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France leans into emotion, legacy, and unapologetic Frenchness for Eurovision 2025—will it pay off?
In a contest known for glitter and gimmicks, France is sending heartbreak. Louane—actor, chart-topper, and former The Voice breakout—takes the stage in Basel with “Maman“, a soaring French-language ballad wrapped in personal grief and maternal love. It’s emotional. It’s theatrical. It’s 100% her—and it just might be enough to break France’s nearly five-decade losing streak.
The 28-year-old’s track is a sequel of sorts to her 2015 song of the same name. But where the first was a teenager’s cry of mourning, this Maman is all grown up. Louane is now a mother herself, and the lyrics chart that journey from daughter to matriarch: “Now it’s me they call ‘Maman’.” The emotional punch landed hard when she debuted the song perched twelve metres in the air at the Stade de France, during a Six Nations rugby match. Eighty thousand fans in the stadium, nine million at home—and suddenly France had a contender.
Doubts
But it almost didn’t happen. Eurovision wasn’t on Louane’s radar. It took a nudge from her partner, musician Florian Rossi, to push her past her doubts. “He told me, ‘Why are you hesitating? This is your moment,’” she said. That moment also honours her late mother, who once dreamed of Eurovision herself. Now, her daughter sings for both of them.
France Télévisions has gone all-in, flooding national schedules with Louane content: an orchestral version of Maman, a behind-the-scenes documentary, and even a giant fan viewing party planned for Place de la Bastille. Not bad for a country long accused of phoning it in.
Staging
Louane teamed up with Rick Ryman (the brains behind Nemo’s 2024 win) to keep things simple, symbolic, and deeply cinematic. Think monochrome lighting, lyrics translated mid-performance, and a quiet costume transformation that mirrors the song’s emotional arc. “The visuals aren’t just decoration—they’re a bridge,” says Ryman. Critics agree: it’s intimate, universal, and refreshingly grown-up.
Behind the scenes, though, things haven’t been so zen. Louane’s admitted to “cutthroat moments” in rehearsals and pushback for sticking with French. “But I’m not changing who I am for votes,” she told RTL. “My authenticity is my weapon.”
And it’s working. Maman has rocketed up the fan polls, with over 12 million YouTube views and a spot in France’s Spotify Top 50—unheard of for a Eurovision entry. She’s now 6th with the bookies, neck-and-neck with Sweden.
Walking a tightrope
The latest rehearsal tweaks include aerial effects, emotional close-ups, and pyro for the final chorus. Vocal coach Natalie Deacon hints this could be the defining moment: “She’s walking a tightrope between fragility and power—and never missing a beat.”
If Louane wins, it’ll be France’s first victory since 1977 and the first in French since Céline Dion (representing Switzerland) in 1988. But for her, it’s not just about the trophy. “This is for every child who’s lost a parent,” she says. “Winning would be nice. But this song? This is everything.”
Basel, brace yourself. France is sending feelings.