He released his song for Eurovision 2020 on 4 March. But now Switzerland’s Gjon’s Tears has given fans a glimpse of what might’ve been by posting an early demo of “Répondez-moi” on Instagram.
“Répondez-moi” demo
Gjon shared the demo snippet with his followers on 15 April. In the Instagram caption, he writes about the difference between this early version and the final release. Gjon also expresses his gratefulness to the team which worked with him on track.
“HERE IS AN OTHER VERSION OF THE SONG THAT I ALSO LIKED A LOT BUT FINALLY WE CHOSE A SOBER ONE ✌🏼
I wanted to thank those crazy people who worked on this song ! You don’t imagine how hard it was to find the perfect mix 🖤 @alioseofficiel ( Alizé Oswald & Xavier Michel) and @jeroen_swinnen !
Special thank to @suisamusicstories for their camps 🖤🖤”
The main difference between the two cuts is the use of instruments. The demo has folkier influences and strikes a less serious tone than the official release.
Swipe right in the Instagram post below to hear the demo.
The making of “Repondez-moi”
For the first time in 10 years, Switzerland was due to send a French entry to the Eurovision Song Contest. “Répondez-moi” was written and composed by Gjon’s Tears along with Xavier Michel, Alizé Oswald and producer Jeroen Swinnen.
The song was written especially for Eurovision as part of a Swiss songwriting camp.
SUISA posted a video on their blog that describes the creative journey behind “Répondez-moi”. The team talks about how the song has evolved and the challenges they faced during the songwriting.
Gjon’s Tears at Eurovision 2021
Gjon was third with the bookmakers to win Eurovision 2020 at the time the contest was cancelled. But it’s not all sad news. On 20 March, Gjon announced on his Instagram that he will be representing Switzerland at the 2021 edition of Eurovision. He wrote:
“SO HAPPY THAT I WILL BE BACK FOR 2021! See you soon! And all of your support and love made this possible! I have no word! Just thank you and see you soon! 💙 (continue taking care of you) Thank you to my delegation who believes in me and give me energy at every step of this crazy experience 💙”
What do you think of the demo version of Répondez-moi? Do you prefer the official release? Let us know in the comment section down below!
I like this one too, it would be a better version to play while partying or cleaning the house or driving, but the final version is the best for the contest for sure.
The demo sounds like it has a Balkan taste
I love this version! But the original one is more powerful.
Lol @ this version being so much worse than the original (which is absolutely amazing) and yet it is somehow better than half of the selected entries by other countries
The original version was so much better. His amazing voice really stands out there. In this version, he kinda “drowns” in this weird-sounded instrumental. But i think he’d still be my number one with this version
I prefer the sober one, as you can hear his amazing voice more clearly, but I like this too 🙂
Yes, me too. The religious undertone is something that is not featured often on Eurovision, I think. Especially not in a way that it works wonderfully. Really well done.