Eurovision 2016 – Germany

Jamie-Lee, schoolgirl from Hanover, cast a spell over a million viewers when she won the season’s final of The Voice of Germany last December. Just two months later she went on to win the German national selection for the 2016 Eurovision Song Contest, Unser Lied für Stockholm, with the very same song, Ghost.

This fascinating, independent and exceptional artist, whose full name is Jamie-Lee Kriewitz, doesn’t take herself too seriously, dreams of taking a trip to Korea, lives as a vegan and is an absolute fan of the Japanese Decora Kei style, as anyone can easily see in the playful, extrovert and colourful Manga looks that she wears. A style with which Jamie-Lee is already setting a trend: her eye-catching outfits have already become hot topics on social networks and no doubt all eyes will be on her in Stockholm.

Through her music, Jamie-Lee expresses her preference for the comics aesthetics from the Far East. With her pop ballad Ghost, Jamie-Lee takes us into the secret meanders of her fantasy realm. Ghost is a rather sad love song, which depicts a story that anyone can relate to.

Jamie-Lee is backed by a strong team who produces and writes the songs for her. Her track Ghost was written by Anna Leyne, Conrad Hensel and DJ Thomilla while Hensel and Thomilla did the production.

Anna Leyne is a well know Nuremberg based singer and songwriter, who has worked with Mousse T., Spada and Slackwax. Her work was nominated for a Grammy and she did countless vocal recordings for movie scores and other musical productions.

Conrad Hensel is a Berlin based sound engineer and sound designer who has established himself working for the legendary Hansa Studios in Berlin and collaborating with electronic music pioneer Ryuichi Sakamoto. Recently, he participated in the soundtrack for the Hollywood Movie The Revenant.

DJ Thomilla was part of the of the very sucessful first wave of German Hip Hop being present as a producer on various Top 10 albums. Afterwards, he entered the electronic music genre with his project “Turntable Rocker“.

ESC+Plus: Hello! First of all, thank you so much for your time. We would like to congratulate you on winning Unser Lied für Stockholm 2016 and consequently taking the chance to sing on the 2016 Eurovision stage. 

Thank you!

E+: Can you describe the feelings which you experienced as being announced the winner of the 2016 German national selection? What does it mean to you to represent your home land at Eurovision?

It felt amazing, I still can’t believe that half million people voted for me! I feel very honored to represent Germany at Eurovision.

E+: Let’s talk about your song and its main message. How is it connected to yourself?

The song means a lot to me because it’s my first single and it was also on the charts. When I first heard the song, I found the atmosphere of the song great and it was exactly what I had imagined for me. Anyone can relate to the message of the song. In the song, there was a couple who broke up but the ghost of the relationship is still there and they both want the relationship to go on but they know that it just doesn’t work out anymore. It’s a bit sad but you need to let go.

E+: Tell us a bit about your Eurovision Stage performance. Will it vary from the Unser Lied für Stockholm’s one? What changes you are going to make?

I will keep the general look of my performance which I gave in the national selection but of course I am thinking about how to enhance the whole performance, so you can look forward to that.

E+: Have you already got acquainted with other contestants of this year’s competition? Have you got any favorite songs?

I have listened to the songs only shortly because I would like to go to Stockholm with an open mind. Often the songs differ from the live performances and come out much stronger when performed live.

E+: Apart from Eurovision, tell us which important achievements you have reached so far in your musical career. How did you start your singing career? What was it like for you to sing in public for the first time?

Last December I won the The Voice of Germany which started my career. That and winning the German national selection have been the biggest achievements in my career so far. I was used to singing in public, I have been part of a gospel choir since I am eleven years old. Because of the amount of people who watched my performance on TVoG I was a little bit more nervous as usual.

E+: What profession did attract you more when you were little? Did you pretend to be a singer when you were a child?

I wanted to be a singer ever since I can remember.

E+: What hobbies do you have? What do you do when you are not singing?

I’m really into the Asian culture and I like to draw when I have time for it.

E+: Do you like reading? Which is your favorite book? Why?

Honestly, I don’t like reading, haha. I can’t really explain why.

E+: Do you have any amusing childhood stories that are worthy to tell us?

I looked and acted like a boy for like 5 years as a child. I never really cared about what other people said about me.

E+: Do you usually watch Eurovision? Do you have any favorite artists and songs in the history of the competition?

The first time I watched it was in 2010 when Lena was taking part. She comes from the same town as me and then she also won – that was very exciting! I thought Jedward was really cool with their song „Lipstick“. I think the song was great and their outfits and the high hairstyles were crazy cool.

E+: Can you send a message for our readers and fans of Eurovision?

Wish me good luck and vote for me! I’m really excited to get to know your candidates. I hope you have a great time watching the show!

E+: Thank you very much, good luck and see you in Stockholm!

The story of us
Is it already told?
Let’s tear the book apart
Start to rewrite it all

We’re already gone
But still in this together
Like a dragon to his gold
We’re still holding on

Our life won’t wait for us to live
We don’t need a lifetime
to figure out what we miss
The love we get is the love we give
A money chest full of love
(But we hid the key)

This is the ghost of you
Haunting the ghost of me
We’re lonely in a crowded room together
Tell me who’s scared now!

This is the ghost of you
Haunting the ghost of me
We’re playing house in these walls forever
Tell me who’s scared now!

Can we get an alternate ending?
Can we get an alternate ending, ooooohoohoh

Somehow we will change
Everything that we touch
But we held on too tight
And changed it too much

We sweep up this love
Put the pieces back together
And if we find them all
Can we bring this to life?

Our life won’t wait for us to live
We don’t need a lifetime
to figure out what we miss
The love we get is the love we give
(A money chest full of love
But we hid the key)

This is the ghost of you
Haunting the ghost of me
We’re lonely in a crowded room together
Tell me who’s scared now!

This is the ghost of you
Haunting the ghost of me
We’re playing house in these walls forever
Tell me who’s scared now!

Ooooh, OOOOhhhh
(This is the ghost of you
Haunting the ghost of me
We’re lonely in a crowded room together)

Tell me who’s scared now!

This is the ghost of you
Haunting the ghost of me
We’re playing house in these walls forever
Tell me who’s scared now!