Watergun (song)

"Watergun"
Single by Remo Forrer
from the EP Favorite Kind of Lonely
Language	English
Released	7 March 2023
Genre	Pop[1]
Length	2:52
Label	Manifester Music
Songwriter(s)	Argyle Singh Ashley Hicklin Mikołaj Trybulec [pl]
Producer(s)	Mikołaj Trybulec Pele Loriano Tom Oehler
Remo Forrer singles chronology
"Out Loud" (2022) "Watergun" (2023) "Not Okay" (2023)
Music video
"Watergun" on YouTube
Eurovision Song Contest 2023 entry
Country	Switzerland
Artist(s)	Remo Forrer
Language	English
Composer(s)	Argyle Singh Ashley Hicklin Mikołaj Trybulec [pl]
Lyricist(s)	Argyle Singh Ashley Hicklin Mikołaj Trybulec
Finals performance
Semi-final result	7th
Semi-final points	97
Final result	20th
Final points	92
Entry chronology
◄ "Boys Do Cry" (2022)
"The Code" (2024) ►
Official performance video
"Watergun" (First Semi-Final) on YouTube "Watergun" (Grand Final) on YouTube

"Watergun" is a song by Swiss singer Remo Forrer, released as a single on 7 March 2023.^[2] The song represented Switzerland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 after being internally selected by SRG SSR, Switzerland's broadcaster for the Eurovision Song Contest.^[3] The song reached number two in Switzerland.

Background

The song is described as a power ballad "about powerlessness in the face of conflicts in this world." In an article, Forrer said: "My generation has to live with the consequences of decisions that we didn't make. It's frustrating, but I still have hope that changes are possible." The song is further described as an appeal for peace.^[2]

Release

The music video for the song was released on 7 March 2023 on the official YouTube channel of the Eurovision Song Contest. The song was also released on digital platforms on the same day.^[4]

Eurovision Song Contest

Main article: Switzerland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2023

Selection

SRG SSR opened a submission period between 25 August 2022 and 8 September 2022 for interested artists and composers to submit their entries. Artists and songwriters of any nationality were able to submit songs; however those with a Swiss passport or residency were given priority.^[5] Songs shortlisted from the received submissions were then tested by their music producers with various artists and the combination of a 100-member public panel (50%) and the votes of a 23-member international expert jury (50%) selected the Swiss entry. The members of the public panel were Swiss residents put together according to selected criteria in cooperation with Digame, while the international jury consisted of members who had been national juries for their respective countries at the Eurovision Song Contest.^[6]

Remo Forrer was announced as the Swiss entrant for the contest on 20 February 2023.^[7] Forrer had previously participated in and won both the third season of the Swiss reality singing competition The Voice of Switzerland and one episode of German music game I Can See Your Voice.^[8][9] Forrer's song for the contest was revealed on 7 March 2023.^[10]

At Eurovision

According to Eurovision rules, all nations with the exceptions of the host country and the "Big Five" (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom) are required to qualify from one of two semi-finals in order to compete in the final; the top ten countries from each semi-final progress to the final. The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) split up the competing countries into five different "pots" based on voting patterns from previous contests, with countries with favourable voting histories put into the same pot. On 31 January 2023, an allocation draw was held to place each country into one of the two semi-finals, and determine which half of the semi-final show they would perform in. Switzerland was placed into the first semi-final and scheduled to perform in the second half of the show.^[11] At the end of the first semi-final, held on 9 May 2023, Switzerland qualified to the final,^[12] being the third nation to be announced as qualified and set to perform in the final on 13 May 2023. For the grand final, Switzerland was drawn to compete on the first half.^[13] Switzerland was subsequently placed to perform in position 3, following the entry from Portugal and before the entry from Poland.^[14]

Charts

Chart performance for "Watergun"

Chart (2023)	Peak position
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[15]	70
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[16]	26
Iceland (Tónlistinn)[17]	27
Lithuania (AGATA)[18]	27
Netherlands (Single Tip)[19]	17
Sweden Heatseeker (Sverigetopplistan)[20]	1
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[21]	2
UK Singles Downloads (OCC)[22]	26

Certifications

Certifications and sales for "Watergun"

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[23]	Platinum	15,000^‡
^‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

1. "Remo Forrer tritt mit Pop-Ballade an". persoenlich.com (in German). Persoenlich. 7 March 2023. Retrieved 9 March 2023.
2. ""Watergun" von Remo Forrer - Wie viele Punkte holen wir mit diesem ESC-Song?". srf.ch (in German). Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen (SRF). 7 March 2023. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
3. "«The Voice»-Gewinner - Eurovision Song Contest 2023: Remo Forrer singt für die Schweiz". srf.ch (in German). SRF. 20 February 2023. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
4. Cassellini, Stefano (7 March 2023). "Switzerland: Remo Forrer releases Watergun!". esctoday.com. ESCToday. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
5. "ESC - Herzlichen Dank für die zahlreichen Songs!". Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen (SRF) (in German). 12 July 2022. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
6. Granger, Anthony (29 November 2022). "🇨🇭 Switzerland: Final Round of Jury Assessment for Eurovision 2023 Entry Underway". Eurovoix. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
7. "Remo Forrer will represent Switzerland at Eurovision 2023". eurovision.tv. 20 February 2023. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
8. "St. Galler gewinnt "The Voice of Switzerland"". Blick (in Swiss High German). 7 April 2020. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
9. Bernet, Remo (1 August 2022). "Corona versaute "The Voice"-Sieger den Durchbruch". Blick (in Swiss High German). Retrieved 7 March 2023.
10. Bijuvignesh, Darshan (7 March 2023). "🇨🇭 Switzerland: Eurovision 2023 Entry to be Revealed on March 7". Eurovoix. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
11. "Eurovision 2023: Allocation Draw results". eurovision.tv. 31 January 2023. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
12. "Eurovision 2023: The First Semi-Final Qualifiers". eurovision.tv. 9 May 2023. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
13. "Eurovision 2023: The Grand Finalists draw their halves in the running order". Eurovision.tv. EBU. 6 May 2023. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
14. "Eurovision 2023: The Grand Final running order". Eurovision.tv. EBU. 11 May 2023. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
15. "Single Charts vom 23. Mai 2023". Ö3 Austria Top 40. 8 November 2019. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
16. "Remo Forrer: Watergun" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
17. "Tónlistinn – Lög" [The Music – Songs] (in Icelandic). Plötutíðindi. Retrieved 21 May 2023.
18. "2023 20-os savaitės klausomiausi (Top 100)" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. 19 May 2023. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
19. "Dutch Single Tip 20/05/2023". dutchcharts.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 20 May 2023.
20. "Veckolista Heatseeker, vecka 20". Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
21. "Remo Forrer – Watergun". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 21 May 2023.
22. "Official Singles Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
23. "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('Watergun')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 September 2024.

Awards and achievements
Preceded by Marius Bear with "Boys Do Cry"	Switzerland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2023	Succeeded by TBD