Swiss Eurovision star: I would love for Celine Dion to be in Basel
Dion, 57, who won in Dublin in 1988 with Ne Partez Pas Sans Moi, has stepped away from touring in recent years, due to increasing health issues while living with stiff-person syndrome (SPS).
She did return to the stage at the Paris Olympics last year, bringing an emotional end to the opening ceremony with her singing Edith Piaf's classic L'Hymne A L'Amour while in the Eiffel Tower.
There has been increased speculation and rumours that Dion would perform in Basel as she represented Switzerland more than three decades ago, and the country has not won since then until Swiss singer Nemo clinched victory with The Code last year at Malmo.
Me told the PA news agency: 'I would love for Celine Dion to be in Basel, I don't know if she's there or not, but I love to meet her.'
She added that it would be 'mind blowing' if Dion saw her work as the singer won in French, and Me's entry Voyage is in the same language.
'I wouldn't say that she was a main inspiration for my work, but I did kind of want to make Switzerland proud and show the world what Switzerland has done over the previous years,' she added.
'So I mean, in my music video, you see an outfit that is a little bit inspired by the outfit that she wore, when she won. It's not the same at all, but it's like the same colour and the same kind of feel to it.'
The Swiss singer, who was born in Basel where the competition will be hosted next week, has taken UK talent on board in the form of writing Voyage in Scotland, working with Scottish songwriter Ili, a former X Factor star whose name is Emily Middlemas, and Theo Adams, the stage director behind Olly Alexander's Dizzy in 2024.
Me called where she stayed, between Edinburgh and Glasgow, 'a peaceful little place on Earth', which inspired her.
She said: 'So I thought that there's a lot of negativity in the world, and that we need to come together as people again and spread kindness, be kind to each other, support each other, show love to each other, and that was the moment Voyage was born.
'And I think if I hadn't been in Scotland, maybe I wouldn't have felt that was what the world needed in that moment.'
Last year, Eurovision was less than easy with contestants complaining about backstage issues. The organisers – the European Broadcasting Union – have enacted updated welfare reforms this year.
Me said that this year there was code of conduct for acts to 'sign', and called it 'basically just a lot of rules, you have to be kind to each other, you're not allowed to, like, say mean things, or, like, laugh about each other's, like, stagings… I was like, 'but that's like, obvious''.
She added: 'Apparently it's not obvious, which make me think, you know Voyage's it's even more relevant than what I thought it would be. Because if people think it's necessary to hand out a document that says, literally, 'be kind to each other'.'
As a previous winner, Switzerland is straight through to Eurovision final on May 17, but Me says she does not 'feel pressure'.
'I think the main goal for me is reaching people's hearts and maybe changing their lives for the better,' she said.
Switzerland will first perform in the semi-final, which begins on May 13 at 8pm BST.
Dion's rare condition, which causes progressive muscular inflexibility, was documented in her 2024 documentary I Am: Celine Dion.
She spoke during it of the pain she is living with, and her desire to return to performing.
The five-time Grammy-winner had revealed her SPS diagnosis in December 2022 before cancelling her Courage World Tour.
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