• The Eurovision 2023 final will be held in Liverpool (United Kingdom) on Saturday 13 May. It will be broadcast live on France 2 from 21 p.m. Until the day before D-Day, 20 Minutes offers you a daily close-up of a candidate to follow.
  • This Wednesday, we present Lord of the Lost. This German metal band, created in 2006 in Hamburg, will sing Blood and Glitter.
  • "We don't think we represent Germany because national pride is foreign to us. We are grateful to be able to live in a country like Germany, but we were born there by chance. It's not an accomplishment to be German," the band tells us.

From our Special Envoy in Liverpool (United Kingdom)

"It's great to contribute to the musical diversity at Eurovision, which has a very pop, radio-friendly and mainstream image... On Saturday, in the final of the contest, Lord of the Lost will resonate his Blood and Glitter on the stage of Liverpool, in front of millions of viewers. A year after opening for Iron Maiden and a few weeks before performing at Hellfest, the metal band, created in 2007 in Hamburg, will add a line to an already full resume. And why not finish in the Top 10? 20 Minutes spoke to these German artists who do not consider themselves to represent their country.

How does it feel to represent Germany at Eurovision?

Chris Harms: It's a tricky question because on the one hand it means a lot to represent alternative music, as well as ourselves, through our art, at Eurovision. But on the other hand, we don't say that we represent Germany because national pride is foreign to us. We are grateful to be able to live in a country like Germany, but we were born there by chance, so we are neither proud nor ashamed of it. It is not an accomplishment to be German.

Pi Stoffers: I came to Liverpool as a musician among other very good musicians.

Gared Dirge: You don't come here with the German flag and say, "Go Germany!" It's not our thing. The only flag that could be used would be the pride flag [the rainbow flag of the LGBT+ community].


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Rock is under-represented at Eurovision. Without the victory of the Italians of Maneskin two years ago, would you have wanted to participate this year?

Chris: Of course we would have tried, but we would not necessarily have been selected. I think Maneskin's win helped a lot to open people's minds. They widened the door that was opened by Lordi [the Finnish monster rock band, winner in 2006].

Do you find that today there is less prejudice around metal?

Chris: There is no more or less prejudice than towards any other subculture. As soon as you do something a little different from what "normal" people do – if that word has any meaning – there are misconceptions. There will always be those who say that metal musicians are drunk and stoned all day or are Satanists.

Lord of the Lost has been around since 2007. Your latest album is the first in your discography to have been number 1 in sales in Germany. Do you feel like there was a pivotal moment in your career?

Chris: It has only gotten bigger, I would say. There is not really a turning point. We have more and more fans and more and more haters. Our success did not happen overnight.

Gared: It was gradual.

Chris: The last album was number 1, the previous number 2, the one before number 6. There has been a steady progression over the years.

Do you feel supported by the German public?

Niklas: Mostly, yes. Like Chris said, there are always haters of course. The Internet makes it easier for them to repander hatred. But above all, we get a lot of support, especially from our fans.

Chris, you recently covered the songs of the other Eurovision contestants, including "Obviously", the song with which La Zarra represents the France at Eurovision this year. It's not really your registry...

Chris: I must say that it was not difficult. I learned French for ten years at school. I spoke it very well when I was 18 or 19. And I have a good ear. It was harder to sing in Finnish or Italian.

Have you considered singing "Blood and Glitter" in German at Eurovision?

Chris: Maybe we'll do it for fun after Eurovision. But translating our texts into German is not necessarily a good idea It is a language that does not really lend itself to the equivalents of "baby" or "oh yeah". If you can't find the right word, it can be awkward.

Niklas: When we embarked on the Eurovision adventure, we warned that we would not change who we are. Singing in German would be a big change, so we didn't do it.

You'll be singing at the next Hellfest...

Pi: Hellfest was on my to-do list in my life since I started making music.

This won't be your first concert in France...

Chris: Last year, we had the chance to play with Iron Maiden at the Defense Arena in Paris, which is just the largest indoor arena in Europe. It was impressive.

Bo Six: When we did our first rehearsal on stage in Liverpool, it reminded me of La Defense Arena because it was huge. I thought it was a good thing that we had this experience, it was a good preparation.

Do you see a logical connection between Iron Maiden, Eurovision and Hellfest?

Chris: We toured with Iron Maiden, our popularity grew, which led to our number 1 album, which helped us get chosen for Eurovision. There is a causal link.

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