3 weeks ago, France Televisions took everybody by surprise by announcing not only the name of the French representative, Lisa Angell, for the 2015 Eurovision Song Contest but also by revealing the song, N’oubliez pas, that will be performed on 23rd May. After some skepticism on social medias and TV shows, Nathalie André, France Televisions’ Head of Entertainment spoke to Télé-Loisirs to not only justify her choice but also reveal a bit more about Lisa’s future performance.
Nathalie André told the magazine that she listened to hundreds of songs, coming from all over the country. She did not have a specific type of song in mind but when she heard the song, she was touched and decided to select it straight away. She did not know by that time that N’Oubliez pas had been written by one of France most famous lyricists, Robert Goldman, who wrote the French entry Je n’ai que mon âme, sung by Natasha St Pier in 2001 finishing 4th in Copenhagen.
She backs up her choice because Lisa Angell is a talented singer and because the lyrics are very strong and powerful with a universal message of peace, necessary after the Paris terrorist attacks early January.
Interesting enough, Nathalie André stated: ‘Well, I don’t pretend that we will win, but we will try to reach the highest we possible can’, insisting that this year, they ‘will particularly work on the staging’.
Listen to the French entry N’Oubliez pas, sung by Lisa Angell. Lyric video features English subtitles.
Natasha St-Pier performing Je n’ai que mon âme at the 2001 Eurovision Song Contest.
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