Gjon Muharremaj(Albanian:[ɟɔnmuhaˈrɛmaj];born 29 June 1998), known professionally asGjon's Tears,is a Swiss singer and songwriter. He was scheduled torepresent Switzerlandin theEurovision Song Contest 2020with the song "Répondez-moi"prior to the event's cancellation. He was internally selected again as thecountry's representativefor the2021 contestwith "Tout l'univers".He finished in third place with 432 points, at the time the best placing forSwitzerlandsince1993.
Gjon's Tears | |
|---|---|
 Muharremaj in 2022 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Gjon Muharremaj |
| Also known as | Gjon's Tears |
| Born | 29 June 1998 Saanen,Bern,Switzerland |
| Origin | Broc,Switzerland |
| Genres | Pop |
| Occupations |
|
| Instrument(s) | Piano, Classical guitar |
| Years active | 2011–present |
| Labels | Jo & Co |
| Member of | Gjon's Tears and the Weeping Willows |
Life and career
editMuharremaj was born inSaanen,Bern,Switzerland[1]to aKosovo Albanianfather fromGjinoc,part ofSuharekë[2]municipality in Kosovo, and anAlbanianmother fromTirana,Albania.[3][4][5][6]His father, Hysni, is a crane operator and mason. His mother, Elda, has worked in theCailler chocolate factoryafter the family moved toBrocin 2000.
He grew up inBroc,where he playedfootballand didkarate.When he was 7 years old, he discovered his passion for music during music class. Two years later he acquired his stage name after moving his grandfather to tears when he performedElvis Presley's "Can't Help Falling in Love".In 2011, at the age of 12, he competed in thefirst seasonof the talent showAlbanians Got Talent,placing third in the final.[7][8]One year later, he reached the semi-final of Die grössten Schweizer Talente, the Swiss version ofGot Talent.[9]
In 2018, he started his band Gjon’s Tears and the Weeping Willows, consisting of himself and Gaëtan Guélat (drummer), Martino Lepori (guitarist), Pascal Stoll (guitarist) and Samuel Riedo (bassist).
In 2019, he auditioned for theeighth seasonof the French singing competitionThe Voice:la plus belle voixand reached the semi-finals with TeamMika.[10]
| The Voice: la plus belle voixperformances and results | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Round | Song | Original artist(s) | Result |
| Blind Audition | "Christine" | Christine and the Queens | JoinedTeam 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 the summer of 2019, the band performed at Swiss music festivals following Gjon’sThe Voiceparticipation, including theMontreux Jazz Festival,Les Georges, and Les Francomanias.
In March 2020, Gjon's Tears was announced by the Swiss national broadcaster,Swiss Broadcasting Corporation(SRG SSR), as thecountry's representativeat theEurovision Song Contest 2020with the song "Répondez-moi".[7]However, following the contest's cancellation due to theCOVID-19 pandemic in Europe,the broadcaster announced that he wouldrepresent the countryat theEurovision Song Contest 2021with a new song. His 2021 entry, "Tout l'univers"was released on 10 March 2021.[11][12]"Tout l'univers" placed first in its semi-final. In the final, it won the jury vote and came sixth in the televote. Switzerland placed third overall, behindFranceand eventual winnerItaly.Gjon's Tears, along with the song's producers, won the Composer Award in the 2021 edition of theMarcel Bezençon Awards,voted on by a panel of participating composers in the 2021 contest.[13]In 2021, he gave an interview forVanity Teenmagazine, talking about his success, the origin of his stage name and his result in the Eurovision Song Contest.[14]
In late 2021, he participated inThe Voice All Stars France,but was eliminated in the semi-final.
| The Voice All-Starsperformances and results | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Round | Song | Original artist(s) | Result |
| Blind Audition | "Corps" | Yseult | Joined TeamZazie |
| Cross-Battle | "Smalltown Boy" | Bronski Beat | Advanced |
| Semi-Final | "Sur un prélude de Bach" | Maurane | Eliminated |
In November 2021, Gjon was announced as Best Swiss Act at theMTV Europe Music AwardsinBudapest.In March 2022, Gjon moved from Switzerland toParis.
He released his sixth single, "Pure" on 28 October 2022, with the music video being released the following month. This music video includes 11 art-inspired scenes and a short appearance ofGeraldine Chaplin.[15]
His debut albumThe Gamewas released on 28 April 2023.[16]
Discography
editStudio albums
edit| Title | Details | Peak chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| SWI [17] | ||
| The Game |
|
11 |
Singles
editAs lead artist
edit| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SWI [17] |
ALB [18] |
BEL (FL) [19] |
FIN [20] |
GER [21] |
IRE [22] |
NLD [23] |
NOR [24] |
SWE [25] |
UK [26] | |||
| "Babi" | 2018 | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | The Game |
| "Back in Light" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album singles | |
| "Répondez-moi" | 2020 | 42 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "Tout l'univers" | 2021 | 1 | — | 50 | 5 | 86 | 52 | 16 | 36 | 21 | 93 | The Game |
| "Silhouette" | 2022 | — | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "Pure" | — | 9 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Midnight in Paris" | 2023 | — | 5 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "Disco" | — | 15 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Cancer" (withIbrahim Maalouf) |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | ||||||||||||
As featured artist
edit| Title | Year | Peak chart positions |
Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| ALB [27] | |||
| "Dance Me" (Arilena Arafeaturing Gjon's Tears) |
2021 | 10 | Pop Art |
| "Heavenbound" (Marina Kayefeaturing Gjon's Tears; French Version) |
2023 | — | Non-album singles |
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | |||
Awards and nominations
edit| Year | Award | Nomination | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Marcel Bezençon Awards | Composer Award | "Tout l'univers" | Won[28] |
| 2021 | MTV Europe Music Awards | Best Swiss Act | Himself | Won[29] |
| 2023 | MTV Europe Music Awards | Best Swiss Act | Himself | Won[30] |
References
edit- ^""Je veux rendre mon grand-père fier"".Illustre(in Swiss French).Archivedfrom the original on 26 January 2023.Retrieved26 January2023.
- ^""Fol Shqip Show - Gjon Muharremaj"".Radiotelevizioni21(in Albanian). 27 March 2021.Archivedfrom the original on 8 March 2022.Retrieved28 May2021.
- ^"Suisse-Kosovo 2/5 - Comme un oiseau"(in French).RTS.28 September 2021.Archivedfrom the original on 15 July 2024.Retrieved15 November2021.
- ^"Gjon's Tears Biografia"(in Albanian). TeksteShqip.Archivedfrom the original on 19 August 2020.Retrieved4 March2021.
- ^"Gjon's Tears #Bio"(in Albanian).Top Channel.25 February 2019.Archivedfrom the original on 25 October 2020.Retrieved4 March2021.
- ^"Le Fribourgeois Gjon's Tears représentera la Suisse à l'Eurovision".La Liberté(in French). 4 March 2020. Archived fromthe originalon 23 October 2020.Retrieved5 March2020.
- ^ab"Switzerland picks Gjon's Tears with French 'Repondez-moi' for Rotterdam".European Broadcasting Union(EBU). 4 March 2020. Archived fromthe originalon 24 February 2021.Retrieved4 March2021.
- ^"Gjon Muharremaj, shqiptari që befasoi jurinë e" The Voice "në Francë me zërin e tij".telegrafi(in Albanian). 22 May 2019.Archivedfrom the original on 27 May 2019.Retrieved4 March2020.
- ^"Das ist unser ESC-Kandidat: Gjon's Tears".Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen(in German). 4 March 2020.Archivedfrom the original on 5 March 2020.Retrieved5 March2020.
- ^Farren, Neil (4 March 2020)."Switzerland: Gjon's Tears to Eurovision 2020".Eurovoix.Archivedfrom the original on 20 April 2020.Retrieved4 March2020.
- ^"Eurovision 2020 in Rotterdam is cancelled".European Broadcasting Union(EBU). 18 March 2020. Archived fromthe originalon 8 April 2020.Retrieved4 March2021.
- ^Jansen, Esma (20 March 2020)."Cry no more! Gjon's Tears confirmed as Switzerland's Eurovision 2021 act".Wiwibloggs.Archived fromthe originalon 8 February 2021.Retrieved4 March2021.
- ^Van Lith, Nick (23 May 2021)."🏆 Barbara Pravi and Gjon's Tears win Marcel Bezençon Awards".ESCXTRA.Archivedfrom the original on 15 December 2021.Retrieved16 December2021.
- ^Switzerland’s Eurovision Representative Gjon’s Tears: I Want to Touch Everyone’s Hearts With my Songs29 May, 2021.Vanity Teen.
- ^Gjon's Tears - Pure (Official Video),24 November 2022,archivedfrom the original on 18 January 2023,retrieved26 January2023
- ^Vautrey, Jonathan (30 April 2023)."New music this week (part 1): Songs from Blanca Paloma, Cornelia Jakobs, Gjon's Tears and more".wiwibloggs.Archivedfrom the original on 15 July 2024.Retrieved5 May2023.
- ^ab"Discographie – Gjon's Tears".Swiss Hitparade.Archivedfrom the original on 10 April 2021.Retrieved16 March2020.
- ^For peak positions in Albania:
- For "Babi":"The Top List – 17/02/2019"(in Albanian).Top Channel.17 February 2019.Archivedfrom the original on 22 January 2022.Retrieved10 March2020.
- For "Silhouette":"The Top List – 09/07/2022"(in Albanian).Top Channel.9 July 2022. Archived fromthe originalon 9 July 2022.Retrieved9 July2022.
- For "Pure":"The Top List – 12/11/2022"(in Albanian).Top Channel.12 November 2022.Archivedfrom the original on 19 November 2022.Retrieved3 December2022.
- For "Midnight in Paris":"The Top List – 08/04/2023"(in Albanian).Top Channel.8 April 2023.Archivedfrom the original on 10 April 2023.Retrieved10 April2023.
- For "Disco":"The Top List – 06/05/2023"(in Albanian).Top Channel.6 May 2023.Archivedfrom the original on 8 May 2023.Retrieved6 May2023.
- ^"Discografie Gjon's Tears"(in Dutch).Ultratop.Archivedfrom the original on 3 June 2021.Retrieved31 May2021.
- ^"Discography Gjon's Tears".finnishcharts.Archivedfrom the original on 3 June 2021.Retrieved31 May2021.
- ^"Discographie Gjon's Tears".offiziellecharts.de(in German).Archivedfrom the original on 3 June 2021.Retrieved29 May2021.
- ^"Discography Gjon's Tears".irish-charts.Archivedfrom the original on 3 June 2021.Retrieved29 May2021.
- ^"Discografie Gjon's Tears".dutchcharts.nl.Archivedfrom the original on 3 June 2021.Retrieved29 May2021.
- ^"VG-lista – Topp 20 Single 2021-21".VG-lista.Archivedfrom the original on 29 May 2021.Retrieved28 May2021.
- ^"Veckolista Singlar, vecka 21".Sverigetopplistan.Archivedfrom the original on 29 May 2021.Retrieved28 May2021.
- ^"Gjon's Tears | full Official Chart History".Official Charts Company.Archivedfrom the original on 3 June 2021.Retrieved29 May2021.
- ^For peak positions in Albania:
- For "Dance me":"The Top List – 26/03/2022"(in Albanian). Top Channel. 26 March 2022.Archivedfrom the original on 26 March 2022.Retrieved26 March2022.
- ^"Here are the winners of the Marcel Bezençon Awards!".Archived fromthe originalon 18 August 2022.
- ^"MTV EMA – Gjon's tears remporte la victoire".20 minutes.15 November 2021. Archived fromthe originalon 15 November 2021.
- ^"Taylor Swift Is Top Winner of 2023 MTV EMA Awards, the Show That Didn't Go On (Full List)".Billboard.5 November 2023. Archived fromthe originalon 6 November 2023.