Eurovision is now less than a month away. In the lead-up to the start of rehearsals, we will get to know a bit more about this year’s artists, their discography and their Eurovision 2024 journey so far. Next up, we will preview Austria’s 2024 representative, Kaleen.
Kaleen’s Eurovision Journey So Far…
Kaleen was announced as Austria’s Eurovision 2024 representative in January. In March, Kaleen went on to release her Eurovision 2024 song “We Will Rave”. It was later determined that Austria would perform in the first half of the second semi-final, and the producers placed “Pedestal” sixth in the running order.
Over the pre-party season, Kaleen performed at Pre-Party ES24 on March 30th. Kaleen also performed at the London Eurovision Party 2024 on April 7th, Eurovision in Concert on April 13, as well as the Nordic Eurovision Party on April 14th.
What do we think of “We Will Rave”
The team at That Eurovision Site have reacted to Austria’s entry for Malmö. Tim gives his thoughts on “We Will Rave” which you can check out below, you can also check out our written reaction here:
Who is Kaleen?
Kaleen, is the stage name for singer Marie-Sophie Kreissl. In 2014, Kaleen’s career kickstarted when she took part in the German version of “Got To Dance”, Kaleen reached the final of this competition. Musically, Kaleen has had previous experiences both at Eurovision and Junior Eurovision. Since 2018, Kaleen has been a stand-in for numerous Eurovision entries. Creatively, Kaleen has also played her part in the Eurovision Song Contest. Kaleen has acted as a creative director at Eurovision for Spain, Bulgaria, Armenia, Georgia, Germany and her home country Austria. As Junior Eurovision she has acted as a Creative Director for Spain.
In terms of releasing her own music, Kaleen first released a single in 2021 which was entitled “Too Good to Not”. Following on from releasing a few more singles, Kaleen went on to release her first album. Kaleen’s album was entitled “Stripping Feelings”. This album contained the singles “What it Feels Like”, “Stripping Feelings” and “Taking Chances”.
Kaleen’s Eurovision 2024 entry, “We Will Rave,” was written by Eurovision hitmaker Jimmy “Joker” Thörnfeldt as part of a team of Swedish songwriters. The team included Andrew Wrethov, Julie Asgaard and Thomas Stengaard. Andrew, Jimmy and Thomas also produced the track.
Austria’s Eurovision History
In 1957, Austria made their debut into the Eurovision Song Contest, where Bob Martin represented the landlocked nation with the song “Wohin, kleines Pony?”. At the close of voting, it managed to place 10th overall. Since their debut, Austria has participated 55 times (being in the final 48 times), and have won the competition on two occasions in 1966 and 2014.
For 2023, Teya and Salena were internally selected to represent Austria with their song “Who the Hell is Edgar?”. In Liverpool, the duo qualified for the final, where they went on to finish in 15th place with 120 points. Of these, 16 points came from the televote and another 104 came from the juries.
What do think about “We Will Rave”? Are you excited for Austria’s participation at this year’s Eurovision Song Contest? Let us know in the comments or on social media! Be sure to follow ‘That Eurovision Site’ on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Threads and Bluesky as we prepare for Eurovision 2024!
News Source: Kaleen / That Eurovision Site
Photo Credit: Rankin
Rory Gannon