She was announced as Austria’s Eurovision 2019 singer in January. And now, after almost a month of waiting, Paenda has finally released “Limits”.
The ethereal number premiered on Austrian radio station Ö3 at 7.40 CET today.
PAENDA “Limits” Austria Eurovision 2019 (Official music video)
Paenda is a Vienna-based artist originally from the Styrian region. While her music could best be described as electronic-pop, Paenda’s biography also notes that “PAENDA is a conscious tightrope walk, right between listening experience and the force to dance.”
Paenda’s name — which can also be spelled Pænda — comes from the giant panda, as she says she resembles one when she wakes up first thing in the morning. Paenda is also known for her colourful hair, sporting a bob dyed in ever-changing tones of blue.
Paenda’s Eurovision journey
Last month, Eberhard Forcher, Austria’s musical scout, revealed that Paenda was almost ruled out!
Eberhard is a radio host at ORF and since 2016 has been the scout responsible for finding suitable candidates for Austria at Eurovision. Thanks to him we’ve seen Zoe, Nathan Trent and Cesár on stage.
Austria wants to go in a different direction this year and he says it was looking “for something special, but at the same time radio friendly.”
“If there was a recipe to win the contest, it would be one of the most wanted. But there is none. Every year is different and what might have worked two years ago, can be boring today.”
“Paenda is an artist who knows exactly what she wants. And this led to some conflicts with us who know more about Eurovision. But conflicts are there to be solved.”
Of course Pænda wasn’t the only artist who had negotiations with ORF and he confirmed contact with Hyäne Fischer, the long rumoured satire group. At one point Pænda was already out, because she originally competed with a different song. Forcher then contacted her team again to listen to her new album Evolution II for suitable tracks, finding the divisive “Limits”.
Her album will drop just before Eurovision, on 26 April.
What do you think? Does “Limits” have the potential to win Eurovision 2019? Let us know in the comments below.
“Limits” is a masterpiece! And this article made me want to listen to her whole album “Evotulion II”, so I’m gonna do it as soon as I can.
Bland and instantly forgettable. Sadly, Austria doesn’t seem to understand songs that are likely to win — just look at the last 20 years of dismal songs as, other than Cesar Sampson’s and maybe one other, the rest were terrible songs. The only reason Conchita won was she insisted on that song. If they had left it to ORF, Austria would have been at the bottom of the pile. Again.
Beautiful song. Atmospheric and delicate. Understand she wrote and composed this, real talent. Deserves to qualify over some of the dross in that semi. Austria continue to send good stuff.
First of all, amazing style! Second, a very good entry, modern and emotional. Austria is in the right way!
Feels deep and personal. The verses seem like the highlight here. Especially the second one. That is when her voice pulls the most emotion. Video is also very good because she can emote and pull you in.
Too much songs revealed the last two days and most sounding the same. Yes call me crazy but Switzerland, Greece, Netherlands, Azerbaijan, Ireland, Macedonia, San Marino or this is the same s*** fast-food music. Like an overdose.
I checked out after 1 minute..what a bore!!..The songs are so bad this year. For any country that has not chosen their song this year, please listen to them all, and send something just slightly decent and different, and it will win.
I’m not sure about this. I respect them for trying something different but it’s not a standout song. Too early to judge if I like it or not. Need a few more listens
Now that the music video is out, i think we’ve got a good idea of how this might be staged. She’ll likely stand in the middle, with those same sort of images behind her on LEDS. Maybe some blue fog around her for added effect. Whatever she wears would probably be simple as well. It has the potential of looking pretty if they do it like that, ….problem is though, ….this seems like a tricky song to sing live. Any mistakes she makes will be very easy to notice. I’m not sure if this will make it or not. It… Read more »
Great entry from Austria, I love it. It is one of those songs that many people will claim is boring, but you really need to focus on it to realise its beauty. It’s what I would call “intellectually touching”. Depending on the live performance this could be either top 10 in the final or bottom 3 in the semi and that makes it even more exciting.
Boring!
I expected something different but i‘m not disappointed. With good staging this can be top 10 !
disappointed? this is not going to final
Paenda has her own look and message to send, and that goes beyond the contest bubble. Congratulations for standing out in that sense. As for the song, it reminds me of songs from Sarah McLachlan’s early albums, around 1991-93. And the video style has Sinead O’Connor “Nothing Compares to you” vibes. I must admit I didn’t quite understand the message of the lyrics on the first listen, but I think this entry will grow on me with time. Very unusual for ESC; it’s not “contest material” at all, and that’s a good thing IMO.
Self-love and self-worth. The “you” she is singing to is actually her own reflection in the mirror. (Not joking.)
Or I could be totally wrong. (I’m probably way off.)
This is exactly the way I understood it too. It’s an introspective song. I like it. Kind of expected a big “breakdown” at the end, but it didn’t happen. The staging will be crucial difference between being intriguing or boring on stage.
Ever heard this?:
https://youtu.be/5GTmkv7Vcy4
This is the kind of song it reminds me of.
I wholly got the message from the very first listening. It even made me cry a bit. Really felt for a moment like she was talking with and about me. The same feeling as at “Never give up on you”. Absolutely LOVE such kind of emotional songs in ESC.
Nope.
The song is a grower, perfect to listen to while you’re reading or chilling but it will be difficult to stand out on a TV show like Eurovision with fierce competition. So I hope they are preparing a spectacular staging to showcase the song.
Eberhard Forcher didn’t do a great job though, PAENDA has more interesting songs in her discography.
I loathe high notes in general, but for this song. wow. I am all hers.
It also concerns me that she sings in head voice for so long. Not that I have a problem listening to it, I actually like it, it’s pleasant to my ears. But I miss hearing other parts of her voice and I imagine it’s a tricky one to perform. The song is so minimalist that any vocal mistake will be amplified.
I can definitely get it. If it was a different performer trying to sing this one, I would probably feel the same. Somehow, her voice does the trick for me. But it all can change if I notice she’s not comfortable. It would be like seeing someone looking amazing on fantastic shoes, but knowing that she must be in a lot of pain!
I am always for low notes! Likewise I also prefer musical instruments in the lower range… It’s a pity that in this song she can’t give us all the colours her voice is capable of. And you are right – it gives a little pain in my ears: her strained head voice without significant interruption
I really like it, but at the same time it’s a let down how the song avoids that extra mile to achieve bigger things. By reading the lyrics, I understand why this happens. It probably wasn’t written with Eurovision in mind and maybe the conflitcs mentioned in the article were about if they should change it to make more accessible. Just like Belgium, this one will look gorgeous in the context of an album, but the lack of impact can be rough on their results. Her vocals are fantastic. I hope she can replicate them live and set the mood.
I found some lyrics online, it helped with some parts. But even the lyrics I’ve found are full of interrogations.
That was flippin incredible! Ahhhhhh Austria, Greece, Netherlands, Norway….so many good songs from unexpected places!
In my personal opinion, it’s more gripping than Arcade.
Like what Forcher said, this is very divisive: some would say beautiful, some say underwhelming. But since Conchita the Austrian staging was a blast, so I believe in Austrian team and what they would do to boost ‘Limits’.
I don’t know if I listened to the same song as the others, but I absolutely love it! Her unique voice gives me an immense thrill, the instrumentation is low-key, but complements her vocals perfectly. It’s like a healthy, satisfying salad, that makes you hungry for more. A song I would like to listen in the morning to put me in a good mood.
I am all in for healthy salads
Oh lord, I expected so much more from this song. This is just boring and won’t take us anywhere. Sad. I was really getting used to us reaching the final but not with this song. Her vocals are amazing but that doesn’t help if it makes you fall asleep
Wonder how they will stage this, it will make or break this song. It has potential and I think it will qualify at least
no final ( sorry)
you can hate my opinion, but you must take a question —- that she is in 1 HALF of 2 semi with another girls from Moldova, Denmark, Romania, Armenia, Ireland and only Latvia has group and Swiss has man and also Sweden can send some girl … did Austria survive ? i dont think so, i am so dissapointed but maybe i will change my opinion when i will see the stage
moldova, denmark, and romania qualifying over this? don’t think so
Well Romania and Moldova actually can ( diaspora never sleeps) …personally i think -Romania and Denmark are better then Austria 🙁
If she can deliver the same vocal live, it can be magical
I like , I really do not see why most people don’t. It gives me Ellie Golding vibes mixed with Blanche
forgettable redundance
Another bland song that goes nowhere. Will it grab people’s attention? No, i don’t think so…
Oh, I like it! It bears some similarities with Surma’s “Pugna”. There lay my worries as “Pugna” flopped with the televote. “Blackbird” did it too so I don’t really know if people support these ethereal soft songs. “Limits” needs a great well-though and artsy staging. Kudos to Austria for bringing something different.
I really liked that song, it’s moving and her voice is really unique. Whilst I was expecting something a bit alternatives I think I was expecting something that felt edgy but edgy for Eurovision, something like LoveWave or City Lights which felt different but felt like it had a lot of potential to do well at Eurovision, this doesn’t in the same way. But Austria do clearly know what they’re doing and they have a way to make acts resonate with juries and viewers that wouldn’t necessarily if they were being staged by other countries. So top ten is definitely… Read more »
it’s great. So fragile but strong, so restrained yet brisk, so cool yet embracing, so minimalistic but at the same time complex … and it is a song that is written, composed and sung by a female artist released on world women’s day.
“Thanks to him we’ve seen Zoe, Nathan Trent and Cesar Sampson on stage.” Well, considering Zoe was picked through a national finals in which she won via televote, not the juries, I’m not sure she should be on this list.
Every Finalist in 2016 was recruited by him
Interesting info. Didn’t know that.
Without Eberhard Forcher Zoë would not have been in the NF. It is very hard to convince Austrian artists to participate in a televised NF. That’s why there are now internal selections and it is a secret who lost, besides Hyäne Fischer, but that’s her fault.
I also expected something more edgier, but this is beautiful.
It’s alright. Expected more.
I was hoping for more. As some people have already pointed out – the chorus is pretty weak. Which seems to be a general problem this year (or maybe it’s a trend in music right now?). Strong beginning, build up – and then a weak chorus. Belgium, for example, has also a very weak and boring chorus, in my opinion. Anyway, I think her singing is a tad to high-pitched. And it’s just 3 minutes of the same – sure, the electronic blips and blops in the background are nice and well done – but so subtle that they almost… Read more »
Voice-wise this year is very strong. I am not decided yet about Limits. The song doesn’t go to the limits of her voice – which has more to offer than the song shows.
It’s a cute song. She won’t win and will probably struggle to reach the final -unless her live vocals and staging elevate the song enough-, but the song is quite good and she can be proud of that.
a major disappointment. song is very uneventful, it’s like they tried too hard to be indie and ended up with something unremarkable.
It’s really an interesting occurrence that more than a half of this year’s entries try to create an atmosphere rather than a big impact done by a big build-up. Some of them succeed with flying colors (Slovenia, for instance) and some get only boring (Latvia, for instance). I expected far more pop bangers or power ballads with catchy choruses.
After Portugal coming last with an atmospheric song last year, I really think Slovenia might not even qualify, although it’s easily one of the best songs of the year.
Underwhelming.
Shoots arrows into my soul. I surrender to this stellar ode to universe. Omg this is beyond beautiful and amazing. /crying at the office desk
ESC fans dont like ballads. They want 42 FUEGO every year. Fans are just like that. Boring i think but i suppose the fans dont think that.
I love ballads, like all music but songs such as Fuego are ok but not be all and end all > I like a little substance rather than silly lyrics and costumes and bit of jiggling about. I really dont care if a song is a bop. Its a contest not a disco.
Why do they always release full songs on Spotify or something that requires registration? Meh…
Looking forward to Austria’s song. It’s really clustered now. I hope the songs get enough time to ‘breathe’ among fans. There is a danger of ignoring a good song because they all came out too close to one another. I think some internally chosen songs could have a better spotlight if released earlier.
I really thought this would be unique, upbeat, interesting and potentially this year’s ‘Toy’ but it really is a bit of a letdown on first listen. Maybe I’ll come ’round, but disappointing from Austria, especially after their great result last year.
Like others I expected more. It’s not bad but underwhelming. It goes on and without a buildup to anything. It loses steam.
I think it could struggle unless the staging is spectacular
Lukewarm.
Like her voice, the song builds nicely but really goes nowhere real shame, it felt like a very long 3 minutes to me
Its ok. Staging will be key, just in the case of Belgium. Let’s hope they will not put her on a giant moon, treadmill or rising platform.