The southern German rapper with Nigerian roots nearly made it as a pro soccer player, but switched gears and launched a rap career in 2001. He's partnered with all the big names in German rap, from Die Fantastischen Vier to Kool Savas and K.I.Z. His "mix of Battlestar Galactica and a wheat beer shower at Oktoberfest" landed him in place 16 at the Bundesvision Song Contest.

Get ready for some classic rock - in German. Buddy Buxbaum brings feel-good beats and isn't afraid of throwing in some old-school falsetto. He was a founding member of electro hip hop outfit Deichkind in 1997, but left in 2008. He's just now making a solo comeback - with a whole new sound. He came in place 15 at the contest.

"You have to describe your dreams and say them out loud again and again," the band says on their website. From a crowdfunded first single in 2013 to Bundesvision Song Contest - 3viertelelf dream big. They're competing with "Mona Lisa," which they say is a song about the "light and fire within us." Their raw electro pop with an earthy message landed them in 14th position.

A member of the wildly popular formation Deichkind since 2008, MC Ferris (aka Ferris Hilton) has helped establish their unique blend of electro hip hop punk on the German scene. The 41-year-old was already a forerunner on the German hip hop scene and has continued his work as a solo artist, just releasing the album "Glück ohne Scherben." He came in 13th.

Representing Germany's smallest state, PerDu refers to the usage of the informal word for "you" in the German language. The newcomer pop rockers are hoping to get informal with a lot more fans via the show with their catchy single "Lange nicht getanzt" (Haven't danced in a while). Saarland has never come in last at the contest: These newcomers on the music scene took 12th.

This goddess of urban soul is sexy and edgy - and has dubbed her unique style Future Deutsche Welle (recalling the Neue Deutsche Welle from the late 70s and 80s). She stepped into the ring for Berlin, "because it's a city you can really fall in love with," said the 29-year-old with British-Jamaican roots. Her retro-style single "Bedtime Blues" failed to make her part of the top 10.

Accessible ballades and melancholy, real-life texts - these northern German musicians have a name that means "New Year's Eve Every Day." They're not that well known yet, but as their name suggests, these guys like new beginnings. They teamed up with star songwriter Johannes Oerding (pictured) for their Bunsdesvision Song Contest entry, "Dein Glueck" (Your happiness) and reached 10th place.

Klaas Heufer-Umlauf is a TV star in Germany - and one half of the band Gloria, together with Wir sind Helden bassist Mark Tavassol. What started as a hobby got serious when they released their first album on Herbert Grönemeyer's label in 2013. "Bundesvision Song Contest is the only music festival on TV," is how they explained their motivation to take part. They landed ninth.

Brandenburg is the "green lung we breathe through," say the band behind German actress, performer and voice artist Jeannette Biedermann. Like Yvonne Catterfeld, she also played in soaps and dabbled in folksy pop. In 2012, she founded Ewig with her husband. The trio's performance of "Ein Geschenk" (A present), a simple pop ballade with a grand finale, brought them to the eighth place.

The German-Moroccan newcomer is an alternative pop singer-songwriter with detailed, dense lyrics and a strong hip hop flair. Her debut album "Nador" was just released in July and the Frankfurt-native performed her single "Hellwach" (Wide awake) at the Bundesvision Song Contest. She came in seventh.

The electro-pop duo from southern Germany are a couple on and off stage. Their latest album, "Tag X," came out in May and they promoted it by opening for German folk pop megstar, Helene Fischer. Their catchy feel-good number "Geiles Leben" is a promising peace offering. They came in fourth at the 2011 Bundesvision Song Contest, but only sixth this year.

The song contest is also a prime-time TV show - and there's a disproportionate number of musical actors involved, like the band behind 51-year-old actor Jan Josef Liefers, who plays a forensic doctor. Radio Doria has been making upbeat pop music since 2006. Liefers grew up in East Germany and represented the eastern state of Saxony with "Sehnsucht Nr. 7" (Longing No. 7). Should he rename it No. 5?

Pucker up! Madsen are into passion and spontaneity with their single, "Küss mich!" (Kiss me!). The three Madsen brothers grew up making music, but formed their current band with two friends in 2004 and soon hit all the big-name festivals. Their message is clear: "Words are overrated - just go crazy!" They took fourth at Bundesvision not only this year, but also in 2008.

She's been performing all her life. Yvonne Catterfeld is especially well known for appearing in German soap "Good Times, Bad Times" from 2001 to 2005. Her musical breakthrough came in 2004 with schmaltzy pop songs. After some time out, Catterfeld recently released a new album which came in 8th on the charts. A native of Erfurt, she came in third for Thuringia at the Bundesvision Song Contest.

They've been playing alternative and punk rock since the early 90s. Now the Donots (pronounced "do not" and a tribute to their passion for apathy) played for their home state, North Rhine-Westphalia. The cheeky five-guy group has released 10 studio albums, but their latest, "Karacho," is their first in German. Does punk rock in German work? Bundesvision Song Contest viewers say yes: Second place.

He's a hipster with nerd glasses - and a huge fan base. The 31-year-old pop singer first got attention alongside German rapper Sido with the 2013 single "Einer dieser Steine," but it was their joint single "Au revoir" that stormed the German charts (#2) and went gold. He won the contest with the title song from his last album, "Bauch und Kopf" (Belly and head).