The first semi final of Unser Song für Deutschland, the German national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest 2011 is about to take place. Lena Meyer-Landrut will perform six songs and three of them will qualify for the national final.

The show

2010 Eurovision Song Contest winner Lena Meyer-Landrut will perform six different songs, whoose titles and composers are yet to be announced. Three songs will be chosen by televoting to qualify for the national final on 18th February. All songs and performances will be judged by jury consisting of head judge and 2011 co-host Stefan Raab and guest judges Stefanie Kloß (of Silbermond) and Der Graf (of Unheilig). Between the performances video clips will introduce the songwriters, who are said to come from all over the world. Two songs of the total of 12 in the running were written by Stefan Raab and Lena herself. The programme will be hosted by Matthias Opdenhövel and Sabine Heinrich.

How to watch?

There will be no official webcast, but all performances are expected to be published on tvtotal.de ater the show.

Pro Sieben is available on satellite. You can find detailed information on how to receive the channel here.

Live

The show has started.

Sabine Heinrich and Matthias Opdenhövel welcome the audience reminding everyone that Germany's star for Oslo is also Germany's star for Düsseldorf.

The jury is being introduced. Head judge and creator of the programme Stefan Raab is the first one on stage. They talk about Margot Hielscher and Corry Brokken, who both took part in 1957 and 1958. Corry Brokken won in 1957 and finished last the year after.

Stefan Raab explains that they listened to 400-600 songs in order to select the twelve ones in the running. He says that it is important that song and singer work well together.

A review of the Eurovision Song Contest 2010 is shown.

Lena comes on stage receiving a very warm applause from the audience. She says that is happy about defending her title. She adds that she is looking forward to performing on the stage with the band.

The other two jury members are introduced: Stefanie Kloß of Silbermond and Der Graf of Unheilig. Stefanie Kloß was already a guest judge in last year's national final while Der Graf won Stefan Raab's Bundesvision Song Contest last October.

Stefanie Kloß says that she was giving a concert when Germany was winning the Eurovision Song Contest last year. She is happy that Lena managed to deal well with her sudden success.

Televoting alone will choose the six qualifying songs. The voting will start once all songs have been performed.

The first song will be performed after a commercial break.

1. Good news

This song was written by Audra Mae and Ferras.

The clip takes us to LA, where Audra Mae, a niece of Judy Garland is working. She has worked with acts such as Susan Boyle. Lena says she instantly loved the song, also in the demo version. Good news is also the title of Lena's upcoming album.

The mid tempo song starts with a very slow, piano driven intro. The song is simple but works well on stage. Lena's voice is a little shaky at some points (and it is probably not part of the parformance). Nevertheless a sweet opening.

Stefan Raab says that the song suits Lena well and that he likes the song, although it is not mainstream. Stefanie Kloß and Der Graf both like the song.

2. Maybe

This song was written by Pär Lammers and Daniel Schaub.

Pär Lammers and Daniel Schaub are from Berlin and they had already written the song I just want your kiss for Lena's debut album. Lena says that the duo knows what they are doing and that the songs makes you happy.

The second song is a classic guitar pop song with international appeal. Lena sells the song, which probably gets more catchy after listening to it a couple of times, very well.

Stefanie Kloß says that the song has a strong chorus but she is not so sure about the verses. Der Graf says that it is nice pop song with a typical Lena verse, which sounds very international.

Commercial break.

3. I like you

Written by Rosi Golan and Johnny McDaid.

Lena liked the romantic song right away. The song writers are living in London and Los Angeles, so they had to write the song via internet. Rosi Golan had already co-written the song Bee, which took part in last year's national final. Lena's version of the song reached number three on German single charts.

The third song of the night is an unplugged indie style guitar which seems to suit Lena perfectly. This is obviously the strongest vocal performance tonight so far and Lena seems to believe in what she is singing. This type is song is probably not the one you would expect to do well in the Eurovision Song Contest but it definitely is something new after Satellite.

Der Graf likes the message of the song, which he considers a nice ballad. He also says that it suits Lena's voice very well. Stefanie Kloß says the song reminds her of acts such as Norah Jones. She likes the atmosphere of the song. She says that it might be too calm to compete in a contest. Stefan Raab says that ballads are always a dangerous choice in a contest. He still likes the song very much as it suits Lena very well.

4. That again

Written by Stefan Raab.

Stefan Raab represented Germany in the Eurovision Song Contest three times as a composer and once as a singer. Stefan Raab says that he considered Lena's own taste in music while writing the song. The singer says that the song has a very catchy chorus.

This is a typical Stefan Raab song with heavy US American influences. Indeed a catchy effort, although there might a bit too much da da da in the lyrics. The arrangement is probably a little overloaded but generally this is another strong entry that could do well tonight.

Stefan Raab jokingly says that it was sung well but that the song itself is junk. Stefanie Kloß (again, jokingly) praises the songwriter and she thinks that Lena liked the song. Der Graf says that it is a well produced song.

Commercial break.

5. Taken by a stranger

Written by Gus Seyffert, Nicole Morier and Monica Birkenes.

Lena says she chose the song because she finds it important to try something new.

This song is indeed very different from the other ones. It is not typical for Lena and it is not typical for the Eurovision Song Contest, so this would be a really interesting choice. Taken by a stranger gets a bit repetitive towards the end but the unique atmosphere helps keeping up the attention.

The audience reacts very positively to this song. Der Graf says that the song is experimental and new. Stefanie Kloß agrees and she says that the song might be so popular because it is different and because it show a new side of Lena. Stefan Raab says that the song is spooky.

6. What happened to me

Written by Lena Meyer-Landrut and Stefan Raab.

Lena explains that Lena had the idea for the song at home and she recorded it on her iphone. It was one of the last songs recorded for the album. Stefan Raab says that there is no strategy behind the song hoping that everyone will call for the song they like best.

Without a doubt, this is most instantly catchy song of the evening. The style is similar to her single Touch a new day and she seems very happy performing her own song. The final entry of the night has the potential of becoming a hit. The arrangement seems to be perfect and the audience is going crazy.

Der Graf likes the fact that Lena wrote the song herself. Stefan Raab says that indeed most of the song was written by Lena. Stefanie Kloß says that the song is nice and bubbly.

The voting has started. A recap of all six songs is being shown.

The voting has finished.

Maybe, Taken by a stranger and What happened to me have qualified for the final.