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Germany: Black Smoke - Catchy and Genuine

17 May 2015 at 12:55 CEST
Black Smoke - that's not only the title of the German entry in the 2015 Eurovision Song Contest, it's also a good description of what we will get to see on the TV screens in the Grand Final: Black (and white) as main colors, and smoke displayed on the LED backdrop. Not to forget Ann Sophie, the charming and bubbly singer. At home she won the wildcard contest for young talents against more than a thousand competing artists, then went on to win the national final against some of the strongest and most popular acts in Germany. So what is the next step? We shall find out in the Grand Final next Saturday!

"Mann, bin ich aufgeregt" - that's German for "I am so excited!" That's what Ann Sophie said after her first rehearsal on stage. But the excitement didn't show, as her performance of Black Smoke was flawless. She sings it on a stage set in black and white, with yellow spotlights and lamps creating a warm club atmosphere.

On the screens, we first see a close-up shot of Ann Sophie, with her back to the viewers but turning her face towards them. She has a lively stage appearance, walking, using gestures, and dancing.

Gallery: Germany: First rehearsal of Ann Sophie

Ann Sophie arrived at the Wiener Stadthalle today in a cheerful mood, laughing and joking. She felt no pressure at all but was excited to go on stage in Vienna for the first time: "To be honest, I don't really know how the stage act will look like in the end - I will see it for the first time only in a few minutes, and I can't wait!"

On stage in the Grand Final of the 2015 Eurovision Song Contest she will wear a sexy black pantsuit and impressive 12 centimeters high heels!

Along with golden rings, the most distinctive jewellery Ann Sophie is wearing is her earring with a red gemstone, which you can see up close in our backstage video. "When I was performing at the 2015 Echo Awards in Berlin, my costume designer brought a bunch of jewellery - I saw it and instantly fell in love with it. I wore it for the first time at the Echo Awards in Germany. I really like it, and I think you should show yourself in a genuine way on stage, so I decided to put it on in my performance of Black Smoke too", she explains.

Gallery: Germany: Backstage with Ann Sophie

Before winning the German national selection, Ann Sophie had already collected a lot of experience performing in clubs. "What I learned is that every performance is important, and you have to convey this feeling to your audience", she explained. And indeed it's visible that the charismatic singer feels at home on the stage - you will see that in today's rehearsal video right here on Eurovision.tv!

Black Smoke was written by Michael Harwood, Ella McMahon and Tonino Speciale. On its key message, Ann Sophie says: "The song describes a situation that many of us are familiar with: being in a long-term relationship and eventually realising that too many wishes have gone unfulfilled and you just can't be together anymore."

Gallery: Germany: Ann Sophie meets the press