Rehearsals are now well and truly underway in the city of Tel Aviv, which will be hosting this year’s Eurovision Song Contest. Today sees the fourth day of rehearsals, with the second half of the second semi-final evening taking to the impressive stage of Expo Tel Aviv.

Nine countries are all set to make their debut onstage, 9 days before their live performance at the second semi-final. Following their rehearsal, a Meet & Greet session will be coming next. These countries are Croatia, Malta, Lithuania, Russia, Albania, Norway, The Netherlands, North Macedonia and Azerbaijan.

We have now reached the end of Day 4 on the stage of Expo Tel Aviv, with Azerbaijan being the very last country to rehearse today. Chingiz, who will be closing the second semi-final, has opted for a technological staging, with which he aspires to share the message of his song Truth with the audience. Obviously excited about this upcoming performance, Chingiz states:

I love my staging, it’s absolutely cool! Obviously, the inspiration behind it is my entry song, ‘Truth’. The idea is that my heart is broken and I need to replace it with a bionic one. Some robot helps me literally get rid of it and forget about my ex. I realize that only accepting the truth and leaving my toxic love behind can heal me.

Chigniz wears a modern outfit in “50 shades of grey”! He wears grey jeans, and a modern short-sleeved tailored grey jacket. Black strap harness detailing adds to the modern effect, and Chigniz also wears similar straps and harnesses on his hands and arm. The front of the tunic is also used very well in conjunction with the heart projection.

Gallery of Azerbaijan’s first rehearsal

Rehearsals for the Eurovision Song Contest 2019 continue on Thursday 9 May, with the second rehearsals of the first 15 countries competing at the first semi-final. Stay tuned to ESCToday, which will be bringing you exclusive footage from the arena!