The Russian national final for the 2008 Eurovision Song Contest is about to take place. You can watch the webcast by following the link below.
This article will be constantly updated.
Live coverage with Anna Krasilnikova.
The show has started.
We begin with a spectacular fire dance performance, could a welcome by any warmer? Marija Serifovic is now on stage, performing her 2007 winning song Molitva. She receives a very warm applause – Russia gave five points to Serbia last year.
The contestants now all enter the stage and looking at the costumes it seems like we can expect a lot tonight! In the audience can be found the Tolmachev twins who won the Junior Eurovision Song Contest in 2006.
1. Assortie – Colours of my love
The first group tonight could be called a female version of the Village People (but with different roles). The performance is similar to the show by Estonia's group Suntribe in the Eurovision Song Contest 2005 and it is definitely funny to watch. The song is up-tempo and catchy and the vocals are pretty strong. Nevertheless, the whole entry is a bit dated but receives a very warm applause.
2. Polina Smolova – Na rasstoyanii dyhanya (At the distance of a breath)
Polina has already represented Belraus in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2006 when she finished somewhere near the bottom in the semi final. Today she presents a totally different song – a classy ballad and the lyrics were written by Mr.Baturin – Yana Rudkovskaya's husband, who is Dima Bilan's producer. There are eight people on stage – which would, of course, be too much in the Eurovision Song Contest.
3. Alsou – Swallows
This song is in Tatarian. The singer has also tried herself as an actress before and now she wants to represent Russia in the Eurovision Song Contest. Her song is a pretty ethnic tune and the singer delivers it vocally very well. She and her dancers are all dressed in blue and silver and they perform a classic Eurovision choreography.
4. Zhenya Otradnaya – Porque amor (Why love)
Song number four has a Spanish title. Musically, it is very strong and catchy and could do well in the Eurovision Song Contest. Zhenya is standing on stage in a wedding dress, which looks a bit strange in the first moment but eventually fits very well in the performance. The four backing dancers are all in black, a nice contrast.
5. Aero – Siberia
The first rock song of the evening. The hookline reminds of the song Runner in the night, the British entry in the 1986 Eurovision Song Contest. The song is catchy even if it has not the highest recognition value. The clothes are casual and the performance, which seems to be the best choice for this entry. The singers have Russian flags on their cheeks… if that would help them getting votes in Belgrade?
6. Anna Mushak & William – The needle
Another rock song and this one is even a bit more catchy. The band seems to feel at ease on stage and they deliver a very professional performance of their entry. The lead singer has a good voice that works well with the song and the black outfits were the right choice. It is gong to be a tough decision tonight!
7. Nora Adam – Got to let it go
The lead singer – who likes Chopin – is one of the crazy kind. This is the third rock song in a row but this time the vocals are a bit less strong. Nevertheless, a nice entry to watch and listen to but probably not a favourite tonight.
8. Natalia Terehova – So you can tell me
This song reminds of various US American hits but is very catchy and interesting due to the a capella part at the beginning and some hip-hop influences. The two break dancers in the background fit well in the overall performance.
9. Zhenya Rasskazova – Otpuskayu tebya
This is one of the rather strange entries tonight. Zhenya is wearing a nightgown and she is surrounded by four dancers whose outfits seems to have been inspired by various computer games. The song mixes many different styles: disco, pop, hip-hop, rock and even some blues in the instrumental part which sounds very interesting but would probably not be the best choice for Belgrade.
We are 1/3 way through!
10. Dima Bilan – Believing
Now it's time for Russia's representative in the 2006 Eurovision Song Contest. He looks completely different this time, more mature and more like a professional. Compared to some other songs tonight, it is less catchy and a tad repetitive and Dima seems not to be very comfortable with the song and goes slightly off-key.
11. Elena Gorskaya – Always all alone
From the distance, Elena Gorskaya and her background singers look like Katja Ebstein performin Theater in the Eurovision Song Contest 1980. The song is one of the least catchy ones so far and the choreography (the background singers standing behind her waving their hands!) is a bit dated. The vocals are pretty ok but this is probably not the favourite tonight.
12. Alexandr Panaiotov – Crescent and cross
Alexandr's background dancers are carrying disco balls around the stage – gee, that's something we haven't seen in Eurovision before. The lead singer's own performance is a bit static and the white outfits might cause severe snow blindness but overall it's a very funny entry to watch (which distracts from the pretty monotonous song) but probably not an entry for Belgrade.
13. Pier Narciss & Jam Sheriff – Who am I without your love
This entry is the most American one so far: a mix of hip-hop and disco. The singers and dancers deliver the song very well and it would definitly stand out in the Eurovision Song Contest. As this kind of music has not been very succesful in the contest so far, it would probably still not be the best choice for Belgrade. But who cares, the crowd loves it!
14. Yuliya Mihalchik – Cold fingers
The singer has borrowed one of the Serebreo dresses and the black looks good in front of the red stage. Her song is a fragile ballad, it's very quiet and has a nice tune and her voice id good for it, even if the vocals could be a bit more dramatic. Of course, we can be quite sure that this song will not got to Belgrade.
15. Granat – Another side of midnight
Another rock band, a bit more in a pop style than the others tonight. Strong performance, good vocals and nice gimmicks, but overall not the highest recognition value.
16. Sabrina – Wreck
This is not Sabrina who finished 11th in the 2007 semi final for Portugal. The song mixes traditional accordion music with more modern soul music and the result is very interesting, even if not very catchy when listening to it for the first time. Obviously not a favourite.
17. BK – Don't break my heart
This is one of the least spectacular performances so far. The performers seem not to be at ease on stage, the act lacks some charimsa and the song is not very catchy.
18. Aza Bataeva – It's no dream
A ballad again. The performance with the two background dresses is very dramatic and perfect for this entry. The song has no obvious hookline and the vocals are not always flawless. Nevertheless an interesting entry.
We are 2/3 way through!
19. Tamila Bloggy – Sny (Dreams)
A very classy ballad as made for smoky bars. Tamila performs this song very well, her voice is perfect for that kind of music. The outfit was not the best choice but that should be a minor criterion.
20. Prime-Minister – My parallelnie miry
It's the group that represented Russia in the 2002 Eurovision Song Contest, but with a different line-up. It's a classic boygroup performance, the song is catchy and the vocals are strong, sometimes even a bit too loud and over-the-top.
21. Anatoliy Alyoshin – One more try
A more mature performer. His song and performance are very professional but nothing that usually does very well in the Eurovision Song Contest. The audience is very happy with the performance.
22. Alexey Vorobyov – New Russian kalinka
The song is mainly a spoof of the traditional tune Kalinka. Alexy, who is actually a football player, delivers a very funny performance with the stage all in red and yellow.
23. Roman Bezhin – I'm missing
A simple rock performance by the soloist. The song is catchy and goes very well with the audience, even if it's pretty repretitive towards the end. Maybe a dark horse tonight.
24. Sergey Lazarev – Flyer
An up-tempo pop song with a disco beat, a catchy entry performed by the favourite – it is almost Europop, which would be a premiere for Russia. The singer and his background dancers are all in black, which looks good on stage. Well received, but surprisingly not the most enthusiastic reaction tonight.
25. Natalia Astafieva – Tri luni (Three moons)
A very ambitious ballad with a blues arrangement. Very well performed, this could do better than expected.
26. Max Lorens & Satsura – Day nam dozhd (Give us rain)
A very dramatic performance now by another singer dressed in black. The ballad appears to be very catchy at the beginning but gets a bit lost after it's halfway through. Nevertheless a strong contender.
27. Olga Varvus- King of seduction
A rather agressive performance by the singer who is accompanied by some show girl dancers. The song is a bit funky and has some nice elements but the very loud voice makes it a bit hard to listen to it.
The interval act features some of the songs that will compete at the Eurovision Song Contest against the Russian winner tonight.
THE RESULTS:
After the voting, the top three songs are:
- Dima Bilan – Believe (54 points)
- Alexandr Panaiotov- Crescent And Cross (52 points)
- Zhenya Otradnaya – Porque Amor (50 points)
Dima Bilan will represent Russia for a second time at the 2008 Eurovision Song Contest in Belgrade.
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