Ah, Luxembourg! Welcome back. It’s been 31 years since Modern Times begged Donne-moi une chance in 1993. Juries declined the polite invitation, instead choosing to relegate the Grand Duchy from the following year’s Contest, an ousting they never returned from – until now. They return joining France, The Netherlands, and the United Kingdom as the joint second most successful Eurovision nation with 5 wins to their name, albeit all achieved during the first half of the Contest’s history.
The Luxembourg Song Contest 2024 certainly made up for lost time, calling in a Who’s Who of Eurovision past. Guest performers included six Contest winners spanning 4 decades while 40 years after cooly navigating her way through 4 languages as Eurovision’s youngest ever presenter at just 19 years old, Desiree Nosbusch reprised her hosting duties. If you’re going to come back this is the way to do it!
The victor, and Luxembourg’s first Eurovision entrant since the 1990s is Israeli-born, New York-based, Luxembourgish singer, actress and vocal coach Tali. What an international pedigree! And what a song – I love this! It swings effortlessly between French and English as Tali sings encouragement to an undisclosed third party. The French part is unmistakably typical French pop with the English chorus adding accessibility. Tali is backed by contemporary dancers adding to the upbeat and positive feel.
If I’ve one minor gripe, it’s the ‘styling och consulting’. In the Luxembourgish final Tali and her troupe of dancers were fashioned in outfits featuring PVC, straps, and fishnet materials. It wasn’t exactly BDSM, but it wasn’t that far removed. I’m no prude but it just didn’t match the theme of the song. It’s toned down in the music video, but something still doesn’t feel quite right. Let’s hope they’re keeping the Eurovision styling under wraps and it’s an improvement.
Photo: Gretel S Diaz/EBU