Wiwi Jury: Germany’s Ann Sophie with “Jump the Gun” and “Black Smoke”

The Wiwi Jury — our in-house team of music unprofessionals — continues its journey through Germany ahead of the Unser Song Für Österreich 2015 final. Next up in our review series is the wildcard winner Ann-Sophie with her songs “Jump The Gun” and “Black Smoke“. How did our jury react? Will Ann Sophie go straight to Vienna? Read on to find out…

ANN SOPHIE – JUMP THE GUN

http://youtu.be/18FVcTseOX0

Louis: I really like this. It’s quirky and she knows how to handle the crowd. The melody is easy to sing along to and remember. There’s also something different about her voice that makes it much more unique.

Score: 8/10

Max: I loathed last year’s wildcard entry, which somehow went on to represent the country in Copenhagen, and I hate ‘Jump The Gun’ just as much. Her voice isn’t strong enough to carry a song of this type. It’s screechy, shouty and fifty shades of chaos. Definitely won’t win and thank god for that.

Score: 1.5/10

Mikhail: Ann Sophie’s performance, as well as the song, is very entertaining and energetic. She knows how to work with the audience. It has a nice and original tune. I like those drums, it creates something special.

Score: 8/10

Patrick: She is a stand-out, no doubt about that. How she moves, how she acts, how she sings and how she performs – amazing! Ann Sophie is definitely one of the hot favourites to win the selection and I can see why – She is just OMG! She was my fave in the Wildcard round and she’s my second fave to win in the final!

Score: 9/10

Robyn: I’m glad this song won the wildcard slot. It’s quite different from the other songs in the USFÖ final, a lot more pop and so sassy. Ann Sophie is an experienced performer and it shows – she knows how to move and how to work that crowd. I’m not sure if I’d want this to win, but I’m really looking forward to seeing it at the big final and I’d like to see it progress at least to the second voting round.

Score: 7/10

WIWI JURY AVERAGE: 6.7/10

ANN SOPHIE – “BLACK SMOKE”

Louis: Such a solid song. I really enjoy it although her first song ‘Jump the gun’ is better than this. It’s a really fun song to listen to and has lots of energy. From her stage performance she also knows how to handle herself on stage.

Score: 7/10

Max: This is light years away from the other monstrosity. It’s calm, cool and emits a vibe that would appeal to the masses. Yes, it may sound like an English version of one of Nina Zilli’s rejections but it has something that makes me feel happy listening to it, so I can’t complain.

Score: 7/10

Mikhail: This song is great! It has all the attitude of “Jump the Gun”, but tripled. All the energy and interesting rhythms. She will definitely bring something effective on stage and she may have good chances in Vienna.

Score: 9/10

Patrick: Her voice is so strong and the melody is so special. She sounds really confident and the songs is as well. I can already see her in Vienna, standing there, black smoke around her and that unforgettable melody… I love this!

Score: 9/10

Robyn: I’m slightly disappointed that this isn’t an ode to the papal election process, but relationship turmoil is a good enough alternative. “Black Smoke” is easily the most straight-up pop song in USFÖ, and it seems like Ann Sophie would put a lot of attitude into the performance. While “Jump the Gun” has more of an edge, this would be just as good.

Score: 7/10

WIWI JURY AVERAGE: 7.8/10

READ ALL OF OUR USFÖ REVIEWS HERE.

YOU CAN FOLLOW ALL OF OUR GERMANY EUROVISION NEWS HERE.