Poe, Poe, Poe, Poe! It’s finally time to find out who the hell Edgar Allen Poe is. This morning, Austrian representatives Teya & Salena premiered their 2023 Eurovision Entry to the public during Ö3-Wecker. We will see the girls perform the song on the Eurovision stage in Liverpool during the Second Semi-Final. Without any further ado, let’s listen to “Who The Hell is Edgar”:
“Who the hell is Edgar” was written and composed by Teodora Spiric, Selina-Maria Edbauer, Ronald Janeček and Pele Loriano. Talking about the song, ORF head of delegation Stefan Zechner says:
“The song catches your ear quickly and comes across as light, but on the second level it has a very nice message and therefore a certain seriousness. Teya & Salena see themselves as members of the song contest family and it’s great when someone sees the entire event as a ‘once in a lifetime’ opportunity.”
Talking about the song, the duo added:
Salena: “This song is a snapshot of the fun we had writing it. It started with wanting to convey what it feels like when a good song is made. Sometimes creativity rushes through you like you’re possessed by a ghost.”
Teya: “But we also wanted to pack our personal experiences as songwriters into the song. It often feels like you have to keep proving yourself to be taken seriously. By presenting Edgar Allan Poe as the actual writer of the song, we want to draw attention to this part of the music business. It’s satire.”
Who the hell are Teya & Salena ?
The two musicians met on the talent show “Starmania 21”. There they quickly changed their relationship status from rivals to friends. Since then, Teya and Salena have always enjoyed making music together in addition to their respective solo projects.
Teya (Theodora Spiric) tried it twice three years ago as Thea Devy and her song “Sudnji Dan”, but failed in both the Austrian and Serbian ESC preliminary rounds. She gained her first stage experience as a saxophonist in a jazz orchestra.
Salena (Selina-Maria Edbauer) also had to put up with a defeat trying representing Austria in 2019. Next to Starmania 21, she also participated in the Voice of Germany in 2017. However, her voice is probably known to a wider audience as the singer of the Ö3 jingles. “For me, the ESC means diversity and shows people with visions and dreams,” she says
Going to the Eurovision Song Contest is a dream come true for both of them. Teya and Salena don’t consider the semi-final to be a big hurdle and of course they want to win the final. The two women are not lacking in self-confidence. They are ready for their performance at the Eurovision stage!
Austria in Eurovision
Austria debuted in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1957 with Bob Martin and his song Wohin, Kleines Pony finished in the last place scoring just 3 points. Luckily, Austria also won the contest twice: once in 1966 (Udo Jürgens) and 48 years later in 2014 (Conchita Wurst), holding the record for longest gap between two wins at the Eurovision Song Contest!
However, Austria hasn’t been lucky lately at the contest. After earning a bronze medal in Lisbon with Cesar Sampson and his song ‘Nobody But You,’ the country has failed to qualify for the Grand Final. Last year, the country were represented by LUM!X and Pia Maria. They brought the party to Turin with their Eurovision entry “Halo,” but finished in 15th place in the first semi-final with 42 points.
What do #YOU think of “Who the hell is Edgar”? Let us know down below in the comments, on social media @ESCUnited, on our Forum, or on our Discord!
