Tusse Explained

Tusse
Background:solo_singer
Birth Name:Toussaint Michael Chiza
Birth Date:1 January 2002
Birth Place:Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Origin:Leksand, Sweden
Years Active:2018–present
Label:Universal Music AB

Toussaint Michael Chiza (born 1 January 2002), better known as Tusse, is a Congolese-Swedish singer who represented Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest 2021.[1]

Life and career

Chiza was born in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.[2] When he was five years old, he had to flee his country. He lived in Uganda in a refugee camp with his aunt for three years and then came to Sweden. There, he lived in the village of Kullsbjörken, near Leksand, where he has resided since 2015.[3] [4] He participated as a singer in the Swedish talent show Talang 2018 (as Tousin Chiza) which was also broadcast on TV4; he made it to the semifinals before being eliminated.[5] He received praise for his semifinal performance from judge Bianca Ingrosso.[6] Tusse was a finalist in Swedish Idol 2019,[7] broadcast on TV4, alongside Freddie Liljegren, and was ultimately declared the winner in the final.[8] [9]

After winning Swedish Idol, he released three singles, two of them songs he performed on Idol: a cover of Whitney Houston's "How Will I Know" on 22 November 2019 as a Top 12 contestant.[7] And as the winner, he released his version of the season's winning song, "Rain", on 3 December 2019.[10] As a result of his victory, he got to release his debut single as a CD single as well as on the iTunes Store. His third single is called "Innan du går"[11]

Tusse participated in Melodifestivalen 2021 with the song "Voices".[12] He qualified directly to the final, scheduled for 13 March 2021, and ultimately won with 175 points.[13] [14] As a result, he represented Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest 2021 in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.[15] [16]

After his first Eurovision rehearsal Tusse was the victim of racist comments on social media.[17]

In the semi-final Tusse managed to qualify for the final on 22 May.[18] In the final he reached 14th place with his song.[19] After Eurovision, he did an interview with the magazine Vanity Teen in which he talked about his personal life, his experience in Eurovision and his future career.[20]

In June 2023, it was revealed that a film about Tusse's life was to be produced in 2024.[21]

Discography

Singles

TitleYearPeak chart positionsCertificationAlbum
SWE
[22]
IRE
[23]
LAT
[24]
NLD
[25]
NOR
[26]
UK
Down.

[27]
"How Will I Know"2019rowspan="13"
"Rain"63
"Innan du går"2020
"Jag tror på sommaren"
"Crash"
"Voices"20211 99 2 56 11 31
"Grow"[29]
"This Is Our Christmas Song"
"Happiness Before Love"2022
"Dream of Gold"
"I Wanna Be Someone Who's Loved"
"Home"2023
"I Won't Spend Christmas On My Own"[30]
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Eurovision Song Contest 2021: Sweden confirms Tusse will represent country in Rotterdam. 14 March 2021. 14 March 2021. Metro. 14 March 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210314114050/https://metro.co.uk/2021/03/14/eurovision-song-contest-2021-sweden-confirms-tusse-will-represent-country-in-rotterdam-14240500/. live.
  2. Web site: Tusse — from child refugee to Sweden's Eurovision Song Contest contender. New York Post. 12 April 2021. 15 April 2021. 14 April 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210414132657/https://nypost.com/2021/04/12/tusse-from-child-refugee-to-swedens-eurovision-song-contest/. live.
  3. https://www.thelocal.se/20210314/former-congo-child-refugee-chosen-as-swedens-eurovision-contender/ Sweden chooses former child refugee as Eurovision contender with record votes
  4. Web site: Tusse Chiza i Idol 2019: 6 saker du inte visste. Expressen. 11 October 2019 . 11 March 2021. sv. 19 March 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210319214432/https://www.expressen.se/noje/idol/6-saker-du-inte-visste-om-tusse-chiza-i-idol/. live.
  5. Web site: Tusse missade finalen när Talang-juryn röstade på en hund. Dalarnas Tidningar. 2 March 2018. 12 March 2021. 19 March 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210319214430/https://www.dt.se/artikel/tusse-missade-finalen-nar-talang-juryn-rostade-pa-en-hund. live.
  6. Web site: Tusse missade finalen när Talang-juryn röstade på en hund. Ragna. Fahl. Er. Ragna.fahl. 2 March 2018. Dalademokraten. 13 March 2021. 19 March 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210319214431/https://www.dalademokraten.se/artikel/tusse-missade-finalen-nar-talang-juryn-rostade-pa-en-hund. live.
  7. Web site: Tusse is juggling representing Sweden at Eurovision with high school graduation. Emma. Kelly. 12 May 2021. 13 May 2021. Metro. 13 May 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210513073729/https://metro.co.uk/2021/05/12/eurovision-2021-sweden-entry-tusse-is-still-doing-homework-14569590/. live.
  8. Web site: Freddie och Tusse till "Idol"-final. Sydsvenskan. 29 November 2019 . 30 November 2019. 19 March 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210319214431/https://www.sydsvenskan.se/2019-11-29/freddie-och-tusse-till-idol-final. live.
  9. News: Semifinalen av "Idol" 2019 – minut för minut. Aftonbladet. 30 November 2019. 5 December 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20191205200642/https://www.aftonbladet.se/a/Wbyxvg. live.
  10. Web site: "Idol"-finalisterna försöker sjunga liv i en plastmugg. Aftonbladet. 6 December 2019 . 11 March 2021. 19 March 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210319214432/https://www.aftonbladet.se/a/qL84Em. live.
  11. Web site: SONG: Tusse – 'Innan Du Går'. 15 April 2020. 11 March 2021. Scandipop. 19 March 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210319214445/https://scandipop.co.uk/song-tusse-innan-du-gar/. live.
  12. https://www.thelocal.se/20210310/watch-these-are-swedens-contenders-for-eurovision-song-contest/?amp These are Sweden's contenders for the Eurovision Song Contest
  13. Web site: LISTA: De tävlar i Melodifestivalen 2021. Aftonbladet. December 2020 . 4 December 2020. 19 March 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210319214449/https://www.aftonbladet.se/a/0KBPqE. live.
  14. News: Perrelli och Tusse till final i Melodifestivalen. Björn Berglund /. TT. 20 February 2021. 4 March 2021. Svenska Dagbladet. 19 March 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210319214438/https://www.svd.se/mello-deltavlingen-igang--med-tva-stora-favoriter. live.
  15. Web site: Tusse triumphs at Melodifestivalen with 'Voices'. 13 March 2021. Eurovision.tv. 13 March 2021. 13 March 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210313205735/https://eurovision.tv/story/sweden-melodifestivalen-2021. live.
  16. Web site: From Swedish Idol to Eurovision star: the rise of Tusse – POPXD . 31 March 2023 . en-US . 31 March 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230331172405/https://popxd.com/tusse-swedish-idol-eurovision . live .
  17. Web site: Tusse and SVT respond to racist abuse following first rehearsal. Escxtra. 11 May 2021. 13 May 2021. 13 May 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210513152632/https://escxtra.com/2021/05/11/tusse-and-svt-respond-to-racist-abuse-following-first-rehearsal/. live.
  18. News: Lättad Tusse till final: "Världens urladdning". Sofia Sundström /. TT. 19 May 2021. 19 May 2021. Svenska Dagbladet. 18 May 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210518210432/https://www.svd.se/nu-galler-det-for-tusse. live.
  19. Web site: Tusse slutade på plats 14 – Italien vann för första gången på 31 år. Sveriges Radio. 22 May 2021. 22 May 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210522232102/https://sverigesradio.se/artikel/tusse-slutade-pa-plats-14-italien-vann-for-forsta-gangen-pa-31-ar. live.
  20. Web site: AdrianGE. Sweden's Eurovision Representative Tusse: I Am Living My Biggest Dream Right Now Vanity Teen 虚荣青年 Menswear & New Faces Magazine. 16 September 2021. www.vanityteen.com. 7 June 2021 . en-GB. 16 September 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210916115023/https://www.vanityteen.com/tusse-interview/. live.
  21. Web site: Nu blir Mello-vinnaren Tusses liv långfilm: "Ingen snyfthistoria". 2 June 2023. Aftonbladet. 30 December 2023.
  22. Web site: Discography Tusse. Swedish Charts Portal. Hung Medien. 5 March 2021. 19 March 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210319214438/https://swedishcharts.com/showinterpret.asp?interpret=Tusse. live.
  23. Web site: Discography Tusse. irish-charts.com. 29 May 2021. 24 June 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210624212118/http://irish-charts.com/showinterpret.asp?interpret=Tusse. live.
  24. Web site: EHR TOP 40 – 2021.06.11. European Hit Radio. 19 May 2023. 11 June 2021. lv. 19 May 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230519181619/https://www.ehrhiti.lv/arhivs/ehr-top-40?airDate=2021.06.11. live.
  25. Web site: Discografie Tusse. dutchcharts.nl. 29 May 2021. 13 June 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210613125912/https://dutchcharts.nl/showinterpret.asp?interpret=Tusse. live.
  26. Web site: VG-lista – Topp 20 Single 2021-21. VG-lista. 28 May 2021. 29 May 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210529005454/https://topplista.no/charts/singles/2021-w21/. live.
  27. Web site: Official Singles Downloads Chart: 28 May 2021 – 3 June 2021. Official Charts Company. 29 May 2021. 2 June 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210602213937/https://www.officialcharts.com/charts/singles-downloads-chart/20210528/7000. live.
  28. Web site: Veckolista Singlar, vecka 15. Sverigetopplistan. sv. 18 April 2021. 16 April 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210416122931/https://www.sverigetopplistan.se/chart/41?dspy=2021&dspp=15. live.
  29. Web site: Grow – Single by Tusse on Apple Music. Apple Music. 23 December 2021. 23 December 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211223155347/https://music.apple.com/us/album/grow-single/1588325580. live.
  30. Web site: New music from Eurovision artists: Christmas 2023 Part 1 . Wiwibloggs. 24 December 2023. 27 December 2023.