Public broadcaster ORF has released the names of nine candidates for the national final in Austria on the 12th of February. The tenth participant will be chosen on Facebook on January the 14th.
ORF, last year’s Eurovision host broadcaster, has revealed 9 out of the 10 acts that will take part in their national final, ”Wer Singt Für Österreich?” on the 12th of February in Vienna. The remaining act will be chosen through online voting on Facebook, where 5 acts are still in the race to get it.
The first 9 participants in the Austrian national final are:
- Bella Wagner – Weapons Down
- Elly – I’ll Be Around (Bounce)
- Farina Miss & Céline Roscheck – Sky Is The Limit
- Lia Weller – Runaway
- LiZZA – Psycho
- Orry Jackson – Pieces In A Puzzle
- Sankil Jones – One More Sound
- Vincent Bueno – All We Need Is That Love
- ZOË – Loin d’ici You can hear ZOË’s song on Spotify here.
ZOË also took part in Austria’s preselection last year. One last candidate is still missing in the above list. It is Facebook users that will take this decision on January the 14th, when everyone can visit the official ORF Facebook site and vote for their favourite.
The five acts competing for the wildcard ticket in the grand final show are:
- Laura Kamhuber – Stay Tonight (written by Ylva and Linda)
- Ola Egbowon
- AzRaH
- Sara Koell
- David Koell Siedl feat. Madelene & Mc Vio
The show will be broadcast live on February 12th at 20:15 CET. The presenters will be Andi Knoll, Austria’s well-known Eurovision commentator, and Alice Tumler, one of the hosts of the 2015 Eurovision Song Contest. The decision on who will fly the Austrian flag in Stockholm will be determined by a jury and televoting.
Austria in the Eurovision Song Contest
Austria has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 48 times since its debut in 1957. The country has won twice, in 1966, with the song Merci Chérie by Udo Jürgens, and in 2014, with the song Rise Like a Phoenix by Conchita Wurst. Austria currently holds the record for longest gap between wins, with forty-eight years between victories.
Austria finished last at its first attempt in the contest in 1957, before Liane Augustin gave the country its first top five result in 1958 ending fifth. Having finished sixth in 1964 and fourth in 1965, Udo Jürgens won the contest at his third attempt in 1966. This would be Austria’s only top three result of the 20th century. The country’s best result over the next forty-six years (1967–2013) would be a fifth place, which it achieved with Milestones in 1972, Waterloo & Robinson in 1976 and Thomas Forstner in 1989. Austria has finished last in the final a total of eight times: in 1957, 1961, 1962, 1979, 1984, 1988, 1991 and 2015. The country also finished last in the semi-final in 2012.
After a three-year absence, ORF announced on the 28th of July 2010 that Austria would return to the contest in 2011. Austria’s previous best result of the 21st century was sixth, achieved by Alf Poier in 2003, until the 2014 contest in Copenhagen where Austria achieved its second victory in the contest with Conchita Wurst finishing first with 290 points.
In 2015, Austria finished last at 26th place and scored nul points along with Germany; they thus became the first countries since the United Kingdom in 2003 to score nul points at the final. Austria also became the first host country to receive nul points as a result.
Below you can watch The Makemakes performing their song, I am Yours in the Eurovision Grand Final in Vienna:
