Mozart put it on the map in the 18th century, Maria Von Trapp made it swing in the sixties…and Trackshittaz made it crash out of the semis at Eurovision 2012 with a song about shaking your booty.

But since that ignominious result, Austria has quietly debunked the myth that success at Eurovision depends on your size as a nation and your number of neighbours, winning the contest in 2014 and notching back to back qualifications in 2016-2017. 

Fresh from this year’s success, Austrian broadcaster ORF has confirmed it will use an internal selection to find Nathan Trent’s successor and a song for the Eurovision Song Contest 2018 in Portugal.

Singers and songwriters only have until the end of August to submit their song to the broadcaster – that’s Austrian efficiency for ya.

If songs are found to have been released previously, shared on social media or featured on video-sharing site YouTube they will be disqualified and knocked out of the running.

ORF’s ambition is to have the whole package signed, sealed and delivered by the end of August 2017. Presentation will likely follow after the Eurovision 2017-18 season opens on September 1.

A SECOND YEAR OF INTERNAL SELECTION FOR AUSTRIA

In seven appearances since returning to the Eurovision Song Contest in 2011, Austria has only used internal selection to pick its Eurovision acts on two occasions.

The first pick saw international drag superstar Conchita Wurst storm the scoreboard in Copenhagen, cruising to the win with a haul of 290 points and thirteen sets of 12 points.

The second saw Nathan Trent qualify from the death slot in the running order of semi-final 2 and land the central European nation a respectable mid-table finish with his song “Running On Air”.

With that track record of overcoming the odds, there’s little doubt Austria’s 2018 representative and entry will be set for success on stage in Portugal next year.

GET MORE AUSTRIA NEWS HERE

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azaad
azaad
6 years ago

Speaking of songwriters, unless ORF gets another good singer-songwriter act like they did with Nathan (and yes, Running on Air is a good composition, if not entirely appropriate for Eurovision) who can compose the song themselves, they should get the team who did Lighthouse last year- as they were Austrian and we know how great that song was (ignoring the performance and costume).

Sven
Sven
6 years ago

Fantastisch (in the title) is Dutch, isn’t is Gross in German?

I really like Austria these days by the way!

Áustria
Áustria
6 years ago
Reply to  Sven

Fantastisch is german. Großartig also works here, Gross (?) not.

Baguette
Baguette
6 years ago
Reply to  Áustria

Pretty sure they meant “groß” but they don’t have a “ß” key

nn
nn
6 years ago

This year juries pushed so hard Austria in points in semi and final . I m happy to see that people don t mistake 3 time and vote for fake smile like they vote for Malta 2013 and France 2016.

Damn
Damn
6 years ago
Reply to  nn

Well this is not a smiling contest, its a song contest, and you can’t compare this year’s austria entry with Malta 2013 and France 2016, it was just not up to the level. I get that you may not like their song but saying that their smiles were fake or that their smile earned them televoting is wrong. Or maybe you’re just to sore to have an happy personnality so it’s easier to say that they are fake.

Áustria
Áustria
6 years ago
Reply to  nn

Believe it or not, the average televoting ranking for Austria roughly resembles the overall result – 16th place.

Mostly ranked between 11th and 17th in televotes across Europe, never ranked last.

Nathan Trent did much better in televoting than Makemakes and not so much worse than Zoe. And he suffered twice from death slots in the running order.

In several instances so far a late performer of a semifinal suffered a lot as early performer in the final (Slovenia 2015, Belgium 2016, Israel 2017), so there is proof that running order matters a lot for televotes.

Polegend Godgarina
6 years ago
Reply to  Áustria

The average televoting result in the semi for Austria is 10th anyway (Switzerland was 11th).

Polegend Godgarina
6 years ago

They should select Anna F. You know, that girl who sang about wanting to f*ck your friend back in 2014. It was a hit here in Italy, and her album delivered bops.

azaad
azaad
6 years ago

Wouldn’t be a bad idea- after all, Austria does well when it courts controversy (2016- not singing in English or a native language- came 13th and 8th with the televote- which is great for them, and of course 2014- winning the whole thing).

Polegend Godgarina
6 years ago
Reply to  azaad

I think that a super catchy song will bring you far no matter what. Look at Romania this year. The juries can suck it because they came 7th anyway.

Nick
Nick
6 years ago

it kinda hurts me everytime someone has to remind me about nathan’s dissapointing and undeserved televoting result.

One of the reasons Austria came back in 2011 was the introduction of the combined televoting and jury results. And most of the time jurys saved their songs from far worse. Zoe did exact the opposite when she scored really well with the televoters, but not with the jurys.

I hope next year Austria finally finds a way to score well with both parts of the audience next year!!!

Polegend Godgarina
6 years ago
Reply to  Nick

The only undeserved thing here is his place in the final. The semi-final televoting results speak clear on who the public wanted, and that’s not Austria or Denmark.

Hendrik
Hendrik
6 years ago

someones still salty about verona lmao

Polegend Godgarina
6 years ago
Reply to  Hendrik

You know, when the paying public’s opinion gets obliterated by 100 “professionals” you’re going to get salty. Especially when a country managed to qualify with 5 televote points and a dated, screamy song for no reason at all.

AngieP
AngieP
6 years ago

Austria is not a country that does really well in Eurovision generally. To be in the final 4 years in a row is a success! Well done, and I hope they send sth really good next year!

Alex
Alex
6 years ago

You have to admit that four consecutive years in the final for Austria IS a success. Remember, this is a country that by-and-large receives no region voting; the fact that Austria and Germany both finished with nul points in 2015 is the embodiment of this. And also recall that this is the country that was so saddened by its finishes in 2005 and 2007 that we didn’t see them back until 2011. Whatever ORF decides I’ll probably be down with. Nathan Trent is a great singer, but his song wasn’t that remarkable lyrically. And man did the draw ever hurt… Read more »

D
D
6 years ago

I really like Austria these days!

ninasublatti
ninasublatti
6 years ago

hoping for someone less annoying than nathan trent

Ugnius
Ugnius
6 years ago

“Fresh from this year’s success” ? Well, that’s an interesting opinion to call entry which scored 0 points from televoting a successfull one.
Austria has some problems with their constestans since 2015, because they are either liked only by juries (like Makemakes and Nathan Trent, both of them scoring 0 from viewers at home) or by televoters (like Zoe, which ended at 24th place in jury voting in 2016). Anyway,, Austria is the only one European country, which earned two 0’s from televoting in three years – you can’t call it a successfull one !

azaad
azaad
6 years ago
Reply to  Ugnius

Considering their abysmal history in the contest pre 2014 (even before this century- apart from their 1966 win, Austria was the joke of the contest before the rest of Western/Central Europe were as well), I’d say four consecutive places in the final is a success.

Áustria
Áustria
6 years ago
Reply to  azaad

Germany has the most neighbours, Austria the second most neighbours. And yet they don’t benefit from neighbour voting.

Jo
Jo
6 years ago

The songwriter is actually more important than the singer(s). Many good singers have flopped with terrible songs at Eurovision.
The performer needs to be capable of singing the song and has stage presence. The rest can be worked out.
Being famous or not before Eurovision has become irrelevant.

ReiRei
ReiRei
6 years ago

I’m here for some independent talents for once…

Leyya
Mavi Phoenix
Avec

Or charismatic bands like

Bilderbuch
Wanda

ORF, take note please! Originality is the key. Salvador Sobral, Blanche, Dihaj,… those were artists with artistic integrity. It would be nice if my country would take note on that!

TJ
TJ
6 years ago
Reply to  ReiRei

Writing and performing his own song in fact can be called “artistic integrity”, right?
We have every reason to be proud of Nathan and his result. I wouldn’t mind see him again. Maybe a duet with Zoe? xD

escphbelgium
escphbelgium
6 years ago

The should pick Rose May Alaba or Elly V