The first elimination round of Unser Star für Oslo, the German performer selection for the Eurovision Song Contest 2010 is about to be held. Ten acts will compete and the bottom two will be eliminated from the competition.
How to watch?
There will be no official webcast, but all performances will appear on the official website shortly after the show. A full live report will be provided here on esctoday.com.
Pro 7 is available on satellite. You can find detailed information on how to receive the channel here.
The participants
- Meri Voskanian
- Jennifer Braun
- Maria-Lisa Straßburg
- Leon Taylor
- Katrin Walter
- Kerstin Freking
- Christian Durstewitz
- Sharyhan Osman
- Lena Meyer-Landrut
- Cyril Krueger
LIVE
The show has started. Matthias Opdenhövel and Sabine Heinreich welcome te audience and explain the format of the show once again.
The jury is now introduced. The first one on stage is head judge and creator of the programme Stefan Raab. He explains that the comments from the jury will be stricter from now on if necessary due to the higher level that has been reached. The first guest judge is König Boris, member of Fettes Brot. The band competed in Stefan Raab's first Bundevision Song Contest in 2005 and finished second with Emmanuela. The other judge for tonight is Nena, one of the most successful German singers. She has sold more than 20 million records since the 1980s. In 1998, she co-hosted the German national final for the Eurovision Song Contest and she would also announce the German votes that year.
1. Meri Voskanian
Meri performs If I ain't got you by Alicia Keys.
After a dance pop song in the first show, Meri decided to go for a soul ballad this time. The style of the song seems to suit her pefectly and she delivers and authentic and strong vocal performance. The blue note during the bridge part is right on spot and the singer manages to fill the stage with her presence.
Stefan Raab says although he planned to be more strict that he can't find a reason. Although he tried very hard, he could hardly find any wrong note. He also says that Meri really knows her abilities and does not overestimate herself.
Nena says that Meri is great and that she reminds her of a friend.
König Boris says that the performance is a bad sign for the other contestants and he says that he can't find anything negative about the performance.
2. Jennifer Braun
Jennnifer performs Like the way I do by Melissa Etheridge.
The vocal performance is a bit shaky throughout the whole performance of the Melissa Etheridge rock classic. The lyrics are partly wrong and generally the singer seems not as comfortable on stage as she was last week. Nevertheless a style that seems to suit her and a very energetic performance.
Nena says that she is a fan of Jennifer. She says that she does not know where the power comes from and that she perfectly combined body and mind.
König Boris says that he enjoyed the performance.
Stefan Raab says that she put her heart in the performance. He still says that the vocal performance was not as strong as it was last week.
Commercial break now.
3. Maria-Lisa Straßburg
Maria-Lisa performs Helena by My Chemical Romance.
Maria-Lisa staysin the rock genre buther choice of song is moredark this time. She sells the song in an authentic way and the simple but effective stage performance creates a nice picture on stage. Although her voice seems to get a bit lost against the music at sme points, the overall impression is very confident.
König Boris says that it was super.
Stefan Raab says that the choice of song was not the best and that he was not as convinced as last week.
Nena says that she was inspired by the performance. She suggests that Jennifer and Maria-Lisa perform as a duo in Oslo.
4. Leon Taylor
Leon performs Irgendwas bleibt by Silbermond.
Yet again, Leon is the only singer performing a song in German. Irgendwas bleibt was a number one hit last year and Silbermond lead singer Stefanie Kloß will be one of the guest judges in Unser Star für Oslo. Although the style of the song seems to be right for him, Leon's voice is very nasal tonight and he seems more nervous than last week.
Stefan Raab says that his voice sounded completely different tonight. He liked the gestures and he hopes that he will choose a song that is harder to sing next time.
Nena thinks that Leon vas very confident on stage and she therefore questions the choice of the song as through the lyrics, he asked for security.
König Boris likes that the songs he performs sound different from the original versions.
5. Katrin Walter
Katrin performs Warwick Avenue by Duffy.
Katrin was a real diva last time, but tonight she chose a more relaxed song. She is never out of tune, altough the song actually might demand bue notes. The stage performance is a bit insecure but generally it is still a strong effort.
Nena says that compared to the last performance Katrin abstained from the attempt of being perfect.
König Boris says that she can sing and he likes the song. He says that she was a bit scared and he hopes for something louder next time.
Stefan Raab says that the vocals were technically perfect but he missed some peak.
Commercial break now.
6. Kerstin Freking
Kerstin performs Not ready to make nice by The Dixie Chicks.
Again, Kerstin focuses on her head voice. She delivers a minimalistic but emotional performance of the song. Although her vocal style might not be everyone's favourite, she seems confident on stage and obviously feels at ease.
König Boris says that the style of music is not his favourite but she should still keep that style.
Stefan Raab says that he cannot find anything negative when it comes to the intonation.
Nena says that she could put on a great show as she has the abilities. She also likes Kertin's tenderness and she would like her to sing in Oslo.
7. Christian Durstewitz
Christian performs Change by Daniel Merriweather.
This week, Christian left his guitar at home and instead shows some dance moves. The vocal performance is very strong and confident and he manages to maintain his role as one of the favourites.
Stefan Raab says that it was a great performance and he highlights that the singer has his voice under control.
König Boris says he would like the singer to represent Germany on an international stage.
Commercial break now.
8. Sharyhan Osman
Sharyhan performs Feel the Nile, an own composition.
Sharyhan is the own singer tonight who chose to perform an own composition. Feel the Nile is a very fragile and emotional ballad which manages to highlight Sharyhan's voice. The performance is very emotional and the singer lives the song on stage. The vocals are perfect both during the calm part at the beginning and during the more dramatic part in the second half.
Nena says that she felt that it was an own song and she was touched.
König Boris says that she has high chances of doing well.
Stefan Raab says that there is nothing negative about the vocals. He says that it was a good idea to perform an own song as it is built up very well.
9. Lena Meyer-Landrut
Lena performs Diamond Dave by The Bird and the Bee.
Once again, Lena performs a rather unknown stage. She is considered a top favourite and without any doubt she has her own style. The songs seems to be just right for her and vocals, stage performance and outwar appearance create a complete picture on stage, especially as the lyrics of the song demand some acting.
König Boris says that she is the crazy one among the contestants and that she reminds him of Björk.
Stefan Raab is amazed once again and he considers the "wrong" notes to actually be part of the interpretation. He also highlights that the song is very complex.
Nena says that she loves hysterical and crazy people.
10. Cyril Krueger
Cyril performs Hot fudge by Robbie Williams.
The last performance tonight is a more energetic one. Cyril manages to show that he is both a talented singer and performer. It is more than obvious that he enjoys the time and stage and he manages to carry his enthusiasm into the audience.
Stefan Raab says that it was an excellent performance and that Cyril really knew what he was doing on stage.
Nena says that she was touched more by the performance of Hotel California. She still thinks that he is great.
König Boris says that Cyril can sing and that he is admired by the girls.
The jury now tells the favourites to qualify.
Stefan Raab: Least likely to qualify – Maria Lisa, Katrin — Most likey to qualify – Sharyhan, Lena, Cyril
Nena: Personal favourite – Jennifer
König Boris: Most likely to qualify – Lena, Christian, Leon
A recap is shown with all ten performances.
The results are coming in.
Cyril Krueger to the next round!
Kerstin Freking to the next round!
Jennifer Braun to the next round!
Leon Taylor to the next round!
Christian Durstewitz to the next round!
Katrin Walter to the next round!
Lena Meyer-Landrut to the next round!
Sharyhan Osman to the next round!
