She’s the controversial artist who wants to sing for Austria at the Eurovision Song Contest and many assumed she was taking the piss with her Eva Braun themed video for “Im Rausch der Zeit”. But according to eurovision.de, Hyäne Fischer is a legitimate candidate to sing for Austria. In fact, she’s on the shortlist!
As with Conchita Wurst, Nathan Trent, and Cesár Sampson, Austria is not going to host a national final. Instead, the decision will be made internally. The strategy has proven very successful in recent years, with Conchita winning and Cesár managing to finish in third place.
This year’s race has already raised eyebrows. As we recently reported, Hyäne posted a music video in late November for “Im Rausche der Zeit” (In Inebriation of Time) and suggested that she would represent Austria at Eurovision 2019. Since then the video has clocked more than 180,000 views on YouTube and people have been busy trying to wrap their heads around it.
Despite the 1930s imagery, it isn’t an endorsement of Eva Braun or rightist movements in Germany. In fact, it’s been interpreted as quite the opposite: a smack down of the far-right movement in Austria’s government.
And it’s been getting a lot of media attention. Eberhard Forcher from the Austrian radio station Ö3 assisted ORF with searching for potential candidates and creating a shortlist of acts. He describes her song as a “musically crude mix of Marianne Rosenberg and the Pet Shop Boys.”
“The music video identifies Hyäne Fischer as a critic of today’s douchebag-culture, by deliberately aesthetically exaggerating such. This could also be misinterpreted by some people but the target audience will understand it.”
Tobias Krone from Bavarian broadcaster Puls isn’t worried that the wrong people — read that as the far-right — will celebrate Hyäne Fischer. “Her name alone shows what the project is: Satire. The ones who understand it will detect a lot of details in the video.”
Even Neue Zürcher Zeitung, one of the country’s more high-brow newspapers, deigned to discuss it: “Hyäne Fischer is the media phenomenon with a dark blond wig and a silver look, which puts Austria in a pop culture of anxiety, a bit of Obersalzberg aesthetics, a bit of radio aptitude and a big wish….After the victory of Conchita Wurst 2014, this would be the second attempt on the customs of an industry that has its steel heroine in Helene Fischer.”
Eurovision-de advanced the argument that Hyäne Fischer could also convey a sharp and transgressive humour that the audience of the Eurovision Song Contest understands well. Just remember Germany’s chaffing 1988 Eurovision act Guildo Horn with “Guildo Hat Euch Lieb”, which ended up in 7th place by mocking schlager music. Satirical performances are nothing new in the world of Eurovision and have definitely shown success in the past.
Who will represent Austria? ORF won’t be delivering an early Christmas present, as they say the artist will “be announced in the new year, not sooner.” Austria — and much of Europe — is waiting.
it is already clear that she will not be the one. on 29 january morning the austrian participant will be revealed in the morning show of the radio station oe3. the song will be revealed a few weeks later.
I really love this entry and her style but nobody else will. I am one of the ‘target audience’ so I enjoy it a lot, but the typical eurovision audience will hate it
German language in Eurovision, and this song has a great message too <3 please!
thats not a hit in Austria, no 1 knows her up2now, and i never can imagine that this will be an official entry representing Austria in Israel…. Rammstein-lightpop – with Nostalgy of a political time of Austria dark past period with Germany… no no… never ever… although it is a great production…. and i see a lot of Talent… but… it d be a wrong polticial message 2 Play with that dark past in Music….? so a potential candidate is just the fantasy of shirin bayer 🙂 …. serious candidate is more ARI-ana feat poptracker… great voice,and having 2 radio… Read more »
It’s official: Zurich is in Austria (or is it Germany??) and Guildo Horn shared a stage with Celine Dion.
That song and video are crazy but I like them. Eurovision needs another agent provocateur after so many years of safe songs and politically correct songs.
This Eva Braun video really ain’t it.
Next.
Maybe do not choose a singer dressed up as Eva Braun when the contest is in Israel..? Just a thought
Just after Hyäne Fischer’s appearance in late November, ORF stated in a news paper that they haven’t heard of her before. Two weeks later, in a TV report about this project, ORF said that they received her application some days before and will judge it like any other applications. But that doesn’t seem to me that Eberhard Forcher put her on that shortlist. Remember, Joe Traxler revealed in early August that he is being considered as a representative. So the internal selection was already in full swing when Hyäne Fischer, aka Jessyca R. Hauser, appeared. I’m sure it won’t be… Read more »
Looking back on Eberhard Forcher’s decisisons in the past and his comments in his video about the song, Hyäne Fischer’s “Im Rausch der Zeit” won’t be the choosen entry of Austria. So you can all calm down. There will be no provocation whatsoever in Israel from Austria, not even one that can’t be misunderstood.
Considering the contest is going to be held in Israel does anyone else see how insensitive this will come off. Sure it’s “satire”, but if many people don’t get it then that’s your fault.
Austria will break its qualification streak if they choose this song. I mean if people didn’t get the message behind Mercy, this one is totally dead.
Could be a good entry if she is direct and unsubtle. Normally I’m all for subtlety at Eurovision, but if it’s satire, especially in another language, you have to make it blatantly obvious what you’re doing.
Also, for what it’s worth, Guildo actually competed in ’98.
Honestly, take away all this pretentious “Deep” message, the “Satire” and the controversy – the song itself just isn’t good or interesting.
I honestly think it doesn’t even have a message. Like, at all. She/they probably thought “let’s make this kind of music video” and people will talk, then they threw this random tune together. The only thing I really like about this is the name “Hyäne Fischer” because it makes fun of a soulless industry product of a similar name. Unfortunately, the name is all the real satire I can detect here.
Plus, “artists” randomly announcing themselves as “the participant” are always needy in my view.
“a soulless industry product of a similar name” *Cough* Helene is fabulous and her texts have a deep meaning *cough*
Yeah if they want to make this any kind of statement on the Eurovision stage whilst singing in German they have to tow the line between so obvious visually that it transcends language barriers but also so open to interpretation they can defend it from people who say it’s too political.
“Let’s send a song by someone impersonating a high profile Nazi to Israel and just say it’s satire when people question it”
Can’t see anything that could go wrong there, no siree
I’m afraid people describing our political situation as far-right don’t have a good grasp at what far-right really is. As an Austrian, let me assure you, I do know and this government which I didn’t even vote for is not.
Now, as far as the song is concerned, I think it’s all very mediocre but if our broadcaster has nothing better (which is very likely the case), they might as well go with it.
I said exactly the same in the last post about hyäne fischer but my comment got deleted even though i wrote it in a very respectfully manner in order to not offend anybody.
Wasn’t really fond about that…
Happend to me as well in a completely different, non-political context. You know how it is: those claiming to be the most tolerant and enlightened are often those who are the first to censor other people’s freedom of speech. It won’t help them in the long run, though.
that’s the mainstream left today…call everyone you disagree with “far right” and by doing that give yourself the right to censor people
It annoys me so much when clueless leftist Americans describe certain European countries as ‘far-right’. I guess wanting to curb immigration automatically qualifies you as a Nazi according to them? The Austrian government is conservative, yes – but far-right, far from it.
Excuse me, but as someone who follows Austria’s political situation very closely you cannot honestly say that the FPÖ is NOT a far right party. The number of members who have strong affiliation to the neo-nazi scene is shocking, the high frequency of statements from them that are barely legal regarding the laws against glorification or revision of the Nazi-era is stunning though they just call it “single incidents” (nearly every week over the past years is not single) and their politics is exactly what far-right means: populistic, law and order, xenophobic, radical, conservative. But the brainwashing in Austria is… Read more »
How very gracious of you. If it’s all the same with you, we, the people of Austria, vote for whoever we damn well please. It’s our country and we don’t have the audacity to tell other countries how to vote, either. I will not go any further than this because this is not the place for it and I don’t want this whole thread to get deleted. I merely wanted to voice my protest against the incorrect term used in the article. By the way, it only helps them to shout “far-right”, so go ahead. 🙂
What’s wrong with being called far-right?
Thought you didn‘t vote for them – gotcha! LOL
I didn’t. But people like you make me wish I had.