For the love of France: Slimane’s heart is beating for Eurovision

French broadcaster France Télévisions was wowed by Slimane’s raw vocal talent, and was one of the first countries to announce their act for the Eurovision Song Contest 2024. His song Mon amour is all about a lost love. Will Malmö heal this aching heart?

He’s no stranger to the stage, and winning The Voice in 2016 has propelled him to stardom. With close to 3 million monthly listeners on Spotify and 2 million albums sold, Slimane knows all about being a popstar. He started his career in the piano bars of the Pigalle, the hip and lively area of Paris that’s home to the famous Moulin Rouge.

With the Eurovision stage in sight, Slimane still remembers the early days in his career. The strangest place he’s ever performed was a club called Orphée in Paris, which was a former Libertine sauna. Apparently, you have to knock to enter through a secret door.

Slimane’s husky dog, Lune (French for moon) will be watching from home. She’s got a bad temper though, so let’s hope she likes all the songs this year (who wouldn’t?). Slimane says he loves her anyway, and we bet that besotted Lune imagines that Mon amour is meant for her.

Slimane’s Eurovision inspiration is Marie Myriam, whose beautiful voice won the Contest for France in 1977 with the song L'oiseau Et L'enfant. Nearly 50 years later, can Slimane win back France’s crown for a 6th time?

When it comes to music, Slimane loves power ballads that tug on the heartstrings. His top tracks include Amy Winehouse’s Black To Black, Bill Withers’ Ain’t No Sunshine, and Whitney Houston’s I Wanna Dance With Somebody. 

Unsurprisingly, he’s inspired by sweeping French ballads too, including Jacques Brel’s La Chanson Des Vieux Amants and Dalida’s Pour Ne Pas Vivre Seul. When people are putting these playlists together in the future, they’ll no doubt be including Mon amour.

Slimane’s mind is firmly on music when we ask him what he associates with Sweden: Loreen, ABBA, and Eurovision. In the year that marks the 50th anniversary of ABBA winning Eurovision, and when Loreen is the reigning queen for Sweden, he’s definitely got that right.

When he gets to Malmö, the French star is excited to meet with all the participants, and party with them too. See you in Sweden, Slimane!

Look out for Slimane on upcoming episodes of the Official Eurovision Song Contest Podcast.

You can learn more about Slimane from France right here.