Controversy Surrounding La Zarra’s Eurovision Participation

“Scandalous” selection, cancellation of a performance at the last minute, diva attitude, 16^e place in the final when she was among the three favorites, middle finger to the camera after the announcement of the results… There is no denying it, the participation of Quebecer La Zarra in Eurovision will have raised controversy from start to finish.

• Read also: La Zarra explains his middle finger at Eurovision

• Read also: Sweden wins Eurovision; La Zarra and France rank 16th

Last Saturday, it was Sweden’s Loreen who was crowned the big winner of the 67^e edition of Eurovision. It was only the second time in the competition’s history that an artist had won twice. In the French media, this triumph was almost overshadowed by the disappointing attitude and performance of France’s representative, La Zarra.

While bookmakers predicted her a third place among the 37 participating countries, Fatima-Zahra Hafdi, her real name, could not do better than 16th place. His interpretation of the song Obviously failed to convince the jury or the public.

Visibly disappointed with the turn of events, La Zarra made a gesture to the camera that many interpreted as a “middle finger”.

“What a shame!”

This gesture deeply shocked the last Eurovision winner for France, in 1977, Marie Myriam, who told the Parisian: “what a shame!”. “It was seen by nearly 200 million viewers. I’m extremely disappointed, because that’s just not possible. She made this gesture seated in an armchair with French flags behind her. France does not deserve this!”

Interviewed by various French media after the competition, La Zarra explained that her gesture signified a disappointment in Moroccan culture. [elle a la double nationalité maroco-canadienne] and that he was “absolutely not” a middle finger.

His explanations did not convince Marie Myriam. “It’s going to start a racist controversy that we really don’t need,” she told the Parisian. I know exactly the stress we feel before singing, when we count the points, the tension that rises… But nothing that explains that we slip!

Before the final, Marie Myriam had sent a short message to La Zarra to support her. “I find it glamorous. I really like how she is dressed, her costumes. Her diva side didn’t bother me, it’s part of the character. I supported her on my Facebook page, where I wrote: “What an artist!”. I am all the more disappointed and sad that she had spoken a lot about me and said that when she was little, her mother sang to her The Bird and the Child.»

A Canadian for France

It is therefore in fishtail that the participation of La Zarra in Eurovision ends. His presence in the popular contest will have raised controversy from start to finish. Last January, the fact that France selected a Canadian artist to represent it caused a strong reaction.

On the set of the show TPMP People, the columnist Jean-Michel Maire was even carried away. “It’s scandalous! It’s a competition that no longer has any meaning. You can take a German to represent France who sings in English! We have 15,000 radio-hooks or tele-hooks in France, we are not able to find someone who represents us? Do we have to look in Quebec? They piss us off.”

Last month, a few minutes from taking the stage to participate in a preliminary event of Eurovision, La Zarra had withdrawn, claiming a “personal problem”.

A few days later, French media reported that the singer had complained on social networks about the cleanliness of her hotel room in Amsterdam, where the concert was taking place, and rumors of a diva attitude had started. to circulate.

Winner anyway

In an interview with the channel BFM TV a few minutes after the final, La Zarra was smiling and declared that she had, according to her, “won” the competition thanks to a “rather grandiose” scenography. “I am very, very happy to have participated in Eurovision. I am very happy with everything that happened. With the staging what we did, for me, we leave winning, ”she said.

“Of course we are disappointed, for his part mentioned to BFM TV the head of the French delegation, Alexandra Redde-Amiel. We don’t realize how much work Eurovision is. Everyone is very proud of La Zarra. […] For now, this [16^e] place is quite inexplicable, but perhaps we will understand it.”

Contacted by The newspaperLa Zarra’s team in Quebec, Universal Music Canada, said the singer was unavailable to give new interviews “until further notice.”

La Zarra’s gesture would be a ‘toz’

The “middle finger” that La Zarra gave to the camera on Saturday night at Eurovision would be a “toz”, according to Le Figaro.

“Derived from Arabic, this word, often mistaken for the contraction of “tu” and “oses”, is the onomatopoeia of the noise of the fart, which is the equivalent in French of “prout”. If the toz is rarely used in this sense, it mainly means a formal refusal, a categorical rejection, indifference or exasperation,” explains the newspaper.

“The gesture of the toz is also distinguished from that of the finger of honor, continues Le Figaro. Indeed, the toz is done with the middle finger raised, but with the open hand, while the middle finger is done with the closed hand. However, contrary to what La Zarra defends, the toz can also be used as an insult. Some would not hesitate to use it to say “screw you!” or even worse.”

On her Instagram account, a few hours after the final, La Zarra explained that it was for her a gesture of disappointment “which means” whatever “that could be translated as” so be it “. No more no less.”