France has been granted an extra period of time in which to finalise and submit a new entry to the EBU for this year's Eurovision Song Contest, it has been revealed. After a decision was made to rewrite an entry for the winner of the national selection, Virginie Pouchin, due to the original song's unsuitability, the French delegation has been given until the 29th March to finish their rearrangements.
Full details of all entries to the contest are supposed to be handed over to the organisers at the Head of Delegations meeting, which took place earlier this week in Athens. However, due to the decision to rewrite the song for France 3's winner Virginie, only the lyrics to the new song Il était temps (It was time) were submitted. France now have until the new deadline of the 29th to come up with full details of the entry for the EBU.
An initial audio version of the song is reported to be with the EBU, and the video is to follow over the coming week. The new song is expected to be aired on French show Questions pour un champion within the next few days.
After winning the selection show which decided the singer to sing the one, preselected song, the singer had explained on French TV how she approached the songwriter, Corneille Nyungura, personally to express her concern that the song did not suit her. He agreed that it was written with a male vocalist in mind, and work started on creating a new song for Virginie.
It is not the first time that a song has been changed after initial selection. Most recently, Belarus' Angelica Agurbash made a very public switch last year from Boys and girls to Greek-penned Love me tonight, although failed to make the international final. The French delegation will be hoping for a new entry which reverses their waning fortunes of recent contests.
