Eurovision Song Contest 2014 | ||||
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Country | Switzerland | |||
National selection | ||||
Selection process | Die grosse Entscheidungs Show 2014 | |||
Selection date(s) | 1 February 2014 | |||
Selected artist(s) | Sebalter | |||
Selected song | "Hunter of Stars" | |||
Selected songwriter(s) |
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Finals performance | ||||
Semi-final result | Qualified (4th, 92 points) | |||
Final result | 13th, 64 points | |||
Switzerland in the Eurovision Song Contest | ||||
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Switzerland participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2014 with the song "Hunter of Stars" written and performed by Sebalter, which is the artistic name of singer Sebastiano Paù-Lessi. The Swiss entry for the 2014 contest in Copenhagen, Denmark was selected through the national final Die grosse Entscheidungs Show 2014, organised by the Swiss German speaking broadcaster Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen (SRF) in collaboration with the other broadcasters part of the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SRG SSR). Artists that were interested in entering the Swiss national final had the opportunity to apply to one of three open selections with defined submission periods organised by SRF together with the Swiss-Romansh broadcaster Radiotelevisiun Svizra Rumantscha (RTR), the Swiss-French broadcaster Radio Télévision Suisse (RTS) and/or the Swiss-Italian broadcaster Radiotelevisione svizzera (RSI). A total of 18 entries were selected to advance to an "Expert Check" round; nine entries were selected from the SRF/RTR selection, six entries were selected from the RTS selection and three entries were selected from the RSI selection. The "Expert Check" was held on 30 November 2013 and involved three/four experts evaluating the live performances of the 18 entries and selecting six entries to advance to the televised national final—three artists and songs from the SRF/RTR candidates, two from the RTS candidates and one from the RSI candidates. The six finalists performed during the national final on 1 February 2014 where a combination of jury voting and public voting ultimately selected "Hunter of Stars" performed by Sebalter as the winner.
Switzerland was drawn to compete in the second semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest which took place on 8 May 2014. Performing during the show in position 12, "Hunter of Stars" was announced among the top 10 entries of the second semi-final and therefore qualified to compete in the final on 12 May. It was later revealed that Switzerland placed fourth out of the 15 participating countries in the semi-final with 92 points. In the final, Switzerland performed in position 19 and placed thirteenth out of the 26 participating countries, scoring 64 points.