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Nemo (Nemo Mettler, born August 3, 1999, in Biel, Switzerland) is a Swiss artist, songwriter, rapper, producer and multi-instrumentalist. Nemo gained international recognition after winning the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 with «The Code», a song combining pop, rap and elements of operatic vocals. Before Eurovision, Nemo was already well known in Switzerland thanks to songs such as «Himalaya», «Ke Bock» and «Du». After the victory, Nemo moved toward an international pop career and released the debut studio album «Arthouse» in 2025.
Childhood and early musical training
Nemo was born and raised in the bilingual city of Biel/Bienne in the canton of Bern. Nemo’s father, Markus Mettler, worked in advertising and the creative industry, while their mother, Nadja Schnetzler, is a journalist. The family also included a younger sister, Ella, who later became involved in Nemo’s visual projects.
Music entered Nemo’s life at a very early age. At around three years old, Nemo began learning violin, later adding piano and drums. As a child, Nemo performed in children’s operas, and at the age of 13 received a role in a production of the musical «Ich war noch niemals in New York», built around the songs of Udo Jürgens. Participation in a professional theatre production provided Nemo with their first sustained experience of performing on a large stage.
At the same time, Nemo became interested in rap, began writing lyrics independently, creating beats and recording original compositions. Even as a teenager, their interests extended beyond performance to music production.
Clownfisch and early releases
In 2015, Nemo released the early EP «Clownfisch». The release did not yet bring major commercial recognition, but it demonstrated the direction in which the young musician was developing: Swiss German rap combined with melodic vocals, humor and self-produced music.
During this period, Nemo was primarily seen as a representative of the new Swiss rap scene, but already stood apart from more traditional hip-hop through the free use of singing, piano and elements of musical theatre.
Breakthrough at SRF Bounce Cypher
Nemo’s real national breakthrough came in 2016. At the age of 16, Nemo performed at the major rap session SRF Virus Bounce Cypher, which annually brought together dozens of representatives of Swiss hip-hop. Video of the performance quickly spread across social media and attracted the attention of the music industry.
That same year, the single «Himalaya» entered the Swiss chart and peaked at number 27. It was followed by «Ke Bock», which spent 28 weeks on the national chart and received a gold certification.
Du and the Swiss rap period
One of Nemo’s most successful early songs was «Du», released in September 2017. The track reached number 4 on the Swiss chart and remained in the ranking for 32 weeks. It was later certified platinum.
During this period, Nemo released the EPs «Momänt-Kids» and «Fundbüro». On these projects, Nemo continued combining rap in Swiss German with pop melodies, sung passages and original instrumental ideas.
This success led to a series of professional awards. In 2017, Nemo received recognition through SRF 3 Best Talent, and in 2018 won four Swiss Music Awards at once, including Best Male Solo Act, Best Breaking Act, Best Live Act and Best Hit for «Du».
Searching for a new musical direction
By the end of the 2010s, Nemo gradually began moving away from the image of an exclusively Swiss rapper. After songs such as «Crush uf di», «5i uf de Uhr», «365» and other releases, increasing attention was given to international songwriting and English-language music.
A transitional period began around 2020. Nemo wrote and produced music for other artists, worked outside Switzerland, spent time in Los Angeles and Berlin and experimented with pop, electronic and alternative sounds.
In 2022, Nemo released the English-language EP «WHATEVER FEELS RIGHT», which included «lonely af», «be like you», «messing with my mind», «own sh¡t», «fading away» and the collaboration «f*ck love» with Anthony de la Torre. The release differed noticeably from Nemo’s earlier dialect rap and marked a clear move toward the international pop scene.
Non-binary identity and This Body
In November 2023, Nemo publicly came out as non-binary. In English, the artist uses the pronouns they/them. In German, Nemo has asked people to avoid traditional gendered pronouns equivalent to «he» or «she» where possible and prefers constructions using the name Nemo.
The song «This Body» belongs to this period and addresses the relationship with one’s own body and the search for a comfortable sense of self. The theme of self-definition soon became central to the most important song of Nemo’s career.
The Code
«The Code» was created in 2023 during a songwriting session for Eurovision. Alongside Nemo, the song was written by Benjamin Alasu, Lasse Nyman and Linda Dale.
The track is built around abrupt genre changes. Rap, drum & bass, contemporary pop, orchestral elements and near-operatic vocals all appear within a single composition. This structure directly reflects Nemo’s musical biography: from childhood classical training and musical theatre to Swiss rap and electronic pop production.
The lyrics of «The Code» focus on the search for personal identity and the rejection of the need to choose exclusively between male and female gender categories. The title uses the metaphor of a «code» that must be deciphered or broken in order to understand oneself.
Eurovision 2024
Swiss broadcaster SRG SSR selected Nemo internally to represent Switzerland at the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 in Malmö. «The Code» was released on February 29, 2024, and was already considered one of the main favorites before the contest began.
In the final on May 11, 2024, Nemo performed on a small circular platform that continuously changed its angle. The staging required a combination of a technically demanding vocal performance with almost constant physical movement.
Nemo received 591 points and finished in first place. Professional juries awarded Switzerland 365 points, the highest jury score of the evening. Croatia finished second with Baby Lasagna and the song «Rim Tim Tagi Dim».
The victory was Switzerland’s third, following Lys Assia in 1956 and Céline Dion in 1988, and the country’s first in 36 years. Nemo also became the first openly non-binary winner of the contest.
After the victory
After Eurovision, «The Code» reached number one in Switzerland and entered the charts in numerous European countries. The single received platinum and gold certifications in several markets and became Nemo’s first truly international hit.
In 2025, the success of «The Code» brought Nemo two more Swiss Music Awards: Best Solo Act National and Best Hit National.
Following the victory, Nemo also publicly advocated for improving the legal status of non-binary people in Switzerland, including the possibility of official recognition of gender identity outside binary categories. The issue generated significant public and political discussion.
Eurostar
The first major single after Eurovision was «Eurostar», released in October 2024. The song retained the energetic electronic character of «The Code», but was aimed more directly at club-oriented pop and a new international audience.
The title refers to the Eurostar high-speed trains and conveys the feeling of constant movement between European cities, which became part of Nemo’s life after the Eurovision victory.
Casanova, Unexplainable and the new pop period
In 2025, Nemo released «Casanova», «Unexplainable», «God's a Raver» and «Hocus Pocus». These recordings shaped a new creative phase: instead of the genre collage of «The Code», Nemo increasingly explored art-pop, synth-pop, disco, glam-pop and electronic music.
«Unexplainable» was first presented to a wide audience during the Eurovision Song Contest 2025 in Basel, where Nemo returned to the competition as the previous year’s winner.
Arthouse
On October 10, 2025, Nemo released «Arthouse», their first full-length studio album. Before that, Nemo’s discography had consisted mainly of EPs and standalone singles.
The album contains 14 tracks:
- «Front Door»;
- «Ride My Baby»;
- «God's A Raver»;
- «Casanova»;
- «Eurostar»;
- «Arthouse»;
- «Easy»;
- «Hocus Pocus»;
- «Frog Swamp» featuring Mia Gladstone;
- «Black Hole»;
- «One More Shot»;
- «Unexplainable»;
- «I Got High at the Party»;
- «The Code».
«Arthouse» combines glam-pop, electronic music, art-pop, disco and elements of baroque pop. Among the influences Nemo cited for this period were Prince, David Bowie, Björk and Michael Jackson. International songwriters and producers contributed to the material, while recording and production took place across several European music centers, including London and Paris.
In Switzerland, the album debuted at number 3 on the national chart.
Musical style
Nemo’s career can be divided into several clearly distinct phases. The early recordings were built around rap in Swiss German, melodic choruses and self-produced beats. The English-language period of the early 2020s moved the music closer to alternative pop and electronic music.
«The Code» became the culmination of Nemo’s genre-blending approach: rap sits alongside drum & bass, orchestral transitions and operatic passages. On «Arthouse», this freedom remained, but shifted toward theatrical art-pop, glam, disco and electronic dance music.
The visual and performance side of Nemo’s work is no less important than the studio sound. Their musical theatre experience can be seen in movement, costumes, use of stage space and the ambition to turn every major song into a self-contained visual performance.
Main discography
Studio album
- Arthouse — 2025
EPs
- Clownfisch — 2015
- Momänt-Kids — 2017
- Fundbüro — 2017
- WHATEVER FEELS RIGHT — 2022
Nemo in contemporary European pop music
Nemo’s story differs from the typical career of an artist who becomes known through Eurovision. By the time of the contest, Nemo already had almost a decade of professional experience behind them: musical theatre, the Swiss rap scene, national hits, several EPs, production work and a gradual transition toward English-language music.
«The Code» became the point where nearly all of Nemo’s previous directions came together: classical musical training, rap, vocals, electronic production and theatrical staging. The Eurovision victory transformed an artist already well known in Switzerland into an international name, while «Arthouse» confirmed the transition from a national rap career to an independent European art-pop project.
