France 2 has revealed the line up of the Expert Panel for Destination Eurovision, the nations selection process for Tel Aviv.
André Manoukian and Vitaa have joined the Expert Panel for Destination Eurovision. France Televisions has revealed the three members of the Expert Panel that will help to guide viewers through the 2019 edition of the competition.
André Manoukian is a jazz singer and former judge on La Nouvelle Star (French Idol) between 2003 and 2016. He is no stranger to Eurovision, having commentated on the semi-finals in 2018. While Vitaa is the most played French female artist on the radio in 2018. Vitta also participated in Destination Eurovision last year as a songwriter behind Louka’s entry.
Christophe Willem returns to the show for a second year running and is the only of last years judges to continue in the role. Last year Amir and Isabelle Boulay rounded out the three person panel and helped select the French entrant for Lisbon.
Destination Eurovision, the show that will choose France’s next Eurovision entrant, will have some slight format changes in 2019. The main changes are as follows:
- All three shows will be broadcast live
- The expert panel will no longer have a say in the results of the contest
- Garou will host the contest for a second year
Destination Eurovision was used for the first time in 2018, which featured two pre-recorded semi-finals and the live grand final. This was the first time since 2014 that France opted to hold a national final. The winner was chosen by 50% public televoting and 50% international jury. France was represented by Madame Monsieur this year in Lisbon, who placed 13th in the grand final with their song “Mercy”.
Source: France 2
France was one of seven countries to participate in the first Eurovision Song Contest in 1956. Since then they have participated in every contest aside from 1974 and 1982. Their withdrawal in 1974 was caused by the death of President Georges Pompidou, while 1982’s withdrawal was a result of TF1 declining to enter the contest. France has won the contest on five occasions, the most recent being in 1977 when Marie Myriam performed “L’oiseau et l’enfant”. France’s best result of the 2000s came in 2001 when Natasha St-Pier finished 4th in Copenhagen, Denmark.
