She confides to us this Sunday morning on the phone that she went to bed a little late last night because she of course watched Eurovision. At 66, Marie Myriam is the last French singer to have won the competition, in 1977, with her hit "L'Oiseau et l'enfant" in 1977, which sold more than 4 million copies. She talks about the performance of La Zarra, the Quebecer who represented the France and her inappropriate gesture that shocked her.
Do you ever not watch Eurovision since 1977?
MARIE MYRIAM. I missed a lot in the 1980s because I was doing a thousand things, but yesterday I was in front of my TV. It was a magnificent show, an incredible musical celebration, even if I regret that there is no longer an orchestra as in my time. There was a special atmosphere, charged with emotion, because the show should not have taken place in Liverpool, but in Ukraine which won last year. This country is at war and there was recollection, we were all in unison behind the Ukrainians and it was very strong. So this gesture of La Zarra at the end of the evening because she did not win, it is really shocking.
You talk about that middle finger. According to her, it was not one, but a gesture of disappointment.
Watch the video, it's a middle finger! And it was seen by nearly 200,000 million viewers. What a shame! I am extremely disappointed because this is just not possible. She made this gesture sitting in an armchair with French flags behind her. The France doesn't deserve this! She justifies herself by saying that this gesture expresses a disappointment in Moroccan culture, but it will launch a racist controversy that we really do not need... I know exactly how much stress you feel before singing, when you count the points, the tension that rises... But nothing explains why we slip!
VIDEO. Eurovision: middle finger or "toz"? The Zarra, 16th in the contest, explains his decried gesture
Is the Zarra a bad loser?
Obviously. There are 26 candidates and only one winner. Perhaps it should have been explained to her that she was not sure she would come first. This is the principle of a competition. If you don't want to lose, you don't participate! Expressing her dissatisfaction, her disappointment, with this vulgar gesture, she put gray on her image, she who was all sunny with this red, this black, her beautiful hat.
Could this slippage have existed in the 1970s when you participated?
I don't think so. There is of course a drift with social networks, but you have to live with the times. And above all, La Zarra's gesture remains exceptional. He should not hide the fact that all the other candidates have behaved very well. Eurovision is a contest and she was the only one to react like that. Look at the Finns who came No. 2, they kept smiling!
Apart from this inappropriate gesture, what did you think of his complicated journey?
I find it glamorous. I really like how she is dressed, her costumes. His diva side didn't bother me, he'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 because she had talked a lot about me and said that when she was little, her mother sang to her "the Bird and the Child". I had sent her a little message to support her
She could have won?
I would have liked it, because France have been waiting for this trophy for 46 years. But Sweden's Loreen was fantastic, as were Norway, Belgium or Italy. I admit, however, that I did not understand Finland's score (laughs).