It’s the revamped national selection that’s serious about getting Switzerland back into the Eurovision grand final. German-Swiss broadcaster SRF has now announced the six artists and their songs that will be competing in ESC 2018 – Entscheidungsshow.

The previous regional quotas have been scrapped, but the six artists represent different regions of Switzerland. The lucky six acts are: Zibbz, Angie Ott, Naeman, Chiara Dubey, Alejandro Reyes and Vanessa Iraci.

This year the emphasis went on quality songs first. The six competing songs have been composed by some of Europe’s top songwriters, including a few who collaborated at last year’s Swiss songwriting camp. But it’s not all hired guns — three of the artists have co-written their own songs, and one has also co-written a song for another artist. Let’s meet the six.

Zibbz – “Stones”

Zibbz is a brother-sister duo made up of Corinne “Co” Gfeller and Stee Gfeller. They divide their time between Los Angeles and their Swiss home. The siblings are experienced musicians and as well as performing together, they also have solo experience with leading Swiss musicians.

Their song “Stones” was written by Co and Stee in collaboration with Canadian songwriter Laurell Barker, at the Swiss songwriting camp. Laurell is an experienced songwriter and co-wrote “I Wish I Loved You More” and “Freedom Hearts” in the 2017 UK national final.

Angie Ott – “A Thousand Times”

Angie Ott came to fame in 2013 as the runner-up of the first series of The Voice of Switzerland. She’s since worked as a singer and has released a number of songs. Angie is very passionate about music. She says, “I need music like the air to breathe. Only with the music do I feel well in my skin.”

Her song “A Thousand Times” was written by the Swedish-Maltese team of Jonas Gladnikoff, Sara Ljunggren, Glen Vella. Glen represented Malta at Eurovision 2011 and is a frequent contributor to national final songs, especially in partnership with Jonas.

Naeman – “Kiss Me”

Naeman is a Dutch-born, Swiss-raised singer and has experience on talent shows. He was a semi-finalist on the 2015 edition of Switzerland’s Got Talent and made it to the early stages of German Idol the same year. But Naeman’s strengths lie as a street performer. He travels the world performing in street jams, including locations as far afield as the United States and South Korea.

He will sing “Kiss Me”, written by Kate Northrop, Eric Lumiere, Ken Berglund and Alejandro Reyes. The song is another product of the Swiss songwriting camp. Northrup is an American-born, Swiss-based creative; Eric Lumiere is a successful American dance music producer, who has worked with Swiss artists; Ken Berglund is a Swedish recording engineer; and Alejandro Reyes is a Chilean-Swiss singer-songwriter who is also competing as a singer.

Chiara Dubey – “Secrets and Lies”

Chiara Dubey is no stranger to the Swiss national final. The talented singer and violinist has competed twice before. In 2012, she placed third with “Anima nuova”, then the following year she placed fifth with “Bella sera”. Curently studying at university, Chiara says her favourite Eurovision song is Céline Dion’s “Ne partez pas sans moi”.

Chiara will sing “Secrets and Lies”, which she co-wrote along with Janie Price, Jeroen Swinnen, Darcy Proper and Sally Herbert. Janine Price is a successful European songwriter; Jeroen Swinnen is a Belgium songwriter, best known for co-writing Tom Dice’s “Me and My Guitar”; Darcy Proper is a Grammy Award-winning recording engineer, and Sally Herbert is a noted string arranger who has worked with artists such as Florence + the Machine and Kylie Minogue.

Alejandro Reyes – “Compass”

Alejandro Reyes is the Chilean-born, Swiss-raised singer-songwriter who has long been a fan favourite to represent Switzerland at Eurovision. Due to a medical issue at birth, he was left with a disability in his left hand, but that hasn’t stopped him playing the guitar and creating music. Alejandro also features as one of the songwriters of Naeman’s song “Kiss Me”.

Alejandro will sing “Compass”, which he has co-written along with Laurell Barker and Lars Christen. Laurell is a Canadian songwriter who has also co-written Zibbz’s song “Stones”; Lars is a songwriter who had worked with many popular Swiss acts.

Vanessa Iraci – “Redlights”

Vanessa Iraci came to fame in 2014 on the second series of The Voice of Switzerland. She made it to the semi-final before being eliminated. She has since built up a career as a singer, and last year appeared on the Swiss music show Ich schänke dir es Lied.

Vanessa’s song  “Redlights” is written by the Symphonix songwriting collective, including Boris Milanov, Joacim Bo Persson, Johan Alkenäs, Jessica Ashley Karpov and Jesse Saint John. Symphonix has an impressive track record, but are best known for being behind Bulgaria’s 2016 and 2017 entries, “If Love Was a Crime” and “Beautiful Mess”.

ESC 2018 – Entscheidungsshow

The six acts will battle it out at the grand final on 4 February. Switzerland’s 2017 act Timebelle will also make an appearance, and the will be a tribute to “Amar pelos dois”. The national final will also debut an international jury, and will have a dramatic voting reveal to keep viewers guessing until the end.

What do you think of the six finalists? Who should represent Switzerland in Lisbon? Share your thoughts below!

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Marco
Marco
6 years ago

Nice selection! I like Stones and Redlight especially.
Much better than previous years!

Andrea
Andrea
6 years ago

Just bring Sebalter back.

Natalia
Natalia
6 years ago

My favs are Secrets and Lies and Stones and I think that Stones is going to win the preselection. I didn’t like the other entries.

Colin
Colin
6 years ago

Basically, Switzerland has two really strong options: Stones & Secrets and Lies. Both songs are amazing and could go to top 10 in Lisbon! Other songs are okay too. Not a bad one among them. Bravo, Switzerland!

Hunter Doerksen
Hunter Doerksen
6 years ago

I like “Stones” the most overall as a song. However, “Kiss Me” is also quite good and will be much easier than the others to stage very well. “Redlights” is nice to listen to, but before the first minute had ended, I could predict the melody line easily.

The rest, meh…

ESCtim
ESCtim
6 years ago

Zibbz – Stones is the front runner.

Yasi
Yasi
6 years ago

Additional info:
Alejandro competed in the German version of Got Talent (“Das Supertalent”) in 2017.
Vanessa competed in the Voice of Germany in 2016 and got eliminated in the Sing Offs.

Flynn
Flynn
6 years ago

Stones is probably best choice here it’s kinda safe but it actually has an impact unlike the usual Swiss entries. Despite some bad lyrics I think Compass would the next best choice as there is something a bit cringy about Kiss Me. I’m a little worried about Kiss Me, it sounds way too familiar but I can’t place it. The girls songs are nice but won’t do well. A Thousand Times is just too generic Eurovision that Switzerland won’t get noticed. Secrets and Lies is haunting but too slow for Eurovision. Redlights sounds like a middle aged muscian trying to… Read more »

AngieP
AngieP
6 years ago

“Secrets and lies” is flat and boring all the way. Beautiful voice though.
All the other songs are quite good.
Compared to last year, the songs are better this time.
“Stones” has a dynamic, ‘A thousand times” is a beautiful and strong ballad
“Kiss me” is the current pop music we all listen around the world. “Compass” has a nice melody and “Redlights” is so modern.
For now, I’m between “Stones” and “A thousand times”.

fan
fan
6 years ago

“Stones” being the best of a bad bunch.

fan
fan
6 years ago

Nothing good enough here, Switzerland will not make the final with any of these songs

olvr20
olvr20
6 years ago

Stones is the only song I could see making the final.

Aaran
Aaran
6 years ago

Switzerland has definetly stepped up this year! All the songs are actually decent. My ranking would be as follows:
1. Stones
2. Redlights
3. Kiss Me
4. Compass
5. A Thousand Times
6. Secrets and Lies

Polegend Godgarina
Polegend Godgarina
6 years ago

Stones – I really like it, it sounds like So Good by Louisa Johnson. The sound is current, the vocals are peculiar, the beat is remarkable. A Thousand Times – this is very Eurovision, the type of song that the live performance can either make or break. Kiss Me – not a fan of the Charlie Puth-esque abuse of falsetto. The cheap man’s Bruno Mars sound isn’t going to take this far, either. Secrets and Lies – very soft ballad that never really builds up–by the end of it, I was almost asleep. Almost like a lullaby. Compass – this… Read more »

Roddie Santos
Roddie Santos
6 years ago

Alejandro Reyes – Compass: That’s a great upbeat song! It’s like everything Aidan’s Dai Laga from Malta tried to accomplish and didn’t. If this song is chosen, I would like it a lot! 9/10 Angie Ott – A Thousand Times: I thought this song wouldn’t excite me so much, how wrong I was! I really liked the melody, especially for a ballad, the chorus is really good, and the ending was just epic, it almost gave me chills! Probably my favorite! 9,5/10 Chiara Dubey – Secrets and Lies: This song gave me some Disney vibes. The highlights here were the… Read more »

Jo
Jo
6 years ago

This selection is very good… for Albania.
Secrets and Lies is quite similar to Esamiba, but I still prefet the cello. I’d go with Stones, but it’s a borderline entry.

Oio
Oio
6 years ago

I don’t find these that good, except Stones. It’s modern, fresh and catchy. I love the energy of it!

ts
ts
6 years ago

Well done Schweiz- they’ve got potential to do very well with some of these songs 🙂

Alicja
Alicja
6 years ago

Secrets and Lies, Compass, and Kiss Me are my favs?

chaparal
chaparal
6 years ago

Stones and Redlights
(…mostly Stones…shh)
Good luck at the finals Schwiiz??
…*thinks*
…Yup Stones?

Leo M
Leo M
6 years ago

Overall, it is a good selection from Switzerland. Redlights and Stones are the best choices for me. Both feel very modern and current, and with the right staging would have a good shot of getting Switzerland back to the final.

Héctor
Héctor
6 years ago

I never know how to feel about the Swiss efforts, they always try hard but get nothing instead. This year it seems their method is working fine, the line-up is pretty decent and they have some songs that could play good in Lisbon. I also have to say Switzerland is working clever by letting the Swedes getting involved in the writing/production process without allowing them to submit Melodifestivalen rejects. My thoughts: ZIBBZ – “STONES”. Cool, fresh and modern! The “mmm” at the background add some flavour and make it more memorable and catchy. The lyrics has a meaning. Her vocals… Read more »

gubi
gubi
6 years ago

I’m really proud of the swiss selection this year. I especially like “Stones” and “Secrets and Lies”. The others are ok.

DarkpassionPlay
DarkpassionPlay
6 years ago

Man i hope we dont get a slow ass songs in this year contest plagued by the winners of the 2 previous years. We need yodeling , we need Croatia double singer , we need hey MaMa more in our lives. Eurovision should ban slow ass ballads for at least 5 years ….

Ronda
Ronda
6 years ago

I personally like those “slow a$$ ballads”.

Joe
Joe
6 years ago

My thoughts: Stones: Gonna join the crowd on this one. Would be a very good entrant indeed and make a good bid at the final. A Thousand Times: Like the voice and production on this one. Could get lost in the shuffle if there are a lot of similar songs, like Apollo did last year. Kiss Me: Another nice voice and decent production, but it’s way too generic. He’s got a swoon-worthy look about him, but looks don’t mean shit if the song blows. Wouldn’t get anywhere. Secrets and Lies: Love her voice, and it’s clear she knows how the… Read more »

Purple Mask
Purple Mask
6 years ago

Well done Switzerland for releasing six reasonably strong entries, all well-produced. It’s genuinely difficult to critique these, but if I had to choose a few, these are the ones I liked and why: 1) “Stones” – I love the irony of the lyrics, and this song’s meaning is extremely relevant to the world right now. The driving bass line is the key to how it works musically (pun intended), and everything on top adds tasty layers to it. In the third minute, there are subtle changes to the underlying harmony. Great. Send this. 2) “Secrets and Lies” – A Capella… Read more »

PP
PP
6 years ago

Only 2 song can put Switzerland in final Stones or Compass. Stones have better chance for good place in final. With Compass they can be like Austria 2017 (surprise in semi and final with points of juries ) or Spain 2017 (depends of vocal and stage performance).
If Serbia didn t go with same authors in 2017 in final with In too deep , Redlight have less chances to do that.
Secret and lies didn t have any chance for final ( if Blackbirds from Finland didn t get to final , this weaker song don t have any chance)

Overrated selection
Overrated selection
6 years ago

I don’t understand at all why most of the fans think this selection is amazing! This selection is according to me even worse than the one in Czech Republic. And Maltas selection is much better compared to this one!

I think it’s going to be a non-qualification for Switzerland this year again!

Gobio
Gobio
6 years ago

I think Switzerland is more eager to break the record of non – qualifying in Eurovision than winning a respectable place. Unfortunately I don’t see much effort put in this NF. Chiara’s song is pleasant though.

ESC Jonathan
ESC Jonathan
6 years ago

I like Stones Compas and Redlights. But I haven’t a favorite.

Cobra863
Cobra863
6 years ago

Another national final with great level, congratulations Switzerland 😀 ! Here are my thoughts : 6) A THOUSAND TIMES : We’ve already heard this entry… a thousand times. 5) KISS ME : Not original enough, yet well-produced. Now it’s a tough one between these four : 4) REDLIGHTS : Really good song, but maybe a little too cold for ESC. 3) STONES : Modern and energetic, I love it ! 2) COMPASS : The singer seems to be so sweet, and his song is well-produced. 1) SECRETS ANS LIES : This might be a Blackbird 2.0 but it’s sooo pure… Read more »

Ramon
Ramon
6 years ago

‘A Thousand Times’ must have been rejected in Malta XD

mad-professor
mad-professor
6 years ago

It’s between Chiara and Vanessa for me – the only songs that I could actually listen to all the way through. The others are other generic or ruined by poor English lyrics. Vanessa would probably be the safer choice, but there’s something captivating about Chiara’s vocals.

Rich
Rich
6 years ago

I like Kiss me, Compass, Redlights and Stones the best.

MollieLouise
MollieLouise
6 years ago

Secrets and lies is a beautiful song – a unique melody played with real instruments and lyrics with a story! I can imagine a really elegant performance already – I hope she pulls it off!

Alex
Alex
6 years ago

Fantastic, SRF has done a great job! Much better than in recent years.

Alejandro Reyes – “Compass” is my favourite 🙂

Roelof Meesters
Roelof Meesters
6 years ago

All these songs are really good, they could All qualify with the right staging, so Switzerland: HIRE A NEW CHOREOGRAPHER!!!! Secret and Lies is stunning, would love to see it win.

Frisian esc
Frisian esc
6 years ago

Love secrets and lies <3

Colin
Colin
6 years ago

On the first listening, I think all 6 are at least decent, but still rather safe choices, yet again. Two songs I really liked are Throwing Stones and Secrets and Lies. Other four aren’t bad at all, but I did hear them ”a thousand times before” (pun intended). Throwing Stones is something half of Maltese entries wish they could be, regarding societal commentary. Secrets and Lies reminds me of songs like Wars for Nothing and Nar Jag Blundar. I expect tons of comments calling it boring, but it was very heartfelt.

Purple Mask
Purple Mask
6 years ago
Reply to  Colin

Agreed as usual, although I have given “Stones” the edge over “Secrets and Lies” (see above). All six entries could easily be sent to Eurovision though – it’s just a matter of taste. 🙂

Colin
Colin
6 years ago
Reply to  Purple Mask

True, our tastes are such that we tend to agree on more entries than not. I will have to listen to Swiss and Czech entries again to make some kind of list, but both NFs are quite good and each has strong entries that could do very well.

_Peyton22
_Peyton22
6 years ago

The quality of songs this year is amazing, not just the Swiss NF but from all countries! This is gonna be a good year for songs.

Kris
Kris
6 years ago

Swiss broadcaster says : No , I will never let you go

Purple Mask
Purple Mask
6 years ago
Reply to  Kris

Give it time and they will grow.
It is never easy. :p

brennan
brennan
6 years ago

compass and redlights are fresh for 2018
kiss me as well, but the lyrics are not so good
secrets and lies is a beautiful ballad but I’m not sure it would qualify
thousand whatevers is the basic europop i would expect from switzerland and it would be better for them if they didn’t choose it
stones is gnarly (what do the lyrics mean???)

Miguel
Miguel
6 years ago

All the songs are decent, but there is none that really stands out. My opinion is:

1st – Zibbz – Stones
2nd – Naeman – Kiss Me
3rd – Vanessa Iraci – Redlights
4th – Chiara Dubey – Secrets And Lies
5th – Alejandro Reyes – Compass
6th – Angie Ott – A Thousand Times

John
John
6 years ago

Switzerland must go for `Stones` all the other songs are a bit insipid

Thomasfan22
Thomasfan22
6 years ago

Stones sounds eerily alot like this song by Stine Bramsen:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7TGnAI2e_w

Otherwise, I really hope Chiara wins this.

Dew
Dew
6 years ago

Redlights or Secret And Lies

Coolhand
Coolhand
6 years ago

I really like each one of these songs and would be ok with any of these songs going to Lisbon, and I think each would have a good chance at qualifying.

Coolhand
Coolhand
6 years ago

Very good selection Switzerland!!!

Briekimchi
Briekimchi
6 years ago

Am I missing something? All of these were really bad. At least, in that regard, Switzerland are consistent!

Sabrina
Sabrina
6 years ago

Secrets and Lies is very beautiful. Maybe Chiara would need to be a very magnetic person on the stage to make it work on Eurovision, but I would pick her song anyway.

The other songs are OK, but forgettable. I like Compass and the message in Stones, but that’s all.

Colin
Colin
6 years ago
Reply to  Sabrina

”Secrets and Lies is very beautiful. Maybe Chiara would need to be a very magnetic person on the stage to make it work on Eurovision, but I would pick her song anyway.”

Exactly! It’s a lovely ballad, very reliant on her stage presentation. If done right, it can be very beautiful, much like Hungary in 2014, but a monotone singer can easily turn it boring. But if she can deliver, this could be amazing.

Sabrina
Sabrina
6 years ago
Reply to  Colin

I agree! She has to make us feel from the very beginning. I don’t know Chiara, but I hope she’s very charismatic, so she can make it work.