Who is Nemo? The Swiss rapper and multi-instrumentalist, 24, who became Eurovision’s first non-binary winner is a former Masked Singer contestant with eight years of chart history
The Swiss act Nemo won the Eurovision Song Contest in Malmö, Sweden Saturday evening.
During the show, which was considered the most politically charged in history, Nemo became the first non-binary winner of the competition, after scoring 365 points with the judges and 226 with the public, for a total of 591 with their song The Code.
Nemo announced that they are non-binary in November and revealed that The Code is a nod to their identity, while also expressing their pride in representing everyone who is non-binary, gender fluid and transgender.
Their performance at the Eurovision Song Contest comes after eight years in the spotlight and a performance on Switzerland’s Masked Singer in 2021.
So who is the winner of the show?
Swiss act Nemo emerged victorious at the Eurovision Song Contest in Malmö, Sweden on Saturday evening – but who is the non-binary singer?
Their performance at the Eurovision Song Contest comes after eight years in the spotlight and an appearance on Switzerland’s Masked Singer in 2021
Nemo said the song is about realizing their own non-binary identity and that they hope they can stand up for “the entire LGBTQIA+ community” by entering the contest.
Nemo Mettler is a Swiss rapper and multi-instrumentalist, who uses the mononym Nemo. He is skilled in violin, piano and drums.
They were born in Biel/Bienne, a bilingual city in the canton of Bern. The city has two official languages: French and German.
He has been active in the charts since 2015, with their 2017 single Du reaching number four in the Swiss charts.
In November 2023, Nemo announced in an article for SonntagsZeitung that they identify as non-binary, expressing their preference to be referred to by their name or by neutral pronouns they/them.
They later revealed the entry song The Code reflects their identity as non-binary. In a press release about their Eurovision song, Nemo states: ‘The Code’ is about the journey I started with the realization that I am neither man nor woman…
‘Finding myself has been a long and often difficult process for me. But nothing feels better than the freedom I have gained from realizing I am non-binary.”
The star also took part in The Masked Singer Switzerland – after which they were exposed as a panda. They appeared in the second season in 2021-2022. Ultimately, after being unmasked, they finished in fifth place.
‘Finding myself has been a long and often difficult process for me. But nothing feels better than the freedom I have gained from realizing I am non-binary.”
Their Eurovision entry The Code was praised, with a mix of rap, opera, pop and drum and bass creating a winning combination.
The winning song The Code was written by Nemo and co-written by Benjamin Alasu, Lasse Midtsian Nymann and Linda Dale.
The song has been compared to the James Bond anthem and the Habanera aria from Georges Bizet’s 1985 opera Carmen.
About the song, he said in a pre-show interview: “People say The Code reminds them of James Bond, or that Freddie Mercury comes back and decides to do K-Pop, which I love…
‘There are so many influences in the song. I went to youth opera when I was nine in my hometown, and I think that shaped a lot of my work as a musician, hearing those very classical melodies…
“It’s definitely a performance piece; it’s made for the stage, to keep you on your toes. It’s definitely a challenge, but it’s also a lot of fun to sing live because I can do a lot of things in a short time. It’s just fun to show different sides…
“I love performing because it reminds me of singing when I was at the opera.”
They explained that the song is an extension of “who they are.”
About the song, he said in a pre-show interview: “People say The Code reminds them of James Bond, or that Freddie Mercury came back and decided to do K-Pop, which I love”
They said, ‘It feels like me and the song are the same, we are one. It’s great to be able to perform something that you really feel like you are, it makes this experience so much more authentic for me.’
After the show, Nemo spoke about their pride in representing the non-binary, gender fluid and transgender with history winning.
They said: ‘I feel incredibly proud, not just for me, but for our entire community, for everyone who is non-binary, gender fluid, transgender, just people who dare to be themselves and people who need to be heard. and be understood…
‘We need more compassion, we need more empathy, we need to listen to each other, we need to try to understand each other instead of talking about each other, we need to talk to each other and I think that is very important and I hope that tonight can be a way to commemorate that.’
On how they became the Swiss entry for the Eurovision Song Contest, Nemo admitted that they never saw this in their career plan.
They said: ‘It’s funny because I never actually expected to get into the Eurovision Song Contest, but I was invited to this songwriting camp years ago and I never had the chance to make it because there was always something different about it the hand was…
‘But then I was able to go for the first time, in 2023. I thought they were inviting me to be a songwriter, but I was paired with Teya (of 2023’s Austrian Teya & Selena), and I was like… wait. Who are we writing for?’
On how they became Switzerland’s entry for the Eurovision Song Contest, Nemo admitted they never saw this in their career plan