We left the stage with a huge smile on our faces

The Zug school band had the honour of playing on the open-air stage of the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) in Basel on Wednesday. It was their first public performance together.

They rehearsed for the first time three months ago – and, last Wednesday afternoon, Jana Stadelmann, Mael Tobler and Yannis Kemmler were on the ESC stage at the Barfüsserplatz in Basel. The three Zug Canton School students, who make music together as Janalynn, won the Eurovision School Song Contest with their pop song ‘Maria Marie’, competing against over 100 other acts. Together with three other school bands, they were allowed to perform on the open-air stage of the ESC.

Yannis Kemmler, Jana Stadelmann and Mael Tobler (from left) at their performance in Basel            Photo: zvg/Denise Stadelmann

The Zuger Zeitung newspaper interviewed Jana Stadelmann after the concert

Jana Stadelmann, how nervous were you?
Jana Stadelmann: We played as the third band. We were already pretty nervous as we stood backstage during the second band's performance. But the fact that there were three of us made it a bit different. We talked ourselves into it: No matter what happens, we determined to have a great time. And that helped.

You only had eight minutes on stage. Isn't that a lot of pressure?
There was a certain amount of pressure. But we also practised a lot and can almost play the songs in our sleep. That helped us to feel confident.

It sounds like you were satisfied with the performance.
Yes, very happy. It was our first gig as a band - and we all left the stage with a huge smile on our faces. Playing in front of so many people was a mega experience and a lot of fun.

Were there a lot of people there?
The Barfüsserplatz was almost full. But I can't say exactly how many there were. I didn't really pay that much attention - I was focussed on giving my best on stage.

Was there also people from Zug in the audience?
Yes, many of our colleagues came to the performance. We’re extremely grateful that they travelled all the way to Basel for us, as well as for all those who wrote to us before the performance.

How did you experience the whole thing? How big is the ESC hype in Basel?
We were mainly at the Barfüsserplatz, where there was already a lot going on. There was music everywhere and lots of food stalls. And it was probably even busier at the Exhibition Centre. But we soon went home again after the performance, partly because of school the next day.

Are you tempted by the big stage now?
It certainly whetted our appetite for more. We'll certainly keep looking for opportunities to perform. Smaller, more intimate gigs, but also something bigger again - there's something in both. And we're thinking about recording something.

You can see a video of Maria Marie’ on:
https://www.srf.ch/play/tv/-/video/-?urn=urn:srf:video:3056ff2b-2102-4668-b459-0edf4f56c2f1