Azerbaijan in the Eurovision Song Contest
Encyclopedia
Azerbaijan made its debut at the Eurovision Song Contest in 2008
, after İctimai Televiziya (İTV) became an active member of the European Broadcasting Union
(EBU). İTV had broadcast the Eurovision Song Contest in previous years, purchasing broadcasting rights from the EBU.
Azerbaijan
is the last country in the Caucasus
to participate: Armenia
was the first one, in 2006
, followed by Georgia
in 2007.
Previously, another broadcaster, AzTV
, wanted to participate in 2007
, but EBU rules did not allow this as AzTV was not an active member of the EBU. AzTV was denied active EBU membership on 18 June 2007, as it was considered too connected to the Azerbaijani government. On 5 July, İTV became a full EBU member, and on October 15 it was given permission to take part by the EBU.
Azerbaijan's first Eurovision performance by Elnur
and Samir
made it in the top ten placed at number 8 with 132 points. In 2009 Azerbaijan achieved an improvement on their 2008 debut, coming third and receiving 207 points with the song "Always
", performed by duo AySel
& Arash.
On 14 May 2011, Azerbaijan won the Eurovision Song Contest 2011
with Running Scared
song by Eldar & Nigar. This pushes its average score for all the contests to 176.25, making it the highest of all participating countries.
Since the introduction of the semi finals in 2004, Azerbaijan has been placed within the top 10 every year. The only other country to do so is Greece
.As well as that it had one of the fastest Eurovision wins within four years of participation. Only Switzerland in 1956, the Netherlands in 1957, France in 1958, Latvia in 2002 ,Ukraine in 2004 and Serbia in 2007 have won quicker.
Azerbaijan has received the most points from...
Eurovision Song Contest 2008
The Eurovision Song Contest 2008 was the 53rd edition of the Contest. It was hosted in Belgrade, Serbia after Marija Šerifović won the 2007 Contest in Helsinki, Finland. This year was the first contest to have two semi-finals which were held on 20 and 22 May, and the final held on 24 May 2008...
, after İctimai Televiziya (İTV) became an active member of the European Broadcasting Union
European Broadcasting Union
The European Broadcasting Union is a confederation of 74 broadcasting organisations from 56 countries, and 49 associate broadcasters from a further 25...
(EBU). İTV had broadcast the Eurovision Song Contest in previous years, purchasing broadcasting rights from the EBU.
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...
is the last country in the Caucasus
Caucasus
The Caucasus, also Caucas or Caucasia , is a geopolitical region at the border of Europe and Asia, and situated between the Black and the Caspian sea...
to participate: Armenia
Armenia in the Eurovision Song Contest
Armenia debuted at the Eurovision Song Contest in 2006 with the song "Without Your Love" performed by André. Armenia had never entered the competition before, therefore it had to compete in the semi final. André was the first performer of the semi-finals...
was the first one, in 2006
Eurovision Song Contest 2006
The Eurovision Song Contest 2006 was the 51st Eurovision Song Contest, held at the Olympic Indoor Hall in Athens, Greece on 18 May and 20 May 2006 . The hosting national broadcaster of the contest was Ellinikí Radiofonía Tileórasi . The Finnish band Lordi won the contest with the song "Hard Rock...
, followed by Georgia
Georgia in the Eurovision Song Contest
Georgia has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest four times, debuting at the Eurovision Song Contest 2007. Although Georgia did plan to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest 2009, it decided to withdraw after the European Broadcasting Union demanded it re-write its song which made...
in 2007.
History of Azerbaijan at the Eurovision Song Contest
Azerbaijan's first try at Eurovision proved to be successful as the country qualified for the final from the first semi-final and came 8th with 132 points in the final evening.AzTV
AzTV, or Azeri TeleVision , is the national broadcaster for Azerbaijan. AzTV was declined active membership of the European Broadcasting Union since the channel was not independent enough from the ruling government....
, wanted to participate in 2007
Eurovision Song Contest 2007
The Eurovision Song Contest 2007 was the 52nd edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It was won by first-time appearance as an independent country Serbia and was held at the Hartwall Areena in Helsinki, Finland from 10 May to 12 May. The host broadcaster was YLE.Finland earned the right to host...
, but EBU rules did not allow this as AzTV was not an active member of the EBU. AzTV was denied active EBU membership on 18 June 2007, as it was considered too connected to the Azerbaijani government. On 5 July, İTV became a full EBU member, and on October 15 it was given permission to take part by the EBU.
Azerbaijan's first Eurovision performance by Elnur
Elnur Hüseynov
Elnur Hüseynov is an Azerbaijani pop singer.He was selected as Azerbaijan's representative to perform at the Eurovision Song Contest 2008....
and Samir
Samir Javadzadeh
Samir Javadzadeh is an Azerbaijani pop singer. He was selected as the Azerbaijani representative to perform at the Eurovision Song Contest 2008....
made it in the top ten placed at number 8 with 132 points. In 2009 Azerbaijan achieved an improvement on their 2008 debut, coming third and receiving 207 points with the song "Always
Always (Aysel Teymurzadeh song)
"Always" is a song by Azerbaijani singer Aysel Teymurzadeh and Arash, and was the Azerbaijani entry to the Eurovision Song Contest 2009. The song was selected by İctimai Televiziya və Radio Yayımları Şirkəti , the Azerbaijani broadcaster, among the 30 songs submitted to the broadcaster in an open...
", performed by duo AySel
Aysel Teymurzadeh
-Biography:Aysel was born in the Azerbaijani capital Baku, the youngest of the three daughters of a journalist and a university professor. She is a descendant of the nineteenth-century Azerbaijani publicist Hasan bey Zardabi. Her grandmother on her mother's side was half-Russian, half-Ukrainian...
& Arash.
On 14 May 2011, Azerbaijan won the Eurovision Song Contest 2011
Eurovision Song Contest 2011
The Eurovision Song Contest 2011 was the 56th annual Eurovision Song Contest and was won by Eldar & Nigar performing "Running Scared" for Azerbaijan. The event took place in the Esprit Arena in Düsseldorf, Germany, following Germany's win in the previous year...
with Running Scared
Running Scared (Eldar & Nigar song)
"Running Scared" is a song performed by Azerbaijani duo Eldar & Nigar . It won the Eurovision Song Contest 2011 for Azerbaijan, held in Düsseldorf, Germany. The song was performed in, and qualified from, the first semi-final on 10 May...
song by Eldar & Nigar. This pushes its average score for all the contests to 176.25, making it the highest of all participating countries.
Since the introduction of the semi finals in 2004, Azerbaijan has been placed within the top 10 every year. The only other country to do so is Greece
Greece in the Eurovision Song Contest
Greece has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 32 times since 1974, with the exception of 1975, 1982, 1984, 1986, 1999 and 2000. Greece won for the first time in 2005 with "My Number One" song by Elena Paparizou. Following the introduction of a semi-final round for the 2004 contest, Greece...
.As well as that it had one of the fastest Eurovision wins within four years of participation. Only Switzerland in 1956, the Netherlands in 1957, France in 1958, Latvia in 2002 ,Ukraine in 2004 and Serbia in 2007 have won quicker.
Contestants
| Year | Artist | Title | Final | Points | Semi | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 Eurovision Song Contest 2008 The Eurovision Song Contest 2008 was the 53rd edition of the Contest. It was hosted in Belgrade, Serbia after Marija Šerifović won the 2007 Contest in Helsinki, Finland. This year was the first contest to have two semi-finals which were held on 20 and 22 May, and the final held on 24 May 2008... |
Elnur Elnur Hüseynov Elnur Hüseynov is an Azerbaijani pop singer.He was selected as Azerbaijan's representative to perform at the Eurovision Song Contest 2008.... & Samir Samir Javadzadeh Samir Javadzadeh is an Azerbaijani pop singer. He was selected as the Azerbaijani representative to perform at the Eurovision Song Contest 2008.... |
"Day After Day Day After Day (Elnur Hüseynov and Samir Javadzadeh song) "Day After Day" is a song by Elnur Hüseynov and Samir Javadzadeh which was Azerbaijan's entry at the Eurovision Song Contest 2008. The song was released on February 2, 2008, and marked Azerbaijan's debut in this contest.... " |
8 | 132 | 6 | 96 |
| 2009 Eurovision Song Contest 2009 The Eurovision Song Contest 2009 was the 54th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest and was hosted by Russia after their win in 2008. It took place between 12 and 16 May 2009 at the Olympic Indoor Arena in Moscow, Russia.... |
Aysel Aysel Aysel is a common feminine Turkish given name. In Turkish, "Aysel" means "moonbeam" .-People:* Aysel Gürel, Turkish lyricist* Aysel Teymurzadeh, Azerbaijani pop and R&B singer* Aysel Tuğluk, Kurdish politician... & Arash |
"Always Always (Aysel Teymurzadeh song) "Always" is a song by Azerbaijani singer Aysel Teymurzadeh and Arash, and was the Azerbaijani entry to the Eurovision Song Contest 2009. The song was selected by İctimai Televiziya və Radio Yayımları Şirkəti , the Azerbaijani broadcaster, among the 30 songs submitted to the broadcaster in an open... " |
3 | 207 | 2 | 180 |
| 2010 Eurovision Song Contest 2010 The Eurovision Song Contest 2010 was the 55th annual Eurovision Song Contest, broadcast from the Telenor Arena in Bærum, Greater Oslo, Norway. It was the third time Norway had hosted the contest, having previously done so in 1986 and 1996. The 2010 winner was Germany with Lena singing "Satellite",... |
Safura Safura Alizadeh Safura Alizadeh is an Azerbaijani singer and saxophonist. Alizadeh took part in the Eurovision Song Contest 2010, where she brought Azerbaijan on 5th place, with song "Drip Drop". She later released her debut album It's My War, which made its way into several European countries... |
"Drip Drop Drip Drop "Drip Drop" is a song by Azerbaijani singer Safura Alizadeh, written by Anders Bagge, Stefan Örn and Sandra Bjurman, and represented Azerbaijan at the Eurovision Song Contest 2010 in May 2010. Alizadeh's song was selected by a jury from the Azeri broadcaster İctimai Televiziya və Radio Yayımları... " |
5 | 145 | 2 | 113 |
| 2011 Eurovision Song Contest 2011 The Eurovision Song Contest 2011 was the 56th annual Eurovision Song Contest and was won by Eldar & Nigar performing "Running Scared" for Azerbaijan. The event took place in the Esprit Arena in Düsseldorf, Germany, following Germany's win in the previous year... |
Eldar & Nigar | "Running Scared Running Scared (Eldar & Nigar song) "Running Scared" is a song performed by Azerbaijani duo Eldar & Nigar . It won the Eurovision Song Contest 2011 for Azerbaijan, held in Düsseldorf, Germany. The song was performed in, and qualified from, the first semi-final on 10 May... " |
1 | 221 | 2 | 122 |
| 2012 Eurovision Song Contest 2012 The Eurovision Song Contest 2012 will be the 57th annual Eurovision Song Contest. It will be held in Baku, Azerbaijan, following Azerbaijan's win in the 2011 Contest with Ell & Nikki's song "Running Scared". The two semi-finals will be held on 22 May and 24 May 2012, with the final on 26 May 2012,... |
X | X |
Voting history (2008–2011)
Azerbaijan has given the most points to...| Rank | Country | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 42 | |
| 2 | 36 | |
| 3 | 22 | |
| 4 | 21 | |
| 5 | 20 |
Azerbaijan has received the most points from...
| Rank | Country | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 48 | |
| 2 | 42 | |
| 3 | 37 | |
| 4 | 35 | |
| 5 | 30 |
Hostings
| Year | Location | Venue | Presenter(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 Eurovision Song Contest 2012 The Eurovision Song Contest 2012 will be the 57th annual Eurovision Song Contest. It will be held in Baku, Azerbaijan, following Azerbaijan's win in the 2011 Contest with Ell & Nikki's song "Running Scared". The two semi-finals will be held on 22 May and 24 May 2012, with the final on 26 May 2012,... |
 BakuBaku Baku , sometimes spelled as Baki or Bakou, is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. It is located on the southern shore of the Absheron Peninsula, which projects into the Caspian Sea. The city consists of two principal... |
To be decided at a later stage, | TBA |
Commentators
| Year(s) | Commentators |
|---|---|
| 2008 Eurovision Song Contest 2008 The Eurovision Song Contest 2008 was the 53rd edition of the Contest. It was hosted in Belgrade, Serbia after Marija Šerifović won the 2007 Contest in Helsinki, Finland. This year was the first contest to have two semi-finals which were held on 20 and 22 May, and the final held on 24 May 2008... |
Isa Melikov Hüsniyyə Məhərrəmova |
| 2009 Eurovision Song Contest 2009 The Eurovision Song Contest 2009 was the 54th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest and was hosted by Russia after their win in 2008. It took place between 12 and 16 May 2009 at the Olympic Indoor Arena in Moscow, Russia.... |
Leyla Aliyeva Leyla Aliyeva Leyla Aliyeva is an Azerbaijani author, social activist, youth campaigner and environmentalist.- Heydar Aliyev Foundation :... AySel Aysel Aysel is a common feminine Turkish given name. In Turkish, "Aysel" means "moonbeam" .-People:* Aysel Gürel, Turkish lyricist* Aysel Teymurzadeh, Azerbaijani pop and R&B singer* Aysel Tuğluk, Kurdish politician... (Semifinal 1 only) Isa Melikov (Final only) |
| 2010 Eurovision Song Contest 2010 The Eurovision Song Contest 2010 was the 55th annual Eurovision Song Contest, broadcast from the Telenor Arena in Bærum, Greater Oslo, Norway. It was the third time Norway had hosted the contest, having previously done so in 1986 and 1996. The 2010 winner was Germany with Lena singing "Satellite",... |
Hüsniyyə Məhərrəmova |
| 2011 Eurovision Song Contest 2011 The Eurovision Song Contest 2011 was the 56th annual Eurovision Song Contest and was won by Eldar & Nigar performing "Running Scared" for Azerbaijan. The event took place in the Esprit Arena in Düsseldorf, Germany, following Germany's win in the previous year... |
Leyla Aliyeva Leyla Aliyeva Leyla Aliyeva is an Azerbaijani author, social activist, youth campaigner and environmentalist.- Heydar Aliyev Foundation :... |
External links
- Eldar & Nigar - Eurovision 2011 Winners! (official video)
- Eldar & Nigar - Azerbaijani entry to the Eurovision Song Contest 2011 in Düsseldorf, Germany
- Safura - Azerbaijani entry to the Eurovision Song Contest 2010 in Oslo, Norway
- Eurovision Azerbaijan
Eurovision Azerbaijan - Points to and from Azerbaijan eurovisioncovers.co.uk