Eurovision winner Nemo received a hero’s welcome on Monday as they took to the stage to give their Swiss hometown of Biel a celebratory rendition of victorious song “The Code”.
Five weeks on from taking the crown at the glitzy annual television spectacular in Malmo, the 24-year-old was back in Biel for a special ceremony laid on by the town — which now hopes to host next year’s Eurovision thanks to Nemo’s triumph.
The Eurovision finals were watched by 163 million viewers, but in Biel around 2,000 locals were in the old town’s main square to watch Nemo receive a trophy and a giant bunch of flowers, and perform “The Code”.
The highly personal song encapsulated Nemo’s journey towards realising their non-binary gender identity.
Nemo appeared on stage in a oversized pink fluffy hat, despite the 22 degrees Celsius (72 degrees Fahrenheit) summer evening heat, and blew kisses to the crowd, which chanted their name.
“Thank you, everyone. I want to say it’s a great honour to be here, and I love you, Biel,” the singer said.
Nemo flashed a love heart symbol at fans, with many passing over cards and drawings.
Known by both its German and French names, Biel/Bienne in northwest Switzerland is the largest bilingual city in the country and the heart of the Alpine nation’s watchmaking industry.
“The spirit of tonight is Biel meets Nemo; Nemo meets Biel,” the town’s mayor Erich Fehr told AFP.
“Nemo’s victory is very important for our city because everybody in the whole of Europe is talking about Biel.
“We are very, very proud.”
As per tradition, Switzerland will host Eurovision next year.
Biel, in the canton of Bern, is looking at the possibility of co-hosting the event in tandem with the national capital, though bigger cities like Zurich and Geneva might get the nod.
“It’s not possible Biel only. It’s only possible in a partnership with Bern, because we don’t have large enough infrastructure and we don’t have hotel capacities,” said Fehr.
“But Bern and Biel together, that will work — and that much’s more interesting than Geneva, which is only French, or Zurich, that’s only German,” he said, referring to the languages spoken.
“But Biel and Bern, German and French: that’s Switzerland.”
Dominique Buhler, president of the parliament of Bern canton, told AFP she thought the region had a compelling case to offer the multi-lingual televisual extravaganza.
“It’s incredible and it shows that anything is possible,” she said of Nemo’s victory.
“You just have to follow your dreams, dream big, and even on an international platform the Swiss can win. It’s definitely inspiring for all of us.”
Nemo last week announced a 24-date, 17-country European concert tour entitled “Break The Code”, to take place in March and April next year.
AFP
AFP
