On May 11, 2024, at Malmö Arena in Malmö, Sweden, Switzerland’s Nemo — a singer, rapper, and multi-instrumentalist (who uses they/them pronouns) — won the Eurovision Song Contest for their home country with their catchy song “The Code.”
It was Switzerland’s first victory in the annual competition since 1988, when future superstar Céline Dion emerged victorious with her song “Ne partez pas sans moi.”
Nemo performed electrically, with (mostly) on-point vocals, a daring outfit, and impressive choreography that incorporated navigation of a spinning and rotating circular platform that required a lot of concentration and balance from the star.
But who is Nemo, and how did they get to where they are today? Let’s examine.
Nemo in profile
Nemo Mettler, known by their stage name Nemo, was born on Aug. 3, 1999, making them 24 years old at the time of writing.
They took a keen interest in music from age three, learning instruments like the violin, piano, and drums. From nine to 13, they became interested in opera music. After that, rap became a significant interest, and Nemo participated in rap battles across Switzerland. Suffice it to say, they’re multi-talented and eclectic in their music taste.
When Nemo reached 18, they attended Switzerland’s Zurich University of the Arts for a year. They studied solo singing in jazz and pop before moving to Berlin, Germany, to pursue their performing career.
Nemo has released four EPs: 2015’s Clownfisch (their most successful EP, which reached 95 in the Swiss album chart), 2017’s Momänt-Kids and Fundbüro, and 2022’s Whatever Feels Right.
They have also released around 20 singles, with 2017’s “Du” the most successful, hitting the number four spot in Switzerland’s singles chart. Nemo has also appeared as a featured artist on singles by Visu, Dodo, and Stress.
Identifying as non-binary, Nemo also came out as pansexual to their partner in 2022 (their partner was also the first person they came out as non-binary to).
Nemo was announced as Switzerland’s representative at the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest on Feb. 29, 2024. The Swiss Broadcasting Corporation said they picked Nemo to differ from the four most recent Swiss contributions to the contest, all of which were “male ballads.”
They qualified for the final at the second semi-final on May 9 and drew “producer’s choice” for the main event, meaning they performed in the half decided by the contest’s producers. Nemo’s performance was position 21 out of 25.
Their lauded performance of “The Code” — a drum and bass track with elements of EDM and opera — gave Switzerland an emphatic victory. Combining the points from juries and telephone votes, they received 591 points, with Croatia finishing a relatively distant second with 547 points.
Somewhat humorously, after lifting the Eurovision Song Contest trophy, Nemo broke it when they put it down. “It just shattered,” they said.
The future looks bright for Nemo. They’re talented and have a great look, and winning the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest gives them a great platform to grow and become a bona fide superstar. We wish them all the best in their future career.