Tanzschein
| "Tanzschein" | |
|---|---|
| Single by Cosmó | |
| from the EP Lieber tanz ich weiter | |
| Language | German |
| English title | Dance(-ing) Licence |
| Released | 5 February 2026 |
| Length | 2:48 |
| Songwriters |
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| Producers |
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| Music video | |
| "Tanzschein" on YouTube | |
| Eurovision Song Contest 2026 entry | |
| Country | |
| Artist | |
| Language | |
| Composers |
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| Finals performance | |
| Final result | 24th |
| Final points | 6 |
| Entry chronology | |
| ◄ "Wasted Love" (2025) | |
| Official performance video | |
| "Tanzschein" (second semi-final) on YouTube "Tanzschein" (grand final) on YouTube | |
"Tanzschein" (transl. 'Dance(-ing) Licence') is a song by Austrian singer Benjamin Gedeon known by his stage name Cosmó. It was written by Gedeon, Elias Stejskal, and Ella Stern. It represented Austria in the Eurovision Song Contest 2026, and reached number two on the Austrian Singles Chart.
Composition
[edit ]Gedeon had completed one or two song writing sessions with the writing team for the song when one day he was out jogging in Vienna and then he pulled out his phone and sang the first line of the chorus "Sie brauchen einen Tanzschein" (You need a dance license) with Gedeon commenting that "I showed that to my producer and he said, "Yeah, that's good. Maybe let's write, write like one or two other songs as well.", but I couldn't focus. I was, I was so focused on [that song]... ...I had to, I had to do it."[1]
In relation to the songs lyrics Cosmo has commented that "...I was in a club the first time, and there wasn't any dancing, but there wasn't really any talking either. It's just standing around, and... I don't know what they're thinking... Nobody starts dancing... ...And I think you should actually dance and enjoy the music. That's the only way to really forget about everyday life and enjoy life... Letting go a little, listening to yourself. And above all, dancing together, not just for yourself, but also with others."[2]
Music video
[edit ]When asked about the ideas behind the music video, Cosmó responded: "the producer Phil and the lovely team from Sonority had like this idea that it's... you can't really put away your inner animal, you know, it's always in there. That's why we also have that scene where I'm looking in the mirror and there's a lion. It's more about letting go of your inner animal... kind of dancing away your inner animal... And we wanted to show that in in the music video. And also this kind of transition from animal to human where the lovely Hannah, um takes off her mask and becomes a human, uh and then dances with us all together."[1]
Eurovision Song Contest
[edit ]Vienna Calling – Wer singt für Österreich?
[edit ]Cosmó was announced as one of the 12 artists that would compete for the Austrian National Selection for Eurovision 2026, "Vienna Calling – Wer singt für Österreich?."[3] His competing entry for the Selection, "Tanzschein" was released on 7 February 2026.[4] The Selection took place on 20 February 2026 in Vienna. After the voting segment, Tanzschein placed first which meant that Cosmó would represent Austria in 2026.[5]
When asked about how the live performance for the national selection came together Cosmó responded "One evening, we were sitting with the band, racking our brains: 'Where can we get dancers?' 'We'd love to have dancers with us.' Then we looked at each other in the band and thought, 'Don't you guys want to do that?' And everyone was like, 'Yeah, let's do it!'".[6]
At Eurovision
[edit ]The Eurovision Song Contest 2026 took place at Wiener Stadthalle in Vienna, Austria, and consisted of two semi-finals to held on the respective dates of 12 and 14 May and the final on 16 May 2026. As the host country, Austria automatically qualified to the final and performed in 25th (last place) at the show.[7] [8] Additionally, Cosmó performed Tanzschein in the second semi-final, after Cyprus's Antigoni and before Latvia's Atvara.[9] In the final, the song finished 24th, only earning six points.[10]
Charts
[edit ]| Chart (2026) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[11] | 2 |
| Austria Airplay (IFPI)[12] | 20 |
| Lithuania (AGATA)[13] | 99 |
References
[edit ]- ^ a b "🇦🇹 Cosmó "TANZSCHEIN" (Austria 2026) - LIVE @ London Eurovision Party". YouTube. wiwibloggs. Event occurs at 2:26. Retrieved 1 May 2026.
Deban: And was it easy to compose a song? It is self-composed, right? Cosmó:Uh no, it was actually teamwork with my producer Nono Punch and with Ella Stern a wonderful singer songwriter. Yeah. Deban:How how did that come about? How did that process come about? Cosmó: Oh, that was actually quite quick. Like we had one or two sessions. The idea for this song came when I was jogging just in Vienna and then I pulled out my phone and I sang "Sie brauchen einen Tanzschein". Deban:It is your voice. Oh my god. That was a revelation. I thought honestly I thought it was like a vocoder. It's actually your voice. Cosmó:Yes. So that's how the the the song uh came to life and I showed that to my producer and he said, "Yeah, that's good. Maybe let's write, write like one or two other songs as well.", but I couldn't focus. I was I was so focused on... Deban:That was the song. It's like you knew it. Like this, this is the one that's going forward." Cosmó:I had to, I had to do it. I, I had like the vision. I manifested it and I had to do it... ...Deban: And the music video is very playful as well and just kind of like what, what feeling were you trying to communicate through that? What was the visual direction of it? Cosmó: Um, you know, my, the, the producer Phil and the lovely team from Sonority had like this idea that it's... not just, you can't really put away your inner animal, you know, it's always in there. That's why we also have that scene where I'm looking in the mirror and there's a lion. It's more about letting go of your inner animal, like, like, um, kind of dancing away your inner animal. That's what it's all about. And we wanted to show that in in the music video. And also this kind of transition from animal to human where the lovely Hannah, um takes off her mask and becomes a human uh and then dances with us all together.
- ^ ""Servus or Oida?" The ultimate questions of faith in COSMÓ - Austria Edition 🇦🇹". YouTube. ORF ON. 2 May 2026. Event occurs at 00:38. Retrieved 10 May 2026.
Mimi: Your generation isn't known for going out. Does Gen Z even still go to clubs? Was the idea behind "Tanzschein" also to encourage people to go to clubs? Cosmó: Yes. But unfortunately, the vibe is kind of off. So, I was in a club the first time, and there wasn't any dancing, but there wasn't really any talking either. It's just standing around, and... I don't know what they're thinking. * He laughs. * Mimi: Nobody starts dancing. Cosmó: No, not at all. And I think you should actually dance and enjoy the music. That's the only way to really forget about everyday life and enjoy life. Mimi: That's what you want to achieve with "Tanzschein". Cosmó: Exactly. Mimi: That feeling. Letting go a little, listening to yourself. And above all, dancing together, not just for yourself, but also with others.
- ^ Farren, Neil (15 December 2025). "🇦🇹 Austria: Vienna Calling – Wer singt für Österreich? Participants Revealed". Eurovoix. Retrieved 28 February 2026.
- ^ Granger, Anthony (7 February 2026). "🇦🇹 Austria: Two More Vienna Calling – Wer singt für Österreich? Songs Released". Eurovoix. Retrieved 28 February 2026.
- ^ Farren, Neil (20 February 2026). "🇦🇹 Austria: Cosmó to Eurovision 2026". Eurovoix. Retrieved 1 March 2026.
- ^ ""Servus or Oida?" The ultimate questions of faith in COSMÓ - Austria Edition 🇦🇹". YouTube. ORF ON. 2 May 2026. Event occurs at 4:21. Retrieved 10 May 2026.
This is such a fantastic creation. The whole set design, the masks, and the animals. Was that you, or how did that come about? Luckily, ORF and the production team were very open to the ideas and everything. I really appreciated that. One evening, we were sitting with the band, racking our brains: "Where can we get dancers?" "We'd love to have dancers with us." Then we looked at each other in the band and thought, "Don't you guys want to do that?" And everyone was like, "Yeah, let's do it!" It was really great to have a platform for our music, for our own ideas, and I'm very grateful for that.
- ^ "Vienna 2026: Semi-Final Draw results". Eurovision Song Contest. 12 January 2026. Retrieved 1 March 2026.
- ^ Farren, Neil (17 March 2026). "🇦🇹 Eurovision 2026: Austria Drawn in Slot 25 in Grand Final". Eurovoix. Retrieved 17 March 2026.
- ^ "Vienna 2026: Semi-Final Running Orders revealed". Eurovision.com (Press release). European Broadcasting Union. 2 April 2026. Retrieved 3 April 2026.
- ^ "Eurovision 2026 Results: Voting & Points". Eurovisionworld. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
- ^ "Cosm%F3 – Tanzschein" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 23 May 2026.
- ^ "Radio-Charts Österreich – Chartwoche 20/2026" [Radio Charts Austria – Chart Week 20/2026] (in German). IFPI Austria. Archived from the original on 28 May 2026. Retrieved 30 May 2026.
- ^ "2026 21-os savaitės klausomiausi (Top 100)" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. 22 May 2026. Retrieved 22 May 2026.