Meet The Contestants – Austria 2015 Part 1

AUSTRIA 2015: THE QUEEN’S SUCCESSOR – Meet the contestants for Eurovision 2015 Selection – Part 1

Austria once commanded an empire that stretched across most of central Europe and has a proud imperial history. While the empire itself may have long been resigned to history, royalty still flourishes and Conchita Wurst is most definitely the undisputed Queen of Austria. Winning the hearts of Europe in Copenhagen, Conchita also gave Austria something they’d waited 48 long years for – a second Eurovision victory.

While busily making preparations to welcome Europe to Vienna next May, Austrian broadcaster ORF has also announced that unlike last year, there will be a national final to select Conchita’s successor. Out of sixteen announced acts chosen to compete, only six will progress to the final on March 13th and be in with a chance to represent the host nation at Eurovision. But just who is up for the formidable task of following in Her Majesty’s footsteps and singing for Austria on home soil? Let’s take a look in part one of our review

CELINA ANN

She may be just 23, but Celina is no stranger to the Austrian music scene – she’s been performing for over 11 years! Funk and soul music are her forte and she also sang with Stuttgart hip-hop group Fantastischen Vier (or in English, Fantastic Four) at the Amadeus Austrian music awards.

CLARA BLUME

Clara worked as a jazz singer in Madrid for a number of years and says her musical tastes range from the Foo Fighters to Mariah Carey, making them almost as varied as her heritage – her mother is Spanish-German while her father is Dutch-Indonesian! Could this diverse background help Austria secure points from around Europe? Couldn’t hurt!

DAWA

Formed by a group of friends in 2010, Dawa claim their style of music is hard to categorise as they are influenced by so many genres. This being said, they’ve already stated that their goal is to prove that there is more to Austrian music than pop and schlager…

FOLKSHILFE

Band members Mathias, Florian and Gabriel feel that this year’s slogan of ‘Building Bridges’ is perfect for their unique blend of pop and folk music, as it also connects different styles. They are quite well-known around their native Austria, but can Eurovision help them build bridges further across the continent?

So there is our first look at the 16 acts hoping to follow in the footsteps of Conchita Wurst at Eurovision. Which of the 4 acts are you most interested in? Is there a winner there? Can any of them do the back to back win for Austria at Eurovision? Let us know.

Stay tuned for Part 2!

Editor : James Scanlan

Source : Eurovision Ireland