Germany's 8 Eurovision candidates

Now in her mid-30s, singer-songwriter Alexa Feser began playing the piano at the age of five. She's been in love with this instrument ever since. She selected two songs for Germany's national final for this year's Eurovision Song Contest. Her ballad highlights her somewhat raw voice. Some compare her style to Herbert Grönemeyer's.

So far, music producers Andreas Joan and Erik Macholl specialized in writing songs for others. Now they're taking the stage themselves. You can hear the icy wind of the fjords breathe through what they call "nature pop music." Strong female vocals accompany their arrangements of strings and electronic sounds. The Danish singer Amanda Pedersen accompanied them on qualification night.

Mixing drums, hurdy-gurdy and traditional flutes with modern synthesizers, this sextet brings the Middle Ages back to the future. Their so-called "pagan folk" with mystic vocals is particularly popular in the neo-medieval scene. Moonlight, fire and costumed dance are part of their spirited performance.

This folk-pop duet brings bluegrass to Germany. Steffen Brückner and Sarah Nücken, a couple off stage as well, sing simple, feel-good songs. These are typically accompanied by an acoustic guitar, and occasionally by a banjo or a pedal steel guitar. They were nominated Best Newcomer at the 2013 Echo Awards.

The 22-year-old DJ Jewgeni Grischbowski has been touring Germany's techno clubs and his remixes have also acquired recognition on the international electronic scene. Grischbowski bet on two potential club hits with fat beats to get the whole country in rave mood. Swedish singer Patrik Jean was his guest vocalist.

Their unusual musical concept is a recipe for success: Three females voices singing to minimalist electronic dance music. Their 2012 hit "Morgens immer müde" made Laing popular. Their witty lyrics and cool choreographies pleased the public, but not enough to make them win.

His songs are timeless, in the style of the giants of rock and blues like Eric Clapton or Joe Cocker. In 2013, he won the television casting show "The Voice of Germany" and his single rocketed to second place in the charts. He may not look like a typical pop star, but Andreas Kümmert's soulful voice blew the audience away. He stunned even more by turning down his victory on qualification night.

The 24-year-old singer knows how to steal the show. She won the wildcard round with her brilliant club concert performance, allowing her to skip ahead in Germany's candidate selection process. When the public's top contestant Andreas Kümmert withdrew from the competition, runner-up Ann Sophie became the one who would sing for Germany. The contest's final round takes place on May 23 in Vienna.