🇦🇹 Teya and Salena to represent Austria at Eurovision 2023

Austrian broadcaster ORF has announced that duo Teya and Salena will represent Austria at Eurovision 2023! Their entry will be revealed on 8th March 2023 (International Women’s Day).

Teya (Teodora Spiric) and Salena (Selina-Maria Edbauer) met two years ago as participants on ORF casting show Starmania 21 and have been friends ever since. Their entry, written by the pair as part of a songwriting camp in the Czech Republic, is described as an uptempo pop song.

Teya may be familiar to some Eurovision fans following her participation in Beovizija 2020. She competed with the song “Sudnji dan”, and finished in 10th place in the final. Salena is also no stranger to competitions, having participated in The Voice of Germany in 2017.

Both expressed their excitement at being selected to represent Austria at Liverpool in May.

Already as a child, I wanted to go to the Eurovision Song Contest because it embodied the idea that even big dreams can come true, no matter who you are and where you come from. I can hardly wait to get on that stage! Only then the seven-year-old me will believe that all this is real.

Teya

My biggest childhood dream is just becoming true. Back then I watched Conchita on stage and told my parents that this is exactly what I want – an enormous stage and people who feel the same way about music as I do. From there on, I worked even harder on myself and my singing. For me, the ESC stands for diversity and is a place for people with visions and dreams like the ones us two have. The moment we both stand on the stage, sing the first lines and realise that an audience of millions is watching is probably the moment I am most looking forward to – it’s when the dream becomes reality.

Salena

Internal castings from ORF

According to Austrian online website Kleine Zeitung, ORF invited 15 artists to audition for the opportunity. These artists have been scouted by the likes of Forcher and producer Lukas Hillebrand.

Each artist performed at a casting. A tape of each performance has be used to determine an act for the Contest. The tapes have been ranked by a jury made up of Eurovision fans from both Austria and across Europe. As well as this, Eurovision experts from across the continent, as well as fan clubs such as OGAE, have had input into the selection process.

Austria’s Eurovision journey

In 1957, Austria made their debut into the Eurovision Song Contest. There, Bob Martin represented the landlocked nation with the song “Wohin, kleines Pony?”. At the close of voting, it manages to place 10th overall. Since their debut, Austria has participated 54 times (being in the final 47 times), and have won the competition on two occasions (1966 and 2014 respectively).

In 2021, Austria was represented by duo LUM!X and Pia Maria with the song “Halo”, where they managed to placed 15th in the semi-final; receiving 42 points from the professional juries and televoters.

Are you excited to find out who Austria’s artist will be? Who should represent them in Liverpool? As always, let us know what you think by commenting below. Also, be sure to follow “That Eurovision Site” on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Tiktok as we prepare to cover Eurovision 2023!

News Source: ORF

Photo Credit: ORF