Last January, the clues led us to believe that a dream year awaited the Quebec singer La Zarra, then freshly selected to represent France at the prestigious Eurovision contest. Eight months later, the fairy tale seems to have turned into a nightmare.
Last weekend, despite his “strong objections”, all of his concerts in Europe were canceled. “A deplorable maneuver”, described the Moroccan-Canadian artist on Instagram.
With this wave of massive cancellations (she was to travel across France until January 2024), the ex-hairdresser continued her black series, which began with the unveiling of the Eurovision results, in Liverpool, last May . Live, in front of millions of viewers, the candidate lowered and then raised her middle finger in full TV, after learning that she had finished the test in 16th place.
Despite the artist’s subsequent explanations, this possible middle finger sparked controversy. The day after the event, national radio stations deprogrammed his song Obviously, reports the daily Le Parisien. Even France Bleu, a station that was one of the sponsors of Eurovision, joined in the “boycott”.
This was followed by various rumors about her alleged “diva” attitude, promotions to boost slow ticket sales – one site offered tickets for 3.5 euros (C$5), reveals Pure Charts), inelegant releases on Instagram (“For anyone who criticizes me, go fuck yourself…with a cucumber”) and a few concert postponements for “technical reasons”.
According to Le Figaro, La Zarra became “persona non grata” after his disgraceful gesture, a theory that European fans adhere to. “It’s all about the middle finger,” comments Sandy, moderator of a French Facebook page that has nearly a thousand admirers. It makes no sense ! […] And now they are deprogramming her concerts because they no longer want her to make a career in France. »
“His image has been a bit damaged,” confirms William Martin-Genier, producer at Gin Prod and founder of the EuroMania podcast, devoted to the popular television competition.
According to an informed source, the 35-year-old Moroccan-Canadian artist is still under contract with Polydor France, which belongs to the Universal Music group. At Universal Music Canada, we confirm that she is currently preparing new songs.
The singer declined our interview request.
The “middle finger-gate” alone does not necessarily explain the professional setbacks of Fatima-Zhara Hafdi, aka La Zarra. After his appearance at the 67th Eurovision Song Contest, his popularity on the internet even increased, according to Chartmetric, a site reserved for professionals in the music sector which lists web statistics (social networks, streaming platforms). On Spotify, his song Tu t’en iras, released in 2021, is close to 25 million plays, a result that many artists whose careers are exclusively in Quebec are the envy of.
By reserving rooms that were far too large, the team of the singer-songwriter would have overestimated the impact of Eurovision, estimates Alexis Perron-Brault, professor in the marketing department of the University of Quebec in Montreal (UQAM ).
“Eurovision is quite effective in propelling an artist, but it is far from magic. It’s a beautiful showcase, but afterwards, you have to work. There is nothing guaranteed. »
Fourth Quebecer or Acadian to participate in the musical competition after Celine Dion, winner in 1988, actress-singer Annie Cotton (Watatatow), third in 1993, and Natasha St-Pierre, fourth in 2001, La Zarra was under immense pressure representing France. The republic of Emmanuel Macron had not won the competition since 1977, and was counting on the Quebec artist to restore its image.
“On the spot, the pressure is enormous, because there are audience issues, financial issues for France Télé. »
Eurovision 2023 was watched by 162 million viewers, according to figures from the European Broadcasting Union. In France, the final attracted 3.5 million curious people, according to Médiamétrie.
Can La Zarra revive her career after suffering such a series of setbacks? Hard to say. One thing is certain, the slope promises to be steep, observes Alexis Perron-Brault, of UQAM.
“If Celine Dion did something stupid, we know she would get over it because there is a lot of past baggage. She has developed a strong relationship with her fans. For more or less well-known young artists like La Zarra, it’s a short-lived relationship. It’s hard for them. »
Same story with Sandy, from the artist’s unofficial fan club. “It’s going to be very hard, but I hope she can get up. Because she sings differently from what we hear today. She has a beautiful voice, beautiful lyrics, beautiful music. He’s someone out of the ordinary, and that’s why we love him. »
For William Martin-Genier, all hopes are still allowed. “The press hasn’t been easy on her, but she’s still a good performer. I saw that she was at the Montreux festival in Switzerland, where she was well received. She gave a good performance. I think it can rise from its ashes. »
For his part, La Zarra is determined. Although she fell, the fighter intends to get up, heal her wounds and continue on her way. “I’ll be back soon better surrounded,” she wrote on Instagram.