Just moments ago at a press conference livestreamed on German Eurovision news website eurovision.de, all six artists who will compete in the German national final 'Germany 12 Points' on 4 March were finally revealed, along with their prospective Eurovision entries.
The chosen six are:
Emily Roberts - 'Soap'
Eros Atomus - 'Alive'
Felicia Lu - 'Anxiety'
Maël & Jonas - 'I Swear to God'
Malik Harris - 'Rockstars'
Nico Suave & Team Liebe - 'Hallo Welt'
At this morning's event, hosted by Alina Stiegler and attended by, amongst others, Germany's Head of Delegation (Alexandra Wolfslast) and representatives of the two participating national broadcasters (ARD and NDR), details of the jury which selected the six acts and entries and the selection process as a whole were also announced.
Although the five-day online voting period for the artist to represent Germany in Turin will not open until 28 February, let's take a brief look at the six acts and their songs.
Emily Roberts - 'Soap'
Emily is a 28-year-old, Hamburg-born, German-British singer-songwriter who has to date released three albums and come to public attention, inter alia, for her collaborations on the official song for the 2020 series of Germany's version of 'I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here' ('Ich bin ein Star - Holt mich hier raus!') and a recent cover of The Verve's hit 'Bittersweet Symphony'. She's also supported Brit James Blunt on tour.
'Soap' is an upbeat pop song about moving on from a past relationship. Emily's solution, in this Katy Perry-esque number, is to reach for a bar of soap and, to misquote a classic musical theatre number, "wash that man outta her brain".
Eros Atomus - 'Alive'
Eros, 20, is a singer/guitarist who, although born in Bavaria, has lived all over the world, including the USA, China, the Netherlands and this year's host country Italy. The Swiss-Danish national (yes, he's truly international!) has eleven (yes, 11!) siblings, has reached the final of 'The Voice of Germany' and supported the likes of Rita Ora and Jess Glynne on tour. His debut EP was released in 2019.
'Alive' is a peppy, pop-rock number about putting aside negative "thoughts that blind you" and focussing on the positives because, in Eros' words, "it's great to be alive". He was inspired to write the song by a young person he met with significant disabilities but who was just so alive.
Felicia Lu - 'Anxiety'
26-year-old Felicia Lu Kürbiß (who performs as 'Felicia Lu') was born and grew up in Salzburg, Austria, but has competed in two TV talent shows in neighbouring Germany: 'Rising Star' in 2014 and 'Unser Song 2017', that year's German national final at which Levina and 'Perfect Life' were ultimately selected. She is also a prominent YouTuber and classically trained dancer.
'Anxiety' is a catchy, rocky number that taps into a common - and sometimes - crippling malaise with which many are familiar, especially in this (post?)-COVID world. She made her video at home alone whilst in quarantine after contracting the dreaded virus!
Malik Harris - 'Rockstars'
Malik, 24, a German-American singer-songwriter, comes from a musical family (having an opera singer and accomplished pianist as grandparents), plays the guitar and keyboard and spent a week on a Times Square billboard in New York City. To date, he has released six singles that blend genres as diverse as pop, rap, folk and rock.
'Rockstars' is a plaintive pop-rap number in which Malik reflects on the past, on better more carefree days, in which he had greater self-confidence and felt like a titular rock star. A feeling which, in Malik's view, many of others share.
Maël & Jonas - 'I Swear to God'
Maël (26) and Jonas (20) met three years ago in their home city of Koblenz and began making and producing their own music. In 2020, the duo came 3rd on 'The Voice of Germany' and their single 'Treat You Right' has already clocked up over one million streams. 2021 marks a new chapter in the guys' musical journey.
'I Swear to God' was written by Maël and Jonas and tells the (true) story of the end of a friendship on which the pair are looking back, recognising that they have changed and hoping that a reunion might be on the cards in the future. The gents would also love to bring "fire" to the stage in Turin!
Nico Suave & Team Liebe - 'Hallo Welt'
Nico, 43, is an established hip hop/rap artist from the city of Menden in Germany's west who released his debut single and album back in 2001. After taking a break and moving to a new record label, his single 'Danke' reached #20 on the German charts in 2015. He's joined by three other artists 'Team Love', giving a multigenerational feel to the ensemble as EMY is just 19.
'Hallo Welt' ('Hello World') might be in German - the only language ever on the table for lead singer Nico - but there are some English-language references in there too, giving non-German speakers something to hold onto. According to the song, "the world needs love, but where have all the heroes gone?", and it namechecks The Avengers, Wolverine and even Star Trek's "Scotty". There's also mention of the Kardashians!
Going forward
'Germany 12 Points' will be broadcast live from Berlin on Friday, 4 March and hosted by the wonderful Barbara Schöneberger, who has announced the German jury's douze points at the last six Contests as the country's spokesperson.
The process to crown the winner will be fairly simply: the song that receives the most votes online, by telephone and SMS will perform on the Pala Alpitour stage at the 2022 Eurovision Grand Final on 14 May.
Can Germany buck the recent trend of low-scoring finishes (with the exception of Michael Schulte's 'You Let Me Walk Alone' in 2018) and follow in the now 40-year-old footsteps of Nicole ('Ein bißchen Frieden', 1982) or emulate Lena's 2010 winner 'Satellite'? Mal sehn!