The german artist Jendrik grew up in Hamburg, Germany, and began to learn to play the piano and violin at a young age, revealing that it was “very cool” to see fellow violinist and inspiration Alexander Rybak winning the Eurovision Song Contest in 2009.
But his “signature instrument” became the Ukulele, which Jendrik was introduced to by his little sister who received it as a birthday present. Hogging the gift for himself, Jendrik started to compose songs for his parents and siblings, and this is how his songwriting career began.
The next stop for the Hamburg-born ukulelist was the Institute of Music at Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences, where he also chose the ukulele for his Bachelor of Arts thesis.
“How to make a video if you want to apply for the Eurovision Song Contest”
To get to Eurovision, Jendrik had to impress a German selection panel composed of industry experts and the general public, but before that could happen, he needed a way in.
Being previously unknown in Germany, Jendrik chose to apply for the Eurovision Song Contest in an unconventional way. He created his own music video by building a laundrette with 18 broken washing machines and building his own film set.
I did little videos where I slowly created the music video and posted them online, and in every video I shouted: Hello, I want to go to the Eurovision Song Contest, please take me!
Jendrik
We had a talk with Jendrik about his Eurovision entry, the ironic feeling of people hating on his song “I Don’t Feel Hate”, preparations for the show, his goal for Eurovision and more. Watch it below.
