Country Switzerland Selected entrant Lovebugs Semi-final result 15 points(14th) | Selection process Internal Selection Selected song "The Highest Heights" 2009 • 2010► | |
Switzerland competed in the Eurovision Song Contest 2009. The Swiss broadcaster, SRG SSR idée suisse, internally selected Lovebugs to represent the country with the song "The Highest Heights". The song did not progress from the first semi-final of the competition.
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Background
Switzerland debuted at Eurovision at the first contest in 1956, and will send its 50th entry to the 2009 contest. The country has won the contest twice: their first win occurred at the very first contest, when Lys Assia won for Switzerland with "Refrain" when the contest was held in Switzerland, in the town of Lugano; their second and latest win to date came in 1988, when Canadian singer Céline Dion won with "Ne partez pas sans moi". The country, however, has also come last in the contest on five occasions: in 1964, 1967, 1974, 1998 and in the semi-final of the 2004 Contest.
The Swiss broadcaster SRG SSR idée suisse has been in charge of the Swiss Eurovision entry since its interception. In the past the organisation has held a national final to select the Swiss entry to Eurovision, with each regional broadcaster entering songs to the contest. Since 2005, however, the organisation has held an internal selection for the Swiss Eurovision entry, which was continued for the 2009 selection.
Selection
Schweizer Fernsehen (SF), the German-language sector of SRG SSR, began its selection for Eurovision 2009 in July 2008. From July to 20 October 2008 SF held an open call for artists interested in Eurovision. Artists and authors wishing to enter were not obliged to be Swiss citizens, however SF stressed that the experience of possible candidates was vital. An internal jury selected the final entry for Switzerland for the contest.
After months of deliberation, Swiss newspaper Blick claimed in January 2009 that SF had selected the popular Swiss band the Lovebugs to represent Switzerland at the 2009 Contest in Moscow, Russia. SF confirmed on 19 January that the Lovebugs had been selected by the five-person jury appointed by the broadcaster to represent Switzerland at Eurovision. No information had yet been disclosed on the song the band would sing in Moscow, however a poll held by Swiss radio station DRS, part of SF, on their website showed that readers preferred "The Highest Heights" over other songs on their new album of the same name.
On 23 February, it was finally announced that the Lovebugs would compete at the contest with "The Highest Heights". The group competed in the first semi-final on 12 May 2009. They failed to qualify for the finals of the contest.
At Eurovision
Since Switzerland is not one of the "Big Four" and is not the host of the 2009 contest, it had to compete in one of the two semi-finals. The song competed in the first semi-final but failed to reach the final.