The 65th edition of Eurovision should have taken place this Saturday, May 16. But because of the coronavirus, the European singing competition has been canceled. A special evening is still organized, live from the Netherlands, called "Eurovision: Shine a light". No competition but performances by the 41 candidates of this edition who will perform their songs from their homes. Among them the French candidate Tom Leeb, and his title Mon Alliée (The Best in me). Between criticism, change of song and cancellation, the latter returns to Europe 1 on Friday on his experience.
"I immediately said to myself that this was the life of an artist: there are ups, downs, expectations, disappointments, downsides," says Tom Leeb. "But from there to a virus coming to interrupt everything ... I lived that pretty well, it taught me things. I am very happy, in fact, to tell myself that this year, France neither won nor lost. So I was happy to be the one who does not lose. "
Franck Riester's reviews
His career as a Eurovision candidate was marked by controversy. Last February, the Minister of Culture Franck Riester had expressed his dissatisfaction with the song chosen to participate in the competition: The Best in me . "It is true that the lyrics of the verses are in French but the refrain is in English. It broke my ears a little this morning on the radio, and I got the message of my astonishment about a song whose the refrain is written in English, "he told the National Assembly. Last March Tom Leeb had proposed a new version of his title, Mon Allié .
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The French singer was far from imagining the political role that the selection implied in the European song contest. It was first marked by critics. "I thought it was a shame to shoot the pilot of the plane, I found that a little absurd. And at the same time, I understood, which was all to his credit, his desire to defend the French language ", he confides, stating all the same that he does not hold a grudge and respect his opinion. "I have this mindset, perhaps too English-speaking sometimes, to tell me that when we have chosen someone to defend a country, the first thing to do is to support them, even if we think that he’s the last dunce. "
Participation in 2021?
In the absence of competition this year, the production of the Eurovision competition has already announced that the participating countries could choose the same candidate for the next edition in 2021, with a different song. For Tom Leeb, the horizon is still too far to make a decision. "We talked a little about it with France Télévisions, that would please me a lot. Now, it's in a very long time, a lot can happen in a year, (…) so for now, it's a bit early so that France Télévisions and I can give a definitive answer ", he reacts.