Germany in the Eurovision Song Contest 2012

Unser Star für Baku (English: Our Star for Baku) was the competition that selected Germany's entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2012.[3] The competition consisted of five heats, a quarter-final, a semi-final and a final that took place between 12 January 2012 and 16 February 2012 at the Köln-Mülheim Studios in Cologne, hosted by Sandra Rieß and Steven Gätjen. Like in the previous two years, the competition was co-produced by the production company Brainpool, which also co-produced the 2011 Eurovision Song Contest in Düsseldorf.[4] The shows were broadcast alternatively on ProSieben and Das Erste; the heats and semi-final were broadcast on ProSieben, while the quarter-final and final were broadcast on Das Erste as well as online via NDR's official website ndr.de.[5][6]

The competition consisted of eight shows: five heats between 12 January 2012 and 6 February 2012, a quarter-final on 9 February 2012, a semi-final on 13 February 2012 and a final on 16 February 2012. In each of the first two heats, 10 of the 20 contestants performed and five were eliminated from the competition. An additional two contestants were eliminated in each of the third and fourth heat, while one was eliminated in each of the fifth heat and quarter-final, respectively, and two were eliminated in the semi-final. The remaining two contestants proceeded to the final where they each performed their three songs bidding for Eurovision and the German entry was selected. The results of all eight shows were determined by public televoting, including options for landline and SMS voting.[7]

Three music experts also provided feedback in regards to the contestants during each show. The experts were:[8][9]

• Thomas D. – rapper
• Alina Süggeler – singer
• Stefan Raab – singer-songwriter, co-presenter of the Eurovision Song Contest 2011

Interested performers aged over 18 were able to apply for the competition by submitting an online application and presenting themselves at casting shows held in the following cities and locations:[10][11]

• 29 September 2011: Cologne (Köln-Mülheim Studios)
• 5 November 2011: Nuremberg (Franken Studios)
• 12 November 2011: Mannheim (Saarländischer Rundfunk Studios)
• 19 November 2011: Essen (Delta Musik Park)
• 26 November 2011: Hannover (NDR Studios)

By the end of the process, 20 contestants were selected by Thomas D. together with an expert panel consisting of representatives of ARD, ProSieben and Brainpool.[12][13] The four candidate Eurovision songs were announced during the final.[14]

Color key:

The five televised heats took place between 2 February and 2 March 2010. Five contestants were eliminated in each of the first two heats, while two contestants were eliminated in each of the third and fourth heats, and one contestant was eliminated in the fifth heat; the remaining five contestants proceeded to the quarter-final.[15]

The televised quarter-final took place on 9 February 2012 where an additional contestant was eliminated and the remaining four contestants proceeded to the semi-final.[23][24]

The televised semi-final took place on 13 February 2012 where an additional two contestants were eliminated and the remaining two contestants proceeded to the final.[25][26]

The televised final took place on 16 February 2012 where each of the two finalists performed three candidate Eurovision songs, including an individual song. The winner was selected through two rounds of public televoting. In the first round of voting, one song per finalist was selected to proceed to the second round. In the second round, the winner, "Standing Still" performed by Roman Lob, was selected.[27][28][29] In addition to the performances of the competing entries, Frida Gold performed their song "Wovon sollen wir träumen?".[30]

Roman Lob took part in technical rehearsals on 19 and 20 May, followed by dress rehearsals on 25 and 26 May. This included the jury final on 13 May where the professional juries of each country watched and voted on the competing entries.[37] The running order for the semi-finals and final was decided by through another draw on 20 March 2012, and as one of the five wildcard countries, Germany chose to perform in position 20, following the entry from Spain and before the entry from Malta.[38]

The German performance featured Roman Lob performing on stage in a white cap and a dark open shirt with a white t-shirt inside with two guitarists, a drummer and a pianist. The stage colours were dark with white spotlights and the LED screens displayed a dark background that transitioned from single moving red dots to white lights towards the end of the song which created a starry sky effect.[39][40] The four musicians that joined Roman Lob on stage were Alexander Linster, Marc Awounou, Thomas Fietz and Tobias Schmitz.[41] Germany placed eighth in the final, scoring 110 points.[42]

Voting during the three shows consisted of 50 percent public televoting and 50 percent from a jury deliberation. The jury consisted of five music industry professionals who were citizens of the country they represent. This jury was asked to judge each contestant based on: vocal capacity; the stage performance; the song's composition and originality; and the overall impression by the act. In addition, no member of a national jury could be related in any way to any of the competing acts in such a way that they cannot vote impartially and independently.

Following the release of the full split voting by the EBU after the conclusion of the competition, it was revealed that Germany had placed sixth with the public televote and tenth with the jury vote. In the public vote, Germany scored 125 points and in the jury vote the nation scored 98 points.[43]

Below is a breakdown of points awarded to Germany and awarded by Germany in the second semi-final and grand final of the contest. The nation awarded its 12 points to Sweden in the semi-final and the final of the contest.