ESC preliminary decision
“I want to win”: Malik Harris sings for Germany
Has set himself high goals: Malik Harris will sing for Germany at the ESC. Photo: Britta Pedersen/dpa-POOL/dpa
© dpa-infocom GmbH
With the last vote, Malik Harris prevailed against tough competition in the preliminary round for the Eurovision Song Contest. The singer has big plans for the finale in Turin.
An evening between the trauma of war and the world of pop: the singer Malik Harris will represent Germany in the final of the Eurovision Song Contest in Turin. The 24-year-old prevailed in a memorable ESC edition in Berlin last night.
The six songs of the final round in “Germany 12 Points – the German ESC preliminary decision” were framed by the commemoration of the war in Ukraine. Harris, who comes from Landsberg am Lech in Bavaria and is the son of US presenter Rick Harris, prevailed with his song “Rockstars”, sung in English. According to the vote of the radio stations involved, he was still in second place.
Maël & Jonas from Koblenz initially led by a clear margin with the strong song “I Swear to God”. In the audience’s decision, which was also rated at 50 percent, Harris passed the duo. Nico Suave & Team Liebe landed on the places with “Hallo Welt”, Felicia Lu (“Anxiety”), Eros Atomus with “Alive” and “Soap” by Emily Roberts.
Harris’ winning song “Rockstars” is about a carefree childhood, looking back at beautiful moments and reflecting on things we have in common. The German-American pop singer, rapper and songwriter Harris has a lot of music and entertainment in his blood. A grandfather was an opera singer, a grandmother a pianist, his father plays several instruments. Malik Harris found his way onto concert stages early on, played on tours and was an opener for James Blunt, for example.
Harris has big plans for the ECS finals in Turin. “I want to win,” he said after his success in the preliminary round. In recent years, Germany has usually ended up far behind in the ESC final, in 2021 with Jendrik, for example, in penultimate place.
The emotional highlight of the evening was reserved for the Ukrainian singer Jamala (38). The 2016 ESC winner combined her appearance with a moving plea for peace in her country. “My greatest wish is for the war to stop,” Jamala said. The singer had fled her homeland with her two children under dramatic circumstances. She had to leave her husband behind in Ukraine.
“Today I sing in the name of the children, I sing in the name of the women today,” said Jamala. “I want the whole world to hear our voice, hear about our pain and suffering.” She will do everything she can. “I’m going to scream so the whole world can hear that it can’t be like this.”
With the Ukrainian flag in hand, Jamala sang her 2016 winning song “1944”. The song is about the deportation of Crimean Tatars by Soviet dictator Stalin.
The winner of the evening also used his performance to make a clear statement against the war. At the end of his song, he turned his guitar over. On the back of the instrument was written in large letters: “I stand with Ukraine”.