Previewing the Entrants of Eurovision 2019 – Part Four: Austria

Hello everyone, welcome back to The Blogging DJ. Today we are continuing to look in-depth at the 41 acts competing in Eurovision 2019 by travelling to Vienna, to talk about Austria’s entry, Paenda and “Limits”.

Selection Process

As has been the case for the past couple of years, the Austrian broadcaster, ORF, internally selected their entry. Paenda was announced as their representative at the end of January, with “Limits” being released on the 8th March 2019, thus making them one of the last countries to reveal the song. Austria have been drawn to compete in the first half of semi-final two.

Music Video

The Blogging DJ’s Review

The best part of the whole song is Paenda’s voice. It is ethereal and soft, yet tinged with pain and emotion, like an Austrian Ellie Goulding. The “you-ou-ou-ou” is a real earworm, staying with you long after the song finishes. Those two elements are the only parts that are memorable in the slightest; even after listening to it several times, I cannot remember any other element or lyric. You could try to put on some good staging but there is no lift off moment which would match it; it merely loops for the last minute or so. I fear that this will disappear completely in the semi-finals. A decent album track that could be played on the radio, but not for a live performance. 6

Live Performance Video

This song has not yet been performed live but is confirmed to perform at Eurovision in Concert 2019 on April 6th. Stay tuned for the video.

Odds

Currently, according to Oddschecker, you can get odds from between 50/1 and 200/1 on Austria winning Eurovision 2019, which means betters see them as being on the cusp between qualifying and not. It might be worth placing a bet on them if you are confident about the song’s chances.

Record at Eurovision

Austria have competed in the Eurovision Song Contest on fifty-one different occasions, only missing the Grand Final on four of those years. They have won the contest twice, in 1966 with Ugo Jürgens and “Merci, Chérie, and most recently, in 2014 with Conchita Wurst and “Rise Like a Phoenix”. Last year, Cesar Sampson topped the jury vote in the Grand Final en route to a solid third place with “Nobody But You”.

What are your thoughts on Austria’s entry this year? Is there any limit to their success? Let me know your thoughts in the comments section below and stay tuned for more Eurovision preview posts in the coming weeks, including the next review, looking at Azerbaijan. See you guys then!