Gjon's Tears | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Muharremaj in 2022 | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as | Gjon's Tears |
| Born | Gjon Muharremaj (1998-06-29)29 June 1998 (age 27) |
| Origin | Broc, Switzerland |
| Genres | Pop |
| Occupations |
|
| Instrument(s) | Piano, Classical guitar |
| Years active | 2011–present |
| Labels | Jo & Co |
| Member of | Gjon's Tears and the Weeping Willows |
Gjon Muharremaj (Albanian:[ɟɔnmuhaˈrɛmaj]; born 29 June 1998), known professionally asGjon's Tears, is a Swiss singer and songwriter. He was scheduled torepresent Switzerland in theEurovision Song Contest 2020 with the song "Répondez-moi" prior to the event's cancellation. He was internally selected again as thecountry's representative for the2021 contest with "Tout l'univers". He finished in third place with 432 points, at the time the best placing forSwitzerland since1993.
Muharremaj was born inSaanen,Bern, Switzerland[1] to aKosovo Albanian father fromGjinoc, part ofSuharekë[2] municipality in Kosovo, and anAlbanian mother fromTirana, Albania.[3][4][5][6] His father, Hysni, is a crane operator and mason. His mother, Elda, has worked in theCailler chocolate factory after the family moved toBroc in 2000.
He grew up inBroc, where he playedfootball and didkarate. When he was 7 years old, he discovered his passion for music during music class. Two years later he acquired his stage name after moving his grandfather to tears when he performedElvis Presley's "Can't Help Falling in Love". In 2011, at the age of 12, he competed in thefirst season of the talent showAlbanians Got Talent, placing third in the final.[7][8] One year later, he reached the semi-final of Die grössten Schweizer Talente, the Swiss version ofGot Talent.[9]
In 2018, he started his band Gjon’s Tears and the Weeping Willows, consisting of himself and Gaëtan Guélat (drummer), Martino Lepori (guitarist), Pascal Stoll (guitarist) and Samuel Riedo (bassist).
In 2019, he auditioned for theeighth season of the French singing competitionThe Voice:la plus belle voix and reached the semi-finals with TeamMika.[10]
| The Voice: la plus belle voix performances and results | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Round | Song | Original artist(s) | Result |
| Blind Audition | "Christine" | Christine and the Queens | JoinedTeam Mika |
| The Battles | "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" | Elton John &George Michael | Winner |
| The Knockouts | "Under Pressure" | Queen &David Bowie | Advanced |
| Live Show 1 | "SOS d'un terrien en détresse" | Daniel Balavoine | Advanced |
| Live Show 2 | "Rocket Man" | Elton John | Advanced |
| Semi-Final | "Relax, Take It Easy" | Mika | Eliminated |
| "Life on Mars" | David Bowie | ||
In the summer of 2019, the band performed at Swiss music festivals following Gjon’sThe Voice participation, including theMontreux Jazz Festival, Les Georges, and Les Francomanias.
In March 2020, Gjon's Tears was announced by the Swiss national broadcaster,Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SRG SSR), as thecountry's representative at theEurovision Song Contest 2020 with the song "Répondez-moi".[7] However, following the contest's cancellation due to theCOVID-19 pandemic in Europe, the broadcaster announced that he wouldrepresent the country at theEurovision Song Contest 2021 with a new song. His 2021 entry, "Tout l'univers" was released on 10 March 2021.[11][12] "Tout l'univers" placed first in its semi-final. In the final, it won the jury vote and came sixth in the televote. Switzerland placed third overall, behindFrance and eventual winnerItaly. Gjon's Tears, along with the song's producers, won the Composer Award in the 2021 edition of theMarcel Bezençon Awards, voted on by a panel of participating composers in the 2021 contest.[13] In 2021, he gave an interview forVanity Teen magazine, talking about his success, the origin of his stage name and his result in the Eurovision Song Contest.[14]
In late 2021, he participated inThe Voice All Stars France, but was eliminated in the semi-final.
| The Voice All-Stars performances and results | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Round | Song | Original artist(s) | Result |
| Blind Audition | "Corps" | Yseult | Joined TeamZazie |
| Cross-Battle | "Smalltown Boy" | Bronski Beat | Advanced |
| Semi-Final | "Sur un prélude de Bach" | Maurane | Eliminated |
In November 2021, Gjon was announced as Best Swiss Act at theMTV Europe Music Awards inBudapest. In March 2022, Gjon moved from Switzerland toParis.
In March 2022, he was one of the 10 juries for theFrench national final for theEurovision Song Contest 2022, called; Eurovision France: C’est vous qui décidez!”.[15]
He released his sixth single, "Pure" on 28 October 2022, with the music video being released the following month. This music video includes 11 art-inspired scenes and a short appearance ofGeraldine Chaplin.[16]
His debut albumThe Game was released on 28 April 2023.[17]
Gjon was present at theEurovision Song Contest 2025 inBasel, performing his 2020 Eurovision entry "Répondez-moi" as a part of the interval act in the second semi-final of the2025 contest, alongside other 2020 contestantsDestiny Chukunyere,the Roop, andSamira Efendi, who also performed their respective songs of 2020. Additionally, Gjon also performed his 2021 entry "Tout l'univers" as a part of the interval act in the final, alongside other previous Swiss representativesLuca Hänni,Paola andPeter, Sue and Marc.
| Title | Details | Peak chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| SWI [18] | ||
| The Game |
| 11 |
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album or EP | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SWI [18] | ALB [19] | BEL (FL) [20] | FIN [21] | GER [22] | IRE [23] | NLD [24] | NOR [25] | SWE [26] | UK [27] | |||
| "Babi" | 2018 | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | The Game |
| "Back in Light" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album singles | |
| "Répondez-moi" | 2020 | 42 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "Tout l'univers" | 2021 | 1 | — | 50 | 5 | 86 | 52 | 16 | 36 | 21 | 93 | The Game |
| "Silhouette" | 2022 | — | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "Pure" | — | 9 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Midnight in Paris" | 2023 | — | 5 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "Disco" | — | 15 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Cancer" (withIbrahim Maalouf) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Balloons" (with Bart Derylo and Szymon Justyński) | 2025 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album singles |
| "Oret e fundit" (withAdelina Thaqi) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Set Me Free" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "L'eclat de Nous" (with Philippine Lavrey) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Où est mon amour" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | ||||||||||||
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| ALB [28] | |||
| "Dance Me" (Arilena Ara featuring Gjon's Tears) | 2021 | 10 | Pop Art |
| "Heavenbound" (Marina Kaye featuring Gjon's Tears; French Version) | 2023 | — | Non-album singles |
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | |||
| Year | Award | Nomination | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Marcel Bezençon Awards | Composer Award | "Tout l'univers" | Won[29] |
| 2021 | MTV Europe Music Awards | Best Swiss Act | Himself | Won[30] |
| 2023 | MTV Europe Music Awards | Best Swiss Act | Himself | Won[31] |
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Switzerland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020(cancelled) | Succeeded by Himself with "Tout l'Univers" |
| Preceded by Himself with "Répondez-moi" | Switzerland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2021 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
|---|---|
| Artists | |
