21 March 2016

Eurovision 2016: Review: Germany: Jamie-Lee Kriewitz: Ghost

Jamie-Lee Kriewitz / Germany / 2016 Eurovision Song Contest
Jamie-Lee Kriewitz will provide a Ghost-ly presence in Stockholm

Is it really a month since the public in Germany chose Ghost by Jamie-Lee Kriewitz as its entry at this year's Eurovision Song Contest? It seems so.

It was back in late February when Unser Lied für Stockholm  was broadcast as the replacement for Unser Song für Xavier,  following Xavier Naidoo's dismissal from the selection process due to his political and homophobic views. Instead, ten acts were introduced to fill the gap, one of which was 18-year-old Jamie-Lee - better known at home as the winner of the latest season of The Voice of Germany.

She brought to the Eurovision national final the song Ghost, her winner's single from The Voice  - a track which had already seen Top 20 chart action in Germany.

It's actually one of this year's stronger efforts, even if there is something naggingly familiar about parts of the song. It's probably because of this that you quickly find yourself humming along to the mid-tempo refrain and tapping your foot to the infectiously rhythmic backbeat. In fact, the more you hear the song, the less it sounds like a typical Eurovision entry, but instead a rather polished and convincing début fashioned in the mould of her British counterpart Ella Henderson - whose first hit was coincidentally called Ghost.

Whether Jamie-Lee will enjoy the same magnitude of success with her Ghost is another matter. The young singer is quirky enough to stand out on the Stockholm stage: her Manga dress sense portrays an extrovert and colourful individual, while there are hints in her vocal delivery of a throwback to Germany's 2010 winner.

It seems, then, that the teenager has the personality to prevail in Sweden, while her song is accomplished enough to succeed. Its momentum is unquestionably dependent on a favourable draw, along with some appealing staging.

All in all, Ghost could give Germany a deservedly spirited finish near the top of the scoreboard - a more than satisfying way to erase the haunting memory of 2015's nil points disaster.

What do you think?

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Image by © Markus Felix | PushingPixels (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

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