Elaiza gets German wildcard

Elaiza

Hamburg, Germany - Tonight, ten young artists got the chance to fight for a wild card in the German national selection Unser Song für Dänemark. In the end, Elaiza were lucky to join the seven established acts in the final, to be broadcast on March 13th live from Cologne.

On February 27th, a "club concert" was broadcast on the German TV channels NDR and Eins Plus, as well as on the web, to give a wildcard for the final of Unser Song für Dänemark to a young singer. Out of ten candidates, the televoters picked Elaiza! You can watch their performance of Is It Right on the NDR website.
Elaiza is the name of trio surrounding the German-Ukrainan singer-songwriter Ela (21). Her fellow band member Yvonne (29) plays the accordion, and Natalie (28) the string bass. Ela and Yvonne got to know each other at a liquor tasting, and Natalie joined them shortly after. They first perfomed together in 2013.
Initially, 2240 talented young artists had submitted their applications via Youtube, but only ten of them made the cut and got the opportunity to perform tonight. Some of them sang their own compositions, while others opted for cover versions of well-known hits. This was the full line-up (in order of placings):

Meet the German wildcard candidates!

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1. Elaiza from Berlin: Is It Right
2. Caroline Rose from Paris: Amber Sky
3. Bartosz from Lemgo: Walk Away
4. Max Krumm from Oberhausen: Home
5. Nicole Milik from Neuss: I See Fire
6. Simon Glöde from Flensburg: Blame It On The Boogie
7. Valentina from Cologne: Love Is Gone
8. Cassie Greene from Hamburg: Not This Time
9. Ambre Vallet from Berlin: Siehst du mich?
10. Melanie Schlüter from Frankenthal: Run

The German show star Barbara Schöneberger hosted tonight's show, and Janin Reinhardt supplied additional green room reports. Adel Tawil, who supported the wildcard selection, was also present backstage. Roman Lob, who had represented Germany in the 2012 Eurovision Song Contest with Standing Still, performed as interval act.
Thus, the full line-up of the German final will be:

• Das Gezeichnete Ich
• Madeline Juno
• MarieMarie
• Oceana
• Santiano
• The Baseballs
• Unheilig
• Elaiza

Germany: Meet the candidates of "Unser Song für Dänemark"

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You can find portraits of tonight's "wildcard candidates" in the slide show below.

Ambre Vallet

At only 16, Ambre Vallet is the youngest participant of the club concert. She was born in France but has been living in Germany since 2001. For four years she has been singing and playing the guitar. On her Youtube Channel she has released cover versions as well as own compositions.

Bartosz

The band Bartosz consists of three guys from the town of Lemgo: Sammy (26), Domi (29), Dustin (28) and Urs (30). They are all Germans, only the band name is Polish - it was taken from one of their fellow students. The band has been around since 2009, joining folk, pop and funk.

Caroline Rose

Caroline Rose (27), daughter of a French chansonnière, grew up in the city of Karlsruhe. At the age of six, she started playing the piano, and at twelve she discovered rock and metal. When she moved to Paris, she founded several death metal bands and toured France with them. Caroline Rose has played main roles in several musicals and she has already released her first EP More Immoral.

Cassie Greene

Cassie Greene (20) taught herself playing the guitar with the help of the internet and many cover songs. During a longer stay in the US she started converting her personal experiences into songs. Despite being currently focused on graduating, she keeps releasing both cover versions and her own songs.

Elaiza

Elaiza is the name of trio surrounding the German-Ukrainan singer-songwriter Ela (21). Her fellow band member Yvonne (29) plays the accordion, and Natalie (28) the string bass. Ela and Yvonne got to know each other at a liquor tasting, and Natalie joined them shortly after. They first perfomed together in 2013.

Max Krumm

Max Krumm (21) started to play the guitar at the age of six, and at 13 he gained his first experiences in different bands and as a songwriter. In 2011 he built his own small studio and started producing for local bands. At the same time he was singing and playing the guitar in several projects, and since 2013 he has been focusing on his solo career.

Melanie Schlüter

Melanie Schlüter (16), at times, has been singing in four choirs at the same time. She has taken trumpet lessons for three years and also plays the guitar. On the occasion of her confirmation, she founded her first band, which still exists today. Melanie has participated in several contests and had her first solo performance in 2013.

Nicole Milik

Nicole Milik (19) has been playing the guitar since the age of 10. Already in 2009, she opened her own Youtube Channel where she presents both her own songs and cover versions - currently she has more than 86,000 worldwide followers! Nicole studies musicology and English language & literature.

Simon Glöde

Simon Glöde (21) had been attending a musical college in Denmark since the age of 15. When he graduated, in 2012, he moved to New York and became an intern at the Electric Lady Studios, founded by Jimi Hendrix in 1970. After that he was roaming Europe as a street musician. Today, back in his home town of Flensburg, he is working on new songwriting and sound ideas.

Valentina

Valentina (25) lives in Cologne and studied to become a speech therapist from 2010 to 2013. After graduation, she has been concentrating solely on music. She's been playing the guitar for nine months in order to be able to compose her own songs - which she has published on her own Youtube Channel for a year now.

Bartosz

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Who was your favourite out of the 10 candidates?