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Since 2014, Germany was not that good when it comes to Eurovision Song Contest. What were the ups and downs? What can actually be improved?

First and foremost, Germany is one of the 5 countries which are pre-qualified in the Grand Final of the Eurovision Song Contest. What does that mean? Germany debuted in the ESC in the year of 1956, therefore the country of beer and bratwurst competes only in the Grand Final, without being allocated in a semifinal.

The German broadcaster, NDR, is for the moment, in charge with organising a National Final in order to find out who will represent the country in the biggest music competition in the world. NDR (Nord Deutscher Rundfunk) is part of ARD (Arbeitsgemeinschaft der öffentlich-rechtlichen Rundfunkanstalten der Bundesrepublik Deutschland) and has the right to opt between a national selection (2014-2019; 2022-2024) or an internal selection (2020, 2021).

The broadcaster NDR offered Germany 2 honorable placements in 2018, when Germany sent Michael Schulte in the competition, and this year when Isaak broke a long-lasting bad luck period. Moreover, Germany could have been in the top 10 in 2020, according to eurovisionworld.com. When it comes to the quality of the songs, Germany offered some brilliant performances such Michael Schulte, Ben Dolic, Lord of the Lost and Isaak.

The band Elaiza competed in the year of 2014 for Germany, when it finished 18th. In my opinion, the song is just great. Germany offered simplicity, authenticity and the last but not the least, an easy-going performance.

Black smoke, anime and an unperfect result

Between 2015 and 2017, Germany confronted with some unlucky results. When the event was hosted by the neighbor country, Austria, Ann Sophie finished the competition last. The German performer ended up with 0 points. Germany could have finished the competition with a decent result, but Andreas Kümmert withdrew from the competition after he was announced as the winner of the German selection.

In 2016, the Voice of Germany winner Jamie-Lee Kriewitz represented the country after Xavier Naidoo, controversially withdrew from the competition. Jamie-Lee ended up on the last position, but personally, I can imagine Xavier performing for Germany one day despite all controversy because of his ideology etc. In my opinion, Ghost was just generic, but it’s a calming and cute song. After Jamie Lee finished the ESC last, Germany was represented by Levina with the song Perfect Life. It was just a cheap copy of Sia’s Titanium. Levina competed the song contest with a charming attitude, but the result was also in the right side of the scoreboard.

2018: Germany ended up on left side of the scoreboard: You Let Me Walk Alone in Top 5

The German Michael Schulte finished the Eurovision Song Contest in top 5. The method of selection was completely changed months before 2018 and this is the secret of organising a good shaped National Final. Everything was brilliant from the performances to the production of the final. Germany chose wisely and a ballad (You Let Me Walk Alone) was crowned as the winning song. Other notable performances: Ryk and Ivy Quainoo. The same recipe was used for the 2019 selection, when Sisters won the final. The favorite Aly Ryan lost the national competition. For me, it was the perfect song. The song was well performed, it was colorful, the lyrics were unique and Aly had a queen attitude. In the end, Germany finished 25th.

2020-Present: Some notable appearances which were forgotten by the audience

Personally, when Germany opted for an internal selection, Ben Dolic could have finished in the top 5. But, unfortunately, COVID 19 was the reason behind the cancelation of the event. The song was amazing, a perfect banger and an unique voice. Ben’s clear voice is just a piece of art, and it perfectly combined with the vibe of the song.

In 2021, Germany ended up in the right side of the scoreboard after the broadcaster NDR opted for a new internal selection. A big mistake in my opinion. Why would someone think of throwing away an artist after receiving good feedback for their song? However, NDR selected Jendrik to compete for Germany in Rotterdam.

In 2022, Germany opted again for the national final, when some new controversies were made. After Eskimo Callboy announced that they submitted a song in the German selection, everyone was thinking that they could represent the country in Italy. However, NDR did not select the band, thus fans from all over the world signed a petition for their idols in order to be able to participate in the German selection. Nothing happened and Malik Harris was crowned as German representative in the ESC 2022.

After a bad result in 2022, Germany organised a new national final in order to determine the representative for ESC 2023. This time, the show was different, we saw some nice acts, but the winner was Lord of the Lost, the metal band from Hamburg. In my opinion, the band really impressed me from the start, being a rock fan. Chris Harms performed in a fabulous way, he delivered a unique interpretation. Unfortunately, the song was not for everyone, and ended up on the last position.

After this year edition of ESC, Germany must obtain good and notable performances in the future contests. Isaak delivered a strong performance, full of fire and with a unique voice. Always on the run will remain in my heart, because it is relatable to all of us, who are always in motion as humans, we are always changing our rhythm and emotions. 2024 was brilliant for Germany and I am sure that they won’t disappoint in the future editions.

I hope to see Germany reorganising their national finals like they did in 2018 and 2019. Germany has to be in the left side of the scoreboard again. This country has so much powerful acts like Scorpions, Kim Petras, Rammstein, Tokio Hotel, Ski Aggu and many others. I would love to see Tokio Hotel in the competition, but Kim Petras will stole my heart.