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Eurovision Reveals “Vital Statistics” About Contestants from Azerbaijan & Russia

By Gunay Hajiyeva May 17, 2021

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Both Azerbaijan’s Efendi (L) and Russia’s Manizha will perform in the first semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest on May 18. / Courtesy

With just one day remaining until the start of Europe’s major music show - the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC), Eurovision experts compiled what they call “vital statistics” about all 39 participants of the contest.

Azerbaijan’s representative Efendi was included in several categories, which are listed below:

  • One of seventeen solo female performers
  • One of twenty-three contestants who have been selected in the internal selection
  • One of twenty-three singers whose pandemic-related cancellation of the performance in 2020 was carried over to 2021
  • One of seven contestants who are going to sing primarily in English, but use a few scant words or phrases in other languages
  • One of nineteen performers, who use pseudonym, mononym, or nickname. Efendi is a mononym used by the Azerbaijani singer, whose full name is Samira Efendiyeva
  • One of thirteen contestants who have previously performed in National Finals. Efendi took part in Azerbaijan’s National Final in 2014 but failed to pass the penultimate round of competition

Some of the “vital statistics” refer to Manizha, who will be representing Russia in the 2021 ESC, as well:

  • One of seventeen solo female performers
  • One of twelve singers who have been selected in National Final
  • One of three contestants, who will use a bilingual language for performing the entry. Lyrics of Manizha’s entry, called “Russian Woman,” includes words both in Russian and English languages
  • One of nineteen performers, who use pseudonym, mononym, or nickname. Manizha is a mononym used by the Russian singer, whose full name Manizha Dalerovna Sangin
  • One of six contestants who were not born in the country they will be performing for. Manizha was born in Tajikistan’s capital city of Dushanbe
  • One of the twenty-seven singers who at least partially wrote or composed his/her own Eurovision entry

This year’s Eurovision Song Contest will take place in the Rotterdam city of the Netherlands from May 18-22, with representatives of 39 countries in participation. The first and second semi-finals are scheduled for May 18 and 20 respectively. The winner is to be known in Grand Final on May 22. Rotterdam Ahoy multi-purpose arena will play a host to the contest.

Both Azerbaijan’s Efendi and Russia’s Manizha will perform in the first semi-final on May 18.