Audience to decide who represents Germany at the ESC
Next year, a number of things are to change with regard to Germany's participation in the ESC. Of particular interest: in the future, the audience will decide who is allowed to perform at the competition. The procedure of letting a jury decide on this had repeatedly led to criticism. Now a new approach is apparently being planned.
Viewers will then be able to choose between a total of five different artists. Information to this effect has been issued by Norddeutscher Rundfunk. The winner will then be allowed to represent Germany at the "Song for Turin".
Recently, there has been increasing criticism of the existing jury system
Anyone who looked around on social networks after the last ESCs repeatedly got the impression that many viewers felt "blindsided" by the jury. Opinions about who should ultimately compete for their own country sometimes differed greatly. This criticism now seems to have been listened to.
It remains to be seen whether the ranking will be higher next year. One thing is certain: in recent years, Germany has not been able to adorn itself with good rankings at the ESC. True to the motto "It can only get better!", perhaps it really is time to give a new system a chance.
A look back: The ESC 2021 - Jendrik lands on the penultimate place
Actually, this was an important message. The German ESC participant Jendrik spoke out for more tolerance and against haters with his song "I don't feel hate". In the end, however, it was only enough for the penultimate place. Only Great Britain was even further behind at the end of the scoring.
Whether it was ultimately down to the performance, the song or the strong competition can certainly no longer be clarified. What is certain, however, is that Germany has had to be satisfied with rankings at the back of the pack in previous years as well. The last time Michael Schulte managed to climb comparatively high was in 2018. 4th place! It's possible!
Who will take part in the ESC 2022 for Germany?
The application phase for the participation of Germany in the ESC 2022 is running. Anyone who wants to can apply now on the pages of eurovision.de. Five acts will be selected from all the applicants - by a jury - who will then be put to the vote of the audience. It will then be up to the viewers to decide who will ultimately represent the country.
The ESC 2022 will then take place in Turin in mid-May. And who knows? Maybe we'll be able to return to our old successes then?
The ESC and the community - a (still) strong connection
The connection between the ESC and the queer community is still very strong. And that's despite the fact that the competition has changed a lot over time. For a long time now, the focus has not only been on catchy songs and largely harmonious melodies. Since Lordi at the latest, it's been clear that it's entirely possible to strike a harder note in the context of the music event.
At the same time, the ESC is also increasingly used as a platform for conveying political messages around diversity and tolerance. Many singers who openly support the community, but come from a country where the rights of homosexuals are sometimes severely restricted, are repeatedly exposed to insults and threats of various kinds.
Let's hope that the love of music and art will continue to unite ESC fans around the world and send a strong message against exclusion - regardless of who decides which act is on stage for which country.
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