France’s representative for Eurovision 2024, Slimane, is now making headlines in France following a sexual harassment accusation by a production worker during his recent tour.
Slimane, who achieved a fourth-place finish at Eurovision with his hit song “Mon Amour“, recently reached platinum status in France. Along with his new album release, he’s also a nominee for the prestigious NRJ award. However, the spotlight on his success is now dimmed by severe allegations.
A production worker from Slimane’s latest tour filed a complaint yesterday, accusing Slimane of sexual harassment. The incidents reportedly occurred on December 17-18, 2023, in Saint-Étienne, France, following the first leg of Slimane’s Cupidon tour.
After the performance, the team hosted a backstage party to celebrate the milestone. According to the complaint, Slimane approached the production worker, “embraced him forcefully”, and expressed a desire for an intimate relationship. The worker responded that he was not interested, emphasizing that he was married and heterosexual, but Slimane allegedly led him to his dressing room.
“My client felt very uncomfortable. He repeatedly told Slimane he wasn’t interested, and Slimane then asked if any other team members might be. My client left the dressing room abruptly and returned to the tour bus,” explains his lawyer, Anne-Sophie Charrieras. “He thought it was over, but from his bed in the tour bus, the artist continued to send him explicit, even pornographic messages and videos for two and a half hours during the night.”
On the morning of December 18, the technician informed his employer about what had happened. The company immediately withdrew the two employees responsible for the tour, along with their equipment, and informed Cupidon Tour’s production company, “Play Two”, of the decision and reasons behind it. According to our information, meetings and exchanges of letters took place, with the producers understanding the decision to withdraw from the tour. They met with Slimane and his manager to remind them of the ethical standards of their collaboration. Meanwhile, they hired a new team to ensure the Cupidon Tour could resume as planned in February.
The two production workers openly discussed the reason for their sudden departure within their professional circles, sparking rumors across Europe about Slimane’s behavior on tour and at public events. No formal complaints had surfaced until recently, allowing Slimane to continue his career without public scrutiny. He went on to perform at Eurovision, the opening of the Paris Olympics and earned widespread recognition both in France and internationally.
Ultimately, the production worker decided to file a complaint, which, according to lawyer Cherrieras, is not intended to harm Slimane’s reputation or career but to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future. If these allegations are substantiated in court, Slimane could face up to a year in prison and a €15,000 fine under French law.
Slimane’s representatives have denied any involvement in the allegations, telling the French media today that it’s an “insane story.”
France at Eurovision 2024
“Mon amour” is the name of the song performed by singer Slimane, who represented France in the grand final of Eurovision 2024. The song won fourth place, after receiving 445 points.
Source: Le Parisien
Eurovision 2025: This will be France’s 68th participation in Eurovision. France joined the competition in 1956 and has won it five times over the years. France’s last victory was in Eurovision 1977 with the song “L’Oiseau et l’Enfant” performed by singer Marie Myriam.
