All songs for the Eurovision Song Contest 2011 have been selected. During the weeks between the national final season and the actual Eurovision Song Contest, we will introduce all 43 entries in random order. Part twelve of the series is dedicated to the Azerbaijani entry.

Basic information

Performer:	Ell/Niki
Song:	Running scared
Language:	English
Music:	Stefan Örn, Sandra Bjurman, Iain Farquharson
Lyrics:	Stefan Örn, Sandra Bjurman
Draw:	18th in the first semi final

The song

Running scared is a mid tempo pop song. The lyrics describe the longing for somebody:

I just wanna be
Be around you all the time
Oh god I need you.. oh…

I'm running I'm scared tonight
I'm running I'm scared of life
I'm running I'm scared of breathing
Coz I adore you

The performers

Eldar Gasimov and Nigar Jamal are both newcomers to the professional music business. Both are music school graduates. Nigar "Nikki" Jamal has been lving in the United Kingdom for many years and Eldar "Ell" Gasimov is currently studying in Baku.

In 2010, they competed in the heats of the Azerbaijani national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest 2011. Both qualified for the final, where it was eventually announced that they would represent the country as a duo. Their song Running scared was later chosen internally.

The songwriters

Running scared was written by the Swedish team of Stefan Örn, Sandra Bjurman and Iain Farquharson. Stefan Örn and Sandra Bjurman had already co-written the 2010 Azerbaijani entry Drip drop.

The national selection

The heats of the talent search style national selection began in December 2010. Nine acts qualified for the semi final and five of them made it to the final. At the end of the show, it was surprisingly announced that the Eldar Gasimov and Nigar Jamal, who had competed as soloists, would represent Azerbaijan as a duo. Their song Running scared was later chosen internally.

Azerbaijan in the Eurovision Song Contest

Azerbaijan, along with San Marino, is the youngest member of the Eurovision Song Contest family as the country debuted in 2008. After an eighth place in Belgrade, Azerbaijan finished second in the second semi final and third in the final in Moscow as well as second in the second semi final and fifth in the final in Oslo.

Statistics

This will be Azerbaijan's fourth participation in the Eurovision Song Contest. It will already be the third time that the country is represented by a duo and it will also be the fourth year in a row that their entry is performed entirely in English.

Running scared is the 18th and hence second last song to be performed in the first semi final. It is preceeded by the operatic pop ballad from Lithuania and it is followed by pop/hip hop dance song from Greece. Since the introduction of the semi final stage in 2004, eight of the ten songs that were performed second last in the semi finals qualified for the finals making it one of the positions in the draw with the highest success rate.

Biz küsÉ�nmÉ�k AzÉ�rbaycan da Ell/Niki yaxÅ�ı nÉ�ticÉ�yÉ� nail olmaq içÉ�ris Düsseldorf!

Videos

Eldar Gasimov's performance in the national final:

Nigar Jamal's performance in the national final:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZMM47iSJRs

The preview video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vvZlEAP5Z28

Tomorrow, we will take a look at the Irish entry.

Previous parts of the series:

1. Estonia
2. Italy
3. Croatia
4. Slovakia
5. Lithuania
6. Finland
7. Switzerland
   
8. Ukraine
9. Norway
10. Moldova
11. Belgium