Takasa | |
|---|---|
 From left to right: Hauri, Gygax, Jakob, Breiter, Ramsauer and Sterckx | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as | Heilsarmee |
| Origin | Switzerland |
| Years active | 2012–2013 |
| Labels | HitMill Records |
| Members | Sarah Breiter Jonas Gygax Katharina Hauri Christoph Jakob Emil Ramsauer (deceased) Michel Sterckx |
Takasa (formerlyHeilsarmee) was a Swiss musical group thatrepresented Switzerland in theEurovision Song Contest 2013 inMalmö, Sweden.[1] The group consisted of sixSalvation Armysoldiers.[2]
The band participated in the Swiss national final with the song "You and Me". They qualified to the national final through theonline selection organized by SF. On 15 December 2012, they won the Swiss national final, therefore theyrepresented Switzerland in theEurovision Song Contest 2013.
On 17 December 2012, theEuropean Broadcasting Union (EBU) announced that the band would not be permitted to compete under the name "Heilsarmee" (German for "Salvation Army") at the Eurovision Song Contest, in accordance with therules of the contest forbidding political and religious content.[3] In March 2013, the group announced that they would be known as "Takasa" for the contest; officially, the name was taken from theSwahili verb "to purify", but it has been noted to be an acronym of "TheArtistsKnownAsSalvationArmy" (an allusion toThe Artist Formerly Known As Prince).[4] This is also similar to the time when theSex Pistols toured under the name "Spots" (SexPistolsOnTour,Secretly.)
The members of the band have a major age difference, as the oldest member, bassist Emil Ramsauer, was 95 (born 1918), and their youngest member, singer Sarah Breiter, was 22 (born 1991), at the time of their Eurovision performance. The band also wore different outfits for Eurovision, barred from wearing Salvation Army uniforms by the same rules.[5]
After their Eurovision appearance, the group performed only a few more times at local events in Switzerland. By 2015, according to Christoph Jakob, the group had ceased to exist, because the other professional responsibilities of its members made its continuance impractical.[6]
In 2018, Ramsauer became the first Eurovision artist toturn 100 years of age. Ramsauer's death was announced on 22 December 2021, at the age of 103.[7]
| Title | Year | Chart positions | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| SWI [8] | |||
| "You and Me" | 2012 | 21 | TBA |
| Preceded by | Switzerland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2013 | Succeeded by |
