Sürpriz were a six-member

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

- Turkish musical group, consisting of Cihan Özden, Deniz Filizmen, Yasemin Akkar, Filiz Zeyno, Savaş Uçar and Bülent Ural, known for their participation in the

Eurovision Song Contest 1999 The Eurovision Song Contest 1999 was the 44th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest, held on 29 May 1999 at the International Convention Center (Jerusalem), International Convention Centre in Jerusalem, Israel. Organised by the European Broadca ...

. The word "Sürpriz", means "Surprise" in Turkish.

Biography

The group was formed by Özden in 1999 specifically in order to enter that year's German Eurovision selection with the song " Reise nach Jerusalem - Kudüs'e seyahat" ("Journey to Jerusalem"), which had been written by regular Eurovision composers

Ralph Siegel Ralph Siegel (born 30 September 1945) is a German record producer and songwriter. Siegel is one of the most notable figures at the Eurovision Song Contest, in which he has participated with 24 songs so far, among them the 1982 winner song Ein b ...

and

Bernd Meinunger Bernd Meinunger (born 30 September 1944 in Meiningen) is a German lyricist and record producer (with Hanne Haller) who frequently works with Ralph Siegel and David Brandes. Several of his songs have represented Germany in the '' Eurovision S ...

. At the original selection held in

Bremen Bremen (Low German also: ''Breem'' or ''Bräm''), officially the City Municipality of Bremen (german: Stadtgemeinde Bremen, ), is the capital of the Germany, German States of Germany, state Bremen (state), Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (''Freie H ...

on 12 March, "Reise nach Jerusalem - Kudüs'e seyahat" finished in second place behind Corinna May's "

Hör den Kindern einfach zu For the Eurovision Song Contest 1999, Germany was represented by "Reise nach Jerusalem – Kudüs'e Seyahat", performed by Sürpriz. Both parts of the title translate to "Journey to Jerusalem" in English, in Germany "Reise nach Jerusalem" also is ...

". However, some days later it emerged that May's song had previously been released by another singer in 1997, which contravened Eurovision rules and led to its disqualification. As runners-up, Sürpriz were therefore offered the Eurovision spot, but this too caused controversy when allegations of self-plagiarism were made, claiming that the song was remarkably similar to another Siegel composition which had appeared on a

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record company ...

in 1984, "Wo geht die Reise hin?" ("Where Does the Journey Go?") by Harmony Four. The matter was taken to the

European Broadcasting Union The European Broadcasting Union (EBU; french: Union européenne de radio-télévision, links=no, UER) is an alliance of public service media organisations whose countries are within the European Broadcasting Area or who are members of the Co ...

, where a panel of experts concluded that the similarity was not sufficient to disqualify the song on the grounds alleged. Sürpriz therefore were given the go-ahead to perform in the 44th Eurovision Song Contest, which took place in

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

on 29 May. On the night, the song was performed in a combination of English, German, Turkish and Hebrew, and in what turned out to be a closely fought contest with some notably topsy-turvy voting, "Reise nach Jerusalem - Kudüs'e seyahat" claimed an unexpected third place of the 23 entries.Lyrics and translation at Diggiloo.net
/ref> The good showing at Eurovision failed to translate into substantial sales, and "Reise nach Jerusalem - Kudüs'e seyahat" failed to chart in Germany. The group recorded a self-titled CD, which was released in Turkey only in 2000, and continued through several personnel changes before disbanding in 2002.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Surpriz German musical groups Turkish musical groups Eurovision Song Contest entrants for Germany Eurovision Song Contest entrants of 1999