In 2023 the Eurovision Song Contest will take place in Liverpool. The finale of the music competition will take place in the English metropolis on May 13th. The German preliminary round “Our song for Liverpool” is planned for the beginning of March. Germany, represented by singer Malik Harris (25), ended up last in 2022. “I think he was really cool as a guy, he also looked good and the song was great. But I think we can do a lot more in terms of performance,” explains musician Prince Damien (32) in an interview with spot on news. “We need dancers, a show and a song that is just fun and that you would like to hear in the club,” adds the “DSDS” winner from 2016 and juror for the new RTLzwei music show “Music Drive In”. “Joy is what we miss in the world today and the ESC can make its contribution.”
The pop group Frida Gold is probably one of the best-known applicants for German ESC participation for 2023. However, Prince Damien could also imagine greats like Nico Santos (30) or Vanessa Mai (30) as a German representative. If the latter “performs in English with dancers à la German Beyoncé, I think that’s great,” says Prince Damien. On the other hand, the ESC is no longer just about the music, “it’s also political and we’re not at the forefront either”.
“I think the organizers can dare something again,” explains Guildo Horn (59), who can also be seen as a juror in “Music Drive In” and who competed for Germany at the ESC in 1998 and finished seventh. “Years ago I campaigned as a sponsor for an inclusive band. That was blocked by the NDR, it wasn’t an issue at all,” says Horn. “You don’t want to make any mistakes. The acts are just too slick. It has to be something that touches each of us and takes us on a journey.” A representative for Germany at the ESC is “a representative of all of us. He has to be approachable, you have to want to get involved, then it makes sense again,” adds the musician and emphasizes: “Otherwise I would say: just let it be, donate the money to Ukraine, it’s in good hands there. Instead of burning money in this gigantomania and then ending up in last place, that doesn’t make any sense at all.”
Another problem he mentions is that most of the decision-makers “have no plan at all from Mucke, they don’t know what’s going on at all,” says Horn. “That’s politics, that’s not lived music, that’s not rock’n’roll.” Ideally, as a participant you should have stood on a stage more than once. “You have to be on tour and have the experience to let it all out and not be afraid. That’s the only way you can enjoy the performance, this one huge moment.”
When it comes to proximity, he totally agrees with his fellow judge, says Prince Damien. “Lena Meyer-Landrut was so approachable, she was just a cool sock. She probably wasn’t the very best performer or singer at the time, but it was so much fun watching her because you had the feeling that your best friend was just getting up the stage and sings.” Would the singer himself want to represent Germany? “Of course I’m up for it, that would be funny. Above all, I have nothing to lose. It can’t get any worse than last place (laughs).”
The first of 15 episodes “Music Drive In” can be seen on Monday, January 30 at 5:05 p.m. on RTLzwei. In the show, candidates drive their cars into a drive-in street and perform songs as creatively and captivatingly as possible in front of the jury. At the end they can win an amount of money. The format runs from Monday to Friday, and all episodes are available on RTL seven days in advance.
