Nemo becomes the first non-binary gender contestant to win Eurovision

Nemo Mettler, 24-year-old non-binary singer, has made history by leading Swiss to the top of Eurovision after almost four decades of drought in the contest. The last time Switzerland had won was in 1988 with Celine Dion. Nemo’s victory marks a milestone for the country, which is also home to the festival’s organizing body.

Nemo, born in the bilingual city of Biena, first surprised people with his rap skills at the age of 16 on the television competition “Switzerland’s Greatest Talents.” Although he initially sang in the Bernese German dialect, In recent years he has opted for English to reach a broader audience internationally.

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Nemo’s gender identity has also been an integral part of his music, expressing his inner and outer struggle in his winning song “The Code.” This victory joins other notable ones in Eurovision by the LGBTQI community, such as Dana International in 1998 and Conchita Wurst in 2014.

Switzerland, a country with four official languages, has used English on 17 occasions in its Eurovision participation, this being Nemo’s preference for its presentation. Previously, French was the language most used by Switzerland at the festival, followed by German and Italian.

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Nemo’s victory represents a significant change for Switzerland in Eurovision, which has had a discreet presence in recent decades, and shows the power of diversity and inclusion in international music.

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