The post-Eurovision period is often difficult for artists. But it’s probably rarely as difficult as it is for La Zarra. The “Evidemment” singer, who was, for a long time, one of the favorites to win the competition, has really been put through the wringer. She continues to arouse intense reactions after the infamous hand gesture she made during the Grand Final. As a result, her concert tickets are now being given away for just three euros…
La Zarra was widely acclaimed by French and international critics alike, and seemed an audacious choice to breathe new life into French participation after a poor result the previous year.
But things quickly turned sour. She was initially the victim of seemingly unjustified comments and rumors from people who, having collaborated with her on the song, said she was difficult to work with.
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Things could have stayed as they were, but events soon suggested that the Canadian-born singer’s participation might prove more eventful than expected, notably when she cancelled two pre-parties in turn — Eurovision in Concert in Amsterdam and the London Eurovision Party.
La Zarra was present in Amsterdam. But just a few hours before taking the stage, the singer’s team cancelled, citing technical problems or personal difficulties the artist was going through.
The French media once again went wild, casting doubt on France’s participation in the contest and suggesting that La Zarra could be out of the running just a few weeks before the final. To make matters worse, the singer’s previous manager went on a not-so-elegant rant about some of the singer’s behavior, describing her as capricious and a “diva”.
This was certainly not the best way for the artist to start the competition, so much so that she ended up replying to her detractors in an Instagram story: “I p*ss in your face and f*ck you with a cucumber“, she wrote. In the end, La Zarra was kept out of the media spotlight until her arrival in Liverpool.
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But now the damage has been done and the honeymoon between artist and public seems to be over. At least in France, because abroad the artist continues to have the support of a large community of fans. While she could have nourished this fan relationship with the public, the singer had other plans. When she was awarded 50 points by the public during Eurovision, she made a vulgar hand gesture to viewers and acted like she didn’t care — a sort-of “toz” moment that said “to heck with it.”
She went on to describe the move as “cultural” and one that people might have misinterpreted. However, the Arabic slang ending can be translated as an onomatopoeia that describes a…farting noise. This interjection can signify total rejection or contempt.
Returning to France was more than complicated for the artist. Her gesture during the final was deciphered and commented on for days on TV and in national newspapers. So much so that her radio station partner France Bleu deemed her attitude incompatible with its commercial image and decided to simply deprogram her songs.
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However, La Zarra was due to embark on a French tour this summer, notably at the Salle Pleyel in Paris, but on the eve of the show, tickets were sold for almost free. Indeed, the artist seems to be struggling to fill the 2,000-seat venue, having sold only two-thirds of her tickets. In recent weeks, ticket prices have been reduced by 30% to between €24 and €26 instead of €39 to €59. But this didn’t seem to be enough to attract the public, and finally, one of the affiliated ticketing sites is now offering tickets for 3.50 euros. This amount corresponds solely to the box office service charge, which means that the tickets are given away free of charge.
But that’s not all. Other dates, notably in Marseille and Lille, have been cancelled and postponed until December 2023, supposedly due to “technical problems”, according to the official version. However, according to the French media Le Parisien, these cancellations were the result of venues not being filled to capacity. Also, although she was due to perform at a number of French festivals this summer, the organizers decided to remove her from the schedule.
The divorce between part of the French public and La Zarra seems to have finally begun. Do you think a reconciliation will ever be possible? Let us know in the comments section.
Her career is OVER. Bye bye! Enjoy your flight to McDonald’s Canada
France 2024: Eric Cantona, yes pls, that man has a voice of gold, Leonard Cohen vibes all over, pure quality of genuine music <3
also a fun one for the memes, from FIFA to his Acting days all the way to ESC
Ahaha! An outrageous and hilarious idea. I wonder what Eric would say if he were asked.
Oranie, le linge sale doit se laver en famille . What a shame wiwibloggs spreading this.
Double standard, bravo!
When Blanca Paloma received her points, she sent the viewers a kiss.What you give people to see says a lot about you…
To be honest I get why they were mad. Flipping off the people who vote for you is not exactly a show of gratitude for those there for you. 50 points from the televote may not be much, but it’s no reason to imply “f you” just because you yourself think you should’ve gotten more. I think her attitude seems very cocky, and I don’t know how much of it is truly her own personality, and not some persona we are seeing that is not the real her. You never know with people these days, especially on social media. In… Read more »
We had literally songs about middle finger and the singers were not hated to much. Of course, all the singers were guys… love the double standard. That the way she expresses her feelings at that moment. I would show also a lot of middle fingers when the votes have been announced. So at least she was true. We all have moments like this in our life.
There are songs about middle fingers – Dark Side and I Don’t Feel Hate – and there are actual middle fingers given when you don’t get your way. La Zarra acted impulsively when she gave her gesture and tried to justify it after the backlash she got, which made it worse. Had she apologised and taken responsibility, this wouldn’t be the result. It doesn’t matter if it’s a cultural thing. It may be acceptable in certain parts of the world where the meaning of this gesture is known, but she also grew up in another culture where she knows full… Read more »
She is in artist and human and we cannot judge her by one gesture. I still stand behind her, listen her music. I could not be offended by her gesture. I am offended by other important things. Just open the news.
Of course you are not offended, as a Spanish eurofan you are and act liker her. Lol
this reminds me of the deeper meaning of the jehovah scene from the movie “life of brian” (1979).
i like honest reactions.
a rare thing in these days.
people should handle with it!
„Ich nehme zwei Tüten Kiesel und eine von den spitzen.“
She’s a brat and good riddance. Her performance was poor too, nothing special at all about her. She won’t be heard of again for good reason.
and blind channel literally sung put your middle fingers up, big deal
IS this a joke? Are you really watching my posts just because I said the f- Word? What kind of sick world IS this? We are 75% gay people here and we spend 89% of our time f…ing. What IS the problem about using the Word?
So she gave the finger? Big deal. We all have done it at some point..
People have done worse things and walked away like nothing happened. But a small gesture ” wow lets get outraged.
I would have done the same gesture with my dick. And since I am gay no one could have said anything or i would have called them homophobes which by today’s standards come second after children murderer.
Eurovision is becoming a contest that destroys rather than builds. Many artists “especially big name artists” would never go to ESC.
I don’t think La Zarra’s gesture was unpleasant. She expressed with a gesture what many of us thought or felt as the voting progressed. I didnt like La Zarra was her disrespect when leaving the green room before the winner was announced. That is bad education.
Unfortunately for people like YOU, the rest of the world don’t like that kind of attitude. No, is not ok insult, show fingers… Maybe in your house people like and accept that kind of class style, but not outside darling
I blame the fans for over hyping her, I’m sorry but the moment I saw her I knew she had an inflated ego, nothing wrong with being confidence but sometimes it’s too much!
So happy I’m not the only one who thought that about her. Her body language exuded arrogance.
Ironic enough, these are the claims people were making about Loreen. I agree the hate is excessive for La Zara, but c’est la vie
I don’t get why anybody thought this song could win Eurovision. By doing that the expectations grew a lot. But at the end it was an old fashioned funk song. So maybe the fans should stop to call every song they like the “winner”.
Spain had the best entry for me this year and it will always remain the actual 2023 winner in my eyes tho.
For you and… You lol. Last in televote.
Yes tatto crap IS really modern.
Do i think it was middle finger and not some “gesture” and she was simply pissed off atm?
Yes.
Do i think this whole backlash is just ridiculous?
Also, yes.
Like ffs. Since when people are that sensitive? It’s really just ridiculous.
I dont understand all the people so butthurt about her hand gesture. ITS A TV SHOW FOR GODS SAKE. La zarra brought in a moment the most entertaining part of a pretty boring and predictable Eurovision
Since I haven’t been following her, I’m unaware of what kind of person she actually is. However, from everything I saw prior to Eurovision and during the big night, La Zarra didn’t look like a kind person to me. I’ve been having this Michael Ben David feeling that she’s acting all diva and everyone should do as she says. Who knows what she really is, though?
I mean sure, but you’re going to someone’s concert to listen to their music live, right? Not to talk to or hang out with them or whatever. Even if she’s immature brat, does it really matter if you’re not her friend anyway?
But likeability as a person, not only as an artist, is what gains points and fans.
I mean it’s nice bonus but concerts are basically live music events.
Well, Mariah Carey is known for being rude and arrogant to all. Yet she still have sold out concerts.
I wouldn’t describe the comments about her being difficult to work with as seemingly unjustified after her giving the middle finger to the viewers
Well she doesn’t have much class, judging by her reactions. She could’ve behave more like an adult. If you decide to put yourself in the spotlight you need to be prepared to give up on certain behaviors even if you really feel the need to act out.
No big deal; we all raise our middle finger at some point. So what if she did. The show is over now, and she has a career ahead of her. We have seen worse at Eurovision. No big deal. This is just coffee shop talk.
Yes honey, it is a big deal because she did that in a show with 150.000.000 viewers. You can try to fo the same in a job interview and let’s see if i t is or not a big deal.
I’ve seen other personalities receiving less criticism for more important things. The media here make a big deal out of it. The mentalities in France are becoming more than disgusting when it comes to Eurovision but not only. That’s one of the several reasons why i want leave my country very soon. To read the criticisms she receives as well as the death threats and insults on her physique that she receives in private, you would almost think that she committed murder or rape but nothing of that. And as a bonus: it’s the same people (except eurofans) who insult… Read more »
She deserves all of that, she was unprofessional and a pain in the ass for the French delegation.
She didn’t appreciate the big chance France gave to her.
Well, a lot of ggod entries got less televotepoints than they deserved. The staging had a stronger impact. Bad staging destroyed the whole package. Austria: That Kind of staging as first entry. Sorry for Teya and Salena and their great song. Same for France and La Zarra. Too far from public, too elevated and far from connection. The middlefinger should have been for those who had designed staging. Similar for Armenia. While dancebreak boosted Israel, it destroyed Armenia’s magic. Pity for Germany. Costumes Just ridiculous for that Power Performance . Really sorry for Theodor Andrei. Victim of Romanian Broadcaster.
Really good point Chupacabra, because if we look at the deep rankings France seemed to get many in the zone 11-15. She should have been on the left side.
Wiwibloggs doing the same as the french media, spreading lies, and trying to discredit La Zarra, great so don’t complain about them after, you’re the same. Shame on u.
And the bunch of snowflakes in this comment section, go in hell you’re ridiculous.
In the great scheme of things it was hardly the worst gesture in any vocabulary. I still love her music and Évidemment but I think the issue was with the staging which didn’t have much impact and frankly her singing was not her best.
What do you expect? She gave the fans, the viewers the middle finger. She disrespected a lot. Yet expects the same pay up big bucks for concerts? Doesn’t work like that, not in today’s world.
I think this article IS really unnecesary. Basically because if we do not live in France we cannot verify the information and IF It is true what is the point? Are you really telling me that her concerts are not going well just because she made that gesture? I mean come on, the final result was very disappointing for her and for the French I Guess so why add more crap?
I can confirm the ticket prices were not discounted on all major platforms (Ticketmaster and Seetickets).
I also find it unnecessary, let FR media spread hate, ESC fan sites should be supportive of the artist.
I know, Wiwibloggs is just reporting, not hating but let’s report on positive facts too… La Zarra’s song is close to 20M streams (one of the biggest ESC songs this year), she’s performing at the jazz festival in Geneva, Switzerland next month (her performance is not cancelled) and she is recording new music.
Also, La Zarra entered the Canadian Digital Songs chart at 25 which is the highest charting position for a ESC song (excluding SNAP and Arcade for obvious reasons).
What exactly are they reporting? They are basically saying that the world IS punishing La Zarra because she did that gesture… Come on are we 12? We all so worse things that this any given Saturday night.
Wiwi what?
A journalist MUST SHARE INFORMATION, even if it is uncomfortable for some histeric fans
A woman who doesn’t know how to act and behave in public even though she is working in arts and for the public…!
Not to defend her rudeness at the finals, but I find it maddening how the French media ridicule the contest and mock the competing artists yet will turn around and accuse La Zarra of representing France badly on an European scale. France did not need La Zarra to humiliate us, the French media already does that very well.
This happens to every artist with a disappointing result. That’s why big names shy away from the contest. That being said, I am not condoning her behaviour, which was visibly poor for all the world to see. If her reaction to the televoting result had been more humble, she wouldn’t have received so much public outrage and bad press, because her actual performance was good and well received in the arena and online. On the other hand, there is a lot of misogyny and double standard at play, too. Käärijä has displayed a lot of arrogance post-show, but fans and… Read more »
I don’t think there is misogyny here. La Zarra had a bad behaviour in front of 160M viewers so of course people react. For Käärijä I haven’t seen anything bad about him but if it happened then it happened off camera. Normal that he doesn’t receive any backlash. And for Loreen, I don’t think it’s misogyny but more jealousy. A lot of people don’t want to accept that she won and it is the only way they found to fight…
Lol. Why are people getting upset with this gesture. She actually did show some personality during the whole week, actually engaged with other contestants and did present herself in a fun way. Unlike another artist that was obviously under some “influence” and nobody is talking about that.
So let’s talk about it. Which artist was, as you say, obviously under some “influence”. I was too tipsy that night to notice. Who?
Re-watch it sober and I am sure you will notice it too 😉
That’s going to catch shetton of downvotes. I’m not hating on your fave. I’m sharing my personal feelings about them. Probably not what’s he’s talking about but whenever Loreen (?) speaks, i just don’t believe a single word she says. Just sounds as if she put on “fake” personality. I just have this feeling like if i knew her personally, she would be completely different person. It’s really not post about her winning or not, i’m over it tbh. Just whenever i see people saying how natural and sincire she is i’m wondering if we’re hearing the same person. Could… Read more »
And you are saying Loreen is fake based on what?
Those who have met her all say she is positive, charismatic and interested in others. Yes she is introvert and that might sometimes come off as being difficult. Most would say she is a bit aloof, strange but no one ever says fake.
If you want to turn this to Loreen discussion, let’s have it. Apart from blinded fans, people who were backstage Eurovision, said the opppsite. She was acting completely fake, was acting nice only if camera were around. When no cameras she was acting as she is better than anyone else, a real diva in worst meaning of that word.
The only one I heard said that was Monika from Lithuania. Alessandra from Norway loved her. Kärrija also. They all met her outside cameras.
Also journalists love Loreen because she really is easy to work with.
She really is what you see. I have not heard many people say she is fake. If she was some sort of diva it would have been known years ago..
I mean, these are people with thousands of fans and media… If she was putting on fake personality, it’s for them to begin with
Don’t twist my words please. I’m talking about my feelings, not “fact”. Her mannerisms and the whole “ethereal” attiude doesn’t sound real for person who fought they’re way into stardom. I have hard feeling believing someone so carefree and spiritual would work their ass off to be pop star. Loreen i hear in interviews sounds like she’s just flowing with the wind, all with the universe and things like that. Just feels like it’s her main thing. But if she was all that, why would she work so much for commercial success? Like, it doesn’t really add up.
You have your feelings, I have actual facts from people who met her. And I go for facts over feeling..
You can still be humble even if you are working hard. Look at Ed Sheeran. Is there a rule saying you must have attitude to work hard? Believe it or not, some stars are humble despite going through stuff to get famous. Loreen has always been mellow and humble, even when record labels wanted to make her into something she is not.
From media… Becuase if you’re putting on fake stage personality, you will speak with media without it. Also i didn’t say “humble”, but seems like you like to put words in my mouth (again), so I’ll stop talking to you.
And also from people who actually met her and said she is nice
But if you want to believe she is fake and arrogant then that is your right. Just dont present it as facts
The Song was one of fun’s favourite but it should be given to other artist. France have a lot of talented singers, they didnt have to go for La Zarra. Personally i think her attitude, diva style behaviour, gestures, lack of respect to other artists, fans and the contest itself unacceptable. Awful person and now people who worked with her admit it. I guess viewers felt it during the show and that is why they didnt vote. Sorry la zarra but you are not Celine Dion, neither Christina Aguilera. 3,50 EUR is a fair price for her concert.
I met her in Liverpool and she was quite stand offish tbh. Her attitude wasn’t good.
Good song sour loser and that finger well we now see the results
I actually don’t mind her with these comments and stuff. I thought the gesture was ballsy and so I gave her a pass, just like I do with Hatari and the Palestinian flag waving in 2019 – she was trying to be herself and be courageous and not be fake. I feel for her: her song should have gotten too 10. Hopefully she can make more music people can enjoy and they we forget about this. 50 points really isn’t that bad compared to what half the scoreboard got!
If it was only for the finger, I wouldn’t really care about it, but since it seems to follow a pattern … well, I guess she’ll have to learn manners the hard way.
Reminds me of Aly Ryan. La Zarra should ask herself whether she really wants to follow those footprints.
The French public being snowflakes. Yawn.
I, on the other hand, loved her song, her sass, and her hand gesture. I am a big fan of La Zarra. You go girl!
French media don’t give a damn about ESC but when it comes to controversy, they’re all over it. They never paid attention to La Zarra before ESC.
Le problème vient de la sélection. Après la défaite, les langues se sont déliées. La Zarra a été un gros coup de coeur de la cheffe de la délégation Alexandra Redde-Amiel qui s’est entêtée à l’imposer malgré le fait que La Zarra était connue pour avoir un comportement difficile. Quel dommage.
What’s “Toz” and “to heck with it”?
She also left the green room before the final results. Not very elegant or professional. Next!
She needed to use the bathroom. She sang and danced along with lots of songs. She was totally fine. People are being prudes.
How do you know she wasn’t standing on solidarity with Kaarija?
As other contestants did, can you imagine staying in the green room for 5 hours? There’s one point where you want to go to the restroom or back to your room. It’s totally normal.
La Zarra was friendly to everyone.
The selection of La Zarra had everything going for it : a francophone raising star with an identified musical and artistic direction, praised by a lot of local and international fans. But then it all comes down to one thing, and that is the SONG. This year, La Zarra was purely selected on her name and not on a song and her capacity to sell this composition to the audience. We now know that ‘Évidemment’ has been written afterward, and that no matter what, she was meant to represent France at Eurovision at some point, firstly declining the offer for Turin… Read more »
I actually really liked her song.
I have not seen anywhere selling tickets for 3 euros. I went to ticketmaster and it was almost sold out.
La Zarra will perform in the Swiss jazz festival (with Ava Max) but i guess she had to take a break from the FR festivals due to thr negative press
Dear Alex,
Unfortunately, we can’t show you the screenshots here, but, we can assure you that tickets for the Salle Pleyel show are available for 3EUR via ticket seller Weclap. This information is also verifiable on the reference site ChartsinFrance.
Sincerely.
Ain’t Weclap a service that casually gives away “invitations” though? A glimpse on their site and you can clearly see an invitation section with events that cost the exact same price…
Dear Yompa,
Weclap offers preferential prices for its members, but these always exceed the cost of the service fee.
exactly!
Thanks Oranie for your response.
All the ticket websites (ticketmaster, seetickets, fnac) had normal prices (not discounted) and they are the most popular platforms.
As another member said, Weclap is more for invitations.
La Zarra’s show was successful last night and it was not cancelled. If ticket sales were low, they would have cancelled it or postponed it as they did with other shows.