The sixty-eighth edition of the Eurovision Song Contest is coming soon. The contest, which will be held again in Sweden 50 years after the legendary group ABBA’s triumph with “Waterloo,” will feature 37 participating countries this year, including Austria, which will be represented by the singer Kaleen, after being internally selected. The artist, who is also a dancer, will be her nation’s flagbearer with the song “We Will Rave.”
Who is Kaleen?
Marie-Sophie Kreissl, known artistically as Kaleen, is a pop singer-songwriter, dancer, and creative director originally from Austria and based in Vienna.
From a young age, dance has been an integral part of Kaleen’s life. She started dancing at the age of two in her home. She then received ballet lessons, quickly expanding her repertoire to various styles such as commercial dance, tap, jazz, musical, modern, Latin, and standard. By the age of seven, she had already won her first national championship title.
As a professional dancer, Kaleen has participated in numerous competitions, accumulating over 100 first-place awards and winning prizes such as Best Female Talent and Best Choreography in various national and international contests. Driven by her passion to fulfill her dreams, this self-taught artist learned to compose her own songs, channeling the same effervescent energy from dance into her music.
In 2014, she made a mark on the German version of the dance competition Got to Dance, reaching the final alongside her dance partner. Since 2020, she has worked as a choreographer and director for ORF and has participated as a choreographer and stage preparer on programs like Starmania.
Kaleen has an album on the market titled “Stripping Feelings,” released in August 2023 under her self-founded label Wifi Records, after having released several singles since 2021, including “Taking Chances.”
“We Will Rave” the Austrian entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2024.
“We Will Rave,” her entry for Malmö, is composed by a trio of experienced Swedish producers.It’s a pop tune with techno inspirations and a strong dance beat. It evokes the rave and dance scene from several decades ago.
The song speaks to the need to find a place of refuge when your heart is broken, with that place being music. This “rave” is where outsiders and wounded souls go to heal and forget their troubles. One of the composers, Jimmy ‘Joker’ Thörnfeldt, also co-wrote “Tattoo,” Loreen’s winning song last year. Anderz Wrethov was responsible for Eleni Foureira’s “Fuego,” and Thomas Stengaard composed “Only Teardrops,” which led Denmark to victory in Malmö 2013.
Lyrics of «We Will Rave»
Ice running through my veins
You just did it again
Go cause I can’t be your friend
I’m cold but this is not the end
So I go go go
Where the broken hearted go
No one knows a thing about my haunted soul
I go oh oh
Wanna dance it off alone
I won’t let it show
They will never know
When the darkness hits and we can’t be saved
We rum de dum dum da – We Will Rave
When our hearts are burning we feel no pain
We rum de dum dum da – We Will Rave
I see only silhouettes
I just wanna forget
About everything we said
And the demons in my head
So I go go go
Where the broken hearted go
No one knows a thing about my haunted soul
I go oh oh
Wanna dance it off alone
I won’t let it show
They will never know
When the darkness hits and we can’t be saved
We rum de dum dum da – We Will Rave
When our hearts are burning we feel no pain
We rum de dum dum da – We Will Rave
Austria’s participation in Eurovision
Since its debut in Eurovision in 1957, Austria has been a consistent participant, with a total of 57 appearances on the European stage. Throughout its history in the contest, it has achieved two memorable victories that have been etched in the memories of Eurofans.
The first victory came in 1966 with Udo Jürgens’ captivating performance of “Merci, Chérie”. This victory marked the beginning of the country’s success in Eurovision.
However, decades would pass before they reached the top again. In 2014, the iconic Conchita Wurst, with the song “Rise Like a Phoenix”, secured a second victory for the country, winning hearts and breaking barriers with her message of diversity and acceptance.
Following Conchita’s triumph, the country experienced a streak of success, qualifying for the final on four consecutive occasions. In 2018, César Sampson and his captivating song “Nobody but You” achieved a remarkable third place with 342 points, coming close to the coveted third victory.
However, after this period of glory, the country entered a rough patch, failing to qualify for the grand final for three consecutive years. In 2023, they managed to break the streak when Teya & Salena, drawing inspiration from Edgar Allan Poe, secured a place in the final. “Who The Hell Is Edgar?” tackled various themes in the music industry with satire and criticism, including the lack of income for composers.