Europe’s first Eurovision winner, Lys Assia, has angrily reacted after she failed to make it pass the internet voting round at the Swiss national selection for the 2013 Eurovision Song Contest. Assia, who refused to be interviewed by the Swiss broadcaster, said in a statement, “I am disappointed and shocked, and really cannot believe it. I am thinking I should represent another country”. It comes only a year after another failed bid to represent Switzerland. Discussing the issue with her fans, Lys wrote on her Facebook page, “I hear a song called “Do the monkey” could represent my country”.
Composer Ralph Siegel criticised the Swiss selection process and put Lys’ failure to make it past the internet voting to a generational gap. “I’ve said from the off that this obscure online selection, that no-one apart from a few young fan clubs (but definitely not older people) understand, gave Lys no chance of making the final”. He has suggested for the Swiss broadcaster to give the Eurovision veteran a wildcard.
Lys Asia represented Switzerland at the very first 1956 edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. She hoped to do it all over again in 2013 with the song “All in your head” with hip hop band New Jack.
