Baku ready to rock: Eurovision debutant Azerbaijan prepares a grand bombastic show for the selection of the first Azerbaijani ESC entrant in history.
On 2 February, one of the novices in Eurovision, Azerbaijan, will hold its National final – part of a huge campaign celebrating the first ever participation of the country in the Eurovision Song Contest. The event will be webcast live on the official ESC website at 17.30 CET.
The two-hour show will be followed by a press-conference, webcast at 19.45 CET, when journalists and fans will have the chance to ask the first Azerbaijani Eurovision entrant questions. The presser will feature three more former Eurovision participants – playful Sertab, who represented Turkey in 2003 with Everyway that I can, Ruslana, who brought the victory to Ukraine in 2004 with the song Wild Dance, and last-year’s Serbian entrant – Maria Serifovic, who bewitched Europe with her Molitva.
Three contestants will compete in the first edition of the National Selection in Azerbaijan: Elnur Gusseinov with If You Never Back – a pop song in English, with amazing opera solos and some traditional elements, Aynur Iskenderli with Don’t Forget My Love, an up-tempo pop song with traditional elements and music instruments, and the rock band Unformal with The End. I like the third one best – an experimental rock track, performed by a fascinating female vocal.
It all comes in a moment, when Azerbaijan music industry faces hardships: post-Soviet influence, severe piracy, and little appearance opportunities. That’s why the Eurovision Song Contest is seen a life-saving measure. Anyway, the country is full of talents, as experts say, and hopes.
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