Rumours have surrounded the possible participation of the singer on numerous occassions, but this time they appear to be true : 37 year old singer Anggun is to represent France at the Eurovision Song Contest in Baku.
French newspaper Le Parisien confirms this morning that broadcaster France 3 have already made up their minds as to who will be the successor to Amaury Vassili. France 3 have apparently opted for yet another internal selection, despite claims earlier on this year by Bruno Berberes that an open call and national final would be used in France to find their entry for 2012. Head of Entertainment Marie Claire Mezerette is reported to have said that the choice last year stood between Anggun and the young tenor Vassili, and that the broadcaster have been wanting Anggun to represent France for quite some time now.
Anggun first came to the attention of the french record buying market with her smash hit Snow on the Sahara in 1997, which also went on to become a pan european hit. She has since then released five studio albums, her latest, Echoes, has just been released in France. The sensual singer is still in demand around the continent, regularly receiving invitations to participate on TV shows, and still enjoys popularity in Italy, Portugal and Russia. "If we want to win, our candidate must be able to compete against other countries", Mezerette says of France 3’s choice.
The singer herself was reportedly contacted by telephone by the french media yesterday from Singapore and was delighted to confirm the news : "It is such an honour…it really is such a gift for me, originally coming from Indonesia but haveing become a naturalized french citizen in 2000. I will be able to represent the modern France, the France of today, a multicultural mixed society, made up of many cultures. Your country has given me a beautiful language, a beautiful identity. I live in Paris, I’m married to a Frenchman, my daughter Kirana is french, and she’s just as fond of rice as she is of cheese!"
The star is apparently prepared to give her all when representing her beloved France and was inspired after the 2009 participation of Patricia Kaas in Moscow. Details surrouding the choice of song are still scant, the only information known is that the record company are currently working on the song, which they hope to be able to present to the public in January. The record company as do many fans have high hopes indeed that Anggun can provide France with a win once again, 35 years since their last victory with Marie Myriam in 1977 and L’Oiseau et L’Enfant.
