Meet the unusual singer of 'The Code' - Eurovision winner Nemo Mettler
A remarkable tune is scoring a lot of listens on Spotify these days... It's 'The Code,' the song of this year's winner of the Eurovision Song Contest. The song has been streamed 17.6 million times.
With the song 'The Code', Nemo Mettler positioned themselves as a clear favorite from the beginning of the Eurovision Song Contest. Who is this remarkable artist from Switzerland?
Nemo is a 24-year-old creative person who came to Eurovision with a clear intention of breaking prejudices regarding gender identity. Hence the stage costume was pink with a short skirt.
Image: Alma Bengtsson / EBU
It was a controversial edition of the Song Contest due to the protests against the participation of Israel. In addition, it was a remarkable year because two non-binary artists performed. The other was Bambie Thug from Ireland (image).
Nemo Mettler has become the first non-binary person to win Eurovision. They proudly waved the non-binary flag in the Green Room of the festival.
Nemo is originally from Biel, Switzerland, and was born on August 3, 1999. The non-binary artist has been named one of the greatest promising talents in the country.
Photo: nemothings / Instagram
They rose to fame as a music prodigy after their appearance on the Virus Bounce Cypher in 2016. Since then, their career has been on the rise until they were chosen as Switzerland's representative at Eurovision.
With more than 8 years of musical experience, the young Swiss plays the drums, piano, and violin in addition to having demonstrated a knack for rap, a strong voice, and the capacity for improvisation.
Photo: nemothings / Instagram
Although they've not been widely known outside their country, Nemo has won up to five Swiss Awards. That's the highest music award given in the country.
'The Code', the song with which they conquered Eurovision, is a mix of lyrical, rap, and pop. It demonstrated Nemo's strong vocal abilities while balancing a rotating disk on stage.
The song provides an important message of improvement, inclusion, and understanding. "I broke the Code," Nemo sings, to explain that they found a way to be happy "somewhere between the Os and ones" - in other words, by identifying as non-binary rather than male or female.
Their entry joined the debate on mental health and gender identity, topics that dominated this latest edition of the contest. Other contestants also showed their vulnerability by singing about mental health. In addition, they bravely spoke out about interpersonal tensions behind the screen of the Song Contest.
Image: Sarah Louise Bennett / EBU
Nemo's winning song addresses mental health issues directly. The chorus famously goes: "I went to hell and back, to find myself on track," while emphasizing that "this story is my truth."
Image: Corinne Cumming / EBU
Generally, also outside of Eurovision, Nemo Mettler's music has been characterized by personal messages about gender acceptance and the fight of new generations not to be pigeonholed.
This places Nemo as a faithful representative of a minority within the LGTBQ+ community, such as non-binary people.
After having been received in their home country as a true star, Nemo confesses that they now need to take a little break. "I'm going to lie down and try to calm down a little bit," they said upon arrival.
With this new triumph, the 24-year-old gave Switzerland the third victory in the Eurovision contest since it began in 1956. According to tradition, Switzerland will be the host for the next edition. It has not yet been announced in which Swiss city the contest will be held.
Image: Sarah Louise Bennett / EBU
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