Friday, February 15th brought us “Österreich rockt den Song Contest”, as Austria selected the successor to the Trackshittaz.  With five singers performing two songs apiece (one Eurovision classic and their potential song for Malmö), the country gave fans plenty to mull over.

Taking the victory in Vienna was the contest’s youngest participant, 18-year-old Natália Kelly, with “Shine“:

Natália, who also performed a cover of Céline Dion’s “Ne partez pas sans moi”, came in a close second place with the jury’s vote, but took a commanding lead in the public’s eyes.  The Connecticut-born teenager of Brazilian-American decent has been living in Austria since a young age.

This bluesy, accessible pop number fits Natália’s voice rather well, and differs quite greatly from other Eurovision entries of the same name (such as Georgia in 2010 or the Netherlands in 2009).  Being drawn in the first half of the first Semifinal does her no favors, but in terms of her sheer vocal ability, Natália should be proud of what she’s bringing to Malmö this May.