All songs for the Eurovision Song Contest 2010 have been selected. During the weeks between the national final season and the actual Eurovision Song Contest, we will introduce all 39 entries in random order. Part twenty-nine of the series is dedicated to the Georgian entry.

Basic information

Performer:	Sofia Nizhardize (á�¡á��á�¤á�� á��á��á��á��á�á��á�«á��)
Song:	Shine
Language:	English
Music:	Hanne Sørvaag, Harry Sommerdahl, Christian Leuzzi
Lyrics:	Hanne Sørvaag, Harry Sommerdahl, Christian Leuzzi
Draw:	16th in the second semi final

The song

Shine is a classic ballad. The lyrics spread a message of hope telling the listeners to look ahead:

Do we ever really know each other's past?
You can't go back to before

But tomorrow will bring even more
Like the tide's gonna turn you will know, when it's cold
You're on your own but you're never alone
Shine, shine like the stars in the sky

The performer

Sopho Nizharadze, also known as Sophia, Sophio, Sofie and Sofia, has Georgian and Turkish roots. She has been singing in public since her childhood and she would graduate from a music school years later. She has starred in various musical porudctions, where she played the female leading part in Romeo and Juliet, among others. In 2005, she was one of the finalists in the New Wave Festival in Latvia.

In 2008, Sopho moved back to Georgia after having lived in Russia for many years. Also in 2008, her debut album as a solo artist called Where are you… was released. She was chosen internally to represent her native country in the Eurovision Song Contest 2010 and in a national final it was decided that she will perform Shine in Oslo.

The songwriters

The Georgian entry was written by Hanne Sørvaag, Harry Sommerdahl and Christian Leuzzi. Hanne Sørvaag is a singer and songwriter, who has released two albums so far. She has also written songs for many international artists. Among others, she co-wrote the songs My destiny for American Idol finalist Katharine McFee and Bring me down for Nikki, which was a top four hit in the Netherlands. She co-wrote the German entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 2008: Disppear was performed by No Angels and finished equal 23rd and hence last in the final in Belgrade. Hanne Sørvaag is Norwegian but she currently lives in Sweden. Harry Sommerdahl has written and/or produced songs for many European acts including Ace of Base, No Angels, Jill Johnson and The Rasmus. He has also written songs for various German Pop Idol finalists and he co-wrote My destiny with Hanne Sørvaag. Christian Leuzzi has previously worked with Spanish star David Bisbal and American Idol contestant Clay Aiken.

The national selection

Sopho Nizharadze had been chosen internally to represent Georgia in the Eurovision Song Contest. In the national final, she performed six different songs and eventually, Shine was determined to be the entry for Oslo.

Georgia in the Eurovision Song Contest

Georgia debuted in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2007 finishing 12th in the final. After an 11th place in Belgrade, the country withdrew from the competition the year after as their song We don't wanna put in was not accepted by the EBU and the artists refused to change the message.

We wish Georgia and Sopho Nizharadze the best of luck and a good result in Oslo.

Videos

Live performance in the national final:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOOVRPiZYK0

The preview video:

Performing a song from Dreamgirls:

Performing a duet with José Carreras:

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

Previous parts of this series:

1. Ireland
2. Belarus
3. Albania
4. Denmark
5. Russia
6. Bulgaria
7. Switzerland
8. FYR Macedonia
9. Armenia
10. Spain
11. Poland
12. Croatia
13. Finland
14. Greece
15. Ukraine
16. Lithuania
17. Belgium
18. Norway
19. Portugal
20. Moldova
21. The Netherlands
22. The United Kingdom
23. Latvia
24. Serbia
25. France
26. Slovenia
27. Azerbaijan
28. Bosnia & Herzegovina