Germany: TikTok reveals Unser Lied für Liverpool hopefuls as submission period ends

Germany’s aspiring Eurovision 2023 singers only had about three weeks to apply. And now NDR/ARD have closed the submission window for Unser Lied für Liverpool. TikTok is full of entries and we’ve had a quick trawl and listen. 

This is only a summary of applications via TikTok, so does NOT include every interested act or submitted entry. That’s because German broadcasters NDR/ARD also allowed acts to apply via their official online platform and by contacting them and specific record companies directly. Various TikTok videos tagged with #UnserLiedFürLiverpool are public, of course, and that’s why we can listen to some of the most promising applications now.

Germany: TikTok applications revealed as Unser Lied submissions close

She is probably the most popular singer in the game so far. Leslie Clio served as a German juror at Eurovision in 2015, and she also had a huge hit with “I couldn’t care less,” which you can still hear on the radio. A few weeks ago, she took part in The Masked Singer Germany. Now Leslie shows how enthusiastic she is about Eurovision. Not only is she really thinking about what’s right for the contest, but she’s also listening to her fans’ critiques on TikTok. She even showed what her performance could look like in her clip for the entry “Almost be alone.” She applied for the German selection by uploading not one, but THREE songs on TikTok which can all be seen in the clip below.

@leslieclio Mit welchem Song sollte ich Deutschland beim ESC vertreten? #unserliedfürliverpool #unsersongfürliverpool #eurovision #leslieclio ♬ original sound – LESLIE CLIO

You can really feel the influence of Electric Callboy within the TikTok selection. The band who famously was NOT chosen by NDR for this year’s Eurovision selection likes to mix techno/electronic with metal sounds. You can find a similar style from From Fall to Spring. The band’s inspiration are legends like Linkin Park and you can definitely hear it in their sound, where they combine rap and nu-metal. From Fall to spring applied via Tik Tok (and maybe also via the NDR platform) with their song “Draw the line”.

An early fan favorite is singer Patty Gurdy. She mixes Celtic Folk elements with modern pop sounds. Patty, whose real name is Patricia Bühler, has already gained popularity thanks to other musicians, including famous German band Subway to Sally. They have promoted her on their social media. It would clearly be a new flavour for Germany at Eurovision if they send a song like Petty’s “Melodies of hope”.

@pattygurdy Celtic Folk Pop für #Eurovision ☘️ Teilt und liket „Melodies of Hope“ #unserliedfürliverpool #Germany #Folk #hurdygurdy #ESC #Deutschland #pattygurdy ♬ Melodies of Hope by Patty Gurdy – Patty Gurdy

Better late than never: That’s the motto of singer Saint Linh. She only applied on Sunday with her song “Lonely”. On TikTok she’s very popular and has almost hit 1 million followers. She likes to speak about relationships and problems between men and women. We hear you, babe.

@saintlinh Ich bin so spät dran I know, but better late than never! @eurovision_de #unserliedfürliverpool #eurovision #esc ♬ original sound – Saint Linh

Her voice reminds us of Ariana Grande and her style seems to be very current and popular.

A band that definitely gained a lot of new fans and attention only by speaking about their desire to represent Germany is Lonely Spring. They made a TikTok saying their manager will only allow them to participate if their video gets more than 10,000 likes. As I write this, that specific video has already reached more than 33,000 likes so the band have officially applied. Their song “Misfit” doesn’t only speak to those who like punk rock in general, because it’s actually also very melodic. Will NDR ignore a rock/punk act again or will they be part of the final selection for 2023?

@lonelyspring Es wär so witzig, wer würde es feiern den Song dort zu hören? 🤝😂 #unserliedfürliverpool #fypシ #esc ♬ Misfit – Lonely Spring

But this wouldn’t be a German selection (wildcard round) without former The Voice Of Germany acts. Singer POLA wants to go to Liverpool. He sang in The Voice together with Duncan Laurence and isn’t actually sure about which song he wants to sing in the German selection yet. He uploaded different songs but one of them is “OKAY”.

Another promising act could be singer Mitchy Katawski. He wants to compete with a good vibes only-song. He will perform together with his brother… if he gets the chance to do so. He officially applied via TikTok and explains that singer/songwriter Nash Overstreet composed his song. Nash previously worked with artists like Britney Spears, Timbaland and Meghan Trainor.

@mitchykatawazi ESC 2023 😜✌🏽#UnserLiedFürLiverpool ♬ Originalton – Mitchy Katawazi

Only a few minutes before the official deadline, singer Thomas Godoj applied. He is known for winning the fifth season of German Idol back in 2008. Viewers loved his raw vocals and he is still doing music. His entry for Unser Lied für Liverpool is called “Tabula Rasa.”

Planschemalöör are also back! The band, who were already interested in competing last year, have applied again. Their song “30.000 Meilen” is about having your 30th birthday and becoming wiser and better the older you get. The entry is completely in German but you can definitely feel their energy no matter if you get the lyrics or not. Planschemalör are known for their joy on stage.

@planschemaloor Hier die kurze Version für unseren ESC Beitrag. @Planschemalöör siehe für lange version #unserliedfürliverpool #esc #mars ♬ Originalton – Planschemalöör

Yusuf & Yasin bring a very popular genre. Their entry “Wach” (Awake) includes German lyrics with hip hop influences. German rap is loved by many at the moment and even dominated the national charts for a very long time. The mainstream German rap includes a lot of auto-tune and a destinctive 80s-sound which is exactly the style of Yusuf & Yasin. It would be interesting to see how it works live.

This summer you could hear the song “Layla” by DJ Robin & Schürze EVERYWHERE in Germany. Although there were talks about boycotting the song since its lyrics are allegedly disrespectful to women, it became No. 1 on German Charts. “Layla” even made headlines on newspapers and was a topic on serious talk shows. The man behind this success is Ikke Hüftgold. He produced the song together with his production company and of course he is no stranger to Germans. He’s a popular party singer whose songs are loved for example at Oktoberfest since years. Ikke already applied last year and is now back with “Lied mit gutem Text”. In the song he ironically sings “we finally need a song without drinking, we finally need a song without sex, we finally need a song without drugs.”

@ikkehueftgold Ikke zieht durch! Wer zieht mit? #unserliedfürliverpool #esc #eurovisionsongcontest #eurovision2023 #ikkehüftgold ♬ Originalton – Ikke Hüftgold

Very popular on TikTok is also singer JONA with his entry “10/10”. Although his first TikTok application included his song in German, meanwhile it’s also available in English. His song combines HipHop beats with a message for all women in the world. He tells them, they are all beautiful and should believe in themselves. Even last years Eurovision winners Kalush Orchestra showed JONA their love and told him they are supporting him.

@itsmejonaselle Fühlst du? 🖤 #UnserLiedFürLiverpool #sieisteine10 #esc2023 #fypシ ♬ 10/10 – JONA

And – last but not least – also Vita & Katha Rosa applied. But don’t expect a Sister 2.0. Their song “Drache” includes German rap and speaks about the end of a relationship. The girls asked their followers if they should apply and they supported them right from the start. Now they hope to get selected via TikTok.

There are also many other applications – most of them applied last minute – that caught our attention. A lot of current, fresh songs like those of female rapper and singer Paula Douglas, duo VENUES, Ilian with his song “Titanic”, Gialu & Hasan – a seld called duo of a non-binary singer and a straight guy of Turkish origin,  Will Church, BIRDY-inspired, mysterious Marie Celestine and The Voice Kids-singer Luca Wolf makes it already now a very diverse mix. Everyone who applied on TikTok for the ‘wildcard spot’ was also allowed to apply officially, so there’s a huge chance we’ll see many of those acts in the actual show.

NDR/ARD state that they will proove all the applications on TikTok, to only judge those who are eligible to compete. After that they want to find the most promising entries and create a shortlist, which will be judged by the public and online users in January. Only one ‘wildcard’ to be decided by the Tik Tok method. There will be between 8 and 10 songs in the German final 2023.

As Stefan Linder, part of the NDR-Eurovision team  recently told fans at a Fanclub meeting in Cologne that the whole committee really wants to change something. Stefan himself worked on HR, another TV Chanel in Germany before, that’s why he brings a new perspective to NDR. He said he loves Eurovision since forever and actually proved his knowledge at the Fanclub meeting. He also revealed that Unser Lied für Liverpool will take Place in Berlin, Munich, Hamburg or Leipzig. The German national final for Eurovision 2023 will take place in early March.

What do you think about the German process for Eurovision 2023 so far? Are there any stand-out acts? Let us know in the comments below.