Vincent Gross is a young singer from Switzerland who will participate in the Swiss national final, with the hope of representing his country in Stockholm, at the Eurovision Song Contest 2016.

Vincent took the time to talk to ESCBubble about his song, ”Half a Smile” and his forthcoming participation in the Swiss national final for Eurovision 2016.

What was your first reaction when you were told that you had qualified for the Swiss national final?

At first, I couldn’t believe it!
There were so many awesome songs in the expert check and in the end they chose “Half A Smile” as one of the top-6! It was crazy!

Can you tell us a little bit more about yourself and your musical career?

I’ve been doing music my whole life. After my brother showed me the first few chords on the guitar in 2011, I thought it was actually really fun to sing and play the guitar together. Because I was too shy to show this new hobby to my friends I uploaded a cover on youtube just to check what other people think about it. I was surprised that the online community gave such a positive feedback so I kept recording weekly videos on YouTube until this day! This spring I wanted to try something different so I went to the biggest music show in Switzerland’s national TV called “Hello Again” and somehow I won. (Still don’t know how it happened!)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fxJ4Mus8YbI

Is there a message behind your song?

Yes, the message of the song is that you get easier through life with a smile on your face! No matter in which situation in life you’re stuck in a smile will make you feel better!

Do you have any special ideas (ex: dancers, choreography…) for your live performance during the national final?

For the final show I plan to be on stage with my guitar and some backing vocalists.

What were your thoughts and feelings during your performance in the expert check?

I felt really nervous even though it was actually a lot of fun to sing in front of the experts and these few people. So for the national final I will try to calm a little bit more down before the show starts.

Do you have any plans for 2016?

Currently I’m working on my debut album which is coming out in spring 2016. It’s gonna be in English but there will be some German songs as well.

What do you think of the previous Swiss Eurovision participants?

I like all of them in the past few years. One of my favorites for exemple was Sebalter and his band back in 2014. His performance had such a positive and happy aura so I fell in love with “Hunter of Stars” after the first few seconds.

Who are you favourite artists? Do you have an inspiration?

I look up to so many artists so it would be too long to mention all of them. Coldplay, Justin Bieber and Andreas Bourani are probably my biggest inspirations at this moment. They’re doing such an amazing job! I hope I can meet them one day!

Are you a Eurovision fan? What are your favourite Eurovision songs?

Yes, I’m definitely a ESC fan! I’ve been watching it every year since I can remember! I love the winning performance of “Heroes” by Mans Zelmerlöw! It was an powerful song with a great performance!

What would you like to say to your fans who are going to support during the national final?

Keep voting for “Half A Smile” and even more important: Keep smiling!

We would like to thank Vincent Gross for taking the time to do this interview and wish him the best of luck for the Swiss national final, on the 13th of February. You can check out all of Vincent Gross’s covers on his YouTube channel,  right here. Until the show, you can also watch his performance at the expert check:

If Vincent Gross is your favourite in the Swiss national final, you can vote for him in our poll right here: