She’s the rising Swiss star who has already made one attempt at Eurovision. But now Ilira has firmly ruled out another shot, in a series of fiery Instagram posts. The “Extra Fr!es” singer hit out at her Eurovision-loving fans, saying “Did you ask Bebe Rexha or Beyoncé the same sh*t when they were newcomers?!”
The Kosovo-Albanian Swiss songstress has been enjoying recent success, including her slow-burning single “Extra Fr!es” and an MTV EMA 2019 nomination for Best Swiss Act. Along with recent European festival appearances, Ilira seems to be a girl who is going places.
But the “Get off My D!ck” singer has made it clear she won’t be going to Eurovision. Following suggestions from fans that she apply as part of Switzerland’s internal selection process, Ilira has strongly rejected the idea.
In a series of Instagram story uploads, she told her Eurovision-loving fans to “please take a cold shower”.
Ilira followed this with a longer rant where she said she did not want to be associated with Eurovision’s “sh*tty, non-quality shows!!!!!” She also claimed that there is “not even one artist who is credible and successful INTERNATIONALLY from that show!”
Fans have pointed to Ilira’s fellow MTV EMA nominee Mahmood as a direct contradiction of her claim. As well as Mahmood enjoying quadruple platinum certification in Italy for his Eurovision song “Soldi”, the song also charted in 20 different European countries, including No.5 in Switzerland. Later this month, Mahmood is due to embark on his Good Vibes tour of major European cities.
As well, the Icelandic anticapitalist techno doom-pop trio Hatari have clocked up over 1.3 million views for their follow-up single “Klefi/Samed (صامد)” and have been extensively touring Europe, including many festival dates.
Closer to home, Switzerland’s Eurovision 2019 act Luca Hänni saw his Eurovision song “She Got Me” go platinum in Switzerland. His Eurovision appearance has revitalised his career in Switzerland and boosted his profile abroad.
But Ilira isn’t feeling Eurovision. She urged her fans to “Please stop annoying me!” and wondered “Did you ask Bebe Rexha or Beyoncé the same sh** when they were newcomers?!”
Ilira’s 2011 national final experience
Things were different, however, back in 2011. That year, the teenage Ilira was a finalist in Switzerland’s national final Die grosse Entscheidungs Show. Along with her band The Colors, she performed the ballad “Home”. Watch the national performance here.
The song was a favourite going into the national final but eventually placed third to Anna Rossinelli’s “In Love for a While”.
But what followed for Switzerland was many years of disappointing results. Things changed this year when Luca Hänni gave Switzerland their highest result since 1993 with the infectious and explosive “She Got Me”.
This change came from the country switching from their infamous national final, Die grosse Entscheidungsshow, to an internal selection. In the new process, broadcaster SRG, along with a pre-determined jury, handpicked the Swiss representative for Eurovision. The same method will be used for Switzerland’s 2020 act.
Update at 17.00 CET 5/10/2019
On Saturday afternoon, Ilira took to Instagram once more in a bid to clarify her earlier remarks. Acknowledging her own foray with the contest, she says that she “didn’t mean to offend”.
However, the singer is unrepentant. “I m (sic) not gonna take back my personal opinion about ESC and talentshows in general”, she writes. She adds that some of her critics are “filled with hatred and pure nationalism”.
She then goes on to give tips to up-and-coming artists about how they can succeed without talent shows.
Update at 12:45 CET 6/10/2019
Ilira may have started a discussion on the topic of Eurovision, but it seems there’s one area she isn’t happy for it to go: her 2011 Swiss national final performance.
After a fan uploaded a video of the performance, Ilira messaged them asking that it be taken down, saying “It’s one I don’t like”. She also explained, “I don’t want to be associated with Eurovision”
Fortunately for fans, the impressive performance is still available to view on the website of Swiss national broadcaster SRF.
Watch Ilira’s Swiss Eurovision national final performance here.
What do you think? Is Ilira making the right choice turning her back on Eurovision? Or could she use the song contest to her advantage? Tell us your thoughts below!
Nobody wants her in ESC. We want good singers. Bye Ilira, nobody miss you.
So bitch, Bey it’s not from Europe, she should back to school. I’ll never listen her again, only makes cheap music.
wow how Rude of her
First, it’s obviously not true that Eurovision was cool when she was 10 years old…when was that, in 2007? Certainly ESC is much more current, mainstream and successfull than back then, every year a number of international hits are launched at Eurovision and it wasn’t always like this.
Second: She is acting like an arrogant ***** and I simply wish her career to be over in 2 years time so she can beg San Marino for a chance to do Eurovision and relaunch her career with a Ralph Siegel song.
“my music has good quality” girl you sound like every average “now” artist. If I were you I would compete because that’ll get you the most success you can get out of your career.
Somebody please give a cold shower to these Albanian music stars.
She and her label clearly don’t want people posting her old national final performance because they want to hide the fact that she has completely changed her face with cosmetic surgery. The first thing I noticed is her new nose, but it looks like she also got lip and cheek injections. She wants to hide that her face is fake.
There are good things in Eurovision (all the ones you listed), but that LED overdose is NOT one of them. Makes things look tacky and over the top (and like it’s not enough, some acts feel the need to bring a pole to stand on, a hamster wheel, treadmills, mirrors, etc.).
So happy that the winning songs all have simple stagings. Duncan had the best staging this year, and it was just him, a light beam and a piano. No need for all these useless tacky fireworks.
Hey, look at Grammys, MTV VMAs or EMAs. Don’t their tackiness feel familiar?
What’s the point of giving voice to these haters? Whose this “risingstar” wannabe anyway?
Beyonce is not european, dumb bitch.
“If you liked it, then you should have put a ring on it
If you liked it, then you shoulda put a ring on it
Don’t be mad once you see that he want it
If you liked it, then you shoulda put a ring on it”
I can name over a thousand Eurovision lyrics which have quality unlike the lyrics above. I wouldn’t be surprised if all songs from Eurovision 1991, for example, were released by Beyoncé were a hit! A song does not need to be an international hit to have quality!
in another words some random noname girl doesn’t want to go somewhere she won’t be sent anyway because singers from usa don,t have chance to participate? stupid
Its so funny how she thinks her music is good quality with song title like get off my d*ck. lol
What she says is what most people think of Eurovision, including me (and they’re not wrong). Do I enjoy the show? Yes, but is this show about good music? Gosh no. Every year there may be 2 or 3 good songs (usually the winner is one of them), but the rest are just pure trash and just a good occasion to have a laugh. You shouldn’t be blaming artists for not wanting to be associated with that.
You think like that because you are from USA and you think Beyonce farts are better than Beethoven.
?? … I have not even mentioned Beyoncé. This is totally unrelated to Beyoncé (a couple of Eurovision artists are at least as good as her), this is about the poor quality of most ESC songs. Bad music is what Eurovision is known for, I don’t see why this is such a surprise.
You haven’t mentioned Beethoven either, but you must be more open minded. Not the whole world likes what you call “good music”. Nowadays American music is impossible to listen, some singers…even when they talk (Cardi B).
I have no idea what you’re talking about. This is not about Beyoncé, Beethoven, or American music, I did not even make any comparison with the US music industry (you did). The song quality at Eurovision is just bad by its own standards, and it’s certainly bad compared to a lot of great European artists. Being open minded means listening to different genres, not forcing oneself to listen to cheap, low quality music.
You can downvote as much as you want, doesn’t change a fact. What’s your goal? Forcing people to like ESC music? Talk about open minded…
what was low quality in 2019?
I’ll tell you what was NOT low quality: Duncan Laurence, Mahmood and Hatari (I’d even risk saying maybe, to a lesser extent, Portugal, John Lundvik and Tamara). The rest was either mediocre, bland, terribly performed or a mix of all that. Nothing special, just a normal ESC year.
I mean, that guy Serhat was in the final and even ranked 10th in the televote. How can you even ask what was low quality? Like it’s not obvious, haha…
well, neither world charting, neither Eurovision music can be called good quality, There are, of course, few exceptions, but only few
Weren’t you rooting for the political bdsm act last year?
you say it like that is a bad thing…;) Still rooting for Hatari and always will.(to me that particular comment does not make Bella look bad)
As I said, every year there are still 2-3 good songs. Hatari were certainly one of them, and they had the whole package. I actually love their song Klefi, more than their ESC song.
What was even your point? Are you still b*tthurt because one act out of 40 dared mention Palest ine? It was 4 months ago, might be time to let it go.
There’s so much wrong with her comments, I don’t even know where to begin. You don’t have to like Eurovision but there is no need to insult the show or those who like and participate in it. She is insulting your musical colleagues. Just because she was on a national final once in 2011 does not make her an expert on the show. It doesn’t seem like she was involved in the competition since. 1. Eurovision is not a shitty, low quality talent show. There have been so many strong songs by really talented people. 2. Three have been successful… Read more »
She does have some point.
she doesn’t. Eurovision is not suppose to be a talent show, although some countries take it in that way…
And you wrote an article about her ?,, she should stay at her place in the music industry … which means nowhere ???
Well, we didnt asked them cause they are more talented than you Ilira. You aint beyonce, you aint bebe rexha, you aint even rita ora. Chill
I’m sure if Beyoncé or Bebe Rexha was from a participating ESC nation the I’m sure they would be asked almost yearly about participating in Eurovision.
Never refuse an opportunity to further your career. If you are really truly in it for the music of course 😉
I mean, Bebe’s Albanian, and she was on one of Wiwi’s wishlists for Albania a few years back. I doubt she would go to Eurovision now anyway since she’s very well known.
But yeah, agreed. Ilira should at least consider it and she should not insult her fans like that.
She does have Albanian roots, but not an Albanian citizenship. In few words, she’s American.
That’s what I meant, sorry.
Unless a composer wanted her to participate — though I don’t think her style is usually considered for FiK.
I don’t think she’s wrong. Apart from you die hard ESC fans, can you remember most of the artists in the past 3 years? How many of the entrants have made it into international success? The last one to make it big was Celine Dion in the 1980s…and she’s Canadian which gave her easier access to the American markets. How many of the winners since then made it big? Nil. Haatri made it big because it trolled Israel right in their own doorstep, and its entry itself was mocking esc for their cheesy typical lyrics of peace peace love love.… Read more »
International success perhaps, but she’d probably be more successful in her own country than she’s been so far if she participated and did well (like Mahmood for instance). Also she wasn’t referring to bloc voting when she was talking about nationalism, she was trying to use it as an insult (very stupidly).
I can remember most of the artists and many many are very successful. They don’t need to be Beyonce level to be successful.
And Celine Dion did not even become famous because of ESC. In France she became famous thanks to her album written by JJ Goldman, and internationally her career exploded because of the Titanic soundtrack (more than a decade after she won Eurovision). In the US, no one knows she even participated in Eurovision.
I’m from Switzerland and I don’t even know who she is…
Big words coming from a one hit wonder (who only got that hit from being featured on a more popular DJ’s song) and only has 35k Instagram followers. Aly Ryan has more of a right to be arrogant, because she at least has a decent Instagram presence.
Hatari was also given a spotlight on Last Week Tonight with John Oliver. Which is an AMERICAN show.
And it only lasted for 2 minutes.
I mean, honestly she is right
Beyoncé doesn’t use auto tune. She has put her voice through so much technology on that Fries song that she should take a cold shower for comparing herself to the Queen.
I wish more artists would entertain Eurovision on their way up versus on their way down. Because you know what goes up willl come down and she’s gonna come down for sure
Wow someone has a bad attitude. Why would Beyoncé even do Eurovision lol shes American.
Who is she? Really, I didn’t even know she exists. “Sh**ty shows” with performances she can only dream of. She is not only arrogant but her lyrics are bland. I’m happy she’s not considering Eurovision tbh.
Wow, what a way to publicize yourself.
You lost to Anna Rossinelli…..
That takes some doing.
What a biatch…
I agree on almost everything, but she’s actually well known – or at least her song “fading”. But well, she’s really bitter…
Hate prevailed I guess
What an arrogant girl!
THAT IS SO GOSH DARN NASTY!!!!!
Some of her biggest supporters were from the ESC fandom. Oh well
Rising? Newcomer? She’s been around eight years. She’s going nowhere fast.
Oh, so we’re at the exact moment in the Eurovision season when all attention wh*res are doing things just for attention. Thank you, next!
PS. Jamala, Salvador Sobral, Mahmood, Madame Monsieur, Francesco Gabbani, Loïc Nottet, Hatari and others would wipe the floor with this girl, if not something else.
She is so terse.
Never heard of this dummy bozo
Rising Swiss star?
Blame me, but as a Swiss, I do know her from her ESC try. Afterwards? Never heard anything from her.
Also we wouldn‘t need her anyway, we want Singers/Band that want to represent Switzerland at ESC not those, who mock the contest.
Just stay where you are girl!
K gurl bye.
who the hell does she think she is?? Horrible music and how she dares to compare herself with beyonce! Obviously she hasn;t watched ESC recently and hence her comments about quality. She’s no one in Switzerland, maybe she can try with Albania lol
Albania says No, thank you…maybe Kosovo will do
I’m sure Rene pushed Celine to ESC. who knows how much he paid to put her on ESC stage. It’s so silly to be offended when fans meant it as a compliment when suggested her about ESC. To tell them to take a cold shower means she is clueless about how to treat people.
Never heard of her but you can’t exactly stand on a high horse when you participated in the Swiss 2011 NF and failed against the biggest simpleton song ever. She’s right about the cold showers though, they should be mandatory for 90% of all the commentators on here. Might help.
You do include yourself in that 90%, right?
Yeah… she really chose the wrong fandom to diss.. ouch hahah
*insert clown emoji*
you are right about Mahmood, but Hatari with 1.3 millions views on their single after I don’t know 4 months is international success? oh come on 😀
and I kind of agree with her, I haven’t seen an act who is successful in a long period.. they are famous for me but no one knows them in my country.. BUT that doesn’t change anything about her acting like an arrogant stupid b*tch
True, but at the same time no one can be famous after one song in a longer period of time, but still gain a lot of success with Eurovision, Hatari are touring Europe – Ilira is not
Wait till Hatari release Klámstrakur soon, they are doing a video for it at the moment and the song is a banger 😀
Well Hatari is pretty famous actually… the fandom is quite big, it ranges to teens to elderly people. I am sorry for my English.
There are only about 300,000 people in Iceland. Any Icelandic act that can rack up more than 1 million views is internationally successful.
It’s okay, Aly Ryan can take your spot.
according to the schweizer hitparade website, she doesn’t have any charting solo songs in the swiss top 100… she can choke on the dicc she speaks of.
Amen