), is a young Swiss singer and composer of Kosovo-Albanian descent.
He started playing piano from a very early age and is no stranger to TV talent shows. Gjon competed in the first series of talent show, Albanians Got Talent in 2011, at age 12, where he came in third in the final. In 2012, he reached the semi-final of Switzerland’s Got Talent, and in 2019, he reached the semi-final of France’s The Voice.
Listen to the Swiss entry here in the official video, “Repondez-moi” or “Answer Me”:
Gjon is co-writer of the song, and the song explores the themes of origin and self-questioning. Gjon describes it as:
"Everyone asks themselves why exactly we are here, where do we come from and where are we going. These are key questions, particularly for people from a migrant background. My parents are from Albania and Kosovo. I grew up in Switzerland, and it's my home, these are questions that I think about a lot.”
Listen to the beautiful acoustic version of “Respondez-moi”:
Gjon is a huge Eurovision fan, and has been watching the Contest since childhood; his favourite Eurovision song is by 1969 winner, Frida Boccara. It has been his dream for many years to participate at Eurovision. He featured in 'Destination Eurovision', the former French Eurovision selection in 2019, and was also considered as a possible contender to represent Albania in 2020.
Check out what he had to say on Eurovisioncalls with NikkieTutorials: