SHERIDAN, WYOMING -- August 28, 2026 -- Ten of the best young songwriters competing on Germany's "Dein Song" spent last week filming at a new songwriting camp in Frankfurt am Main, part of the ZDF and KiKA competition's 19th season. The camp followed a casting round held in Wiesbaden in late July 2026. Contestants reworked their compositions and performed a semi-final round for the judging panel. The 16-part documentary series and finale are set to air in February 2027 on KiKA, kika.de, the KiKA app, ZDF streaming and the ZDFtivi app.
Ten Finalists Trade Wiesbaden Casting For Frankfurt Camp
Hosts Jeannie Naomi Wagner and Luca Hänni guided the group through revisions at the Kunstverein Familie Montez, working alongside the show's in-house band. Feedback from the July jury session shaped how each song changed during the week. Every contestant closed the camp with a semi-final performance judged by the same three panelists.Those judges were actress Alli Neumann, singer and producer Aisha Vibes, and Revolverheld frontman Johannes Strate. Their notes from the Wiesbaden casting became the starting point for the Frankfurt rewrites.
Only seven of the ten advance to the next round.
Paddleboards And Skate Ramps Filled The Off-Camera Hours
Between writing sessions, the group paddled the Main River on stand-up boards, climbed through a rope course and rode a nearby skatepark. The activities were described as building inspiration and group cohesion among songwriters who had only just met each other in Wiesbaden. The camp marked their first extended stretch working as a full cohort."Dein Song" is produced by bsb-Film- und TV-Produktion in Darmstadt and MB TV GmbH in Berlin, commissioned by ZDF for KiKA. Gordana Großmann and Corinna Loos are the responsible editors at ZDF.
Fast Boy And HE/RO Sign On As Ibiza Mentors
The next shoot for season 19 moves to Ibiza with the seven surviving songwriters. There, Berlin electronic pop duo Fast Boy and the group HE/RO, formed by twin brothers Heiko and Roman Lochmann, join as music mentors. Both acts have already confirmed their involvement ahead of the Ibiza sessions. The mentors will work directly with contestants as they prepare material for the "Dein Song" finale show.Established acts are now coaching teenagers for a televised finale.