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In the spotlight: Nemo

🇨🇭 Nemo will represent Switzerland

Rapper Nemo is chosen to represent Switzerland in the upcoming Eurovision Song Contest in Malmö. That is what Swiss TV SRG/SSR announced today. will sing the song “The Code”. Nemo will perform in the first half of the 2nd semifinal. Nemo Mettler, born August 3, 1999, widely known as Nemo, is a multi-talented Swiss artist renowned for their skills in rapping, singing, and musical prowess on the violin, piano, and drums.  Nemo’s EP “Clownfisch” in 2015 made waves by reaching number 95 on the Swiss charts, while their 2017 single “Du” soared to number 4 in Switzerland. Additionally, Nemo showcased their versatility on the second season of The Masked Singer Switzerland (2021/2022), where they delighted audiences as a panda and secured fifth place. The exciting announcement of Nemo as Switzerland’s representative for Eurovision 2024 with “The Code” came on February 29, 2024. In a significant personal revelation, Mettler publicly identified as non-binary in November 2023 through an article in the SonntagsZeitung. They expressed a preference for the use of their given name instead of traditional pronouns in German and embraced the gender-neutral “they/them” in English. This is the song:

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Jerry Heil

©EBU/Alma Bengtsson About Quick Facts NameYana Oleksandrivna Shemayeva Born21 October 1995 Nationality🇺🇦 Ukrainian National SelectionVidbir 2024Vidbir 2020 In Eurovision2024 Malmö SongTeresa & Maria (& Alyona Alyona) Biography Yana Oleksandrivna Shemayeva, widely recognized by her stage name Jerry Heil, is an accomplished Ukrainian singer, songwriter, and YouTuber, born on October 21, 1995. Shemayeva’s early years unfolded in Vasylkiv, located on the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, where her parents are engaged in private trading. Her musical education spanned notable institutions, including the R. Glier Kyiv Institute of Music and the Kyiv Conservatory, where she honed her skills. Initial Steps At 15, Heil adopted her stage name, initially choosing Jerry Mouse after the famous cartoon character, before switching to Heil based on an arbitrary American surname she encountered online. She humorously reflects on the origin of her stage name as “moronic.” In 2012, Heil ventured into the digital world by launching a YouTube channel, where she shared vlogs and song covers, earning acclaim from fans and musicians alike, including Okean Elzy’s lead, Sviatoslav Vakarchuk. 2017 marked a turning point in Heil’s career when she signed with Vidlik Records, embarking on a professional journey with the guidance of the label’s founders and leading to the release of her debut EP, De miy dim, in October 2017. Her audition for X-Factor Ukraine in 2018 saw her progressing through the competition, though she did not win. This experience fueled her return to music, releasing singles including “Kava” and “Postil,” with the latter featuring her first music video. 2019 was a pivotal year for Heil, previewing her hit single “Okhrana, otmyena” on Instagram before its official release, which quickly became a sensation in Ukraine. Her debut album Ya, Yana, followed, showcasing her songwriting and performing prowess. Heil’s engagement with the Eurovision Song Contest began with Vidbir 2020, where her entry “Vegan” reached the final. She continued to participate in Vidbir, finishing third in 2023 with “When God Shut the Door” and winning Vidbir 2024 alongside Alyona Alyona with “Teresa & Maria,” setting the stage for their Eurovision 2024 representation. The song reached a 3rd place in the Grand Final of the contest. Heil is multilingual, proficient in Ukrainian, Russian, and English, and chooses to perform primarily in Ukrainian. A committed vegan, her lifestyle reflects in her personal and professional choices. In August 2018, Heil faced legal challenges over copyright infringement related to her use of “Believer” by Imagine Dragons. The ensuing dispute with Komp Music Publishing, a licensee of Universal Music Group in Ukraine, led to a temporary removal of her YouTube channel. However, through negotiations facilitated by AIR Music, the fines were reduced, and an agreement was reached, allowing Heil to continue her musical endeavors online. Entries Teresa & Maria (with Alyona Alyona) Country🇺🇦 Ukraine Year2024 LanguageUkrainian LyricsAlyona SavranenkoYana Shemaeva MusicAnton ChilibiIvan Klymenko Backings– Results Semi Points: 173Position: 2Running order: 5 Results Finals Points: 453Position: 3Running order: 2 https://youtu.be/d4N82wPpdg8?si=80O_WxaIGjRlRCYv

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Jala Brat

© EBU/Andres Putting About Quick Facts NameJasmin Fazlić Born16 October 1986 Nationality🇧🇦 Bosnian National SelectionInternal selection 2016 In Eurovision2016 Stockholm SongLjubav je (Dalal & Deen ft. Ana Rucner & Jala, 2016) Biography Jasmin Fazlić, better known as Jala Brat, is a Bosnian rapper, singer-songwriter, and producer.  Jasmin Fazlić was born in Sarajevo. He took his first steps in the music career in early 2000 by recording his first demo songs. He soon realized that rap was the genre he wanted to pursue. He created his first original songs in his home studio, which he shared with a close group of friends, and adopted his nickname “Jala” as his stage name. Initially, Jala worked alone, but in 2011, he formed a group called Blunt Blyon, with whom he worked more seriously and released his first album “Replay.” After the album’s release, his music career as a rapper started to flourish. In 2012, Jala met Sarajevo rapper Amar Hodžić. That same year, Jala and Amar started collaborating together, not only in music but also in live performances. Jala began releasing his songs on the YouTube channel Imperia, which they jointly managed. After the release of the album “Replay”, Jala worked on new material and collaborated with rappers such as Frenkie, Sajfer, Mayer, Klijent, and Buba Corelli. He recorded a total of 10 songs and released an album called “Riječ na riječ”, which came out on June 12, 2012. At the end of 2012, together with Buba and Kontro, he featured on the song “RMX” released on the album “Troyanac” by Tuzla rapper Frenkie, for which they also made a music video. The song received positive reviews, further launching Jala into the music scene. In the period from 2012 to 2013, he released two EP albums named “SA Sin City” in collaboration with Buba, and “Mahala” with rapper Shtela. In the same year, he met singer and producer Almir Ajanović, who decided to produce his music in his Tempo studio. Jala and Buba worked on new songs between 2013 and 2014, and together they recorded a studio album called “Pakt s đavolom” (Devil’s Pact). The album featured collaborations with various rappers and singers, including Rasta, Juice, MCN, and Sedžida Matoruga. “Pakt s đavolom” was released in 2014 and received positive reviews from the audience. The album was released by Tempo Digital, in cooperation with the record label RedEye Vision. In early 2015, Jala decided to change his stage name to Jala Brat, citing the fact that the nickname “Brat” (Brother) had started to appear frequently alongside his old name, Jala. He adopted it as his own and first introduced it in the music video for the song “Dom” (Home). Soon after, he recorded another joint album with Buba, titled “Stari radio” (Old Radio). The most popular songs from the album were “Skandal” and “Casino.” However, their collaboration with Buba was interrupted due to Buba being arrested.  A significant turning point in Jala Brat’s career was his participation in the Eurovision Song Contest 2016, where he co-wrote the song “Ljubav je” and performed it with singers Dalal Midhat-Talakić, Deen, and cellist Ana Rucner from Croatia. The Bosnian delegation did not qualify for the final of the competition after performing the song in the semi-final evening. The song was also recorded in English under the title “Love is all.”  In November 2016, Jala Brat and Buba Corelli recorded an album titled “Kruna” (Crown). This was the first album released under the label of the Imperia publishing and media house.   During the commercial success of the album “Kruna,” Jala Brat established contacts with mainstream singers from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, and Croatia. He recorded the song “Zvezde plaču za nama” (Stars Cry for Us, 2015) with rapper Vuk Mob, and the song “Dominantna” (Dominant, 2016) with folk singer Dado Polumenta. He collaborated with Elena Kitić again, this time on the song “Folira” (She’s Pretending, 2016), which he recorded in collaboration with Buba. Afterward, he continued to release singles collaborating with folk singer Maya Berović on the song “To me radi” (What She Does to Me, 2016), which he recorded together with Buba Corelli. In early 2017, he collaborated with Croatian pop singer Severina on the song “Otrove” (Poison), and with Serbian pop-folk singer Milan Stanković on the song “Ego.” In 2016, Jala decided to become politically involved and ran for the Municipal Council in the Local Elections in the Municipality of Vogošća as a candidate of the Party of Democratic Action. He faced criticism, mainly from the public and audience, for his candidacy, but he remained on the list due to the insufficient number of votes. Afterward, he withdrew from the political scene. The album “Alfa i Omega” (2016) was recorded in the Imperia studio and represents a continuation of Jala Brat’s collaboration with Buba Corelli. The highlight of the album was a concert tour, culminating in a sold-out concert at the Tašmajdan Arena in Belgrade, with an audience of over 15,000 people. Album “99” (2019) After seven years since the release of Jala’s first album, “Riječ na riječ,” his second solo album, titled “99,” was released on September 9, 2019. Jala Brat announced the album on July 4 via his Instagram profile. The album features collaborations with Buba Corelli, Coby, and Raf Camora. Music videos were made for all the songs.  After launching the Imperia YouTube channel, Jala decided to produce songs for prominent artists from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, and Croatia, together with Buba Corelli. He wrote lyrics and music for Milan Stanković, Dado Polumenta, Severina, Katarina Grujić, Aca Pejović, Dara Bubamara, and Selma Bajrami. However, his most significant collaboration was with pop-folk singer Maya Berović, for whom he and Buba produced several studio albums and most of the songs from 2017 onwards. Entries Ljubav je (with Dalal, Deen & Ana Rucner) Country🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina Year2016 LanguageBosnian LyricsAlmir AjanovićJasmin Fazlić Jala MusicAlmir Ajanović BackingsEna ĐapoZorana Guja Results Semi Points: 104Position: 11Running order: 17 Results Finals Points: –Position: –Running order: – https://youtu.be/QLrXmTB8OaY

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Mahmood

About Quick Facts NameAlessandro Mahmoud Born12 september 1992 Nationality🇮🇹 Italian National SelectionFestival di San Remo 2019Festival di San Remo 2022 In Eurovision2019 Tel Aviv2022 Turin SongBrividi (with Blanco, 2022)Soldi (2019) Biography Mahmood is an Italian singer-songwriter from Milan. He was born to a Sardinian mother and an Egyptian father. His stage name Mahmood is a play on words between the surname (Mahmoud) and the English expression my mood (my mood). After graduating from high school, he studied at the CPM Music Institute-Centro Professione Musica in Milan, where he met Andrea Rodini, his teacher and first manager, and Francesco Fugazza, Elia Pastori and Marcello Grilli, members of his band and first producers. In 2012 he took part in the talent show X Factor. After the X Factor, he begins to write and produce his songs. In 2013 he published the EP Fallin ‘Rain, containing five versions of the song. In 2015 he took part in Area Sanremo, winning the first prize and the right to participate in the Sanremo Festival 2016 in the Nuove Proposti category with the song “Dimentica”. Meanwhile, he published an English-language single, “The Chair”, in collaboration with Martha. In 2017 he published the single “Pesos”, with which he participated in the Summer Festival 2017. In the same year, he collaborated with Michele Bravi,  writing and singing a duet “Presi Male”. He also wrote songs for other artists. In September 2018 his EP “Gioventù bruciata” was released.  A victory in Sanremo Giovani allows Mahmood to participate in the Sanremo Festival 2019 with the song “Soldi”. He was the surprise winner of the festival. Following the victory, the song reached the top of the Italian charts, where it remained for six weeks. Because of his victory in Sanremo, Mahmood became first choice to represent Italy in the Eurovision Song Contest. He said yes, but later started to doubt about it. After a Twitterstorm, he decided to do it, and became 2nd in Tel Aviv with “Soldi”. In 2020, Mahmood wrote a song for Elodie, which she sang at the Sanremo festival. A year later, he wrote songs for Francesca Michelin and for Fedez. Also in 2021, he was finally able to release his second album “Ghettolimpo”. In 2022 he participated in the festival of Sanremo again, now in duet with Blanco. They won the prize. They represented Italy in the Eurovision Song Contest with their song “Brividi”. Entries Brividi (with Blanco) Country Italy Year2022 LanguageItalian LyricsAlessandro MahmoodRiccardo ‘Blanco’ FabbriconiMichele ‘Michelangelo’ Zocca MusicAlessandro MahmoodRiccardo ‘Blanco’ FabbriconiMichele ‘Michelangelo’ Zocca BackingsMichelangelo Results Semi Points: –Position: –Running order: – Results Finals Points: 268Position: 6 Running order: 9 https://youtu.be/blEy4xHuMbY Soldi Country Italy Year2019 LanguageItalian LyricsAlessandro Mahmoud MusicCharlie CharlesDario ‘Dardust’ FainiAlessandro Mahmoud Backings– Results Semi Points: –Position: –Running order: – Results Finals Points: 472Position: 2Running order: 22 https://youtu.be/M-aoyPa41Ic

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