Zibbz are the Swiss siblings Corinne and Stefan Gfeller. They have 2 sutdio albums, a few solo singles and even a 4 year running reality show. Music is one of the most important things in their dynamic and adventurous lifestyle. Their hard work has given them the opportunity to represent Switzerland at this year's Eurovison Song Contest.
Who are Corinne and Stefan? Tell us more about yourselves.
We're a Swiss sibling duo – home in Los Angeles & Zurich. Living for music – with no plan B.
How do you feel after you were chosen to represent Switzerland at Eurovision 2018?
Crazyness! It's the first time ever that we won something and we feel very proud to know our country supports our music!
Tell us more about your song. What is the message behind it?
We wrote «Stones» in a songwrite-camp with the Canadian songwriter Laurell Barker. The message is something which moves us all deeply and sadly still is a problem in today's world. It's about inclusion, equality, diversity and tolerance. It's a call to stand up against bullying and hate.
With that being said, have you met people who “throw stones” at you? How do you deal with such situations and what is your advice to people who are struggling with bullying and with living the way they want to?
Yes, we have experienced bullying just like many other kids have. The only thing one can do is learn to stand up for themselves or talk to someone who will (like a friend, parents, teacher). WE as humanity have to stand up and speak out about this problem. As long as we are quiet, the bullying continues. And of course the worst kind of bullying is self-bullying, which we can only stop by learning to love ourselves for who we are. with our flaws, our scars, our decisions.. it’s all part of who we are.
You had a wonderful staging for your National Final performance. Are you going to keep it for Lisbon or are you preparing something new?
We have designed an amazing little set-up for the Swiss final show and we know were going to give 120% and enjoy every minute. That's all we can do. The rest is up to the audience!
As far as we know, your favourite Eurovision song is “Calm After the Storm”. Now you are about to take part in the Contest together with Waylon from The Common Linnets. How do you feel about this and what are you going to tell him when you meet?
Yes, we just found out he will be performing too and we can’t wait to meet him! They are a big reason why we dared to take part in this year’s Eurovision Song Contest and we will definitely want to thank him for the inspiration!
Is it hard to often switch between Switzerland and the USA? How different is the life so far away?
It’s a blessing to be able to live in both worlds. We love L.A. as it gives us the artistic freedom to be who we are and experiment with new music, but we also love Switzerland for grounding us and giving us roots!
What do your friends there think about your participation in Eurovision? Do they know anything about the contest and are you trying to make more American people interested in it?
Of course our friends are very excited and will be watching from all over the world!
How did you decide to take part in Die Entscheidungsshow? Did you want to do it earlier or something told you that exactly this year you will succeed?
The idea originally came from friends who worked at the ESC themselves. Of course we always used to watch the ESC with our family when we were kids. But we never felt that we had the right song to compete. With «Stones» we finally felt that we had a song in hand that has the potential to make a little difference in this world.
Back when you were kids, were you close and did you use to fight often like typical siblings? Are there still any funny or childish situations now when you make music together?
Yes, of course we fight! But we've been a team for so long… we learned to leave the sibling fights for after work. 🙂
Hear "Stones" here:
Photo by TOMO Muscionico