Eurovision: "I dream of winning", announces Tom Leeb

Not even afraid! Saturday afternoon, after having repeated his first performance all night, Tom Leeb is serene and impatient. The singer is eager to discover the reactions of the French who will have heard "The Best in me", the title unveiled Sunday evening on France 2 and with which he will represent France during the 65th edition of the European song contest, May 16 , in Rotterdam.

Presenting his title on the first floor of the Eiffel Tower is grandiloquent, but the young man of 30 is not megalomaniac. His song? This crazy guitarist, who worships John Mayer and Eric Clapton, did not compose it himself. “France 2 approached me with this title. I had chills when I listened to it. I would have loved to write it. I tried to put my voice on it and France 2 liked it. I said yes right away, ”he says. At the end of January, he recorded the song in the studio after adapting the verses in French with Amir, candidate for Eurovision in 2016. "The first thing Amir told me was: you will live the experience of your life, "he recalls.

Discover the title of @TomLeebOfficial for # Eurovision: "The best in me" pic.twitter.com/JwzohferaU

From here in Rotterdam, Tom Leeb has only one obsession: to work to offer the best performance and to keep the high notes of the end of the song. “I dream of winning, that's for sure. For that, the only recipe is to transmit to the public what I feel while singing, ”he adds.

"To win, there are no more rules"

His modeling physique should wreak havoc among Eurovision fans. Tom Leeb stammers. "If I am found attractive, so much the better!" But I have nothing to do with it. My goal will be to make them forget and, that in less than 30 seconds, they tell themselves that the song is falling apart, ”he launches, laughing.

Winning Eurovision, France has dreamed of it since the coronation of Marie Myriam in 1977. For Tom Leeb, who follows the competition, the victory of the Portuguese Salvador Sobral in 2017 with a refrain changed the game. “We thought that only the great lyric flights or the songs that make you dance won. However, Sobral won with his guts and his heart. There are no more rules. "

Music, Tom Leeb has had it in his gut since childhood. “I started playing the guitar a bit by accident: a friend asked me to keep his and I couldn't help but try. I loved. However, it is by interpreting roles that he discovers the scene. First thanks to his father, the humorist Michel Leeb, who made him debut at his side, at the theater, in "Madame Doubtfire".

He does not intend to let go of the acting profession

At the age of 18, Tom moved to New York to take acting classes for 5 years. Upon his return, the handsome kid goes on series and films. We see it in “Sous le soleil de Saint-Tropez” on TMC and recently in the film adaptation of the play “Edmond” by Alexis Michalik. With his friend Kevin Levy, he creates the duo Kev and Tom, which occurs on YouTube and on the boards.

He never lets go of his guitar. “I have always made music. I needed to grow up to have things to tell, "he adds, confiding that he refused to participate in the Eurovision selections last year. "I did not feel ready", justifies the singer who hopes to reconcile his two careers. “I love the acting profession more than anything. I want to do both without having to choose. "

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This son of artists was brought up in high standards. “My father gave me his name and especially his passion for the profession. He worked so hard to get there. He raised us by saying that to be successful we should not stay slumped on the sofa, but go get the public. And too bad if there are only 8 people in the room at the start, ”he concludes. His "very close-knit" family, and even more so since his sister Fanny's cancer, now "out of business", will be present in Rotterdam almost incognito. "Outside of France," he laughs, "no one knows them. "