REPORT: France will select 2018 artist via three-show national selection in January

Earlier today, French newspaper Ouest-France has revealed how France will select their representative for the forthcoming 2018 Eurovision Song Contest. Indeed, France 2 will hold a three-show national selection to determine their representative for Lisbon. These shows will reportedly take place in January, with the winner ultimately decided by a mix of international jury voting and national televoting.

Fifteen artists to take part in two semi-finals?

Since June, interested artists have been invited to submit applications to the French broadcaster for a prospective selection show. Now, it is reported that these applications will be whittled down to fifteen. These 15 artists will then take part in two semi-finals, in which a professional jury will evaluate their prospects. France 2 have reportedly yet to make any decisions as to who will be amongst the jury.

An international jury and the French public to determine the winner

The third and final show will then consist of the grand final in which their Eurovision representative will be chosen. Ouest-France reports that the winner will be determined by both the French public and jurors from across Europe. All three shows are scheduled to take place in January. French-Canadian singer Garou is said to be within touching distance of signing with France 2 to host the competition. Presumably, a song will then be composed especially for the winner over the following weeks.

National selections have a poor track record in recent times for France

France hasn’t used a national selection to choose their Eurovision entry since Twin Twin in 2014. Unfortunately, Moustache finished last in the grand final scoring two points. In the past two years, France’s fortunes have turned around significantly. The internally selected Amir and Alma finished in 6th place and 12th place in 2016 and 2017 respectively. In particular, Amir has gone on to become a major star in France following his Eurovision success.

Do you think this selection process would be a wise choice for France? Perhaps you think they should stick to their method of selecting already-released tracks as was the case with J’ai cherché and Requiem? Let us know in the comments below.