Winner of the Eurovision Song Contest 2023, which has just taken place in Liverpool, the Swedish Loreen is called, by her real name, Lorine Zineb Nora Talhaoui. Having grown up in Sweden, Loreen is in reality an Amazigh, Moroccan of origin. Her roots, she highlighted them in the staging of her song "Tattoo", as well as in her toilet. Her fingers were elongated, in reference to the henna technique (our photo).
Born 39 years ago in the suburbs of Stockholm, capital of Sweden, Lorine Zineb Nora, already winner of Eurovision in 2012, with "Euphoria", is the eldest of six siblings, all of whom have music in them. She never stopped claiming her dual culture, Amazigh and Swedish. Regarding the latter, she insists for example on Nordic customs, including the need to warn her in advance before disembarking at her place. As for the Berber symbolism, she showed it in the visuals of her video.
For Loreen, who participated in the 2013 Mawazine festival in Rabat (our photo), her Moroccan origins are "what makes me connect to things so easily".
Before adding: "At home, we have always talked about spirituality, it has never been weird. Some call it God, others otherwise".
The symbols highlighted in his interpretation of "Tattoo" represent nature and women. “We have created a society that takes a lot of our energy,” she says. “We have to become, we have to be, we have to succeed… This tires us and disorients us”. In his eyes, nature is a source of corrective energy. The women ? "I want to challenge them to live their full potential and embrace female power, she proclaims. I feel that a change is coming. A global change for equality, and I support it".
In 2017 on Swedish television, Loreen reveals that she is bisexual. She adds that "a lot of people are focused on sex, sexuality. Love is so much more." In his eyes, "love is where you find it".
Two years later, another performer of Moroccan origin made headlines at Eurovision, but did not win, far from it. Bilal Hassani, who represents France (our photo), has since become an icon of the LGBT+ community.
In Liverpool, while Loreen triumphed, La Zarra, a Quebecer of Moroccan origins, who performed "Evidemment", once again disappointed the French hopes of winning. Her real name Fatima-Zahra Hafdi, she created the buzz by performing a much-discussed gesture in which many saw it as a middle finger.
If performers with Moroccan roots have marked Eurovision, the Kingdom has only participated in the competition once. It was in 1980, and it was a flop. Loreen covered herself in glory there, being the second artist to win Eurovision twice, after the Irishman Johnny Logan.