They won the very first Eurovision Song Contest in 1956, but Switzerland haven’t been so lucky recently, failing to qualify to the grand final for four years straight. And today, we finally found out who will be taking up the task of trying to bring them back to final. Luca Hänni has been internally selected and will be singing “She Got Me” at Eurovision 2019 in Tel Aviv.
For those who are in a time zone where it’s already past midnight on Friday 8th March, you can listen to the song on Spotify.
Unfortunately, the rest of us will have to wait a little bit longer for the official audio.
The music video will be premiered in a special YouTube live stream at 17:00 CET today. Be sure to set a reminder so you don’t miss it!
Luca Hänni – “She Got Me” (YouTube Live Release, 17:00 CET)
Rumours started to surface about Luca’s possible Eurovision participation all the way back in December 2018. And with today’s announcement, these rumours have been turned into fact.
Luca’s musical career started after he won the ninth season of Deutschland sucht den Superstar (aka German Idol) in 2012. But now he’ll be aiming to conquer all of Europe at Eurovision. In the announcement on eurovision.tv he notes that he’s very much looking forward to the opportunity:
“Getting the chance to perform on such a huge stage in front of an audience of enthusiastic fans in the arena and millions of people at home is definitely one of the high points of my life.”
Luca hopes that “She Got Me”, which has Middle Eastern elements and plenty of rhythm, will get both young and old dancing:
“With my ESC song “She Got Me”, I want to spread some joie de vivre and share my passion for dance and music with the whole audience”.
BIG NEWS: @haenni__luca with She Got Me is Switzerland’s entry for the
Eurovision Song Contest 2019 #Switzerland #Schweiz #Suisse #Svizzera #Svizra #Eurovision #ESC2019 #srfESC #SRF #TelAviv2019 #DareToDream @SRF @Eurovision pic.twitter.com/sFN4TQoKDd— SRF ESC (@srfesc) March 7, 2019
Luca has displayed his passion for dance before. He won the German dance show Dance Dance Dance in 2017, and performed a sensual contemporary dance routine with Schlager-Queen Helene Fischer at her 2018 Christmas show to his song “Bei mir” (originally released in English as “Powder”). He knows how to set up a performance!
The Swiss singer notes:
“Dancing is a central part of my life. It lets me convey my passion and the stories behind my songs even more strongly”.
It seems like Luca will be incorporating his love for dance into his Eurovision entry. No doubt we’ll get a feel for exactly what style of dance this will be once the music video is released later today.
Luca will be perform “She Got Me” in the first half of semi-final two in Tel Aviv in May.
Who’s on the song-writing team?
SRF have revealed that Luca’s song was written at a Swiss songwriting camp. This camp is notably where Germany’s Eurovision 2019 song “Sister” was also written.
Indeed, Switzerland’s and Germany’s songs share a writer. Laurell Barker, who was also behind ZiBBZ’s song “Stones” for Switzerland at Eurovision 2018, is on the team. This will be her third song at Eurovision 2019, as she’s also on the writing team for the UK’s “Bigger Than Us” and Germany’s “Sister”.
However, it’s worth noting that Luca is also credited as part of the writing team. Therefore, this isn’t a song that he’s just been given by the broadcaster. Rather, it’s something that he has contributed to himself and no doubt relates to on a personal level.
How was “She Got Me” selected?
The announcement by the Swiss broadcaster SRF also confirmed a few more details about how “She Got Me” was selected.
A 100-person audience panel and international jury of 20 experts were tasked with whittling down the 420 songs submitted for consideration.
Last December, SRF revealed the names of the internatioanl jury panel, which included former Eurovision participants Ruth Lorenzo and Tinkara Kovac. You’ll also recognise a number of them from the line-up that voted during Germany’s national selection Unser Lied für Israel.
About Luca Hänni
Luca Hänni gained popularity after he was the youngest and first non-German winner of Deutschland sucht den Superstar (German Idol) at 17 years old. His winning single “Don’t Think About Me” reached number one in Austria, Germany and Switzerland, and his four studio albums have all reached the top ten on the Swiss charts.
He’s not a one-trick pony though. In addition to winning Dance Dance Dance in 2017, he’s also been involved in other high-profile projects outside of singing. Last year he was a part of the German edition of Ninja Warrior.
He’s also a model, designs clothes and publishes his own magazine, Stories. The boy is busy! So we’re very glad he managed to find the time to fit in an appearance at Eurovision.
This won’t be Luca’s first contact with Eurovision. He presented the Swiss jury votes in 2017.
What do you think of Switzerland’s internal selection? Do you think Luca Hänni was the correct choice? Let us know in the comments below!
I like it! I’m predicting this will go big in the arena! Definite qualifier and contender for a top ten place in the final
It’s not exactly song of the year, is it? Oh well, Switzerland will be just another non-qualifyier. Serbia is going to win this contest in May. There is a queen of Eurovision and her name is NEVENA.
hahahahahaha. Swiss is no. 1
Much better production than Spain!
Not sure about final with this song, but he’s in the final for Eurovision’s next top model! Eye candy or what?
sizzling tune by a lovely Swiss
I loved the song Sebalter offered. But the Generics need there cup full to drink. So I am glad for you.
their
Wow. Hot guy singing about dirty dancing. Too bad it’s a straight oriented song.
It’s not bad. It’s radio friendly, he’s a sexy looking guy and I’m sure the live performance will be energetic. I think it will qualify, after that, I’m not sure in the final, but I think the Swiss will be happy enough with qualification. They never get a chance to.
Personally, I like the song, but there is just something missing to grab my attention. But yeah, it’s not a bad entry for Switzerland.
Laurell Barker is the new Jonas Gladnikoff, lol
Lord have mercy, three songs in one contest and only one of them has to actually qualify from a semi (and considering she penned potential entries for Denmark, Sweden, and Norway as well, the lady was dancing close to six entries in one year). Can she just write a song for San Marino already?
It’s really the IMRI of this edition. Wonder if he’ll qualify though
No Sebalter :(((((((
This is dated in a good way. Almost a nostalgic early 2010s. I approve.
Pop song we’ve all heard before. It reminds me of the losers in Melfest 2018 and 2019 with the same kind of songs. But it’s a surprise from Switzerland.
The lyrics are so bad and it feels so weird to say those words to a girl in his position….
BOMBO FUEGO TEMPO!
If he could get Helene Fischer as the heroine in this song, Switzerland 12 points?
It’s a simple pop song which is overall ok. What I don’t like at all is that it’s so over-produced that it sounds quite cheap. I think (hope) the live version will balance that out a little.
Damn the boy can dance! We needed our Mikolas Joseph entry for the year and boy did we get it. The man is SO FINE and has the charisma uniqueness nerves and talent to make it to the Finals. Well done Switzerland!! I was really getting worried about ESC entries this year but between Cyprus, Greece, Switzerland, Estonia, United Kingdom, Finland, France, Spain, and Norway (and soon to be added Sweden and Russia) – we have some really fun songs coming to Tel Aviv that would just be awesome to watch (and even dance to). Adding to them more artistic… Read more »
Not really my thing but this is going to do well I’m pretty sure.
The song is good but the selection sounds fake as hell. Nothing against Luca who is amazing but seriously Laurell Barker again ? Is it a coincidence if her boyfriend is a very trendy producer in Switzerland who has worked in the Entscheindungshow and who is a good friend of the head of delegation ? I’m not that sure ! So stop saying there was a panel and a professional “jury” behind the selection. Last year there were 670 songs but the one chosen was written by Laurell and this year its the same story with 420 other songs !… Read more »
What about Boris Milanov?
I loved Switzerland last year, but unfortunately this year’s song is not my thing. I think this is the most generic song of this year. But I understand why Switzerland has decided to make a change, so I wish them the best.
more nude pics please
It’s not a bad song, but there are some annoying elements to it.
This one shows how easy it is to please part of the fandom. If you’re hot (and yes, he’s very very easy on the eyes) and has a radiofriendly bop, they’re on board. It worked perfectly for IMRI, so maybe it will finally get Switzerland back to the final. And, as long the draw allows it, I already can see Luca opening the Saturday night show. I can’t say I’m into it, I think it’s too generic and predictable. But it still can be entertaining depending on his live performance.
But IMRI flopped miserabily in the final, then.
True. I guess Moldova and Sweden didn’t let much space for him in the final. Anyway, Switzerland has qualified only twice in the last 12 years, being in the final would already be considered a success.
Spain will open the Grand Final 99%.
2016 all over again, and Luca is this year’s Donny Montell.
More like Imri Ziv 2017 Israel. Jurijus from Lithuania is this year’s Donny.
Not exactly. To be the Donny of the edition, you need to LEAD DANCE your whole song, and IMRI didn’t do that. On the other hand, there is no doubt Luca will lead the choreography.
Imri had more choreography than Donny. Luca is this year’s Imri because he’s a handsome guy with very generic and basic dance song. Jurijus = Donny, because cute guy with a good modern song, underappreciated and underrated by Euro fans, will surprise everyone.
Wooden Imri ain’t no close to Donny and Luca.
Oh, I really wanted Julie Meletta.. Not a big fan of his song but its not bad though
I think this is a potential winner after a first listen. The ingredients for a successful song are all there. It is indeed infectiously catchy. Switzerland may have its highest placing for many years. This is going to qualify for sure.
Watch out fans, Switzerland is also a very expensive country 🙂
Oh lord.. hot!!
Though Generic very well done. Hopp Schwiiiz Hopp! C U in final! Thnx for brushing up mediocre 2019. In my top 10 with Iceland, Italy, Portugal, Denmark and Slovenia. Btw. Czechia growing as live gar better than on vid. Spain will do very Good if Miki gets the right tones.
He is a very handsome guy but the son is BORING CHEAP AND OLD FASHIONED
I never knew he had a son
and what about it ?
Oh damn…he and Sergey are gonna fight for sexiest man of the year…
this is the song melfest 2019 wishes it had. 100% gonna qualify.
It had TEMPO!
Sounds like a Jason Derulo song! I don’t get why people immediately call pop bangers “generic”? They’re fun, entertaining, and the songs you will be listening to this summer. Straight into my top 3!
it IS generic but that doesn’t mean it’s bad, there’s also generic unpretentious music done well
So now Laurell Barker will have contributed to THREE songs this year as she has co-written this one too, adding to her credits on the German and UK songs.
As a staunch supporter of Switzerland since 2013, I feel that I’m going to be very disappointed with this song – overall it’s been a very disappointing NF season for me with very few songs that I can say I actually like
Listen to the song before deciding you don’t like it?
After listening to the song, my earlier fear has been confirmed: it’s bland, uninspiring and generic. Switzerland has totally let me down for the first time in 6 years like France did a couple months ago in choosing Bilal. I don’t know what the broadcaster saw in choosing Luca
Very good song, Switzerland, finally a bop from you! I hope he can pull off a Mikolas Josef and came top 10, even top 5! After all this year I think Switzerland deserves to be in the top
Jokes aside, I’ve never loved Derulo/Nick Jonas-type of song so much. This is one of those songs. A bop, catchy, memorable, yet feels not that original–and I also won’t be surprised if it turns out this is a Melfest reject. Switzerland might qualify easily with this song, though.
It actually sounds good and it isn’t that generic or “fast food” music (Hi there Tamta!). The style kind of reminds me of Imri’s “I Feel Alive”. They are both predictable, but at the same time they are uplifting, danceable, with modern and ethnic electronic sounds. Overall a really enjoyable entry, not the best in the bunch, but it does bring something new to the line-up. About Switzerland options I’m positive if he can dance and sing live. I see Switzerland qualifying. The outcome in the final will depend on his vocals, dancing abilities and the staging: it could follow… Read more »
I’m gonna shamelessly go for the abs. Take my vote, Switzerland 😀 besides compared to Cyprus or Norway i prefer the sound of this one. Not that it’s a masterpiece but well we need lighthearted uptempos at Eurovision !
Mainstream generic song and hot singer.
Well… it will get a lot of points for obvious reasons but i won’t be adding it to my playlist.
After Sebalter and Scilla Hess i had higher hopes.
What do you guys think about Laurell Barker co-writing the German, the Swiss and the British entry for this year? Do you think that it is okay that she co-wrote all these songs, or do you – like me – think that this is just too much? I mean… it is great that Laurell is engaged with many artists all over the world, but after all, this is a song competition – yes, I know, one with a good spirit – but it still is a SONG COMPETITION. In my opinion, Laurell should definitely continue with cooperating with many singers,… Read more »
Most of the time, it’s the record label or other co-writers who would submit songs to national selections. Similar to when we got the same Swede who served as co-writer to songs from Sweden and Spain back in 2012.
What do you think of the same people writing the Bulgarian, North Macedonian and Serbian entries in 2017; them writing both the Austrian and Bulgarian entries in 2018, and them writing every Bulgarian song after their comeback?
Well, she’s a free woman and a pretty hard working one, it seems. She’s just supplying a demand. It would be great if each entry on the contest was very personal and written by the singers themselves or people very close to them (and that’s why I love Portugal’s recent approach in Festival da Canção), but that’s how music industry works these days.
My inner teen fangirl is coming to the surface again. Loved him back when he was in DSDS, he was one of the most iconic winners and I’m happy that he’s still living his best life. I like the song, it’s got those feelgood vibes we need and it’s my favourite up tempo song so far this year. I think he will definitely qualify and bring Switzerland a good result, finally a swiss entry I really like
I can’t remember the last time I was this thirsty! Move over Sergei!!!
Is he gay btw? He kinda looks like.
No, the song is an obvious sign, ain’t it? 🙁
He is not, he recently got a new girlfriend
No, he’s not. The rumors were debunked looong ago. But he has that gay appeal, doesn’t he?
Is this the male version of Eleni/Tamta?
Still, Tamta is better.
Oh my god i’ts getting hot in hear hope the song is good
Switzerland is now in 9th place in the odds, and it has been rising even before the official release.
Is it of significance?
BAD cheap pop song!I wonder,how many ”fuegos” do we have this year???
Every crap is called bop these days, fans are desperate
LMFAO not every uptempo song is Fuego! have you ever listened to music other than Eurovision LOL
GREAT……12POINTS
I like it. Greek and spanish vibes combined excellently. If the boi can pull it off live, Switzerland has my vote for the first time
Official audio is available on the SRF website in all time zones already! Link here: https://www.srf.ch/news/panorama/eurovision-song-contest-luca-haenni-tritt-fuer-die-schweiz-am-esc-an
Thanks friend! I like it. Direct to my top 5. Another clapping entry. Luca can sing, Luca can dance. He got it all to be at the top.
(insert Stacy Layne Matthews quote here)