Eurovision Fan of the Week - Luka from Switzerland

Passports, please: we're globetrotting again to meet our newest Fan of the Week.

This time, we're off to Switzerland: winner of the first ever Eurovision Song Contest and home to 18-year-old Luka (@officieluka)!

It will quickly become apparent that this Luka himself a Euro-banger! That's what makes his pick for favourite Contest winner of all time all the more intriguing...

Luka, welcome to Aussievision! Tell us a bit about your fine self.

Hi! Thank you, it’s an honour! My name is Luka and I’m 18 years old. I was born and raised in Switzerland and still live here! My parents are ethnic Romanians, originally coming from eastern Serbia. I grew up trilingual (German, Serbian and Romanian) and music also played an important role in my life back then already. Currently I’m doing a commercial apprenticeship and will continue studying in summer. In my free time I enjoy listening to music, drawing, learning languages and petting my two dogs!

~Luka, we DEMAND pictures of these dogs! Names? Breeds? <3 (Mark)

How and when did you discover Eurovision?

My parents actually found it very interesting to watch it when Serbia and Montenegro debuted back then in 2004, so it started being a tradition ever since! Even though I can not remember Eurovision 2004, I definitely remember dancing to 'My Number One' when Greece won in 2005! I even begged my parents to download it on all possible streaming platforms, so we ended up even playing it in our car on repeat, haha!

Who is your favourite Eurovision performance and why?

I see the difficult questions are starting already because this is tough to say! I’m going for Cyprus’ 2018 entry, 'Fuego'. it had an excellent staging and it was spectacular to watch.

Who was your 2021 winner? What made them the best?

My 2021 winner was Bulgaria. Victoria and her team put all her emotions in 'Growing up is getting old', with a deep meaning and with a gorgeous melodic composition. Back then I went on a mental rollercoaster and this song was a huge support for me, which is why it will always have this special meaning to me.

It’s still early, but any stand-outs in 2022 yet? I notice a Spanish flag in your Twitter profile…

Oh absolutely! I am in love with Chanel’s 'SloMo', it definitely is my type of music - and I don’t think I need to mention her performance. It is difficult to say, as this year feels so different. I can’t even guess who will qualify and how well entries will do. But considering how loved they are by the fandom, I’d say that Greece, Italy, Spain and Sweden are big contenders for the trophy this year.

What Swiss artist would you love to see go to Eurovision, and why? What’s a song of theirs you think showcases what they could do at the Contest?

That’s easy, I’d love to see Stefanie Heinzmann. She has an amazing voice and also great songs. My favourite song by her is 'Shadows', it’s such a feel-good song. I am not sure how well she would be welcomed by the non-Swiss, but she is one of the bigger Swiss names I’d say. Which national final do you look forward to the most? What makes it special?

Well, the national final season is now over, but I was most excited for Spain’s Benidorm Fest and Serbia’s Pesma za Evroviziju. Spain gained my attention after listening to their entries and liking most of them. I used to watch Beovizija, Serbia’s previous selection, so it was like continuing the tradition of watching the national selection.

~Benifest didn't disappoint, did it? Great songs, terrific staging and lots of drama! I wanted Rigoberta to get the nod but Chanel will doing quite well in May, I think! (Mark) If you could pick only three performances to encourage new people to watch Eurovision what would they be?

Phew, I’ll go for Måneskin’s 'Zitti e Buoni', Jamala’s '1944' and Chanel’s 'SloMo', to show the variety of music! Alright, for these next questions, tell us what comes to mind first. Which Eurovision song:

• Is the best winner? My personal favourite is 'Ne partez pas sans moi', by Céline Dion (and no - it is not because I’m Swiss!)

• Has the best live vocal? I’m going for Jamala. Her performance in 2016 was flawless in my opinion and her victory was more than deserved. ~Luka... you do know this is an Australian Eurovision site, right? You know who Jamala beat home, don't you...? You're a brave man. (Mark)
  

• Is your favourite Australian entry so far? Montaigne’s 'Don’t Break Me', she’s my second of Eurovision 2020. What an amazing entry!
  

• Was robbed? There have been quite a few robberies, but I’m going for Albania’s 2019 entry, 'Ktheju tokës'.

• Is your guilty pleasure? Cyprus’ 2006 entry 'Why Angels Cry' by Annet Artani. It’s a powerful masterpiece, which was robbed.
  

• Is your favourite National Final song (that didn't make it to Eurovision)? Another difficult one, as we get amazing songs every year. Currently it is Serbia’s 'Origami' by Angellina, from this year’s selection. It’s an absolute earworm and such a catchy banger.
  

We know you love Eurovision. But is there anything about Eurovision you DON’T like? Or something you’d change?

No, I don’t think there’s something I’d want to change for now. American Song Contest: are you interested? Will you follow?

It is quite interesting to have another spin-off, but I don’t know what to expect from it. I might watch it, though.

Thank you so much for your time Luka! Enjoy Eurovision 2022!