"Sognu" (

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national id ...

: ''"I Dream"'') is a song by

Amaury Vassili Amaury Vassili Chotard (born 8 June 1989) is a French opera singer and professional tenor. His debut album ''Vincerò'' from 2009 went double platinum in France, and he has had international success with releases in Canada, South Africa and Sou ...

that was the entry for

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan ar ...

in the 2011 Eurovision Song Contest, held in

Düsseldorf Düsseldorf ( , , ; often in English sources; Low Franconian and Ripuarian: ''Düsseldörp'' ; archaic nl, Dusseldorp ) is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second-largest city in ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...

. Although it was a favourite to win the contest, it ended up in 15th position.

Background

Song selection

The song was composed by Daniel Moyne and Quentin Bachelet (son of French singer Pierre Bachelet), who has been working with Vassili since the beginning of his career. The lyrics of "Sognu" were written by Jean-Pierre Marcellesi. The song was chosen internally by

France 3 France 3 () is a French free-to-air public television channel and part of the France Télévisions group, which also includes France 2, France 4, France 5 and France Info. It is made up of a network of regional television services prov ...

and SACEM. "Sognu" was sung in the

Corsican language Corsican (''corsu'' , ; full name: ''lingua corsa'' , ) is a Romance language constituted by the continuum of the Italo-Romance dialects spoken on the Mediterranean island of Corsica (France) and on the northern end of the island of Sardinia ( ...

, which marks the first French entry in the Eurovision Song Contest sung in Corsican since "

Mama Corsica Mama(s) or Mamma or Momma may refer to: Roles *Mother, a female parent * Mama-san, in Japan and East Asia, a woman in a position of authority *Mamas, a name for female associates of the Hells Angels Places * Mama, Russia, an urban-type settlemen ...

" in

1993 File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peace ...

Selection of Vassili

Regarding the decision to select

and "Sognu", Pierre Sled, program supervisor at

, declared: "We wanted someone young, representing the excellence of French music. We didn't hesitate much, given the fact that the other names were not satisfying". He pointed out that "the choice was driven by the desire to promote a young talented artist representing the best of French music and its diversity. That's why we quickly agreed an opera singer was the most elegant option. Amaury is an angel of music with a powerful voice. Without any hesitation, he was a perfect choice." The song was presented on 7 March. An English version of "Sognu", called "I Would Dream About Her", was written by UK songwriter Dele Ladimeji. "Our goal is clear", Pierre Sled assured, "France 3 is the channel of French regions and we wanted to have them honored. Corsican is close to

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

, thus it will perfectly suit an opera song".

Promotion

Vassili appeared on numerous shows, including ''Le Plus Grand Cabaret Du Monde'', ''13h00 news'', ''Sidaction'', ''Les Années Bonheur'', ''Morandini''. France3 aired a video about the contest, shortly before the Finale. It included visits to the press centre, the arena, and interviews with press and fans. On 29 April, a show called ''En Route Pour L'Eurovision Avec Amaury'' was broadcast on France3 on 9 May, five days before the Finale. Amaury's record label,

Warner Music Group Warner Music Group Corp. (trade name, d.b.a. Warner Music Group, commonly abbreviated as WMG) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational entertainment and record label Conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered in New York C ...

, promoted Sognu throughout Europe by signing radio station deals. In addition, Warner Music Europe was preparing a European release of Vasilli's CD, which included "Sognu".

Music video

The official music video premiered on 8 March 2011 on Vassili's official YouTube channel.

Track listing

Release history

Charts

References

External links

Official Amaury Vassili website
{{Eurovision Song Contest 2011 Eurovision songs of 2011 Eurovision songs of France 2011 singles Corsican language Corsican music 2011 songs Warner Music Group singles