Life after Helsinki 2007 Eurovision

Austria selects is own represant and follow up to Conchita Wurst this Friday. Six acts made it to the final and none of them is very Eurovisionesque. The hosts feel no pressure I guess and are ready to risk a bit, which is always refreshing. Dawa has an acoustic sounding simple "folk" song. It's kinda cute and nice, but is it strong enough? Johan Sebastian Bass isn't nice and cute but more like in-your-face kind of a song. Retro groove and crazy sounding opera singers as backing. A look to match and to remember. This would we bold and surely would stand out in the Vienna line up. Celina Ann is the Austrian Nina Zilli lookalike but that's where the similarities end. The song falls to the "nice" category. Nice only won't take you very far unfortunately. The Makemakes have the quality of making me listen to them and drop everything I am doing. Capturing. Beautiful. A song that I don't want to fast forward Yet I'm not crazy for it, but it...

Austria finally got into business tonight and in a sort of semifinal the remaining six artists all presented two entries and one was voted to the final by a jury. The songs were written together with an international writing team that included among others Sharon Vaughn and Julie Frost. After first hearing I'm kinda liking The Makemakers and what to do with Johann Sebastian Bass? Or Zoe, but why on earth is she singing in French? Here's a recap of all songs.  Below is the list of the songs, the qualified one first: DAWA – Feel Alive / If you return Celina Ann – Utopia / When I fall Johann Sebastian Bass – Absolutio / Monsters Zoe – Quel Filou / My heart still beats The Makemakes – I Am Yours / Big bang Folkshilfe – Who You Are / Ned au

In Austria the final six will be at it again tonight. Last week ten acts were sent home and only these six continue the race. Apparently they will continue performing covers or their own songs trying to convince the juries of their talent. Only next week they will all perform two potential entries and one of them will be voted by the jury to the final. Only in the final Austrias will have a say as there will be 50-50 televote-juryvote. This blogger thinks these rounds without their entries are rather useless and annoying, after all it's all about the song after all. No matter how good you are if your songs sucks, or the combination doesn't work..... But let's see what they come up with.  The Makemakes Dawa Zoe Folkshilfe Celina Ann Johann Sebastian Bass

The host broadcaster ORF will have a national selection for their own contest in Vienna 2015, following the victorious internal selection of Conchita Wurst. Today they have made public the 16 acts that made it. The selection to cut those 16 to six for the national final takes place today, but we won't know the result until February 20 when it will be broadcasted. On March 6 we will hear their real entries as until then they are singing covers or their other songs. The final takes place on March 13, thus making Austria one of the last countries to have its entry for Vienna. The 16 acts are Celina Ann, Clara Blume, Dawa, Folkshifte, Johan Sebastian Bass, Kathi Kallauch, Kommando Elefant, Lemo, Makemakers, Mizgebonez, Renato Unterberg, Royal Combo, The Su'sis, Tandem, wo/Men and Zoe .