Takasa
| Takasa | |
|---|---|
 From left to right: Katharina, Jonas, Christoph, Sarah, Emil and Michel | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as | Heilsarmee |
| Origin | Switzerland |
| Years active | 2012–2013 |
| Labels | HitMill Records |
| Website |
www |
| Members |
Sarah Breiter Jonas Gygax Katharina Hauri Christoph Jakob Emil Ramsauer Michel Sterckx |
Takasa was a Swiss musical group that represented Switzerland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2013 in Malmö, Sweden.[1] The group consisted of six Salvation Army soldiers.[2]
Career
Eurovision Song Contest 2013
The band, originally named 'Heilsarmee', participated in the Swiss national final with the song "You and Me". They qualified to the national final through the online selection organized by SF. On 15 December 2012, they won the Swiss national final, therefore they represented Switzerland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2013.
On 17 December 2012, the European 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 the rules 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 the Swahili verb "to purify," but it has been noted to be an acronym of "The Artists Known As Salvation Army" (an allusion to The Artist Formerly Known As Prince).[4] This is also similar to the time when the Sex Pistols toured under the name 'Spots' (Sex Pistols On Tour, 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]
Subsequent career and dissolution
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]
Discography
Singles
| Title | Year | Chart positions | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| SWI [7] | |||
| "You and Me" | 2012 | 21 | TBA |
References
- ↑ "Switzerland has chosen for Malmö: It is Heilsarmee". Esctoday.com. 2012-12-15. Retrieved 2013-10-21.
- ↑ "Switzerland: Heilsarmee to Malmö! | escXtra". Escxtra.com. 2012-12-15. Retrieved 2013-10-21.
- ↑ Floras, Stella (17 December 2012). "Swiss Salvation Army name and uniform cannot be used in Malmö". esctoday.com.
- ↑ ""Waterfall" von Nodi & Sophie (Georgien)". ESC Music. 2013-04-25. Retrieved 2013-10-21.
- ↑ "Switzerland: New name, outfit and video for Heilsarmee!". ESCToday.com. Retrieved 14 March 2013.
- ↑ Künzi, Stefan (21 May 2015). "Takasa – das war einmal". Berner Zeitung. Retrieved 25 May 2015.
- ↑ "Heilsarmee - Songs" (in German). Hitparade.ch. Hung Medien. Retrieved 2 January 2013.
| Preceded by Sinplus with "Unbreakable" |
Switzerland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2013 |
Succeeded by Sebalter with "Hunter of Stars" |
