Azerbaijan at Eurovision Song Contest: A look at past & future

Known as one of the biggest international song competitions, Eurovision is fast approaching and music fans are picking their favorites. For Azerbaijan, this song contest is the fifteenth in a row.

The Land of Fire marked its debut in 2008 with the duo of Elnur and Samir, who managed to become the eighth in the final with their song Day After Day.

In the following years, Azerbaijan was represented at song contest by Aysel & Arash, which ranked third, Safura Alizada, who came fifth in Oslo in 2010.

On its fourth attempt, Ell & Nikki's song Running Scared (2011) managed to captivate Eurovision fans and brought the longest running song competition to Baku's Crystal Hall in 2012.

Noting that, Ell & Nikki was the first mixed-gender duo to win the contest since 1963 and the first winners from Azerbaijan.

In 2012, Azerbaijan placed fourth with the song When the Music Dies performed by Sabina Babayeva. Next year, Farid Mammadov delighted music fans with the song Hold me (2013).

Furthermore, Dilara Kazimova stepped onto the Eurovision stage with the song Start a Fire (2014).

In 2015, Elnur Huseynov performed in Hour Of The Wolf in Vienna. Samra dazzled music lovers with the song Miracle (2016), while Dihaj rocked the stage in 2017 with the song Skeletons.

In 2018, Aysel Mammadova represented Azerbaijan with the song X My Heart, while Chingiz Mustafayev impressed all Eurovision fans with the song Truth in 2019.

In 2020, the song contest was canceled amid the coronavirus pandemic. However, fans of the music contest had a great chance to enjoy a spectacular show Eurovision: Europe Shine A Light, where Samira Efendi pleased Eurovision fans with the song Cleopatra about trusting your gut instinct, standing up for yourself, and being a "Queen" - even when things get tough and especially if someone betrays or hurts you.

In 2021, Efendi thrilled the audience with her hit song Mata Hari, which features ethnic motives based on traditional Azerbaijani musical instruments, such as 'zurna' (trumpet) and 'naghara' (drum), as well as melodies from the Azerbaijani folk dance yalli, while Nadir Rustamli represented Azerbaijan in 2022 with the song Fade To Black, co-written by Andreas Stone, Anders Rethov, Sebastian Schub, and Thomas Stengard.

In 2023, Azerbaijan is sending young talents-Tural and Turan Bagmanovlar to rock Eurovision stage in Liverpool.

In Azerbaijan, the twins have become widely known as popular street magicians.

The duo from Zaqatala is heavily influenced by music from the '60s and '70s, which is clearly reflected in the duo's signature sound and style.

The musicians were selected internally by Azerbaijan's Public TV and Radio Broadcasting Company (ITV) among five music artists, including Emrah Musayev and Humay Aslanova, Leyla Izzatova, Mamagama and Azer Nasibov.

They have co-written the song Tell Me More that they'll be taking to Liverpool to represent Azerbaijan.

As Eurovisionworld reports, the running orders for the two Eurovision 2023 Semi-finals have been determined.

Over the last ten years, the producers of the shows have decided the running orders based on an allocation draw.

The allocation draw took place in January. Here the participants were distributed into the two Semi-finals, and it was determined whether each country would participate in the first or second part of the Semi-final.

Azerbaijan's entry for Eurovision 2023 will perform under the number 12 at the contest's semi-final stage.

TuranTuralX duo will rock the Eurovision stage in the second phase of the first semi-final on May 9.

The Eurovision Song Contest 2023 is the upcoming 67th edition of the contest.

Some 37 countries will join the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 in Liverpool, UK, in May 2023.

Azerbaijani performances at Eurovision are always spectacular and evokes admiration.

The country reached the Top 5 in five consecutive contests - 3rd in 2009, 5th in 2010, 1st in 2011, 4th in 2012, and 2nd in 2013.

This year, Azerbaijan's performance at Eurovision promises to be no less memorable.

Some 37 countries will join the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 in Liverpool, UK, in May 2023.