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Sarah Engels from the TV studio suburb of Hürth near Cologne has so far been in the light muse: DSDS, musical leading actress – and as the ex-wife of scandalous noodle Pietro Lombardi, a constant topic in the German tabloid media. Now the dimensions have changed. Vienna, spotlight on “our” candidate in front of an audience of millions at the ESC 2026.
Between lightness and political pressure
Suddenly Engels also had to express himself politically. “For me, the ESC is a place where music connects and brings people together – regardless of origin or political issues. It’s about telling stories through music and creating something positive for a moment. That’s exactly what I want to focus on,” she said in an interview with the FAZ when asked how she feels about the rampant cancel culture against pop acts from Israel.
Engels consciously decides against becoming part of any escalation. She admits that “bad things” are happening in the world, but draws a clear line for herself: the ESC is not the right arena for “tough political disputes”.
While she advocates lightness, it is precisely this lightness that is attacked. After her victory in the ESC preliminary round, she was met with malice and anger on social networks. The hate doesn’t leave her unscathed, she says – a price for her naive mainstream glamor past. Now she is standing in the middle of the fire.
After all, she was a candidate for “Deutschland sucht den Superstar”, a power woman of rather shallow entertainment – one from whom you expect quick hits, but no attitude.
Between stage professionals and bookmaker forecasts
“She has developed her own, completely new brand for herself,” says Kölschrock colleague Stephan Brings from the band Brings (“Superjeile Zick”). The ESC does not forgive any insecurities: “The first shot has to be right.”
While Europe watches, domestic critics complain. The bookmakers already see them in the lower positions, somewhere between 21 and 29. Malicious predictions that sound like an echo: cute, but hardly relevant.
Illness, comeback and private life in the spotlight
At the same time, there is a personal drama going on. Shortly before departure, a photo circulated on the infusion drip – a body on strike while the ESC machine continues to run. Then the quick comeback: back to training, to choreography. Weakness as a brief interruption, not a condition.
On Thursday, May 7th, Engels’s first rehearsal will be in the Wiener Stadthalle.
Julian Engels: the man in the background
In the background, someone is keeping this construction stable. Julian Engels: Ex-footballer from Westphalia, temporarily active in Major League Soccer, then in the lower German leagues. Today the father of her second child, a manager, an organizer – someone who knows what it means when a career plan ends abruptly. He wants to make sure that nothing goes wrong here.
The singer was once spotted on the sidelines by gossip reporters. Photos taken together from a vacation in Egypt made headlines. In 2020, the two made their relationship official. Julian moved to Bonner SC to be closer to Sarah, but suffered a torn cruciate ligament there, which ended his active career – in June 2021. The engagement took place before that, in autumn 2020; The widely documented wedding followed in 2021. The gossip reporters noticed one detail: Julian took his wife’s name and has since been called Julian Engels – a step towards showbiz family happiness.
Room for someone nice?
In addition to their music, there is a field of tension that can hardly be resolved.
Because no matter how her choreographic song “Fire” turns out in the end: Sarah Engels not only stands for performance hits in Vienna, but also for the question of whether there is still room for someone like her in an overheated public – for someone who consciously wants to be nice.
Or whether the attempt to defend what is deliberately apolitical has long since become a highly controversial position – where it is difficult to remain cheerful and light-hearted.
