The Azerbaijani selection for the 2011 Eurovision Song Contest will feature one more stage before the national final, expected to take place on February 2nd. All 10 qualifyers will have to compete in a new semifinal, scheduled to take place from January 10th to 14th. Five of them will proceed to the final.

According to the head of the Music Department at Ictimai TV, Natig Abdullayev, the voting system will be the same as the one used in the previous seven heats held over the last weeks. The five acts to qualify for the final will be decided through televoting and jury vote at a 50% stake.

The current list of competitors in the Azerbaijani selection is as follows:

• Chingiz Mustafayev
• Nurlan Növresli
• Günay Ibrahimli
• Nikola Barkley
• Arzum Xelilova
• Aynishan Guliyeva
• Ilqara Ibrahimova
• Eldar Gasimov
• Ilhame Gasimova
• Nigar Jamal

Five of the acts listed above will have the chance to represent Azerbaijan in May in Düsseldorf. The national final is expected to take place on February 2nd. According to the Azerbaijani Press Agency, the country's representative will be decided via jury vote alone.

Below you can watch a recap of all 10 finalists. Note that the songs they sing are not potential Azerbaijani entries.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EySeqhFohNg
Video contributed by our reader Azger