Azerbaijan in the Eurovision Song Contest 2009
Encyclopedia
Azerbaijan participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2009, making their second appearance at the contest. Aysel Teymurzadeh
represented Azerbaijan at the contest after she was internally selected by the Azeri broadcaster, İctimai Televiziya və Radio Yayımları Şirkəti (İTV).
On 17 January it was revealed that Aysel Teymurzadeh
, a nineteen year old R&B
singer, has been selected to represent Azerbaijan at the 2009 Eurovision Song Contest in Moscow, Russia. She was selected by a seven-member jury appointed by İTV. A press conference was held by İTV later on in the day, Teymurzadeh was presented as the Azerbaijani representative. On 5 February it was announced that the same jury unanimously chose the song Always
written by and performed as a duet with Iranian-Swedish singer and entertainer Arash among 30 proposed songs sent to an open call.
As part of their promo tour, Aysel Teymurzadeh and Arash visited Slovenia
, Romania
and Sweden
before heading to Moscow for their final rehearsals.
The international team behind AySel & Arash included experts from Sweden, Ukraine, Russia, UK and Azerbaijan itself. The outfits Aysel Teymurzadeh and Arash wore on stage were designed by the Swedish couturier Lars Wallin
.
During the rehearsals in Moscow, the Azerbaijan representatives were visited by the Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin
.
Azerbaijan's entry was regarded as a favourite and had been predicted by many as being likely to finish in the top five in the final.
Since Azerbaijan is not one of the "Big Four" nor the host of the 2009 contest, it had to compete in one of the two semi-finals. According to the draw for semi-finals, Azerbaijan competed in Semi-final 2 on May 14. The country was seeded 11th in the order of performance. During the Final on May 16, the Azerbaijani duo finished third with 207 points. Televoters awarded the Azerbaijani entry 2nd place, while the juries ranked Azerbaijan 8th. The combined result was the third place.
Azerbaijani entry received votes from 34 out of 41 countries of the Contest, Azerbaijan excluded. Azerbaijan's third place is considered a great success for the country, which participated in the contest only for the second time.
AySel & Arash became the winners of the 4th Annual ESC Radio Awards in the category of the Best Group.
ian media reported that unknown people allegedly paid Belarusian students to vote for Azerbaijan, and supposedly even transported them to the Belarusian-Lithuanian border in 10 buses. The cost of whole action is claimed to be about 55 million roubles. They voted for Azerbaijan with the help of Belarusian SIM cards and then received Lithuania
n cards to do the same. “Always” received high votes from Belarus (10) and Lithuania (5), being even ahead of Russia
in Belarus. The head of the Azerbaijani diaspora in Belarus, which numbers tens of thousands of people, Natik Baghirov said that he did not know anything about the action, and that the song received support from the entire Europe, not just Belarus and Lithuania, while Sergey Malinovsky, Belorussian jury member of the Eurovision, openly doubted that such vote irregularity could take place, and believed that the Azerbaijani song received public support because of its catchy melody and good performance. However, European Radio for Belarus had an unofficial confirmation from the Minsk auto parks that they do it every year for various countries.
, which is located in Nagorno-Karabakh
region of Azerbaijan. In response, the edited image was used as a background by Armenian Public Television
during the announcement of the voting results in Armenia.
Azerbaijan
's reel depicted Maqbaratoshoara
and Segonbad
monuments, the symbols of the cities of Tabriz
and Urumieh in the Azerbaijan region of Iran
. The Armenian media have complained that while Eurovision forbade demonstration of the Armenian monument located in Nagorno-Karabakh
region after the protest of Azerbaijani government, it allowed the inclusion of the Iran
ian monuments.
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...
represented Azerbaijan at the contest after she was internally selected by the Azeri broadcaster, İctimai Televiziya və Radio Yayımları Şirkəti (İTV).
Selection
A multi-artist national final, similar to last year's Land of Fire, was planned to be held by İTV. However, after the quality of the entries was deemed poor, İTV decided to hold an internal selection for the artist that will represent Azerbaijan in the 2009 contest.On 17 January it was revealed that Aysel Teymurzadeh
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...
, a nineteen year old R&B
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
singer, has been selected to represent Azerbaijan at the 2009 Eurovision Song Contest in Moscow, Russia. She was selected by a seven-member jury appointed by İTV. A press conference was held by İTV later on in the day, Teymurzadeh was presented as the Azerbaijani representative. On 5 February it was announced that the same jury unanimously chose 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...
written by and performed as a duet with Iranian-Swedish singer and entertainer Arash among 30 proposed songs sent to an open call.
The contest
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
, Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
and Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
before heading to Moscow for their final rehearsals.
The international team behind AySel & Arash included experts from Sweden, Ukraine, Russia, UK and Azerbaijan itself. The outfits Aysel Teymurzadeh and Arash wore on stage were designed by the Swedish couturier Lars Wallin
Lars Wallin
Lars Wallin is a Swedish fashion designer. He made his debut on the Swedish fashion stage in 1990 after graduating from Beckmans. Since then he has received many prestigious assignments, designing for Miss World and the Eurovision Song Contest...
.
During the rehearsals in Moscow, the Azerbaijan representatives were visited by the Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin served as the second President of the Russian Federation and is the current Prime Minister of Russia, as well as chairman of United Russia and Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Union of Russia and Belarus. He became acting President on 31 December 1999, when...
.
Azerbaijan's entry was regarded as a favourite and had been predicted by many as being likely to finish in the top five in the final.
Since Azerbaijan is not one of the "Big Four" nor the host of the 2009 contest, it had to compete in one of the two semi-finals. According to the draw for semi-finals, Azerbaijan competed in Semi-final 2 on May 14. The country was seeded 11th in the order of performance. During the Final on May 16, the Azerbaijani duo finished third with 207 points. Televoters awarded the Azerbaijani entry 2nd place, while the juries ranked Azerbaijan 8th. The combined result was the third place.
Azerbaijani entry received votes from 34 out of 41 countries of the Contest, Azerbaijan excluded. Azerbaijan's third place is considered a great success for the country, which participated in the contest only for the second time.
AySel & Arash became the winners of the 4th Annual ESC Radio Awards in the category of the Best Group.
Points awarded to Azerbaijan
| 12 points | 10 points | 8 points | 7 points | 6 points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 points | 4 points | 3 points | 2 points | 1 point |
| 12 points | 10 points | 8 points | 7 points | 6 points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 points | 4 points | 3 points | 2 points | 1 point |
Semi final 2
| 12 points | |
| 10 points | |
| 8 points | |
| 7 points | |
| 6 points | |
| 5 points | |
| 4 points | |
| 3 points | |
| 2 points | |
| 1 point | |
Final
| 12 points | |
| 10 points | |
| 8 points | |
| 7 points | |
| 6 points | |
| 5 points | |
| 4 points | |
| 3 points | |
| 2 points | |
| 1 point | |
Votestacking allegations
After the finish of Eurovision 2009, some BelarusBelarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
ian media reported that unknown people allegedly paid Belarusian students to vote for Azerbaijan, and supposedly even transported them to the Belarusian-Lithuanian border in 10 buses. The cost of whole action is claimed to be about 55 million roubles. They voted for Azerbaijan with the help of Belarusian SIM cards and then received Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
n cards to do the same. “Always” received high votes from Belarus (10) and Lithuania (5), being even ahead of Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
in Belarus. The head of the Azerbaijani diaspora in Belarus, which numbers tens of thousands of people, Natik Baghirov said that he did not know anything about the action, and that the song received support from the entire Europe, not just Belarus and Lithuania, while Sergey Malinovsky, Belorussian jury member of the Eurovision, openly doubted that such vote irregularity could take place, and believed that the Azerbaijani song received public support because of its catchy melody and good performance. However, European Radio for Belarus had an unofficial confirmation from the Minsk auto parks that they do it every year for various countries.
Video clip controversies
Following the protests of Azerbaijani officials, Eurovision’s Russian hosts removed from the video of the Armenian performers the image of the monument We Are Our MountainsWe Are Our Mountains
"We Are Our Mountains" is a large Armenian monument north of Stepanakert, the capital city of the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic.The sculpture, completed in 1967 by Sargis Baghdasaryan, is widely regarded as a symbol of Nagorno-Karabakh...
, which is located in Nagorno-Karabakh
Nagorno-Karabakh
Nagorno-Karabakh is a landlocked region in the South Caucasus, lying between Lower Karabakh and Zangezur and covering the southeastern range of the Lesser Caucasus mountains...
region of Azerbaijan. In response, the edited image was used as a background by Armenian Public Television
Armenian Public Television
Public Television of Armenia , is Armenia's public television station that began transmissions in 1956.-Early years:Armenia Public Television dates back to September 5, 1955 when the USSR Council of Ministers made the decision to construct 27 programme centres and five transmission stations in the...
during the announcement of the voting results in Armenia.
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...
's reel depicted Maqbaratoshoara
Maqbaratoshoara
Maqbaratoshoara or Maqbarat al-Shu'ara is a mausoleum for poets, mystics and famous people located in the Surkhab district of Tabriz in Iran...
and Segonbad
Segonbad
Segonbad is a historical structure located in the city of Urumieh, in northwest Iran. The monument has three inscriptions in the Kufic script placed on the entrance door....
monuments, the symbols of the cities of Tabriz
Tabriz
Tabriz is the fourth largest city and one of the historical capitals of Iran and the capital of East Azerbaijan Province. Situated at an altitude of 1,350 meters at the junction of the Quri River and Aji River, it was the second largest city in Iran until the late 1960s, one of its former...
and Urumieh in the Azerbaijan region of Iran
Azerbaijan (Iran)
Azerbaijan or Azarbaijan , also Iranian Azerbaijan, Persian Azarbaijan is a region in northwestern Iran. It is also historically known as Atropatene and Aturpatakan....
. The Armenian media have complained that while Eurovision forbade demonstration of the Armenian monument located in Nagorno-Karabakh
Nagorno-Karabakh
Nagorno-Karabakh is a landlocked region in the South Caucasus, lying between Lower Karabakh and Zangezur and covering the southeastern range of the Lesser Caucasus mountains...
region after the protest of Azerbaijani government, it allowed the inclusion of the Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
ian monuments.