Nemo celebrated in hometown after riding storm

Nemo plans a series of concerts soon. Keystone / Peter Schneider

Five weeks after winning the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC), Nemo celebrated in Biel on Monday evening. Nemo's Swiss hometown had organised the celebration on the packed Burgplatz.

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The crowd welcomed Nemo with frenetic applause shortly after 7pm. “Every morning I walked past this square to school,” said Nemo, visibly moved. “And now you are all here because of me. It could just be a very absurd dream.”

Nemo once attended the Biel music school, which had prepared a medley for the celebration. While Nemo mingled with the audience, children sang lines from the song The Code with which Nemo won the largest international music competition on May 11. It was only the third Swiss victory in the ESC.

Mayor Erich Fehr described Nemo as a “typical child of Biel”. His enormous talent had been evident many years ago. But expectations have been exceeded. Fehr said he had never seen such a parade on the castle square. His speech was interrupted by shouts of “Nemo, Nemo”.

“You have won the hearts of the jury and the audience all over the world,” said Bernese Grand Council President Dominique Bühler. She expressed the hope that the ESC 2025 will be held in the canton of Bern. Bern and Biel are currently considering a joint candidacy. Other Swiss cities have also expressed interest in hosting the major event.

“A whirlwind”

Nemo says he is going through intense times. Since winning the ESC, “the storm has been brewing,” Nemo told media representatives in a moderated discussion before the festival. “Everything happened very quickly. I wanted to go on a little road trip to Cannes and drove off by car.” Then the management got in touch about a promotional event in London.

Nemo felt very comfortable in the British capital. “I could well imagine living in London and Switzerland in the future.” Life since winning the ESC has been intense, but also full of opportunities. Many doors have opened.

Nemo is non-binary, meaning he does not clearly identify as either a man or a woman. The rightwing political party Young SVP recently used his image in a negative context on posters.

It’s probably not so much “about me as a person”, Nemo speculated. “I’m somehow a projection screen. It has affected me and hurt me in some way.” But it’s important not to give it too much energy. Besides, it’s “quite absurd” when people judge someone they don’t even know.

At a meeting on Tuesday with government minister Beat Jans, Nemo wants to advocate for the third gender entry. Jans cannot decide this himself, of course, Nemo admitted. It is also about how the issue could pass a referendum and how the visibility and safety of non-binary and trans people can be improved in general.

Festivals planned

Nemo wants to be musically brave in the future and continue to write. In jeans and a pink T-shirt, the artist also wants to stand up for non-binary people.

Over the course of the summer, Nemo will perform at festivals in Switzerland and abroad. As a further event, the artist will once again collaborate with the Theater Orchester Biel Solothurn to organise an extraordinary concert on August 11 in Biel, combining the worlds of classical and pop music.

Nemo’s reception in Biel attracted enormous media interest. Some 53 journalists from 19 media outlets were accredited for the event, including some from abroad.

Translated from German by DeepL/mga

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