Roman Lob

The favorite took it all: singer Roman Lob won Germany's Eurovision casting show, "Our Star for Baku." But after weeks of leading the finalists in audience voting rounds, Roman Lob beat out second-place performer Ornella de Santis by only the smallest of margins.

The audience at home played a bigger role in this year's contest than ever before, voting both for their favorite song and afterwards for their favorite performer in the finale. Roman's "Standing Still" overtook Ornella's ballad "Quietly" with 50.7 percent of the vote to her 49.3 percent.

The multi-week televised competition featured a new style of voting in which candidates were briefly introduced at the beginning of each show. Viewers called in to vote for who made the best initial impression. Their votes were instantly tabulated and displayed on screen, establishing the order in which the candidates performed. Those with the most supporters performed last, and it was Roman who rounded out the show each week.

But given the close run-off in the end, jury member and all-around media-maker Stefan Raab was right to keep reminding viewers, "It's not over yet!"

A second chance

The 21-year-old winner hails from a small town in western Germany, where he sang in a rock band alongside his job as an industrial mechanic. But it's not his first time in the limelight; at 16, he made his first appearance in a casting show, then on the equally popular "Deutschland sucht den Superstar" (Germany Seeks the Superstar). He had to bow out early in the series due to laryngitis.

But Roman Lob used his second chance to the fullest and will go on to represent Germany at the Eurovision Song Contest in Azerbaijan with "Standing Still."

"Our Star for Baku" drew a young audience that made their choice clear on Facebook where Roman Lob had racked up nearly seven times as many "likes" as opponent Ornella de Santis. Though Stefan Raab described her semi-final performance as "being of international standard," she didn't succeed in convincing the young audience.

But youth won't be enough to win when it comes to the Eurovision Song Contest in Baku, which draws a broader audience.

The 'it' factor

This year's ESC representative may want to reflect on Germany's most recent winner, Lena Meyer Landrut. Whereas Lena couldn't really dance - but made no bones about it - Roman knows just how to move once the cameras go on. And while Lena may have endearingly missed this or that note, Roman hits each pitch like a choirboy.

And that may just be Roman's downfall. Is he perhaps too much the choirboy, too polished and too "natural" as the jury never tired of stressing? Lena Meyer Landrut's spontaneity and quirky charisma caught viewers' eyes, turning some countries off but winning over many more.

Roman's predictability in combination with his seemingly effortless talent may leave voters watching the spectacle in Baku on May 26 looking for someone with a little more spark.

Author: Michael Lehmann / gsw
Editor: Rick Fulker