#BIRTHDAY: Nayah from France is 64 today

To have a national final or not. That can be the question. The fans love national finals, as it gives them a chance to hobnob with stars in a far flung TV studio or second-rate theatre. But they’re not compulsory.

Our friends in France picked today’s birthday girl Nayah (née Sylvie Mestres) via a national final in a small concert venue in Paris in 1999. It was France’s first national final since 1987. Those internal selections had yielded two runner-up spots and a clutch of top 10 finishes. Anyway, it was a diverse national to say the least and Nayah finished equal first but won on the televote tie-breaker rule. In Jerusalem she scored from four countries. The national final continued in 2000, but after another disappointing result the internal selections returned.

Authors: Riigi Ametnik, John Stanton

Source: OnEurope