WINNER:BERLIN EUROVISION winner Lena Meyer-Landruth was given a heroine's welcome on her return home yesterday, giving Germany something to cheer about and a break from its mounting worries.
The fate of Greece, the future of the euro and Michael Ballack's World Cup injury were all forgotten for a few hours yesterday as Lena's winning entry, Satellite, jumped to the top of the music download charts immediately after her win.
Now the 19-year-old is poised to pull off that rarest of feats: transforming a Eurovision win into a fully-fledged pop music career.
“I’m completely overwhelmed and am trying to enjoy it but it’s hard because of everything coming over me at once,” she said on her return.
Chancellor Angela Merkel said she was “impressed by her unpretentiousness and warmth”.
“She’s a wonderful example of young Germany,” said Dr Merkel.
Foreign minister Guido Westerwelle described Lena as a “great ambassador for our country” who had “disproved old prejudices”.
Just what prejudices he meant is lost to us, but most likely he meant Germany’s reputation for having a tin ear when it comes to pop music.
Lena is just the second German winner in the song contest's 55-year history. The first German winner was another teenager, Nicole, and Ein Bisschen Frieden (A Little Peace)in 1982.
Lena was already the subject of huge media hype in Germany before the Eurovision, with natural enthusiasm ensuring a rapidly-growing fan base.
Not everyone was won over: the singer’s unique English accent raised some eyebrows, with one critic comparing her pronunciation to a “Swedish speech therapist impersonating Ali G”.
