As our team continues to grow, it means there are more of us that you can get to know! Therefore, we will continue to bring back our “Meet the ESCXTRA team” feature each time we have someone new for you to meet. What is our personal Eurovision story? Why did we want to be a part of this website? What are our favourite Eurovision songs of all-time? How can you get in touch with us on social media? Read on to find out!
VINCENT MAZOYER
Salut tout le monde! I am Vincent Mazoyer, the first and so far only French member of the ESCXTRA team! I’ll turn 19 next January, and I’m currently studying in Classes Prépa: basically, I’m a student preparing for the entrance exams of business schools, but studying in a high-school. [UPDATE: I’ve seated the competitive entrance exams and I’m now a student of the ESSEC Business School]. I spend my free time playing the piano, watching TV series and listening to many things, from music to audiobooks and radio podcasts.
Your first Eurovision memory?
It’s quite hard to tell. I think I watched some contests during the 2000’s, especially 2009. Yet, the earliest thing I can really remember about Eurovision is a TV report about Amaury Vassily on the news. It was a few days before the finale in 2011. After that, I think I watched the finale, but I can’t remember anything from it, except the famous “12 points go to…”.
Your Eurovision journey?
From 2011 to 2015, I didn’t dislike Eurovision, but I wasn’t a fan yet. I watched the finale in 2012 and 2013, but not in 2014 – although I ran downstairs to watch when after my mother had shouted: I thought we were winning, but in fact we’d just got our second (and last) point of the night.
For some unknown reasons, I was really eager to watch the finale in 2015, and stayed in front of my TV until the end. I still remember the thrills during the first half of the voting, when Russia and Sweden were fighting for the first place. That’s when my passion started.
During the following weeks, I started to look into the history of the contest – becoming a fan of Alexander Rybak in the process -, as well as the different songs from 2015 which didn’t make it to the finale. The months went on and I started to listen to Eurovision more and more, and decided to follow the 2016 contest more closely.
I didn’t actually follow any national selection in 2016, but I watched the many Eurovision rankings on Youtube. That’s how I knew about new songs being released, announced or winning their selections. I listened to Eurovision songs every morning on the bus, on the way to school, and I liked most of them, especially I Stand, Play and Say Yay!.
For the first time, I watched the semi-finals, on the official Youtube streaming, and for the first time I went through the exciting yet painful process of watching the qualifiers being announced. The exciting voting sequence of the finale this year will forever stay in my mind: France was third with the Jurys, and the final results were suprising, as we all know.
In 2017, I started following national selections, watching UMK, Eesti Laul, Melodifestivalen and even Eurovizijos (not entierely, though). I also followed more closely the many promotion events in March and April, thus becoming a “true” fan. Once again I watched the semi-finals on Youtube, as well as the finale, with my family. I could watch the actual show without any French commentators, and did the commentary myself to explain a few things to my family about each song.
Why is Eurovision special to you?
That’s a question many people in France ask me when I tell them I’m a Eurovision fan. I like music in general, from most genres, and that’s exactly what Eurovision brings. More generally, I like the “broadness” of Eurovision: broadness in music, in countries, in people. I also like the fact that it is both a multicultural event and a “global” event, part of the current “global culture”. That means there is always something new in it, and always something familiar.
What attracted you to ESCXTRA?
I started consulting ESCXTRA this year, and I really liked the sobriety of the style, the professionalism and the expert opinions and editorials. I learned about the impossible 6/4 split thanks to ESCXTRA, for exemple. And of course, during the rehearsals week I discovered the Live Stream, and with it, the faces of ESCXTRA. All those people were immediately likeable!
Also, ESCXTRA.com has the best layout in the whole world of Eurovision websites: functionnal and aesthetic.
And finally, your top 5 Eurovision songs of all-time ?
Now, this is HARD. It’s certainly not “the definite top 5”, but I really like these, so:
5 – Life Looks Better in Spring | John Lilygreen & The Islanders [Cyprus 2010]
It’s not actually my favourite of 2010 (although it’s not far from it), yet it deserves a place here. It’s a bit cheesy, and the vocals are not perfect, but there is so much positivity on stage! And this smile…
4 – C’est le dernier qui a parlé qui a raison | Amina [France 1991]
I enjoy Fångad Av En Stormvind, but still… we deserved this victory! This song is pure, and it is the best one from France’s “ethnic period” at Eurovision. The lyrics are a bit complex even for a native speaker but they still tell something more original than a love story. And of course, the live vocals are perfect, and haunting.
3 – Origo | Joci Pápai [Hungary 2017]
My winner for 2017. The violin part is beautiful, the ethnic sound is great and the rap part is not anti-climatic. Moreover, the live performances are full of passion, especially the rap part: I love the way he ends it, shouting “ezrek könnyei folynak a gitáromon“!
2 – Play | Jüri Pootsmann [Estonia 2016]
Play is an incredible song. Jüri has this incredible voice, and I love it. His winning performance in Eesti Laul was one of the best things ever to come out of the Eurovision world. The elegance, the restraint, the self-control, the way he moves his body… A perfect mix of a gentleman and a badboy! That’s what we call “un beau ténébreux” in French.
1 – Rock ‘n’ Roll Kids – Paul Harrington & Charlie McGettigan [Ireland 1994]
My favorite winner, ever. The soothing sound of this nostalgic poem is gold. It’s beautifully written, it’s beautifully composed, and it’s beautifully played. The intimity of the duo is incredible. To me, its sound and its lyrics are timeless. A well-deserved victory.
https://youtu.be/SWxQtBLReqg
Stay tuned for the future parts in our Meet the ESCXTRA team series. Remember you can share your Eurovision stories with us in the comments section below or via the comments sections on our Facebook page @ESCXTRA. We would love to hear them!
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