Switzerland's Zoë Më on the staging: "I've been told it's never been done"

We conclude our Eurovision 2025 interview season with this year's host country representative, Zoë Më, who's not only from Switzerland but was actually born in Basel, the host city.

It's obviously a full-circle moment for the 24-year-old Swiss singer. Besides getting to represent her country on home soil, she'll also take a French song to the show, one of Switzerland's official languages.

Needless to say, this experience is, and will be, beyond special for Zoë:

– It is such a big honor. Not only do I get to represent my country in my homeland, but I was also born in Basel where the show is going to take place. It's so special, she states.

She's overly excited and hopes that the Swiss crowd will echo "Voyage" while she performs it during the Grand Final. Besides all of this, she's just happy to be sharing cultures within the contest:

– That's something I love about Eurovision. I love, for example, when countries sing in their own languages because it makes me feel like I am getting to know more of their culture. So I am also happy that I am bringing a French song to represent Switzerland.

Voyage 1: Spreading Kindness

This give-and-take motto goes beyond the language of the song, that's actually part of Zoë Më's whole goal with participating in Eurovision and the meaning of her contagious "Voyage," a song where she invites the listener on a journey of love:

– When I was asked to write a song for Eurovision, I immediately thought "if I get three minutes on this big stage, what would I want to tell the Eurovision community? Or the world in general?" she explains.

– With all of the negativity that is going around the world, I think we need to come together as people again, support each other, and be kind to one another, and "Voyage" is that. It's a song about spreading kindness.

If we treat each other well, we can all become the most beautiful flowers.Zoë Më

The flowers you see in the music video are part of that idea, besides being part of the lyrics as well:

– In the pre-chorus, I say that flowers are more beautiful if we water them instead of cutting them because I think we are just like flowers. If we treat each other well, we can all become the most beautiful flowers, she continues.

– This is my way of seeing the world, I want to be kind. And the song itself is titled "Voyage," which means journey because I want to invite the listener to see the world as I do.

Is that your goal?

– Indeed, spreading kindness with my song, she promptly says.

– Since its release, I've gotten so many stories from people around the world who told me that "Voyage" reassured they were on the right path when it comes to spreading kindness, despite the bad things that happened to them. Reading these messages is the reason why I wanted to do Eurovision.

To perform in Eurovision is actually something quite new for Zoë, who was only fully introduced to the song contest by Gjon's Tears (Switzerland 2020, 2021), a good friend of hers:

– It became a goal to do Eurovision after he did it, and I got to discover all of its essence through him, she says.

– I fell in love. It's such a cool place and people are so nice, and at the end of the day it's a big party where different countries come together and are accepted the way they are. But, I mean, you can't just want to do Eurovision, it's not like you sign up and get called, she laughs.

Voyage 2: Eurovision 2025

How did it happen for you?

– We have an internal selection which is a very secretive process. For instance, even ourselves, the artists, are unaware of a lot of things, she says.

– There are roughly 400 songs and the different juries listen to those without even knowing who sings what. It's really just the song.

That's quite fair!

– It is because they truly want the best song to win... Or the best voice... Or the combination of both, I guess? she laughs.

It will have references to the music video, but not in an obvious way.Zoë Më

In the end "Voyage" won, and it will be just today, 8 May, that Zoë Më will get to do her first rehearsal on the Eurovision stage. During our conversation she couldn't share much about what we will see, but she did give us a little teaser:

– I can tell you it's something I am really proud of, and it's a performance that I will be able to look back 20 years from now and still like what I did, she says.

– It will have references to the music video, but not in an obvious way. So if you want a hint, take a look and think on how we could make it. It will overall be very faithful to who I am as a person and an artist.

She goes on to share that she's been told it's never been done in Eurovision before, but also admits she's unsure of that:

– I've been told it's never been done before, but there are so many years and it would be hard to see literally everything. At the same time, I seem to always be reading this sort of stuff, she laughs.

We can confirm there are always a few of those each year. As for some company on stage she avoids answering, but confirms that if it happens it won't be with musicians:

– That was something people wondered, if we'd have an orchestra, but that's not possible in Eurovision. If "Voyage" was performed back when we had one, it'd be ideal for it. I am sad but it's okay. We'll adapt, she happily says.

Voyage 3: Ambitions

Whether what we see on the Eurovision stage has been or hasn't been done before, Zoë still hopes that in future years artists look back at her performance and ask their respective creative directors to take inspiration from it.

As we conclude our conversation we speak about the past. She was only 10 when she wrote her first song, and since then she's never stopped. Either way, it was only when she was 18 that Zoë decided she wanted to pursue music full time:

– I still did other stuff. I was studying to be a teacher and, while I finished it, I still had my mind focused on music.

As for now she's able to make music a full-time job, and is happy that this "reserved world" has given her a chance.

To conclude, we reflect on the emotions she felt when Nemo was announced the winner last year in Malmö:

– I was in my bed with my computer on my tummy, and while I was sure they were going to win I still was shocked when they were announced as the winner. I was so excited!

Who knows if she'll hit a homerun? Zoë Më will perform in Eurovision's Grand Final on 17 May in "her own" Basel. She'll perform "Voyage" in the 19th spot.