Tahitian singer Ken Carlter has revealed on Facebook that he plans to take part in France’s new national final for the 2021 contest. It was announced last week that France were planing to return to a national selection from next year, following their internal selection of Tom Leeb this year.
It is currently unknown how many acts will compete in the national final, and also how the acts will be selected. Carlter confirmed that, if he were to take part in the selection, he would present a song with lyrics in both French and Tahitian.
Following in Jean Gabilou’s footsteps?
If Ken was selected to represent France, he would become the second Tahitian singer to represent the country at the contest. In 1981, Jean Gabilou, who was born in the capital city of French Polynesia, represented France with the song “Humanahum”. The song finished 3rd in the grand final, behind the United Kingdom and Germany.
Speaking on Facebook earlier this week, Ken wrote that he will “present a song in French and Tahitian in line with [his single] ‘Ia Ora Na’ to make everyone dance and send positive vibes”.
Submissions for the national selection will open on 29 June. More details are expected about the selection over the coming days.
Who is Ken Carlter?
Ken Carlter is a singer who was grew up and attended school in Tahiti before moving to Paris. As a singer, he is signed to Sony Music and in 2014, he released his first album Tahitian Boy.
Ken interacts with his fans on social media and also posts his music videos and song covers on YouTube. One of his newest singles, “Ia Ora Na”, has clocked up 988,000 views on YouTube in the past year. More recently, during the Covid-19 outbreak, he recorded a new song “Rentrer chez moi”, which he posted online a few weeks ago.
Would you like to see Ken bringing some Tahitian vibes to Eurovision? Do you want to hear a song like “Ia Ora Na” in the French selection?
Let us know in the comments below and on social media @ESCXTRA.
