Who the Hell Is Edgar?

"Who the Hell Is Edgar?" is a song by Austrian singers Teya and Salena, released on 8 March 2023.[1] The song represented Austria in the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 after it was internally selected by ORF, the Austrian broadcaster for the Eurovision Song Contest.[2][3] After qualifying from the second semi-final in second place,[4] the song would compete as the first song in a 26-song grand final. In the final, the song would place 15th with a total of 120 points.

"Who the Hell Is Edgar?"
The official cover for "Who the Hell Is Edgar?"
Single by Teya & Salena
LanguageEnglish
Released8 March 2023
Length2:39
LabelWarner Music Germany
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Ronald Janeček
  • Pele Loriano
Music video
"Who the Hell Is Edgar?" on YouTube
Eurovision Song Contest 2023 entry
Country
Artist(s)
Language
English
Composer(s)
  • Teodora Špirić
  • Selina-Maria Edbauer
  • Ronald Janeček
  • Pele Loriano
Lyricist(s)
  • Teodora Špirić
  • Selina-Maria Edbauer
  • Ronald Janeček
  • Pele Loriano
Finals performance
Semi-final result
2nd
Semi-final points
137
Final result
15th
Final points
120
Entry chronology
◄ "Halo" (2022)
Official performance video
"Who the Hell Is Edgar?" (Second Semi-Final) on YouTube
"Who the Hell Is Edgar?" (Grand Final) on YouTube

Background and composition

The song itself was written in a songwriting camp in 2022, with the song being intended as a solo song for Salena for the Eurovision Song Contest. With an hour left in the camp, the two would make "Who the Hell Is Edgar?", and, according to Teya, was chosen because it was the best song they had written during their time in the camp.[5]

The song is reported as a satire of the music industry, and is based off of the experiences both Teya and Salena have faced as women in the music industry. In press conferences leading up to the song's release, Salena stated that the song was "a snapshot of the fun we had writing it. It started with wanting to convey what it feels like when a good song is made. Sometimes creativity rushes through you like you’re possessed by a ghost." In the same press conference, Teya stated that as songwriters, they have had to "keep proving themselves" in order to be taken seriously. Teya also stated that having Edgar Allan Poe as a songwriter was to draw attention to the matter of ghostwriting.[6]

The lyrics feature Teya and Salena making a song, with the ghost of Edgar Allan Poe taking over their bodies to make the song, a reference to ghostwriting.[5] With the creation of the song, they feel as if they will become rich, wanting to sign contracts with the Universal Music Group. With each stream of the song, the two earn $0.003, to the dismay of the singers. They claim that in the span of two years, their dinners will be free and that they can buy "gas station champagne."[7]

Eurovision Song Contest
Main article: Austria in the Eurovision Song Contest 2023

Internal selection

On 31 January 2023, ORF announced during the radio show Ö3-Wecker, aired on Ö3, that they had internally selected Teya and Salena to represent Austria in the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 with a song written by the singers themselves at a songwriting camp in the Czech Republic.[2]

On 7 March, both artists announced that the title of their entry was "Who the Hell Is Edgar?", a reference to American writer and literary critic Edgar Allan Poe.[8]

At Eurovision

According to Eurovision rules, all nations with the exceptions of the host country and the "Big Five" (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom) are required to qualify from one of two semi-finals in order to compete for the final; the top ten countries from each semi-final progress to the final. The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) split up the competing countries into six different pots based on voting patterns from previous contests, with countries with favourable voting histories put into the same pot. On 31 January 2023, an allocation draw was held, which placed each country into one of the two semi-finals, and determined which half of the show they would perform in.

Austria was placed into the second semi-final, which was held held on 11 May 2023, and had been scheduled to perform in the second half of the show.[9] Before the semi-final, the song was considered a favorite to win the semi-final, winning polls on Wiwibloggs and audience polls from dress rehearsals.[10][11] They subsequently qualified for the grand finals, that was held on 13 May 2023, and performed in the first half of the show as the opening act. The song would finish 15th, with 120 points.

Charts
Chart performance for "Who the Hell is Edgar?"
Chart (2023) Peak
position
Iceland (Plötutíðindi)[12] 39
Lithuania (AGATA)[13] 10
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[14] 79

References
  1. Adams, William Lee (8 March 2023). ""Who the Hell is Edgar?" Austria's Teya & Salena reveal Eurovision 2023 song". Wiwibloggs. Retrieved 8 March 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  2. Ude, Christian (31 January 2023). "Song Contest: Geheimnis gelüftet: Ex-Starmaniacs singen für Österreich". Kleine Zeitung (in German). Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  3. Arth, Rick (31 January 2023). "Teya & Salena will sing for Austria at Eurovision 2023 in Liverpool". Wiwibloggs. Retrieved 8 March 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  4. Adams, William Lee (11 May 2023). "Eurovision 2023: Semi-Final 2 results and qualifiers". Wiwibloggs. Retrieved 17 May 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  5. Savage, Mark (9 May 2023). "Who the hell are Teya and Salena? Eurovision Q&A". BBC News. Retrieved 17 May 2023.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  6. Granger, Anthony (7 March 2023). "🇦🇹 Austria: First Comments Ahead of "Who the hell is Edgar?" Release Tomorrow". Eurovoix. Retrieved 17 May 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  7. Shokayan, Antranig (10 March 2023). ""Gas station champagne is on me" — Teya & Salena satirise the music industry in the "Who the Hell Is Edgar?" lyrics". Wiwibloggs. Retrieved 17 May 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  8. "Österreich fragt beim Song Contest: Who the hell is Edgar?". oe3.ORF.at (in German). Retrieved 6 March 2023.
  9. Groot, Evert (31 January 2023). "Eurovision 2023: Allocation Draw results". European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Retrieved 31 January 2023.
  10. Vautrey, Jonathan (29 April 2023). "Eurovision 2023 semi-final 2: Austria's Teya & Salena are our readers' favourite to win". Wiwibloggs. Retrieved 17 May 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  11. Avelino, Gerry (10 May 2023). "🇦🇹 Austria Wins the Eurovision Audience Poll for Semi-Final Two". Eurovoix. Retrieved 17 May 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  12. "Tónlistinn – Lög" [The Music – Songs] (in Icelandic). Plötutíðindi. Retrieved 14 May 2023.
  13. "2023 20-os savaitės klausomiausi (Top 100)" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. 19 May 2023. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
  14. "Veckolista Singlar, vecka 20". Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
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