The Albany Gazette - Eurovision winner Nemo gets hero's welcome in Swiss hometown

Five weeks on from taking the crown at the glitzy annual television spectacular in Malmo, the 24-year-old was back in Biel for a special ceremony laid on by the town -- which now hopes to host next year's Eurovision thanks to Nemo's triumph.

Nemo took to the stage in a giant pink fur hat, despite the 22 degrees Celsius (72 degrees Fahrenheit) summer evening heat, and blew kisses to the crowd, which chanted their name.

The Eurovision finals were watched by 163 million viewers, but in Biel around 2,000 locals were in the old town's main square to watch Nemo receive a trophy and a giant bunch of flowers, and perform "The Code".

The highly personal song encapsulated Nemo's journey towards realising their non-binary gender identity.

"Thank you, everyone. I want to say it's a great honour to be here, and I love you, Biel," the singer said.

Nemo flashed a love heart symbol at fans, with many passing over cards and drawings.

Known by both its German and French names, Biel/Bienne in northwest Switzerland is the largest bilingual city in the country and the heart of the Alpine nation's watchmaking industry.

Nemo last week announced a 24-date, 17-country European concert tour entitled "Break The Code", to take place in March and April next year.

As per tradition, Switzerland will host Eurovision next year.

Biel, in the canton of Bern, is looking at the possibility of co-hosting the event in tandem with the national capital, though bigger cities like Zurich and Geneva might get the nod.

(S.Perez--TAG)