Austria in the Eurovision Song Contest
Austria has competed in 54 Eurovision Song Contests since their debut at the second edition of the Contest in 1957. They have two Eurovision victories to their name, with their most recent occurring in 2014 with Conchita Wurst's power ballad 'Rise Like A Phoenix'. Austria's most recent qualification to the Eurovision final came in 2018, where Cesar Sampson finished in 3rd place in the final with 'Nobody But You'. Last year, 'Halo' by LUM!X featuring Pia Maria failed to qualify for the final, finishing in 19th place in semi-final 1.
2023 Entry: Teya & Salena - 'Who The Hell Is Edgar?'
Teya & Salena will compete in the 13th position of semi-final 2
My Eurovision Scoreboard ranking: 4th
Odds to win ranking: 9th
(Rankings as of 2 April 2023)
About the artists
Teya, also known as Thea Devy, is a 22-year-old Serbian-Austrian singer who discovered her passion for music at the age of 12, citing Amy Winehouse and Adele as her greatest musical idols. Teya participated in Beovizija 2020 with the entry 'Sudnji dan' ('Judgement Day'). The singer confirmed on Facebook that 'Sudnji dan' was submitted to the Serbian national selection after an ORF internal selection rejected the song's original version. 'Sudnji dan' finished in 10th place in the Beovizija 2020 final.
Salena is the stage name of Selina-Maria Edbauer, a 24-year-old singer from Styria. She began singing at the age of seven, performing at school events, confirmations, weddings, and christenings, both as a solo artist and as part of a band. In 2017, Salena participated in Season 7 of 'The Voice Germany', where she was eliminated in the sing-offs. Salena also attempted to represent Austria at Eurovision in 2019 but her entry was not selected. Since 2020, she has been the ‘Station Voice’ at Austrian radio station Hitradio Ö3, and can be heard in numerous advertising spots.
Both artists participated in the same season of the Austrian singing competition show 'Starmania' in 2021. Famous alumni of previous seasons of 'Starmania' include Nadine Beiler (Austria 2011), Daniel Kajmakoski (FYR Macedonia 2015), and Tom Neuwirth, who Eurovision fans will recognise as Conchita Wurst, the winner of the 2014 Eurovision Song Contest.
About the song
'Who The Hell Is Edgar?' is written by Teya and Salena together with Czech music producer Ronald Janeček and songwriter Pele Loriano, the latter of whom penned Eurovision entries such as Lithuania's 2019 entry 'Run with the Lions' and Switzerland's 2010 entry 'Il pleut de l'or'. The uptempo EDM track is not only about the creative process and the experience of writing a good song but also serves as a satirical critique of the music industry. When asked about their song, Teya and Salena said:
"This song is a snapshot of the fun we had on the day we wrote it. It started with wanting to convey what it feels like when a good song is made. Sometimes creativity rushes through you as if you‘re getting possessed by a ghost. But we also wanted to put our personal experiences as female songwriters into the song. It often feels like you have to prove yourself over and over again to be taken seriously. By presenting Edgar Allan Poe as the actual writer of the song, we want to draw attention to this frustrating part of the music business. It's satire."
How Teya & Salena were selected for Eurovision
Teya & Salena were internally selected by the Austrian broadcaster ORF to be their country's representatives in Liverpool.
Stefan Zechner, Austrian Head of Delegation, told Eurovision.tv:
"The song is catchy and at the same time has a message with a certain seriousness. Teya & Salena see themselves as members of the Song Contest family and it is great when someone perceives the whole event as a 'once in a lifetime' chance."
Austria will compete in semi-final 2 on May 11 (European time) in Liverpool.
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