Read back: Germany use a national final once again

The German broadcaster, NDR, will once again be responsible for selecting the German representative for Lisbon. Last year Germany came 2nd to last with ‘Perfect Life’ by Levina. Can they do better this year?

This years show going to be broadcast live from the Studio Berlin Adlershof in Berlin, and will be presented by Linda Zervakis and Elton. The show will begin at 20:15 CET and is available to watch live here. Our editor Sadie Trent will be providing the live blog for this national final.

The 6 competing artists, their songs, and songwriting teams are as follows:

Artist Song Songwriter(s)
Ivy Quainoo “House on Fire” Jörgen Elofsson, Ali Tamposi
Michael Schulte “You Let Me Walk Alone” Michael Schulte, Thomas Stengaard, Nisse Ingwersen, Nina Müller
Natia Todua “My Own Way” Loren Nine Geerts, Ricardo Bettiol, Martin Gallop, Jaro Omar
Ryk “You and I” Rick Jurthe
voXXclub “I mog Di so” Merty Bert, Mike Busse, Philipp Klemz, Lennard Oestmann, Joe Walter, Martin Simma
Xavier Darcy “Jonah” Xavier Darcy, Loren Nine Geerts, Axel Ehnström, Thomas Stengaard

Most recent comments will appear at the top. Times are in CET

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21:55

After a slight delay, the winner is… Michael Schulte with his song You Let Me Walk Alone. It was a very powerful performance so I hope with some vocal tweaking, it does well in Lisbon.

21:45

Lots of boos. The expert jury gave 5 points to voXXclub! Not expected at all!

21:42

Now we are getting a recap of all the songs that have been selected up until this point. The United Kingdom got the best reception from the studio audience in Berlin.

21:05 – Michael Schulte – You Let Me Walk Alone

This is a slow pop song, but not slow enough to be a ballad. He is using personal pictures in his staging and his the lyrics appear on the screen with these pictures to tell the story. He has strong vocals, and he knows how to portray emotion in a song and in his performance also. This is the most emotional performance tonight. The song does not pick up pace. The slow pace of this song is enough to tell the emotional story that is told on the screen. He is wearing a casual all black outfit so the attention is drawn to the screen behind him.

20:57 – Ivy Quainoo – House On Fire

This song starts of with a melodic beat and strong beat. This is cross between a ballad and pop. She is wearing all black but is also wearing gold body paint. This is a well choreographed piece. Her vocals soar during the end section of the song, and she keeps it up until the end. This is a faultless performance from Ivy. She is using live fire in her performance, and has the strongest reaction from the crowd so far, with only 1 more song to go.

20:50 – Xavier Darcy – Jonah

A solo male with a guitar. Spain that mistake last year. He is all over the place, it does not seem he has any clue what he is doing with his movement. It would be better if he just stood there, played the guitar and did not move at all. His vocals did improve but not dramatically. He is pronouncing all of his ‘t’s properly though.

20:39 – voXXclub – I like this

A 5 piece boyband. Oh my gosh! They are starting with yodelling! I thought we saw the last of this! They are giving off a proper farmer vibe (sorry it has to be said) They are dressed in very laid back outfits. Vocals are very cheesy, and that it is what you expect from a Eurovision song. They do harmonise well together though.

20:32 – Ryk – You And I

In the VT there is a lot of acrobatics and balancing on giant Rubix clubes. However his performance could not be more different. He is playing the piano, and this is a VERY slow ballad, and he is demonstrating his excellent vocal and technical ability in playing the piano. The dancing performance goes hand in hand with the song, as it is very much telling the story. The pace picks up ever so slightly in the second verse. His vocals soar at the end of the second verse. His vocal ability has held very well throughout this song, and he has not struggled once. He was wearing a smart suit, with a white top but no jacket.

20:24 – Natia Todua – My Own Way

A Voice of Germany winner. This is a pop song with some bell elements. She is wearing all white. She has a really unique voice, one that reminds me of Paloma Faith and Amy Winehouse. She is making full use of the stage. However she is struggling with some of the notes in this song. She showed power in the VT, though this song is showing none of that. She is shouting her way through the last few parts of the song, which is not sounding great.

20:18

Elton is giving off a Stefan Raab vibe, I like it, a lot!

20:00

The performance order of the songs will be as follows:

  1. Natia Todua – My Own Way
  2. Ryk – You And I
  3. voXXclub – I like this
  4. Xavier Darcy – Jonah
  5. Ivy Quainoo – House On Fire
  6. Michael Schulte – You Let Me Walk Alone