He’s the kind-hearted singer known for his big smile and infectious energy. And on Tuesday Austria’s Nathan Trent deployed his many talents yet again during his first rehearsal at Eurovision 2017.
The performance opens with close-ups of Nathan voguing to the camera and dropping those smooth, sexy vocals. The camera pans out, showing Nathan wearing all-white while he sits inside of a massive crescent moon, which seems to be constructed out of tiny mirrored panels. The LED portrays the horizon in a bright splash of pink, which reminds us of Austria’s Eurovision 2016 star Zoë. During the bridge it goes dark — after all, the moon rises at night.
Nathan keeps his choreography simple with a hop off of the moon and few quick steps here and there. As ever he oozes just the right amount of swagger — it’s confident but not arrogant and his playful facial expressions keep this cute and inviting. The best example is when he self-censors, “you better get off your @$$” with a cheeky grin.
At the very end of the performance, as fog fills the stage, he climbs back on the moon and walks forward onto a perspex platform. At the moment the platform is still very visible, so he looks like he’s walking on furniture, which totally kills the magic. But if they can sort out their camera angles this will be a quiet but impactful ending to what’s a sweet and memorable performance.
Nathan Trent — “Running on Air”: Reviews and Reactions
Austria: First rehearsal at Eurovision 2017
Austria: First press conference 2017
Read all of our Eurovision rehearsal reviews
Read all of our Austria Eurovision news here
Photo: Eurovision.tv (EBU)
Excellent vocals from Nathan!
I love it
Still a borderline because of the running order. The juries might save Austria.
I really enjoy his staging and his positivity. My favourite SF2 1rst half rehearsal for now! :3
Obviously going for some of that Zoe-influenced Austrian cuteness. Nathan is a million times less annoying than Zoe so he gets away with it….just!
It’s cute but don’t know if it’s enough to make an impact.
But t’s cool that he is literally running on air. If he only moved a bit more..
What a great concept. Just watching him stand there fills me with joy.
This was real good. Well deserved place in the finals…
It’s so cute and cheesy that with Serbia and Macedonia dropping down my list, I think Nathan has a shot. It’s that darn charisma and swagger! 🙂
I like the song and I like Nathan, but I always thought that Austria would have a hard time making it to the final. I am actually no longer sure about that. The staging is a complete surprise to me, I was expecting something more “natural”. It looks good, even if it’s a little cheesy (but in a heartfelt way). This once again proves that you can sell pretty much anything as long as you believe in it and stand by it. No matter the result, Austria doesn’t have to be ashamed of their entry this year.
Oh no, ”natural” would be disaster 😀 He really deserves final!
Yeah, I agree that this has a better Chance of making the final than mountains and forests, I just didn’t see it coming. 🙂
So sappy and cheesy! This would be perfect for Eurovision junior. Not my taste!
This was a beautiful performance! When I saw the mini clip, I didn’t quite like the moon! I was watching Nathan singing and I was like “Is he going to sing the whole song from there?”. Hopefully, he jumps off the moon and I am relieved! I like the concept in general! And I agree: Nathan is so adorable! He seems like the guy everyone wants to hang out with! He’s so open and out-going! He speaks with everyone! They should definetely fix the “walking on air” part at the end! But that’s the 1st rehearsal! I believe they’ll get… Read more »
”If you believed they put a man on the moon, man on the moon…” <3
Yesss, Nathan, good job!
He’s got my vote! And vocals always impeccable!
Interval act in Grand final this years – Cher?
Stunned.
Nathan is my man on the moon. 🙂
This is even better than I hoped for. The staging is so simplistic and elegant and yet very memorable and special. Nathan possesses such charm and charisma. I will definitely be voting him on the 11th. With all the positive elements combined, I am fairly certain this song, despite a ‘deathspot’ is qualifying after all.
This is really good actually! The biggest pleasant surprise so far for 2017! 🙂
When y’all said there was a giant moon I was fearing an Azerbaijan 2015-sized mess, but wow. This was really sweet and well performed. Back on track for qualification!