Florian Ast, a popular Swiss “bad-boy” pop-rocker, joins Gimma in the Eurovision Song Contest rumour mill, grinding out speculation over who Swiss Television will select to represent the country in Belgrade next year. When the tabloid newspaper Blick asked Ast if he might be preparing for the job of representing Switzerland, he replied “Who knows?” The Swiss representative will be selected by an internal jury with an announcement expected mid-November.

A Swiss tabloid reports that they asked Florian Ast if he could perhaps already be preparing a Swiss entry for the Song Contest. The Swiss singer answered in German, "Who knows? You only have to have a good song, be unique and be representative of Switzerland. We shouldn't hide any more." Like Gimma who says he entered the Swiss selection, Florian Ast normally performs his songs in Swiss German dialect. "We should have a lot more pride in our Swiss music! What I'd like best is to show that to the whole world," he reportedly said.

The 32 year-old Lausbueb – that means "rascal" or "bad-boy" in Swiss German dialect – might be best known for his song Sex vom Morge bis am Abe (Sex from morning through to the night). But he says he has settled down now that he is no longer 18. "I don't know if I'd sing about sex from morning until night anymore – now I'd rather make it from afternoon until night," he laughed in the paper's interview.

Swiss televoters voted Träne – Ast's duet with Francine Jordi (ESC 2002) – the greatest Swiss "emotions" hit last Sunday night. But, Florian Ast was not on stage with the other singers who had a nominated song; DJ BoBo started the ball rolling for his Eurovision Song Contest entry when he appeared on stage in a similar programme last year.

Regulations prevent Swiss Television from discussing the selection or any rumours surrounding it before they announce the jury's decision. The announcement is expected in the middle of this month.