A shocker from Germany. Xavier Naidoo will NOT travel to the Eurovision Song Contest 2016 in Stockholm. The German broadcaster has decided to withdraw the nomination.
Reactions in the past few days have been heavy. Many people called for Naidoo’s withdrawal and many also supported the choice. In the end, NDR was forced into a decision and the decision turned out to be that Xavier Naidoo will not represent Germany in Stockholm.
Thomas Schreiber, the creative director of Eurovision in Germany, states the following:
Xavier Naidoo is an excellent singer, who, in my opinion, is neither a racist or a homophobe. It was clear, that he was polarising, but the level of reactions has surprised us. We had wrong expectations.
The Eurovision Song Contest is a fun event, where music and uniting the people should be in the centre of attention. This character must be kept no matter what. The current discussions could harm the Eurovision Song Contest on the long run. That’s why Xavier Naidoo will not represent Germany.
We will decide as soon as possible how we will select the German entry for Eurovision in Stockholm.
It seems NDR are seriously shocked by the amount and did not expect this whatsoever. It’ll be a question how NDR will solve the mess that has now been left…
Meanwhile, Naidoo himself has also reacted, stating:
A few months ago, ARD approached me to ask me if I’d consider representing Germany in the Eurovision Song Contest in Stockholm.
That was the only proposal by ARD. After a lot of consideration, I finally decided to accept the invitation, because this contest would be really special for me. When now, shortly after the contractual discussions with NDR and after finishing all preparations, the plans have been altered by ARD alone, then that’s OK for me.
My passion for music and my commitment for love, freedom, tolerance and a feeling of togetherness will not be stopped by this.
