Gjon Muharremaj (Albanian: [ɟɔn muharɛˈmaj]; born 29 June 1998), known professionally as Gjon's Tears, is a Swiss singer and songwriter. He was scheduled to represent Switzerland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 with the song "Répondez-moi" prior to the event's cancellation. He was internally selected again as the country's representative for the 2021 contest with "Tout l'univers". He finished in third place with 432 points, the best placing for Switzerland since 1993.
Gjon's Tears | |
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![]() Muharremaj in 2022 | |
Background information | |
Birth name | Gjon Muharremaj |
Born | (1998-06-29) 29 June 1998 (age 24) Broc, Fribourg, Switzerland |
Occupation(s) |
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Years active | 2011–present |
Muharremaj was born in Broc, Fribourg, Switzerland to a Kosovo Albanian father from Gjinoc, part of Suharekë[1] municipality in Kosovo, and an Albanian mother from Tirana, Albania.[2][3][4][5] He acquired his stage name after moving his grandfather to tears when he performed Elvis Presley's "Can't Help Falling in Love". In 2011, at the age of 12, Muharremaj competed in the first season of the talent show Albanians Got Talent, placing third in the final.[6][7] One year later, he reached the semi-final of Die grössten Schweizer Talente, the Swiss version of Got Talent.[8] In 2019, he auditioned for the eighth season of the French singing competition The Voice: la plus belle voix and reached the semi-finals with Team Mika.[9]
The Voice: la plus belle voix performances and results | |||
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Round | Song | Original artist(s) | Result |
Blind Audition | "Christine" | Christine and the Queens | Joined Team Mika |
The Battles | "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" | Elton John & George Michael | Winner |
The Knockouts | "Under Pressure" | Queen & David Bowie | Advanced |
Live Show 1 | "SOS d'un terrien en détresse" | Daniel Balavoine | Advanced |
Live Show 2 | "Rocket Man" | Elton John | Advanced |
Semi-Final | "Relax, Take It Easy" | Mika | Eliminated |
"Life on Mars" | David Bowie |
In March 2020, Muharremaj was announced by the Swiss national broadcaster, Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SRG SSR), as the country's representative at the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 with the song "Répondez-moi".[6] However, following the contest's cancellation due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe, the broadcaster eventually announced that he would represent the country at the Eurovision Song Contest 2021 with a new song. His 2021 entry, "Tout l'univers" was released on 10 March 2021.[10][11] He placed first in his semi-final. In the final, Gjon's Tears won the jury vote but came sixth in the televote. As a result he was placed third overall, behind France and eventual winner Italy. He, along with the song's producers, won the Composer Award in the 2021 edition of the Marcel Bezençon Awards, voted on by a panel of participating composers in the 2021 contest.[12] In 2021, he gave an interview for Vanity Teen magazine, talking about his success, the origin of his stage name and his result in the Eurovision Song Contest.[13] In late 2021, he participated in The Voice All Stars France.
The Voice All-Stars performances and results | |||
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Round | Song | Original artist(s) | Result |
Blind Audition | "Corps" | Yseult | Joined Team Zazie |
Cross-Battle | "Smalltown Boy" | Bronski Beat | Advanced |
Semi-Final | "Sur un prélude de Bach" | Maurane | Eliminated |
Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SWI [14] |
ALB [15] |
BEL (FL) [16] |
FIN [17] |
GER [18] |
IRE [19] |
NLD [20] |
NOR [21] |
SWE [22] |
UK [23] | ||||
"Babi" | 2018 | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album singles | |
"Back in Light" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
"Répondez-moi" | 2020 | 42 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
"Tout l'univers" | 2021 | 1 | — | 50 | 5 | 86 | 52 [24] | 16 | 36 | 21 | 93 | ||
"Silhouette" | 2022 | — | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | TBA | |
"Pure" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. |
Title | Year | Peak chart positions |
Album | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
ALB [25] | ||||||||||
"Dance Me" (Arilena Ara featuring Gjon's Tears) |
2021 | 10 | Pop Art | |||||||
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. |
Year | Award | Nomination | Work | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
2021 | Marcel Bezençon Awards | Composer Award | "Tout l'univers" | Won[26] |
2021 | MTV Europe Music Awards | Best Swiss Act | Himself | Won[27] |
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link)Awards and achievements | ||
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Preceded by | Switzerland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 (cancelled) |
Succeeded by Himself with "Tout l'Univers" |
Preceded by Himself with "Répondez-moi" |
Switzerland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2021 |
Succeeded by |
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