ESC United Mod Team
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France FRANCE 2023 - La Zarra - Évidemment
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Andromache
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I don't understand the drama. Her result wasn't even bad. She was 16th. It's not good, not bad. It's okay. Last year France did much worse. I find the gesture thing funny and her leaving the arena is so on brand.
DirtyFalcon
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She really refused Slimane ? Now i'm really pissed ... With all the dramas this year, i hope he will still be interested to try again. I'm worried it's not and that's sad because i can see on him an artist similar to Amir, but with more experience of live shows and deeper songs. Amir represented us in ... Sweden in 2016 so him representing us in 2024 would be absolutely amazing. We would potentially have a very solid entry with him.
SpiritofKeiino
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Is it possible there's a bit of racism mixed in? Would reaction be this bad with a white Frenchwoman?
theditz83
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The media furore over the reaction after the public vote reveal is ridiculous. If La Zarra was indeed giving the middle finger to everyone, it was the weirdest, limpest, most crooked attempt at a middle finger I've ever seen in my life. No-one sticks up their middle finger by bending it halfway and only extending the top-half.
Heck, I've never known anything about this "toz" reaction before reading the stories post final, but I knew from watching on the night that she clearly wasn't flipping the bird at everyone. Media gotta be so ridiculously dramatic all the time
Heck, I've never known anything about this "toz" reaction before reading the stories post final, but I knew from watching on the night that she clearly wasn't flipping the bird at everyone. Media gotta be so ridiculously dramatic all the time
Bobjan FR
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I saw this, if yes, it's a bad move, but honestly we wouldn't have won with any artist from the moment Loreen was participating, better to have him next year.
Flamenkax
Well-known member
I don't think so honestly. For example, Aya Nakamura is one of the most-listened french singers out of our borders (i think it's even to most listened since Edith Piaf), yet a lot of average french people hate her because they think she is full of herself and so on... She played few years ago at the NRJ Music Awards (which is the french equivalent of the MTV EMA), the host didn't say her name right and she attacked them on Twitter. She may overracted a bit, but i think we can say it's not really professional from the host tho, it's his job. Even less if she's really successful. The result ? She had another shitstorm on her for a few days just for this little non-event.
So yeah i do think the reaction wouldn't be this bad if she was a white frenchwoman, it would have been perceived maybe as funny or quirky. I have also to mention people reacting badly to her selection really quickly, that she doesn't have to represent France because she's canadian-moroccan, and so on...
MS.
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Oh my god... Sorry but Slimane is probably one of the best singers in France right now. Did they really refuse him? I don't think this is true.
La France à l’Eurovision 2023… Chronique d’un gâchis annoncé
Le geste controversé de La Zarra à l’issue de la finale de l’Eurovision a été le point d’orgue tragicomique d’une candidature française chaotique. Récit de ces derniers mois riches en stress, messages cryptiques et revirements dans le camp tricolorewww.20minutes.fr
According ti this article, Slimane tried to take part?!?! Slimane is a huge name, I'm surprised if it is true.
As for Anne Sila it's more credible but honestly Anne Sila is a very good choice in my opinion with a good song she can do an amazing result because her live vocals will always slay.
12Pointsgoto.....
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Yes, a lot of my non-eurovision french friends have been really quite vocal about La Zarra's Canadian-Moroccan heritage, which really took me aback. I met up with my old French Prof from University here for brunch, and he said: "Oh Yeah, but our singer is not even french. How can we allow this?" I thought living in China for 20 years would give some people an open mind but I guess not.
SpiritofKeiino
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I'm still surprised by the jury score. What happened? It was being talked as a potential jury top 5 only a few weeks ago, and came 2nd in the Eurojury.
One of the few flops this year I can explain to myself.
France is always overrated on EuroJury/OGAE fan polls and that lead to it being overrated in the odds.
The press photos of the rehearsals gave their odds another big boost.
In action, though, the performance was underwhelming.
France is always overrated on EuroJury/OGAE fan polls and that lead to it being overrated in the odds.
The press photos of the rehearsals gave their odds another big boost.
In action, though, the performance was underwhelming.
midnightsun
Veteran
Amir was amazing but to be fair he got a song which was very contemporary and what was on trend on the radio all over Europe at the time. I love the song too.
About La Zarra's middle finger… I didn’t saw a full middle finger but even if she did, it’s human, I thought it was hilarious, she even smiled which I thought was meant like she was joking.
About La Zarra's middle finger… I didn’t saw a full middle finger but even if she did, it’s human, I thought it was hilarious, she even smiled which I thought was meant like she was joking.
Semra
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I wonder too...
But seeing the leaked jury show, she didn't sing that well. It was ok but nothing special. I would say acts like Estonia and Lithuania had much stronger vocals. But vocals should not be everything. My next thought would therefore be she looked stiff (understandably so).
Other than this, I can't find an explanation. Being surrounded by musicians, they all tell me the production and instrumentation of the song = solid. That can not be said for the Lithuanian song where the production is not great at all (won't go into details here).
I can only tell you what I personally felt. I had France as far up as number 4 at one point. When I heared (and later saw) she was going to rise (like a Phoenix) and stand still on a pole surrounded by a 5 meter long dress... I cringed a little bit. It made me sad. I know some people love this kind of thing, but to me it cheapens a quality act. This is what makes people laugh at Eurovision and I want Eurovision to go less kitsch. I want Eurovision to be taken seriously. La Zarra was too good for this and lost movement, looked stiff and less elegant/sultry in the end... and I'm sure it took focus away from singing.
The people I asked either didn't remember her (early running order?) or laughed a bit about the dress thing.
In the end I have to blame both her and her team. I think "going big, going high" was her own downfall.
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midnightsun
Veteran
I had a feeling it won’t do well, especially after the rehearsals. I have to say I was in a constant fear she would fall off no matter how well she was secured. I also thought the camera angle wasn’t good. It just looked like a huge statue and we almost only saw the dress, no head or her singing neither her hand gestures.
ESC94
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Wow, they were pretty close to points in some countries.
DirtyFalcon
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If we go back to a national final next year, i just think we should adopt a UMK type of final and it would perfectly fit what we need (if someone from our french delegation see this, please think about it). Semi-finals are useleess, does bad audience here in France and a lot of acts chosen were useless and more than inoffensive (like Hélène In Paris who was chosen only because she's a friend of the HoD). We need less songs. 6 songs like UMK would be great, with a meticulous and coordinated work of the delegation with each artist, in order to get the most competitive selection possible + a better promotion of each artist individually like Finland did. I truly have hope it would work.
We have a big talent here but we do not exploit it. I'm sure that if you put in charge of our national selection the delegation of Sweden, Norway or Finland with this talent pool we have, they would do a fantastic NF and find a winner in the next 5 years. Actually we only show like 10% of our potential with the previous artists shown on our national selection. There are only total beginners or almost. Known or experienced artists are afraid to put their careers at risk. There are still the intermediate artists but you don't know where they are.
This is below one example of song i would like in a new format like this, with diversity but still competitive acts :
We have a big talent here but we do not exploit it. I'm sure that if you put in charge of our national selection the delegation of Sweden, Norway or Finland with this talent pool we have, they would do a fantastic NF and find a winner in the next 5 years. Actually we only show like 10% of our potential with the previous artists shown on our national selection. There are only total beginners or almost. Known or experienced artists are afraid to put their careers at risk. There are still the intermediate artists but you don't know where they are.
This is below one example of song i would like in a new format like this, with diversity but still competitive acts :
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