ORF, the Austrian national broadcaster, has unveiled the 2024 Austrian Eurovision hopeful. 

Kaleen will have the grand honour of representing Austria at the forthcoming 2024 Eurovision Song Contest in Malmo, Sweden.

Austria has yet again opted for an internal selection in order to determine its Eurovision act and entry as has been the case in recent years.

Stefanie Groiss-Horowitz (ORF Program Director) says:

With Kaleen, we are sending an artist who is versatile – she sings, she dances, she choreographs, and she is an absolute Song Contest insider. We are going to put on a big show in Malmö!

Kaleen says:

I think I haven’t fully grasped the fact yet, that I’ll be standing on that stage as an artist myself. I am in love with this world of lights and cameras and believe it’s a privilege to take the audience on a journey. I worked hard for this, and I am extremely proud. I am very looking forward to showing the world what I can do!

Kaleen has been involved both at the Junior Eurovision Song Contest and Eurovision Song Contest several time and with numerous countries. She will be heading to Malmo with a techno inspired pop song. The 29 year old hails from Upper Austria.

About Rankin

The multi facetted Austrian singer, choreographer and dancer is pleased and delighted to represent Austria at the forthcoming Eurovision Song Contest.

ORF’s official press release reads:

Kaleen is a professionally trained singer and dancer. Performing has been part of Kaleen’s life from an early age: as soon as she could walk, she already danced at home in the living room when music shows were on TV.

She then took her first ballet lessons and quickly expanded her repertoire to include commercial, tap, jazz, musical, modern, Latin, and standard. She won her first national championship at the age of seven – the first of more than 100 national and European championships, five world championships, as well as various special awards across all disciplines.

Next to her dancing career, she discovered her talent to sing. Since 2020, she also works as a choreographer and stagecoach. She taught herself how to record and produce songs professionally. Her first self-produced single was released in September 2021 under her own label “Wifi Records”.

After three more singles, she took on the challenge of writing and recording a complete album on her own. Her debut album “Stripping Feelings”, was released in September 2023.

Since 2018, Kaleen has been involved in the Eurovision Song Contest, initially as a stand-in lead artist for the rehearsals of several countries and as a dancer and choreographer for the interval acts in Lisbon. In 2021, she was the creative director for the Junior Eurovision Song Contest for Spain and Bulgaria, as well as the creative director for Spain and stage director for the entire production in 2022.

Last year, she supported Austria, Armenia, Germany, and Georgia with their stage performances at the Eurovision Song Contest in Liverpool.

Austria in Eurovision

Austria debuted at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1957 and has won the competition twice with Udo Jurgens (1966) and Conchita Wurst (2014).  The country has participated 55 times in the contest and hosted the event twice in its majestic capital Vienna (1967, 2015).

In 2023 Teya & Salena represented Austria at the Eurovision Song Contest in Liverpool with their entry ‘Who the hell is Edgar?‘.

Source: ORF
Photo credit: ORF/RANKIN