France

Divine Sébastien Tellier

When it comes to Eurovision, some countries are a lot more adventurous than others. There are those who churn out the same thing year in, year out; those who masquerade entries which would otherwise be labelled 'hopeless' or 'boring' with professions of concern for maintaining the quality of the music the contest showcases; those who only try something different if someone else proves it can be done first. But there are very few who deliberately choose the path of potentially greatest resistance and opt for songs and performances that either bring something new to the contest or are straight out of left-field (or both). A country that gained a reputation for doing so in the 1990s was France, and the circle has come around again: after reverting to type in the new millennium with a long line of ballads, the last of which was proffered almost apologetically with the caveat that at least it would bring a bit of 'class' to the stage, 2007 saw the country producing one of the year's most diverse and contemporary national finals and, from it, one of the contest's most exceptional entries. One year later, unruffled by the underwhelming response to Les Fatals Picards, the French have once again thought outside the box, and the result is Divine.

It's fair to say that in the lead-up to the revelation of the French entry for Belgrade, with speculation rife as to which alleged well-known star might have been brought on board, next to no one would have thought of Sébastien Tellier. More than just thinking outside of the box, Bruno Berberas and French television seem to have consciously sought out as narrow a niche as they could a) find and b) persuade to align itself with Eurovision, considered by many to be the last great bastion of anaemic pop. In that sense the coup they have pulled off is quite remarkable: though Tellier and his music are felt by some to be the personification of artistic pretention, the fact that a song-writer who is celebrated by others as one of the best on the French music scene is representing his country in the contest at all is an achievement. Especially when the song he is competing with – despite sounding nothing like anything else on offer – still has a tangible pop sensibility running through it that suits the contest perfectly.

Apart from simply being unexpected, Divine also stands out for the fact that its pop credentials are anything but affected. Whereas to some countries it seems as though manufacturing pop is like deciphering the instructions given to you in a foreign language for the DIY kit you thought it was a good idea to buy, Sébastien Tellier is part of a French electronica scene that includes Air and Daft Punk, both of whom he has worked with, and indeed one half of the latter of which produced the album from which Divine is taken. That though is probably the petard by which the song will also be hoist: despite being different in an accessible way, it remains an album track in an idiosyncratic style with unfathomable lyrics, and on the Eurovision stage is likely to be seen as just another novelty act. Consequently its chances of success depend on the artist's willingness to play it as it will be taken. If it is to have any impact on televoters besides leaving them bemused, the performance will need to be shrewdly pitched.

Divine to me is nevertheless the kind of alternative mainstream song Eurovision needs more of, and I would love to see it doing well for France if for no other reason than to reward them for not falling back into their old ways. I wouldn't even complain if success came only because people saw it as an amusing interlude, since there is both thought and quality behind it. But realistically, in a final where potentially a quarter of the field may be trying to outdo one another in the kooky stakes for the audience's votes, its chances are not high. Still, I'm glad of its inclusion – even if that's all it comes across as.