levina unser song 2017 live

At the end of October they announced their plans for choosing their Eurovision 2018 act, which will involve consulting a wider variety of music enthusiasts both inside and outside of the country.

And on Wednesday German broadcaster NDR gave us new details about their national selection process, including the surprising fact that the so-called Europe Panel will consist only of Germans.

The panel, which will include 100 people, is meant to represent European musical tastes. It will be responsible for selecting the five candidates for the German final and its members will evaluate every application and judge all of the artists wishing to represent Germany. But that’s not all: the Europe Panel will also take part in the process of finding the potential Eurovision songs. And during the live show they will also have a say in the outcome.

To find those lucky 100, producers have started an online survey and believe they received around 10,000 applications. Naturally fans from all over the continent hoped to make the Europe Panel. But after the survey came online last week, it became clear that was wishful thinking, as the whole survey is in German. This left fans rather confused.

But on Wednesday NDR’s entertainment coordinator Thomas Schreiber ended the uncertainty during the Eurovision 2018 Roadshow press conference in Frankfurt. Germany’s Eurovision boss made it clear that only Germans will land a seat on the panel. In his mind German voters already reflect the tastes of Europe at large, so there’s no need to look further afield.

“The scores of the German audience in recent years have always been very close to the actual result of the Eurovision final,” he said. “Therefore we are only looking for German people to represent the European taste in music for the Europe panel.”

Mr. Schreiber even told German website eurovision.de that he and his team have conducted analysis of the German votes in recent years taking into account factors such as other country’s televote patterns. “German televoters don’t care about neighbourly aspects,” he said. “In Germany, televoters are willing to give every single song the same chance.”

The team also revealed that it received over 1,000 applications from singers (the application period ended on Tuesday). Now producers will cut the number down to 200. These 200 will then be judged by NDR’s chosen experts and the Europe Panel. Only 20 candidates will make it to the next round, where they’ll attend musical workshops. A final cut will narrow them down to just five finalists. (In the final, an international jury will also have its say in determining Germany’s representative).

The press conference in Frankfurt was also the perfect opportunity to introduce journalists to Germany’s new Head of Delegation: Christoph Pellander. The NDR executive is one of the brains behind Germany’s new selection method.

Mr. Pellander also explained that the Eurovision 2018 Roadshow is something completely new for the broadcaster. He and his colleagues — namely Mr. Schreiber and the experts from digame mobile and the Simon Kucher & Partners marketing and strategy firm — are so excited about their promising selection that they wanted to hit the road to promote it. They’ll hold similar press conferences in four different cities to build hype among journalists and fans.

Is it a good idea to only let Germans sit on the Europe Panel? Can Germany finally reach the left-hand side of the scoreboard again in Lisbon? Let us know in the comments box below. 

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Alex
6 years ago

Okay guys… I’m part of the Europa Panel! Just received the mail! 🙂

A
A
6 years ago

There is a problem, yes. As you saw from this year, people LOVE authentic song in the language of the country. Germany send a bilingual song in 2007, whole song in German was in 2000. They had a GREAT chance in 2014 with Unheilig but they blew it. (They disbanded now unfortunately anyway) Germany has SO MANY amazing singers (and bands) who sing beautifully IN GERMAN, just remember Tim Bendzko this year who shouldn’t only be in the jury but ON THE STAGE COMPETING! He was miles better than any of them and he is an experienced performer, his slightly… Read more »

Anni
Anni
6 years ago

Portugal won by asking portuguese composers to compete. The composers both created the song and selected the performer for their entry. Do you think they won because this song was so “european”? What frustrates me is that once again the NDR is going to choose first a performer and than – howsoever try to find a song for the performer. This is not at all what I have hoped for. And the audience is once again only asked to choose between 5 “products”. The procedure is just more complicated. They call it radical change. Can you explain to me what… Read more »

schlager hater
schlager hater
6 years ago
Reply to  Anni

You are right. The singer is easy to find, and does not have to be a perfect singer (Lena wasn’t). The song is important and of course Germany will pick a song from beloved UK because beloved UK is beloved UK for some weird reason. Germany is not in this really, is just about UK.

Dana
Dana
6 years ago

I don’t know why Germany is so interested to find the perfect voice. It’s ironic, because the winner Lena has a less than perfect voice, her charm was her imperfect voice and imperfect accent.

Amor
Amor
6 years ago

I feel like Germany just wants to continue to do poorly every year. This not going to be a good national final. I think they should stop picking some for the people to sing. Let them write their own songs! Also how can a panel of only German people reflect European tastes?

Amor
Amor
6 years ago
Reply to  Amor

Sorry, stop picking the songs for other people

Matty
Matty
6 years ago

The application period ended on Monday, November the 6th at noon and not on Tuesday.

L'oiseau
L'oiseau
6 years ago

What is really the added value of the Europe panel if it represents the wider German audience, represented in turn by televoting? And I assume that the Europe panel is for people living in Germany but not necessarily German, otherwise that would not be nice, to say the least…

Rovision
Rovision
6 years ago

I am from Germany and I really think that the guys from NDR are screwing it up again! I mean it can’t be this tough having a nf like other countries do. Me as a german I just lost the interest in watching the german nf because for me this whole s**t is just made up. In the end nobody really cares if there is a Levina representing or a Jamie Lee but the fans. I think it should all be changed starting to give another Broadcoaster the choice. Why not try MDR? Tbh we don’t have that much to… Read more »

Johanna
Johanna
6 years ago
Reply to  Rovision

It would be interesting if one of the private broadcast take it. Sat1/ProSieben were succesful with NDR between 2010-2012. Or even RTL should try even I do not like their shows..

Polegend Godgarina
Polegend Godgarina
6 years ago

Well, did they lie? Europe is basically a German territory these times around.

Dana
Dana
6 years ago

Will they force us to like David Hasselhoff ?

Jane
Jane
6 years ago

is it? i dont see anyone singing/speaking in german…

Polegend Godgarina
Polegend Godgarina
6 years ago
Reply to  Jane

Are you that out of touch? Germany is single-handedly running the EU, economically and politically. Not like it’s going bad, though.

Jo
Jo
6 years ago
Reply to  Jane

It’s not their ambition to make everyone learns German. They’re smarter than that.

quirky girl
quirky girl
6 years ago
Reply to  Jo

Yes it is their ambition, I don’t care if is German or English, just that those long words make me look like a slow reader.

Jo
Jo
6 years ago
Reply to  Jo

I wish we had an “edit” option for the comments…

cici rezon
cici rezon
6 years ago

I have felt sympathy for Jamie-Lee because she was so young and animal lover, but no more. I’ve had enough with German incompetence. Enough is enough.

Denis
Denis
6 years ago

What’s the point of having an European jury if they are not European?
So Germans are supposed to represent say a Nordic country, a Balkan country, UK and others? Then it will just be German views, not European
After ending up bottom and near bottom last 3 years I don’t think we can say Germany has the same taste as Europe

Napaw
Napaw
6 years ago

Just as I was getting excited about the Europe panel it turns out to be a fraud. What is the point of German people in the panel representing different types of music in Europe? In the end it will all be Germans who are accustomed to and influenced by the German music scene anyway. They already had artists of different music genres each year in the national final jury panel, and it did not work out as we all know by now. Idk, in the end there’s nothing left to do to wait and hope for the best. Germany ending… Read more »

Johanna
Johanna
6 years ago

Now everything makes senses. I did this survey and I have progressed to a further, final round. That was a shocker because I did not really believe that I had a chance as a German.

quirky girl
quirky girl
6 years ago
Reply to  Johanna

Do you want international opinion or not? Sweden wants it.!!! In the end your points will come from all over Europe. Do you care about that, or you want your favorite schlager to go to Eurovision?

Johanna
Johanna
6 years ago
Reply to  quirky girl

I want a an international opinion. As Rick said there will be an international jury which seems to be promising. But I have lost hope in the officals which are in charge of NDR. There must be a change. I am the biggest critic of the german selection and the songs in the post Lena era. But just complaining is not constructive. So I am willing to help in the Europe Panel if they choose me.
The songs have to be much edgier and not so flat.

quirky girl
quirky girl
6 years ago
Reply to  Johanna

In my opinion, Germany was too interested to pick a song that is not hated by anyone. And they did that : nobody hated Ann Sophie, Jamie Lee, Levina, nobody said anything bad about them. But this is not the way. The song must be in somebody’s top 10 in order to get votes, the song must have it’s share of haters (like ‘Amar pelos dois’ or ‘Occidentali’s Karma’), haters are normal. If you don’t have haters, you are not good enough either.

Johanna
Johanna
6 years ago
Reply to  quirky girl

You are completly right, too! You have to create emotions and it does not matter if they are positive or negative because the ones who like the song will vote for it. You cannot acchieve a good result if you are someones 17th favourite song. This one will never vote for it.

quirky girl
quirky girl
6 years ago

The new head of delegation Christoph Pellander looks like Edoardo Grassi. He should make some decisions. France started to do well, when the head of delegation had the only decision. Is this an argument for dictatorship?

Johanna
Johanna
6 years ago
Reply to  quirky girl

You are completly right, too! You have to create emotions and it does not matter if they are positive or negative because the ones who like the song will vote for it. You cannot acchieve a good result if you are someones 17th favourite song. This one will never vote for it.

Johanna
Johanna
6 years ago
Reply to  Johanna

sorry this one is the answer for the post above..

Magpie
Magpie
6 years ago

Can we have something of quality this time around? 4 times not even making the top 20 in the last 5 years is beyond ridiculous.

At least the UK had the decency to yo-yo their results.

Geo
Geo
6 years ago

This whole confusing situation will bring Germany the bottom of the scoreboard again on 2018 Eurovision Final . This year Germany was this close to be on the last place, for the 3rd year in a row… They should not forget the fact that the same “expert” televoters have probably voted for Levina on their national final, too. They should change their selection method, after 3 years of being last on the scoreboard (27 in 2015 with 0 points; 26 in 2016 with 11 points and 25th place with 6 points in 2017). In spite of that, they don’t seem… Read more »

quirky girl
quirky girl
6 years ago

Why don’t we look at this situation in a different way? What if a SONG-WRITER says : ”I have the best song, you know it’s good, but I will not give it to anyone else, I want to sing it MYSELF”. What then?

chiara
chiara
6 years ago

I was really hoping for a bigger change of the national final or at least the old nf back…I’m sure we will choose a good singer and Performer no doubt but that’s clearly not the problem. We have enough artists with huge potential to represent Germany but they also need a good song which will stand out (Levina is a great singer but these 2 Songs, especially Perfect Life were on the highest Level of boredom) ) The 5 chosen artists should produce their own song with some professional songwriters, it doesn’t make any sense if the singer performs a… Read more »

blondboybc
blondboybc
6 years ago
Reply to  chiara

Totally agree with you…the German broadcaster needs to stop outsourcing it’s songs from wannabe American composers/writers…how about some home-grown talent?

Hada
Hada
6 years ago

The problem is not the singers, the problem is the songs. Pick good songs Germany, and next time change the format altogether so you make sure your Eurovision representative has a song written for them that fits them well.

quirky girl
quirky girl
6 years ago

German vote 2016
-Jury-12 points = Hovi Star
-Jury-10 points = Frans
-Televote-12 points = Sergey
-Televote -10 points = Michal Szpack
_________________________________________
German vote 2017
-Jury-12 points = JOWST
-Jury-10 points = Salvador
-Televote-12 points = Salvador
-Televote-10 points = Blanche

Perhaps this is enough to have only Germans in the panel, perhaps is not enough, I don’t know.

quirky girl
quirky girl
6 years ago
Reply to  quirky girl

I would add that Germany has diaspora, for example they give points to Turkey when it participates, because of Turkish diaspora that votes. Will they have to make sure that in this panel is nobody of other ethnicity?
IMO, this German panel is just a last moment decision, after Germans have complained…”Now we don’t have the right to choose our own song…cry,cry…?”

mad-professor
mad-professor
6 years ago

Or a wildcard round, where the wildcard somehow ends up winning the whole thing (or coming second but winning by default).

mad-professor
mad-professor
6 years ago

“In his mind German voters already reflect the tastes of Europe at large, so there’s no need to look further afield.”

Is that really a safe bet after the 2014, 2015 and 2016 national finals?

Nickc
Nickc
6 years ago
Reply to  mad-professor

Not to mention these are the same people who kept David Hasselhoff number one for weeks, and voted for AfD in masses. Good Lord.

Justin K.
Justin K.
6 years ago

If they’re willing to give them stipends to make it to the studio or an area for them to all congregate during the live national final, then I get the reasoning. But if it’s all pay-on-your-own, then I don’t get it. I think it’s fair to say the German public is a good measure, and I think they saved the right person out of the burning building that was last year’s final, but who’s to say NDR won’t screw up on their side again? I don’t think it’s the people, but rather the quality of acts and *songs* in the… Read more »

quirky girl
quirky girl
6 years ago
Reply to  Justin K.

”they saved the right person out of the burning building that was last year’s final”

I am not sure if you are talking about Salvador. He won very easy, Salvador was not saved by a country.

Hada
Hada
6 years ago
Reply to  quirky girl

I think they mean Levina at the national final

blondboybc
blondboybc
6 years ago

Another potential disaster on hand here. Stay tuned, people. So much for international opinion.

vf99
vf99
6 years ago

If they pick me it will be a success?

Jo
Jo
6 years ago
Reply to  vf99

In your neighbourhood, perhaps.

Paul D.
Paul D.
6 years ago

It has barely begun and it’s already a mess sigh

Jo
Jo
6 years ago

“The scores of the German audience in recent years have always been very close to the actual result of the Eurovision final,” he said. “Therefore we are only looking for German people to represent the European taste in music for the Europe panel.”

This statement makes no sense whatsoever.

Jo
Jo
6 years ago
Reply to  Jo

Yes, I get that, but I’m still very skeptical about it.