Germany: Watch photos from the rehearsals

Guten Morgen Europe and Australia; Cologne calling! The big final of “Unser Song für Stockholm” will take place tonight. Ten acts are in the race and the public will decide who will fly the German flag in Stockholm this May.

ESCDaily.com is in Cologne and followed the rehearsals of the ten participants for you. In this post you can see  pictures we have exclusively taken for you and read first impressions concerning the finalists and their performances tonight. Tonight’s grand final will be hosted by popular TV host Barbara Schöneberger who will also present tomorrow’s grand final. Make sure to follow ESCDaily throughout the day and our live blog tonight as we will discuss and bring you the latest news concerning the German national final.

Jamie-lee

“The Voice of Germany 2015” Jamie-Lee Kriewitz does not only rely on her powerful voice and her vocal skills but also on her striking visual appearance and style as she is dressed in a way that is reminiscent of the popular Korean/visula kei scene. For her song “Ghost” Jamie-Lee transforms the stage into a mystic forest with a moon in the background and several trees as props.

EllaEndlich

Just like the title of her song “Adrenalin” Ella Endlich hopes to raise the adrenaline of the German televoters with a typical and catchy German schlager track…and a lot of nude skin and shirtless background dancers wearing heels and crawling sexually on stage.

Joco

Joco, a duo consisting of the two sisters Cosima and Josepha, dedicate their indie-pop-track “Full Moon” to the…moon. Hence, their stage setting and performance is characterised by a huge moon including different projections and hanging in between them as a prop.

greg

The choir Gregorian, which is world-wide known for combining Gregorian with popular music, are not only “Masters of Chant” but also masters of entertainment as they fill the stage not only with fog, fire and several pyrotchnical effects but also with their glittery gowns and hand lasers into the audience. This act would definitely not remain unnoticed in Stockholm.

woods

The frontman of Woods of Birnam, Christian Friedel, gives a very powerful, energetic and mesmerising performance. The pop band manages to spread some good mood and lift the audience up…just like their song’s title and the colourful background graphics and visuals saying “Lift Me Up (From the Underground)”.

Luxuslärm

The pop-rock-band Luxuslärm hope to fly the German flag in Stockholm with their German song “Solange Liebe in mir wohnt”. They rely on a rather simple performance on stage and front singer Janine Meyer’s vocal skills…and some flashy and colourful props in the form of diamonds hanging from the ceiling.

keomagermany

For their song “Protected” Keoma offer the most minimalistic and static performance of all finalists. During the press conference they were kidding and ridiculing exaggerated stage presentations saying that Germany can expect glitter, explosions, tigers and elephants on stage. The duo consits of Chris Klopfer from Cologne and Kat Frankie who lives in Berlin but was born and raised in Australia.

Avantasia

Avantasia, on the other hand, present their energetic front singer Tobias Sammet who plays strongly with the camera next to their heavy band equipment, flashing and very striking background graphics of thunders and roses that are accompanied by fog, fire and pyrotechnical effects. Their entry “Mystery of a Blood Red Rose” is reminiscent of classical 80’s rock and Meat Loaf songs.

alex

Alex Diehl wrote and composed “Nur ein Lied” as a reaction to the terroristic November 2015 attacks in Paris. Critics were wondering how he could spread his message of peace (a matter and subject of our days) as the lyrics are written in German…Alex came up with a simple but effective solution: the lyrics get displayed in the background in German, English and French. Furthermore, he sings the final lines in English and French. Alex Diehl delivers a simple but very emotional and effective performance on stage. A singer, his guitar and a message of peace as German entry? Seems kind of familiar to me…

LauraPinski

After 12 years of absence at the German national final Mr. Eurovision Germany himself, Ralph Siegel, is back in the game tonight. After several attempts with San Marino throughout the last years Siegel tries his luck in Germany again…His hopeful this time is Laura Pinski, a finalist of “Das Supertalent”. Their song? A typical but outdated Eurovision ballad that might have succeeded 20 years ago. Laura wears a long glittery white dress that is spread out on stage and forming the shape of the sun. Several light effects and visulas are projected on her dress, which is more than reminiscent of Russia’s entry last year in Vienna.

Who is your favourite for tomorrow? Let us know in the comments down below!

*Note to photos: all copyrights belong to ESC Daily (Michael Vollmer)