Going to make France shine?

Amazingly, with six whole months to go and countries such as Denmark, Sweden, Hungary, Latvia and the UK yet to even begin their selection contests, France has announced the singer who will represent them in Baku in May 2012 - Anggun.

From the official Eurovision website:

Aged 37, the singer was born in Jakarta, Indonesia, and started singing at a very early age. She had her biggest hit in 1997 when Snow In The Sahara was released in more than 30 countries, including the US. She has just released her new album Echos.

For Anggun, having been selected to represent France at the Eurovision Song Contest "is a gift". "I took French nationality in 2000, and I probably symbolize the France of today: a mixed country, made up of many cultures," she said.

She then went on to talk about Eurovision nowadays: "It's a big American style production which is very important in many countries. I witness it when I travel to European countries for example". About her ambitions for the contest she thinks that "secretly, we all want to win. Me, I'm going to make France shine!".

France has won the competition five times, the last of them being in 1977 with Marie Myriam's L'Oiseau Et L'Enfant.

Here is Anggun herself, in fine voice, with her 1997 hit Snow in the Sahara:

Anggun - Snow in the Sahara

http://www.eurovision.tv/