So far, the acts announced for France’s national final Destination Eurovision have all been solo artists or duos. But now there’s a group. Pheno Men are a five-piece soul group who will perform “Jamais sans toi” (Never without you).
The group is made up of the five singers Eddy, Kay, Malcolm, Opé and Tiery. They all have backgrounds in gospel choirs and are hugely influenced by the Motown sound. They take inspiration from Motown greats such as Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, the Jackson 5 and Diana Ross and the Supremes.
But while their idols may be American, they bring a uniquely French take on the classic soul sound. The group has recently signed with MCA France and has their debut album coming out soon.
And while the group doesn’t have many performance videos online, this short a cappella clip shows the group’s tight vocal skills and the power of their combined voices.
On n'a pas pu s'en empêcher, on vous dévoile un titre qui sera présent sur notre album "Comment je résiste".
Posted by Pheno Men on Wednesday, December 20, 2017
In the Destination Eurovision promo video, the group are shown hanging out together — and there’s clear camaraderie between the five. They talk about letting raw emotions come through in their music.
The subject of Eurovision comes up and one member speaks of the pride of wearing the colours of his county on stage.
#PhenoMen ?
Qui sont-ils ? Que veulent-ils nous transmettre ? Mettez le son, et découvrez leur portrait en exclu, avant de les retrouver dans #DestinationEurovision, à partir du 13 janvier 2018 sur @france2tv ! pic.twitter.com/Gq87EBdcQs— Eurovision France ?? (@EurovisionF2) January 3, 2018
Who are they? What do they want to tell us? Turn on the sound, and discover their exclusive profile, before finding them in #DestinationEurovision, from January 13, 2018 on @ france2tv!
The short excerpt of “Jamais sans toi” reveals a slick soul number. Their Motown influences are clear, with smooth and electrifying backing harmonies underscoring the lead vocal.
It’s unlike anything else in Destination Eurovision, which indicates that the brand new national final will offer a varied selection of fresh new French tunes.
DESTINATION EUROVISION – KNOWN COMPETITORS
- Malo’ – “Ciao”
- June the Girl – “Same”
- Louka – “Mamma Mia”
- IGIT – “Lisboa Jérusalem”
- Emmy Liyana – “OK ou KO”
- Madame Monsieur – “Mercy”
- Sweem — “Là-haut”
- Noée – “L’un près de l’autre”
- Pheno Men – “Jamais sans toi”
The remaining competing songs will be revealed over the coming days, in the build-up to the first semi-final. The first semi airs on 13 January. Nine songs will compete in each of the two semi-finals, and four songs from each semi will go to the grand final.
You can follow the official Eurovision France 2 Facebook page for the latest updates.
i don’t really think that snippet has any motown in it
but i love that bands like pheno men are willing to compete for eurovision spots
This is getting ridiculous. They have sooooooo many good songs to choose from. What the hell has happened to France?
Macron. 😛
Their voices sound so well together! I bet it will be a beautiful performance. I like it, but I think it will be lost among the other entries.
Amazing! 😀 Good job, this selection is phenomenal 😉
Not a fan of this one, and I think it’d struggle in ESC.
Ok, I’ve already been finding it impossible to pick a favorite from the French hopefuls – now they throw in an actual soul group, one of my favorite music genres?
France, y’all are spoiling me. I definitely have some favorites already (these guys included) but it’s all been quality so far.
Best snippet so far… I’m my opinion.
If these guys represent France at Eurovision I’ll break my fingers voting for them. This sounds cool AF.
France are automatic qualifiers, they can and should take these kinds of risks and bring us something different like this.
France is maybe the country that took the most risks those recent years and it almost never paid off. So now I think we have got the right to send songs that secure us at least a place in the top 15 🙂
This is one of the best articles I have come across. Keep up the good work.
nice sound, but weak for the contest.
Soul in French? Was that ever a thing?
They sound great though.
Although the song wouldn’t go far they do sound very good together and have stellar vocals.
Plus they’re very handsome men :p
Soul can be a good genre to try at Eurovision but this looks a bit weak… With a good staging it can look nice tho
Since 9 acts have been revealed, are these the entries in the first semi final?
They are revealed in a random order. Madame Monsieur already said they would be in semi 2.
As a French, this is the first snippet i don’t really like, but I think it’s because it reallu does not suit the contest. However, it’s not bad objectively.
Bit old school, but this is QUALITÉ.
I’m impressed by France. They got LIFE, and here’s hoping we still have yet to listen to the best song yet.