Andras Kallay-Saunders

"Silent cry, every night / This pain will never even lie / Daddy's home, so she tries to hide / She calls her mom, but never a reply."

For the Eurovision Song Contest, where it's mostly about heartache and happiness, this is pretty strong stuff. But the Hungarian-American artist chose the theme for a reason.

"My song, 'Running,' is based on a true story. A good friend of mine was abused as a child," said Andras Kallay-Saunders. "I want to raise my voice to draw attention to the subject. Sometimes in life, it's not only about love. The subject matter may not be easy to swallow, but we have to look truth in the eye. This is something that goes on every day, in every part of the world."

Budapest via Detroit

Without contrived emotionality, Andras delivers the song at the piano, his soulful voice impressively conjuring up the disturbing scene.

That voice received training from his father, and he's not just anybody: Fernando Saunders, vocalist and bass player, performed for years with Lou Reed, Marianne Faithfull, Tori Amos, Joan Baez - and even Luciano Pavarotti.

Saunders Junior inherited an unerring instinct for jazz, R'n'B and rock. His mother, Katalin, was a Hungarian model; Andras was born in 1985 in New York. Father took son along to Detroit, the place where he'd once begun his career. Looking back, Andras says he soon knew: "I wanted to follow in his footsteps."

Hungarian career

The two toured together, but when Andras' Hungarian grandmother fell ill in 2011, he moved to Budapest to stay with her. Placing fourth in Megasztar, the popular TV talent show, was the stepping stone for a career in Hungary. Two of his songs reached the national top ten, and his collaboration with Swedish rapper Rebstar also met with chart success.

Kallay-Saunders is signed with the respected Scandinavian label Today Is Vintage. His ballad "Running" was his second stab at representing Hungary at the ESC. In 2013, "My Baby" didn’t quite make it, but was the country’s No. 1 single for weeks.

His chances at the 2014 Eurovision Song Contest will depend in part on the extent to which the audience of millions is willing to come to terms with the troubling subject matter. But Kallay-Saunders has undisputed potential.