Back in June Swiss broadcaster SRF released details of the national selection process for Eurovision 2017, revealing some pretty sweeping changes. The regional quotas are gone, a Swiss connection is required for entry, and the winner will be decided by televote alone. Also gone are the three separate submission processes managed by the regional broadcasters SRF, RTS, RSI and RTR, as the broadcasters have joined forces to run the submission process together.
Today the official submission period finally opened and songwriters are invited to submit songs on Switzerland’s Eurovision 2017 submission portal between now and October 24.
Starting today, songs for the #ESC2017 can be submitted in #Switzerland. All information: https://t.co/b91P9AIGAx #srfesc #Eurovision pic.twitter.com/BU29Q8CfcI
— SRF ESC (@srfesc) September 26, 2016
Switzerland’s Eurovision jury
The initial set of entries will be rated by a panel of experts from across Switzerland, with the top 20 rated entries progressing to the next stage. The panel consists of the following Swiss luminaries.
- Gülsha Adilji – author and presenter
- Bettina Bendiner – Head of Department Entertainment 20 minutes
- Roman Camenzind – music producer
- Camille Destraz – music journalist
- Beppe Donadio – musician and journalist
- Freda Goodlett – Vocal Coach
- Michael Kinzer – Jury President Swiss Music Prize
- Pascal Künzi – General Manager Musikvertrieb
- Nicola Locarnini – Musicians
- François Pinard – Directeur Make Sense Production
- Simone Reich – Journalist Ringier Axel Springer AG Switzerland / TV magazines
- Jocelyn Rochat – Journaliste musical
- Oliver Rosa – Operators Swiss Music Awards and Artist Manager
- Peter Röthlisberger – Chief Editor View
- Yves Schifferle – Program Development SRF Entertainment
- Lina Selmani – editorship watson
- Dano Tamasy – SRF 3 Best Talent
- Christoph Trummer – President musical artists Switzerland
- Flavio Tuor – Responsabel Musica RTR
- Denise Vogel – Production Coordinator 360 ° Showproduction AG
- Sébastien Vuignier – Directeur TAKK Productions
This marks the end of SRF’s highly entertaining online open submission process, where artists from around the world entered songs of wildly varying quality, hoping to make the shortlist.
The new rules now require that at least one person directly involved with the entry — the performer, composer or lyricist — must hold a Swiss passport or be resident in Switzerland. Swiss artists will still be able to team up with others from abroad, but it will stop random foreign artists sending in their amateur efforts.
The traditional live check stage remains the same, where the artists’ live performance skills are assessed. The jury will then select around eight acts which will progress to the live final, due to be held on 5 February 2017.
The rules suggest that Switzerland has a specific type of act in mind, saying that they are “looking for a strong song which meets international standards, performed with a powerful, note-perfect voice.” And as always, the broadcaster reserves the right to revamp the winning track, even after the national final.
What do you think? Can Switzerland reverse its run of bad fortune at Eurovision? Are the changes an improvement? Share your thoughts below.
The thoughts behind the new process might be the right ones, since Switzerland is in desperate need to find someone with actual charisma and starappeal that hits the notes and delivers a captivating show. All of that didn’t happen in the recent years. I hope we finally get an act in my homecountry that I’m proud to cheer for. But I guess show(wo)manship is not in the swiss’s blood. I still can’t believe the swiss delegation let Rykka do such a powerless performance. They should have intervened at least after the first rehearsals.
” … it will stop random foreign artists sending in their amateur efforts ”
Now only national artists will send their amateur efforts. I understand their reasons, but they close an important door and who will insist on participating will have to try a complicated way, in the end only increases birocracy.
@Marco:
You are right, I didn’t notice the “at least one person” part when I first read it. Thanks for pointing that out.
@Alenn: Read carefully:
“at least one person directly involved with the entry — the performer, composer or lyricist — must hold a Swiss passport or be resident in Switzerland”
So no, they are not forbidding foreigners from representing them (btw, Céline Dion’s song was written and composed by Swiss people, so she would have applied to those rules). I guess they made it in order to keep away senseless submissions filmed in some UK suburbia or a Russian bedroom which were almost always of low quality and had no connection to Switzerland at all.
Can we hear any of the entries?
Canadian female singer brought them their last victory back in 1988, 3 rd place in 1993 (my favorite that year than The Netherlands) but and last place this year in one of two semifinal.
@ben rafter
Or maybe you know… Switzerland just sends incredibly dull and boring songs the last few years? (Not counting sebalter)
So they are not allowing foreign artists to represent them anymore? I think they are forgetting that a certain Canadian singer brought them their last victory back in 1988…
I guess they wanted to NEUTRALIZE the negativity coming from the last couple of years.
Switzerland are wasting their money competing in a contest where friends vote for their friends. Who are their friends? Germany and Austria? They’re lowsy friends in this contest.
It’s not Switzerland’s “Time to Shine” these years..a lot of times they are “The Last Of Our Kind”. Do people even care for Switzerland in the contest anymore..? :/
Pray for us.
“note-perfect voice” LMAO what a sly dig @ Rykka.