On Wednesday (14.01.2015), German public braodcaster North German Radio (NDR) announced the candidates that will compete in the German preliminaries to the Eurovision Song Contest: Fahrenhaidt, Faun, Alexa Feser, Mrs. Greenbird, Andreas Kümmert, Laing and Noize Generation. An eighth contestant will be elected by viewers of a club concert in Hamburg on February 19.

Two favored candidates

Two of the groups reflect current trends in German pop. Combining electronic music and acoustic sounds, Fahrenhaidt is described by its Berlin music producers Erik Macholl and Andreas John as "modern nature pop."

Faun, in contrast, has been a part of the medieval scene for 10 years. To the sound of hurdy-gurdy, harp and bagpipes, its artists Oliver s. Tyr, Fiona Rüggeberg, Niel Mitra, Stephan Groth, Rüdiger Maul and Katja Moslehner create a modern style of medieval folk with multi-voiced singing to German texts.

No outsiders this time

The other five announced contenders are also known to the public. Describing her approach, piano-playing singer/songwriter Alexa Feser said, "It’s not just about content and texts. I want to sing in a way that I am understood on an emotional level."

Cologne duo Mrs. Greenbird have invented a genre they call "singersongwritercountryfolkpop" and are winners of a television casting show, as is Andreas Kümmert. The 27-year-old from Gemünden am Main won "The Voice of Germany" casting show in 2013 with an exceptional voice and a straightforward blend of rock, soul and blues.

Also competing in the German nationals will be Laing, with lead singer, songwriter and producer Nicola Rost, vocalists Johanna Marschall and Larissa Pesch, and dancer/choreographer Marisa Akeny.

Noize Generation, alias Yevgeny Grishbovski ("Jeff") also hopes to have a shot at victory. The Munich music producer and DJ is known for his remixes of OneRepublic, Gorillaz and Skrillex.

The process of selecting Germany's candidate for the Eurovision Song Contest changes from year to year.

The winner will represent the country at the Grand Finale in Vienna on May 23.

"The 60th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest in May - the world’s biggest live show - will be viewed from Iceland to Australia," said Thomas Schreiber, entertainment coordinator for the German public broadcasting system (ARD).

cp/rf/kbm (dpa, NDR)