The group, fronted by singer Natalie Horler, won the qualifying round vote held live in front of 9,000 spectators at the TUI Arena in Hanover on Thursday.

Twelve artists and bands were competing to represent Germany at Eurovision. Cascada were among the more famous groups in Hanover, along side Söhne Mannheim, who were competing without their best-known member, Xavier Naidoo.

Cascada's single "Evacuate the Dancefloor" topped the charts in the UK and Holland, and was certified gold in Germany. But despite having already sold more than 30 million records worldwide, Thursday's result was by no means expected by Horler.

"I am still very shocked," the 31-year-old said.

The act's winning song "Glorious", which is performed in English, has a melody reminiscent of "Euphoria", the winning song by Sweden's Loreen at Eurovision 2012, held in Baku, Azerbaijan.

Voting for the contest took place in three parts. A week before the final, each artist's or group's entry was broadcast on the radio, with listeners voting for their favorites online. In Hanover on Thursday, the TV audience watching on broadcaster ARD voted via telephone or SMS message, with a five-member jury made up of industry experts also voting. Each of the three parts weighed equally in the ultimate decision.

Among radio listeners, LaBrassBanda was the clear winner. But the Bavarian brass band received just one vote from the expert jury, leaving the deciding vote to the TV audience and pushing the overall tally in Cascada's favor.

The finals of the 58th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest are on May 18.

dr/ jm (dpa, AFP)