Angelica Agurbash represents Belarus in the semifinal of the 2005 Eurovision Song Contest. Sites related to the contest teamed up and had this interview with her.

Angelica, why did you decided to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest?
I have always dreamt to compete in this wonderful show! Every year, watching it, I was imagining myself on stage. Belarus has a chance to participate only for the second time. So this year, after the announcement of the start of the national selection tour, my fans contacted me asking to try. So I did and I won the national competitiom, the Belarussian people have chosen me!

Your change of song caused some mixed feelings. Why did you change the song?
After my victory in Belarus, we went to the UK to record Boys & girls in the Abbey Road Studio. But then, again, my fans from Belarus and other parts of the world wrote letters to me with the suggestion to record another or some other songs. And right at that time I got acquainted with Tzvica Pick, a famous Israeli composer, who was the author of Diva, the song which won the Eurovision Song Contest a few years ago. He suggested Show me your love. And after that I was taking part (as a guest) in the final of the national Greek national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest. I performed Boys & girls there and hours later, when I was at my hotel room, Nikos Terzis called. This man already had some great successes at the Eurovision Song Contest and after we met, my fans chose Love me tonight.

Why did you prefer to ask an Israeli and a Greek to write songs for you?
Actually, I did not ask anyone. As I have said, they found me themselves.

How did the other participants in Belarus accepted this change of song?
I do not know anything about their reaction. But as far as I know mostly all people of Belarus like the song a lot. The thing is that Belarusian people didn't chose the song. They were choosing a singer, the 'face' of Belarus, which can be able to represent the country at the highest level!

Tell us something about yourself!
I was born in Belarus in a quite poor family of workers. Even though the world of beauty and happiness seemed so far away, music had always been a part of my life. But one day a miracle that I always hoped for happened. Just walking down the street, someone noticed me and invited me to act in a movie. This was the beginning of my artistic path. The most fantastic turn of this path was the title of Miss Belarus. But, after two days of triumph, the beautiful dress and the glittering crown were taken away and I went back home in a shabby bus with tears in my eyes. All my life I kept this crown in my heart. I kept it for my people. I became a singer. I loved my country, and my country loved me back.

They tenderly called me 'Papialushka', which means Cinderella in Belarusian. Cinderella was working hard to support her family and to fight for her place in the world.

The 'Papialushka' story ended when I met my prince, a romantic businessman from Russia. He offered me a kingdom and I accepted it.

So here I am now – a woman, a singer, an actress, with a message of happiness, beauty and joy. And in general all the information about me you can find on agurbash.ru.