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Austria picks PÆNDA for Eurovision 2019

29 January 2019 at 08:00 CET
PAENDA Thomas Ramstorfer
Singer PÆNDA has been chosen by Austrian broadcaster ORF to represent the country at the 64th Eurovision Song Contest. Her song 'Limits' will be presented to the public in the coming weeks.

ORF program director Mag. Kathrin Zechner said: "PÆNDA is an outstandingly versatile artist and woman, who not only composed and wrote, but also produced the songs she sings. These are her own emotions, experiences and her soul that she expresses and with that, she will cast a spell over the audience."

About PÆNDA

At the age of 14, PÆNDA wrote her first songs, while also learning how to play the guitar and piano in order to implement them musically. When it became clear that music was not just a passionate hobby for her, she moved to Vienna to study jazz. Several music projects followed, until she launched her project PÆNDA in 2015.

As a solo artist, she did not only compose and write her own songs, she also started to produce her own music. PÆNDA says: "As a young girl in the school choir, I would not even have dared to dream about that." Her first singles Waves and Good Girl attracted some attention, her debut album EVOLUTION I was received with great enthusiasm. Her second album, consistently titled EVOLUTION II will be released on the 26th of April.

PÆNDA admitted she really wanted to be part of the Eurovision Song Contest at some point in her life: "When I was watching the Eurovision Song Contest on ORF in the past few years, I knew that if the opportunity presented itself, I would very much like to become part of it and compete for Austria. Music becomes a universal language, boundaries dissolve and it is shown that love is colorful, diverse and can not be classified in any drawer. The contest is a bridge builder that manages to unite different cultures and religions for a while. Now I'm allowed to sing for Austria and I am overwhelmed. It really means a lot to me to be part of this message to the world."

Austria last year

PÆNDA succeeds the succesful participation of Cesár Sampson, he ranked 3rd in the Grand Final of the 2018 Eurovision Song Contest by scoring 342 points for his song Nobody But You.

What do you think of this year's Austrian representative? Let us know in the comments!