Ictimai, the Azerbaijani national broadcaster has informed Esctoday.com that the 2013 Azerbaijani national selection will kick off on 17 December. The selection was scheduled to start last month, but due to technical issues it was delayed.
About 80 candidates will compete in the Azerbaijani national selection in their quest to represent Azerbaijan at the 2013 Eurovision Song Contest, which will run for a total of 8 weeks.
The Azerbaijani jury has shorlisted 80 candidates from the 128 applicants who applied to compete in Azerbaijani 2013 Eurovision national selection. Among the candidates there are many Azerbaijanis who reside overseas, in Germany, Denmark, Canada and Russia. A total of 80 artists will compete in the live shows, they have been divided in several groups.
Candidates from each group will have the chance to showcase their vocal skills throughout the week. Each group will be able to showcase their talent in the different genres. The shows will run from Monday- Friday (5 shows a week).
Monday – Eurovision hits
Tuesday – Azerbaijani music
Wednesday – World hits
Thursday – Stage performance
Friday – Candidates are free to perform song of their own choice – During the Friday show the artists will be able to repeat one of the 4 songs they have performed during the week.
The procedure will be the same way as every year. The candidates will showcase their talent and skills throughout the week. On Fridays, the weekly winner will be selected and announced. The winners from the weekly shows will hence qualify to compete in the 2013 Azerbaijani national final. The representative will be determined by both audience voting and jury.
The shows will be aired on Ictimai and are scheduled to kick off on December 1, the national selection is expeted to end by mid March with the grand finale of Milim Secim Turu 2013. Leila Guliyeva and Konul Arifkizi will have the honour of hosting the 2013 Milli Seçim Turu selection (Azerbaijani 2013 Eurovision national selection)
Azerbaijan debuted at the Eurovision Song Contest in 2008 and won the event on its 4th attempt in 2011 with Ell and Nikki’s Running scared, thus bringing the contest to Baku in 2012.
Stay tuned to Esctoday.com for the latest news on Azerbaijan and its 2013 Eurovision Song Contest participation.
source: Esctoday.com
photograph: Ictimai
