Eurovision Song Contest winner looks forward to some rest

Now Nemo will take a few days to get their head round the whole thing - and above all a lot of sleep. KEYSTONE/WALTER BIERI

Visibly exhausted but overjoyed, Nemo arrived in Zurich on Sunday evening. It all doesn't feel real yet, said the 24-year-old music talent late in the evening at his first media event. Nemo was happy that there would be no appointments on Monday.

“I’m going to go into the garden at my parents’ house, lie down and try to calm down a bit.” According to Nemo, they now need a few days to get their head round the whole thing – and above all a lot of sleep.

“Completely crazy”

“Suddenly becoming a thing that is bigger than me is bizarre.” The past few weeks have been the most eventful time in Nemo’s life so far. Just the fact that everyone on the plane was drinking champagne to celebrate the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) victory was “completely crazy”.

+ Nemo and the fight for non-binary people

At 23:00, Nemo entered the arrivals hall at Zurich Airport, greeted frenetically by about a hundred fans. Many of them were carrying banners and flags in the non-binary colours of yellow, white, purple, and black.

Nemo had clung to one of these flags during the nerve-wracking scoring on Saturday evening. The fan march thus became a demonstration in favour of the rights of non-binary people. The reception was “mega”, says Nemo. “It showed me how nice it is to be part of a community.” It is important that non-binary people have a voice and are heard.

+ Switzerland at Eurovision: colourful hits and misses

Nemo came out as non-binary last November. The talented musician from Biel therefore feels neither male nor female. According to Nemo, an important goal of the community is that a third gender should finally be able to be registered in Switzerland. On Sunday, Justice Minister Beat Jans (SP) had already offered to hold talks about this.

Venue should be finalised in September

One of the first people to shake Nemo’s hand in Zurich was the Mayor of Biel/Bienne, Erich Fehr (SP). “Nemo is sensational. Nemo is Biel,” he said. For him, Biel must play a role in next year’s ESC organisation. “We are now looking for a city as a partner.” The location of the ESC is expected to be announced in September.

Adapted from German by DeepL/dkk/mga

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