GERMANY 2025

The German song and act were selected on March 1st through the show "Chefsache 2025". There were two heats (where 7 of 12 qualified in each show) and a semi final (where 9 from 14 went through) all chosen by an in-house jury. The overall winner was chosen in two rounds; the jury selected a top 5 which would then be open to 100% televoting, including online, worldwide voting. Going to Basel is the duo Abor & Tynna with the song "Baller" (Shoot)

Abor & Tynna's full names are Attila and Tünde Bornemisza and they are siblings with Abor two years the elder. They both are from Vienna, Austria but their family hails from both Hungary and Romania. They were born into an artistic family with their father being a cellist in the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. Abor's main instrument is also the cello while Tynna plays the flute. The siblings recorded their first song in 2016 and last year they were Nina Chuba's support act on tour. Their Eurovision entry is their 10th single release to date and also comes from their debut album "Bittersüß".

The background colour is dark with turquoise lighting. The ends of the stage are lit up which is reminiscent of neon lighting. Abor is sat to the side on a chair playing the cello in a grey bomber jacket and similarly coloured trousers, Tynna is centre stage wearing a silvery, slightly translucent cress. They are joined on stage by the house band at the back of the stage and two male dancers wearing grey outfits with big white boots. The song starts with a full version of the chorus before going into the first verse. We then hear the pre-chorus for the first time before entering into the chorus again. There is then a final verse - pre chorus - chorus before a final outro with the repetition  the name of the song in the chorus' first line. Just before the outro Tynna takes the cello off her brother, holds it above her head and hits it on the central speaker creating sparks, before finishing back to back.

This is the first time since 2008 the German entry actually contains German. The 'lalala' chorus is catchy and starting the three minutes with this gets it stuck in your head straight away. It is a clever earworm for those who do, or do not, speak German. Tynna has an engaging performance style and has enough natural movement for it to feel genuine and not too stayed. I enjoy the parts Tynna does directly to camera. In the semi she had a hand held device with what a clever gimmick but the definition was not good enough. At times it feels like Abor is pushed to the side. The destruction of the cello near the end is an interesting schtick and makes me wonder if some choreography between the siblings and the cello could be added into the show. I also feel the dancers are not needed, and weren't there during the semi-final, although the set up of the stage may have hampered how much space they had to perform in or even how many dancers they could have, It is also interesting how muted the colour scheme is, especially the outfits on stage, which almost makes you focus on the song first. This is a fun dance-pop song, just in time for summer festivals and parties, and might be a grower outside of the contest if it doesn't do too well in it.

ARTIST - Abor & Tynna

SONG - Baller

WRITING/PRODUCTION CREDITS - Attila Bornemisza, Tünde Bornemisza, Alexander Hauer