Watch: Live at 20:15 CET, “Vienna Calling – Wer singt für Österreich?” will select Austria’s entry for Eurovision 2026. Link to watch the live broadcast – Below!
Tonight at 20:15 CET, the Austrian national broadcaster ORF will hold the grand final of “Vienna Calling – Wer singt für Österreich?”, at the end of which Austria’s entry for Eurovision 2026, which will be held in Vienna, Austria, will be chosen. 12 songs will compete in tonight’s final. The winner will be chosen by a combination of public voting (50%) and jury voting (50%). The “Vienna Calling” will be hosted by Alice Tumler and Cesár Sampson. The final will be broadcast live from the ORF studios in Vienna and will be broadcast live on ORF 1.
Austria will be the 14th country to select a song for Eurovision 2026, following Albania, Montenegro, Moldova, Malta, Luxembourg, Ukraine, Cyprus, Estonia, Denmark, Latvia, Greece, Croatia and Belgium, and the 19th country to select its representative, as Georgia, Switzerland, Israel, Bulgaria and the United Kingdom also join the list.
The final will begin at 20:15 and continue until 23:20 CET.
Watch the grand final of “Vienna Calling” here!
Who to Watch Tonight?
In a poll conducted on the EuroMix website, EuroMix’s readers chose Frevd Band to represent Austria at Eurovision 2026 with the song “Riddle”. The band received 30.77% of the votes. In second place, with 15.38% of the votes, came the singer Anna-Sophie with her song “Superhuman”. In third place, with 13.85% of the votes, came Philip Piller with his song “Das Leben ist Kunst” (in English: “Life is Art”).
The EuroMix editorial team, who listened to the songs, agreed with the readers’ choice and also chose Frevd Band to represent Austria at Eurovision, awarding them 92 points. In second place for the editorial team, with 80 points, was Anna-Sophie, who also finished second in the readers’ poll. In third place, with 72 points, came Bamlak Werner with her song “We Are Not Just One Thing”, which finished eighth in the readers’ poll. To see the full results of EuroMix editorial team, click here.
Streaming platforms Data:
According to the total number of YouTube views, the singer Kayla Kristin with the song “I brenn” is in a clear lead with 263,000 views. Reverend Stomp with the song “Mescalero Ranger” has only 74,000 views, and Anna-Sophie with the song “Superhuman” has only 15,000 views.
According to the number of streams on Spotify, it is actually the singer Cosmo with the song “Tanzschein” (in English: “Dance License”) who clearly leads the field there, with around 32,000 streams. In second place, with 27,000 streams, is singer Sidrit Vokshi with the song “Wenn ich rauche” (in English: “When I Smoke”). In third place is the band Reverend Stomp with the song “Mescalero Ranger”, with only around 26,000 streams.
“Vienna Calling 2026” Contestants
- Anna-Sophie – “Superhuman“
- Bamlak Werner – “We Are Not Just One Thing“
- Cosmó – “Tanzschein“
- David Kurt – “Pockets Full of Snow“
- Frevd – “Riddle“
- Julia Steen – “Julia“
- Kayla Krystin – “I brenn“
- Lena Schaur – “Painted Reality“
- Nikotin – “Unsterblich“
- Philip Piller – “Das Leben ist Kunst“
- Reverend Stomp – “Mescalero Ranger“
- Sidrit Vokshi – “Wenn ich rauche“
Click on the song title to listen!
Meet the Contestants:
Anna-Sophie: One of the most prominent voices on the list, the 25-year-old already boasts over two million Spotify streams with songs like “Attack Without Warning” and “Breathe”. Her debut album “Farewell” was released in October 2023, and she hopes to win the national final with her song “Superhuman”.
Bamlak Werner: The 24-year-old multi-talented artist with Ethiopian roots easily moves between jazz, pop, and rock. The charismatic vocalist, known online as Cloudhead, is also a dance competition winner and vocal coach. With his pop song “We Are Not Just One Thing”, he aims for the grand stage in May.
Cosmo: A 19-year-old Viennese talent who wants to represent Austria this year alongside his “friend” Sandro. Their song “Tanzschein” humorously addresses the fatigue of endless club dancing — though it remains to be seen whether it will get the crowd moving.
David Kurt: Taking a softer approach, David Kurt focuses on folk rock and catchy pop melodies. He sometimes tours with his backing band The Stonelake Substance, but now tries his luck solo with the heartfelt ballad “Pockets Full of Snow” and his distinctive tone.
Frevd Band: Five masked men with no social media presence other than their logo — the mysterious Viennese heavy rock band Frevd, named after Sigmund Freud. His influence reportedly appears within their song “Riddle”. The use of a “v” instead of a “u” in their name might distinguish them from another long-running Viennese band called Freud.
Julia Steen: At 23, Julia is already familiar to Austrian audiences. She participated in “Starmania 21” and reached the finals. Since then, she’s built a large fan base through her German pop music. Her new single “Julia” is expected to boost her popularity even further.
Kayla Krystin: Bringing country-pop vibes from Tyrol, she has already enjoyed considerable success in Australia and the U.S. with English-language songs. Now, she hopes to win the local final with “I brenn”.
Lena Schaur: The 22-year-old is considered one of the most promising names in Austrian pop. In July, she impressively won the Soundcheck talent competition hosted by César Sampson. For “Vienna Calling”, she intends to win over the audience on an even grander stage with her song “Painted Reality”.
Nikotin: Some might recall Austrian legend Falco — a clear influence on the Viennese singer Nikotin, who often draws inspiration from him. His entry “Unsterblich” explores “the duality of heaven and hell”.
Philip Piller: Considered a long-shot favorite for Eurovision, Philip has been associated with the contest for years. Like Steen and last year’s winner Johannes Pietsch (JJ), he was part of the “Starmania 2021” generation, known for his powerful voice. With “Life is Art”, he strives to win “Vienna Calling” and represent Austria.
Reverend Stomp: The Viennese performer brings something completely different. His song “Mescalero Ranger” blends country blues with surf rock. “Performing on the big stage will be a real challenge — and something completely new”, the band noted.
Sidrit Vokshi: Sidrit is the singer who will replace Latin artist Tamara Flores. He is an Austrian singer living in Vienna. His song is a heartfelt pop ballad about heartbreak.
Austria at Eurovision 2025
JJ, a 23-year-old opera singer, represented Austria at Eurovision 2025 with the song “Wasted Love“, after being internally selected by the national broadcaster ORF. JJ won Eurovision, finishing in first place with 436 points: 258 from the juries, ranking first, and 178 from the public, ranking fourth. Among these were 8 points from the Israeli public and 6 points from the Israeli jury.
JJ’s victory marks Austria’s third win in Eurovision history, following Udo Jürgens in 1966 with “Merci, Cherie” and Conchita Wurst in 2014 with “Rise Like a Phoenix”.
Eurovision 2026: This will be Austria’s 58th participation in Eurovision. Austria joined the competition in 1957 and has won three times over the years. Austria’s last victory was in Eurovision 2025 with the song “Wasted Love” performed by singer JJ.
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Ilay Gaist is a leading Israeli content creator and writer specializing in the Eurovision Song Contest. He is a well-known commentator with extensive expertise in the contest’s history, rules, and dynamics. His passion for Eurovision drives him to deliver rich, professional, and innovative content to his audience.
Ilay holds a bachelor’s degree in Arabic and has a multilingual background. He also engages in cultural research, with a particular focus on global culinary traditions and the evolution of local cuisines around the world.
