6
The Eurovision Success Story
It was on May 20, 2008 when the Azerbaijani artists first appeared in front of millions of Eurovision fans with an impres-
sive performance that paved their way to the contest’s final. The duet of Elnur and Samir presented
Day after Day
com-
position at the 53
rd
Eurovision Song Contest in Belgrade winning 132 points at the Grand Final onMay 24 and thus ending
the 8
th
.
This was the way Azerbaijanmade itself known and recognized in the top ten of Europe’smost popular showwith
the history exceeding half a century.
Azerbaijan’s participation at the Eurovision Song Contest was initiated byMrs.Mehriban Aliyeva, the country’s First Lady,
the UNESCO and ISESCO Goodwill Ambassador and the member of the National Legislature (Milli Majlis).
This support was instrumental in the country’s successful performance at the Eurovision Song Contest in the following
years, getting closer and closer to the victory each successive year.
Following the debut in 2008, Azerbaijan was represented by another duet at the 54
th
Eurovision Song Contest in 2009
in Moscow. The
Olimliyski Arena
witnessed Aysel Teymurzadeh and Arash, a renowned Sweden-based singer and com-
poser of Azerbaijani descent.
Always
,
the song they performed, was warmly welcomed by the broad European audience.
The second-best in the second Semi-Final on May 14, the duet won the third place with 207 points at the Grand Final
two days later. This was really impressive for the country making its second appearance at the Eurovision Song Contest.
In 2010, Safura Alizadeh representing Azerbaijan ended up second in the Second Semi-Final at
Telenor Arena
in Oslo
with 113 points.
Drip Drop
composition beautifully performed by Safura collected 145 points in the Grand Final and won
the fifth place, once again bringing Azerbaijan to the top ten.
Feel Your Heart Beat! This was the motto of the 56
th
Eurovision Song Contest in Germany. For Azerbaijan and the
Azerbaijanis this also had a very profound emblematic implication. In fact, the hearts of all Azerbaijanis were beating in
unison with
Esprit Arena
in Dusseldorf on May 10 and 14.
Running Scared
ballad performed by Ell & Nikki paved its way
to the Grand Final on May 10 with 122 points gained at the First Semifinal.
On May 14, 2011, the delegation from Azerbaijan, as well as Azerbaijani residents of Germany and all those supporting
our country were expecting the end of the show with bated breath. Once again, an outstanding performance by the
Azerbaijani artists left the jury and audience astounded indeed. The forecasts proved to be right. With 221 points
Azerbaijan became the winner of the Eurovision Song Contest, whereas
Running Scared
became the song of the day.
Finishing the 8
th
,
the 3
rd
,
the 5
th
and finally the 1
st
at the Euroviaion Song Contest, within four successive years, Azerbaijan
succeeded in making itself known and recognized at this highly popular show. Now it was the time to host the event
numerous fans could not wait to see in Baku in May 2012.