Jendrik will represent Germany at Eurovision 2021 with his song “I Don’t Feel Hate”.
Jendrik Sigwart won Germany’s internal selection process, winning over both a jury of music experts and a panel of 100 Eurovision fans. In contrast to many other countries which retained their acts after the cancellation of Eurovision 2020, Jendrik is a new contender for Germany.
But who is the man behind the song? Here are 10 facts about Germany’s Jendrik.
Germany at Eurovision 2021: Facts about Jendrik
1. He comes from a large family
Born in St. Georg Hamburg on 27 August 1994, Jendrik is one of five siblings. His parents had three boys first — with Jendrik being the middle brother. They then moved to the city’s Volksdorf quarter where two little sisters joined the clan. “I had a really nice, sheltered childhood there with many positive memories,” says Jendrik.
2. He’s been a multi-talented musician since before elementary school
Most children spend their pre-school days watching cartoons and playing make-believe. But Jendrik was already a multi-talented musician by the time he started elementary school. He knew how to play both the piano and violin. This is down to his father who is a trained musician. The ukulele found its way to Jendrik later. It’s now his main instrument and he uses it to compose most of his songs.
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3. He studied musical theatre and vocal pedagogy
Jendrik is a qualified musical actor. After school, he studied musical theatre as well as vocal pedagogy for four years at the university in the German city of Osnabrück. Not only does he know how to be on stage, he also knows a lot about vocal techniques, phonation, posture, breathing and much more.
4. His ukulele has over 4,000 rhinestones
Jendrik loves the ukulele. He even made the instrument the topic of his Bachelor of Arts thesis. Jendrik’s own ukulele is completely unique and you won’t find it in any shop. That’s because the singer glued over 4,000 rhinestones onto it, thus giving birth to the sparkling silver wonder which he plays on stage and in his music video. He’s vowed to never undertake such an arduous task ever again.
5. His spirit animal is the seagull
You will meet lots of seagulls if you visit Hamburg. Speaking of which, the maritime bird is Jendrik’s spirit animal. Jendrik says that not only do they laugh as often as him, but they can also be as annoying as him. He’s definitely ok with a little self-deprecating humour!
6. He’s been with his boyfriend for over four years
In a February 2021 interview with Bild, the 26-year-old says reveals that he’s off the market. “I’ve been with my boyfriend Jan for four years. We live in an apartment in Hamburg,” he says, “I love him.” However, while they’re very much in it for the long haul, don’t expect to see any pictures of the loved up pair on social media. Jendrik prefers to keep his relationship relatively low key. However, you can see a snap of the couple embedded in the Bild interview.
7. He was discovered online
It has always been Jendrik’s dream to represent Germany at Eurovision one day. However, he didn’t know how to apply for the pre-selection. So, he made a “Making Of” video showing the creation of his song “I Don’t Feel Hate”. Doing it this way, he hoped that German broadcaster NDR would spot him. And sure enough, he was discovered by a person with contacts to the managing director of the German selection. Lucky Jendrik!
8. “I Don’t Feel Hate” is his first fully-produced song.
When Jendrik wrote his entry “I Don’t Feel Hate” on his ukulele, he knew that this had to be his entry for the German pre-selection. The track is his first fully-produced song. He created it together with producer Christoph Oswald who is studying for a Master’s degree in Popular Music at the Popakademie with a focus on Producing / Composing Artist. However, he has written other songs for his YouTube channel, including the quirky “Dibdibidi”.
9. His music video was a labour of love
“I Don’t Feel Hate” wasn’t only his first fully-produced song but also his first music video. Jendrik wanted something special for the video and that’s why he got 18 washing machines which he painted and stacked on top of each other by himself. When he got the message that he could actually apply for the German selection, he was told that they would need a finalised music video inside a tight deadline. The problem was, that the music video didn’t even exist at that point. So he called his friends and produced the music video. He had only five days to cut the video which he did by himself. All the associated costs also came out of his own pocket.
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10. He’s an optimist in training
Despite his sunny demeanour and positive song, Jendrik feels that he’s only an amateur optimist. However, he believes that everyone has the power to become a pro at optimism. He is convinced that “you can train your attitude towards things. For example, you can become a pro in optimism, but also a pro in pessimism”. That’s why he always believes that a jog will cure him of his hangover, even if he never manages to make it past the front door.
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What do you think of Jendrik’s message? Are you excited to see “I Don’t Feel Hate” at Eurovision? Let us know in the comments below.
He seems to be a nice person.
But I really hate the song, sorry :/
Pretty much close to last place for me.
Lovely guy, horrible music, nothing personal.
Judging by the main photo he’s also a vampire.
The song will resonate with a large percentage of the audience and it gives of so many happy vibes. He’s a great performer who is so positive in his outlook and that will stand out.
May I say he has the cutest smile?
His personality is stronger than the song, sadly.
11. He’s annoying and cringeworthy af and makes me pretend to be Belgian on the night of the grand final.
I have been to many countries in Europe, Belgians are very nice people. You’re too nasty to be a Belgian. They don’t feel hate and they would be sorry for you.
They’ll understand me in May and kindly adopt me, no doubt.
He seems like such a fun and charismatic guy, but the song is just a huge ‘no’ for me.
I like his song very much !! Good Luck Jendrik !!