Skip to main content

Cesár Sampson to represent Austria in 2018!

05 December 2017 at 08:00 CET
Cesár Sampson will represent Austria in the 2018 Eurovision Song Contest ORF/Mahir Jahmal
Cesár Sampson will represent Austria in the 2018 Eurovision Song Contest. As in 2017, broadcaster ORF opted for an internal selection. The artist has already enjoyed Eurovision success having been part of the Bulgarian team in both 2016 and 2017.

Cesár Sampson isn't an unknown quantity in the Austrian music scene. At the age of seventeen he started touring the world as the lead singer for some of Austria’s most internationally acclaimed alternative music acts (Kruder & Dorfmeister, Sofa Surfers, Louie Austen). After that he mainly worked from behind the scenes of the music business, as a songwriter, lyricist and vocal producer in various international productions. 

As a member of Symphonix International, he was part of the Vienna-based collective of producers that lead Bulgaria to their historical fourth and second places in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2016 and 2017 respectively. Together they created Austria's entry for Lisbon, which will be released in the beginning of 2018. 

Get to know Cesár Sampson

"I initially came in contact with music through rhythm and dance. Both came to me very naturally, and I thought of myself as a percussionist long before I was a professional vocalist. To this day I start my songwriting process by singing rhythmical gibberish, getting the groove and vibration of it all right, until suddenly actual words flow in," said Cesár.

"When I turned twenty, I reached a point where I felt I wanted to be more than just a musician, I needed a deeper motivation. So I centered the following years around social work as a physical therapist, and in particular, working with people with disabilities and handicaps. After that I came back to music with a totally different approach to it all," he explained. "My voice is the most developed instrument I own, it is the result of a long journey. While I did start off with a fairly good instrument, I really didn't understand it, it was just kind of there. I feel, to sing with the awareness and experience I have today, makes a world of difference." 

The complete package

ORF's Television Director Kathrin Zechner said: "Cesár is rhythm, he is a child of humanity, he is a voice! Cesár lives and breathes music and is an empathic artist! He understands how to use his voice, as a singer and as a human being. His musicality, devotion to his artistry and his holistic approach to his musicianship are contagious. He is equally authentic and unique, just an outstanding Austrian artist, who is sure to make our country proud in Lisbon."

Just as last year, song contest savvy music expert Eberhard Forcher and the ORF-team scouted through the Austrian musical landscape. Their choice fell on the artist, songwriter and producer, born in 1983 in Linz, Austria. Eberhard Forcher says: "This year we chose an artist, who only at first glance appears to be a newcomer, as he has successfully participated in Eurovision twice already (as vocal producer and support singer for Bulgaria). With his dark, soulful voice and a background, that lies equally in classic gospel as it does in modern electronic-pop, he has all the necessary tools to possibly become a standout in this competition. He is the complete package." 

Nathan Trent represented Austria in the 2017 Eurovision Song Contest and reached the Grand Final with his song Running On Air