On Friday 16th February, Germany held their national final Das Deutsche Finale, selecting 29-year-old Isaak and his song ‘Always on the Run’ to represent them at Eurovision 2024. Read on to learn all about Isaak, his career so far and his journey to Eurovision.
Who is Isaak?
Isaak Guderian, who performs monomynously under the name Isaak, grew up in Porta Westfalica (a town in the west of Germany) to an Icelandic mother and a German father. However, the singer currently resides in Espelkamp with his wife Loreen (no, not that one) and their two children.
Isaak’s music career first started when he began busking, before he subsequently formed a band. His first television appearance was in 2011, when the then 16-year-old Isaak appeared on the German version of The X Factor, performing ‘Wonderwall’ by Oasis. His passion for music evolved to Isaak taking a more behind-the-scenes approach and two years later, he founded his own company to organise local and alternative music events.
However, in 2020 the COVID-19 pandemic brought with it heavy restrictions on live music. With little opportunity to organise events, Isaak instead took to composing his own music releasing the singles ‘Too Late’ and ‘Sober’ during this time.
In 2021, whilst releasing six more singles, Isaak entered the Show Your Talent competition, which was organised by Amazon Music in Germany. In this contest, musicians performed virtually through either Twitch or Discord with a professional jury evaluating their performances. Isaak so impressed the jurors that he ended up winning the entire competition! You can watch his performance in the finale of Show Your Talent below:
2022 would see Isaak’s biggest musical breakthrough so far, as the singer would collaborate with prominent German DJ and music producer David Puentez, who has gained recognition through his official remixes for artists such as Post Malone and Rita Ora. Isaak and David’s collaboration ‘Baby Steps’ peaked at number 6 in the German music charts and has nearly 24 million streams on Spotify at the time of writing. You can listen to the song below:
The Journey to Eurovision
Isaak never intended ‘Always on the Run’ to be submitted to Das Deutsche Finale, telling German news publication Mindener Tageblatt that the suggestion to submit the song came from his record label. However, when it was suggested to him, Isaak jumped at the chance.
‘Always on the Run’ is musically reminiscent of artists such as Lewis Capaldi and Rag ‘N’ Bone Man and lyrically deals with themes of struggling emotionally and mentally. Isaak has said the song is autobiographical, describing “very roughly my entire life” and has said often uses music to express his feelings:
“Music is the only refuge where I can be who I am. Here, everything is allowed. No labels, no system, no order. Pure emotions, a playground not only for children. And everyone can understand it – whether it’s in their language or not.”
Isaak Guderian, Eurovision.tv
Despite not initially being regarded as a contender for the win, on the night of the final, Isaak immediately emerged as a stand-out due to his strong live vocal. He ultimately won both the jury and televote, beating bookies’ favourite Ryk and established previous Eurovision contestant Max Mutzke for the opportunity to represent Germany in Malmö. Speaking minutes after he won the contest, Isaak confirmed he had entered without any expectations, saying:
That was my goal: to go on stage and be completely with myself . And do what I am. Because if I’m excited about it myself , it’s easier to get others excited too . And I think I’ve done it incredibly well. I am very proud of myself.
Isaak Guderian, Das Deutsche Finale
As a member of the Big Five, Germany will automatically qualify for the Grand Final on Saturday 11th May. However, Isaak will perform his song in the first semi-final following confirmation from the EBU that the Big Five and Sweden will perform in this year’s semis, giving Isaak a greater opportunity to showcase his song ahead of the final. Could this work in his favour? We’re certainly wishing him the best of luck in May!
You can follow Isaak on social media!
Instagram – @isaak.music
Twitter/X – @isaak_guderian
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