Azerbaijan will be represented by Samira Efendi at Eurovision Song Contest 2021 with the song "Mata Hari".
The song is written and produced by Amy van der Wel, Luuk van Beers, Tony Cornelissen and Josh Earl, Eurovision world reported.
Speaking about the meaning of the song, Efendi said that it is about female power.
"It is very important to talk about strong women in order to remind our beautiful ladies that despite the fact that we still live in a world full of prejudices, a woman can do anything and female power cannot be compared with anything. And if suddenly you do not have enough inspiration now, let the stories of strong women in history become the source of that very charge of energy with which you can cope with everything and achieve even bigger success. There is a queen in each of us and I want to remind you that it's time to release her," said Efendi.
Eurovision Song Contest 2021 semi-finals are scheduled for May 18 and 20. The final night will take place on May 22. The contest will be held in Rotterdam, Netherlands.
Last year, the song contest was canceled amid coronavirus pandemic. However, fans of music contest had a great chance to enjoy a spectacular show "Eurovision: Europe Shine A Light", featuring 41 songs of this year's entries.
During the show, Samira Efendi thrilled Eurovision fans with song "Cleopatra".
As the singer says, Cleopatra is a song 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.
"Cleopatra is a song about freedom, a celebration of all cultures and all sexualities. It's a song that is meant to inspire people to be who they truly are and to be proud of themselves just like Cleopatra. She was a queen who went through love, heartbreak, and betrayal, but she stood up for herself and is now remembered as an icon of strength and femininity," she said.
Notably, Azerbaijan 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".
The brilliant duet of Aysel and Arash, which represented Azerbaijan next year, took the third place at the song contest, while Safura Alizada, who represented the country at Eurovision 2010 in Oslo, became fifth.
On its fourth attempt with Ell and Nikki's "Running Scared" song, the Land of Fire won the event, bringing the contest to Baku's Crystal Hall in 2012. Ell and Nikki were the first mixed-gender duo to win the contest since 1963 and the first winners from Azerbaijan.
It is noteworthy that Azerbaijan reached the Top 5 in five consecutive contests - 3rd in 2009, 5th in 2010, 1st in 2011, 4th in 2012, and 2nd in 2013.
In 2018, Aysel Mammadova brilliantly performed at the Eurovision 2018 semi-final, but she couldn't make it to the final. The singer represented Azerbaijan with the song "X My Heart".
Azerbaijan's Chingiz Mustafayev impressed all Eurovision fans with his stunning performance last year. The singer finished in eighth place at the song contest.
