A German singer whose lyrics have been criticized as both anti-Semitic and homophobic has been chosen to represent Germany at the Eurovision Song Contest next year, reports Reuters. 

The controversial Xavier Naidoo had sold millions of records in Germany but has faced a harsh backlash from German media, politicians and rights groups over his questionable lyrical content. 

He was handpicked on Thursday night to represent Germany at the competition to be held in Stockholm, prompting the Bild newspaper to ask Friday, “Is Xavier Naidoo the right one for the ESC?

Naidoo came under fire in 2012 for his song “Wo sing” (Where Are) whose lyrics suggested homosexuals are pedophiles. 

Earlier, in 2008, amid the global financial crisis, Naidoo released a song describing the German-Jewish Rothschild banking family as “Baron Deadschild” and used the derogatory Yiddish word “s*****k.”

Last year, he appeared at a rally of the Reichsbuerger group, whose members advocate for the establishment of a Fourth Reich based upon the 1937 borders, which include parts of Poland and several former Soviet states. 

Naidoo was defended in the Bild by one of Germany’s former Eurovision contestants, but politician Johannes Kahrs of the Social Democrats called “both the guy and the decision…unbelievable.”

“I find his nomination problematic,” agreed Anetta Kahane of the Amadeu Antonio Foundation. “I know him personally. He is a nice guy. But this is not enough. He has to address the discrepancy between who he is and what he writes.”