Two artists of Moroccan descent will compete at Eurovision 2023

The annual singing competition is set to take place in the UK this month

Swedish singer Loreen, left, and Canadian singer La Zarra will compete at Eurovision. Photos: AFP; Abacapress.com

Two artists of Moroccan descent will be representing different European nations at the Eurovision Song Contest 2023.

La Zarra, real name Fatima-Zahra Hafdi, was selected by France to represent the country at Eurovision. The self-taught urban pop musician was born in Montreal, Canada.

She will be performing Evidemment (Obviously) on stage at the grand final on Saturday as France is one of the Big Five countries that automatically qualify for this round of the competition. Evidemment is a disco-influenced pop song which she co-wrote.

La Zarra is the second Canadian singer to represent France in Eurovision. She first gained attention in 2016 for her debut single Printemps blanc (White Spring) in collaboration with French rapper Niro.

Sweden’s selection for the contest is singer and former winner Loreen, who was born to Moroccan Berber parents.

Loreen, real name Lorine Zineb Nora Talhaoui, first gained prominence in Sweden as a contestant on Swedish Idol in 2004 and then on Eurovision in 2012, which she won with her entry Euphoria. The pop ballad was a big hit and topped the charts in numerous European countries that same year.

This year Loreen will perform Tattoo at the first semi-final on Tuesday. The song won the Melodifestivalen 2023 competition, Sweden's national selection for Eurovision.

The single has since reached number one on the Swedish singles chart and has already amassed more than 50 million streams on Spotify.

Eurovision will be held in Liverpool with the first semi-finals on Tuesday, second semi-finals on Thursday and the grand final on Saturday. The winning country will host next year's competition.