France 2 reveal expert panel for Destination Eurovision 2019

France 2 have revealed the expert panel for Destination Eurovision next year. Similar to 2018, three musical experts will take place in the panel to pass comments on the competing entries of the French national final. The three members will be Vitaa, André Manoukian and Christophe Willem.

Vitaa: Over 1 million records sold

The first of the three panel members is Vitaa. The 35 year old singer, whose real name is Charlotte Gonin, has sold over 1.4 million records in her career. Her biggest hit was back in 2013, when she released “Game Over” together with Maître Gims. Together with him, she also wrote Louka’s entry for Destination Eurovision last year.

André Manoukian: From commentary booth to panel

André Manoukian is no stranger to commenting on performances in singing competitions. The 57 year old jazz singer has been a judge on La Nouvelle Star (French Idol) for almost all the duration of the show, between 2003 and 2016. In 2018, he was one of the semifinal commentators for France during the Eurovision Song Contest in Lisbon. 

Christophe Willem: Return to the panel

The only of the three judges to return after last year’s Destination Eurovision is Christophe Willem. Both Amir and Isabelle Boulay will not return next year. The 35 year old singer commented on the Eurovision semis together with André Manoukian last year. He’s also been a judge on X Factor after winning La Nouvelle Star himself a good few years ago.

All live, all hopeful

France 2 introduced Destination Eurovision as their national final in late 2017. In three shows, which were mostly pre-recorded, they eventually chose Madame Monsieur and “Mercy” for the Eurovision Song Contest in Lisbon.

The show’s return was confirmed soon after Lisbon, with France 2 going for an all live edition in 2019. It will also be the first adult edition of the Eurovision Song Contest for which Steven Clérima will be the Head of Delegation for France. The host for Destination Eurovision will also be the same, as popular singer Garou will once again have the honour of hosting the show.