The first Azeri national final for the Eurovision Song Contest ever is about to take place. You can watch the webcast on eurovision.tv by following the link below.
This article will be constantly updated.
The show has begun and we start with an ethnic dance performance. Enjoy! Now there are highlights of the history of the Eurovision Song Contest.
Reminder: The song chosen tonight can be replaced!
1. Elnur Gusseinov – If you're never back
We start with a mid-tempo ballad. The song is on the one hand catchy but has probably no high recognition value. The stage performance is professional except of the very strange outift the singer is wearing (yellow trousers! yes!). The vocals were ok, but not flawless.
2. Unformal – Lalala
Number two is a rock song, a pretty strong one actually. It rides on a pop hook which might help the viewers remembering it. The vocals suit the song very well and toward the end there are some traditional elements reflected also in the stage performance.But if this song goes to Belgrade, the titel has to be changed. Definitely.
3.Aynur Iskenderli – Swear that you will stay
This song tries to mix pop music with traditional elements and actually, it seems to work. The lead singer is dresses in purple and the background dancers are all in white. Unfortunately, the swivel chair they brought on stage makes the performance seem less professional than it actually is. The singer has an extraordinary voice and sometimes it is hard to tell if she is off-key or supposed to sing that way.
The first former Eurovision Song Contest winner in tonight's show will perform now: Sertab Erener who sang Turkey to victory in 2003 with Everyway that I can. Among others, she performs Here I am, the opening song of her first English album of the same title. Of course, she also sings her winning song from Riga.
It seems like we have still have to wait a while for the second round of songs: it's Ruslana's turn to perform. She won the Eurovision Song Contest in 2004 with Wild dances and that she has not lost any of her wilderness is shown in the title of her new show Wild energy. It's the world premiere of some of the songs to be performed now. But there are also some songs of her album Wild dances, for example the song Dance with the wolves (which was the follow-up single to her winning song and reached the single charts in some countries. Like Sertab, she closes with her own winning song.
4. Aynur Iskenderli – Rhythm of fire
This song couldn't be more different from Aynur's first one – it is a ethnic pop song, partly reminding of Sertab's Erener Everyway that I can. The singer is dressed in black and red and looks like the devil herself, generally balck and red seems to be popular in this year's national final season. Hard to tell how this wong would do in the Eurovision Song Contest.
5. Unformal – Little muse
Again, the song is very different than the first one – little muse is an oriental ballad. The stage show is probably supposed to reflect 1001 nights, a theme that could be even more obviously shown. For the genre, it is a bit distracting that the song is performed in English although that seems to make it a bit more catchy. The lead singer gives a strong vocal performance.
6. Elnur Gusseinov feat. Samir Javadzadeh – Day after day
This probably the most extraordinary performance tonight. The stage show has a heaven & hell theme and the song includes rock, pop, opera and traditional elements. This is David D'Or meets Hanna Pakrinnen meets Pave Maijanen. It's impossible to tell how this would do in the Eurovision Song Contest.
2007 Eurovision Song Contest winner Marija Serifovic is now on stage performingsome of her songs.Of course, she also performes her winning song Molitva.
Elnur Gusseinov will represent Azerbaijan in Belgrade.
