Georgia in the Eurovision Song Contest
Encyclopedia
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 reference to the Russian
prime minister, Vladimir Putin
.
. At that time, the European Broadcasting Union
(EBU) still limited the contest to a maximum of 40 countries, however, in March 2007, it was announced that all 42 applicants would participate in the 2007 Contest in Helsinki
. At the contest, Georgia managed to progress from the semi-final (where it scored 123 points, finishing 8th), but only came 12th (out of 24) in the final.
Georgia appeared for its second time in the contest for 2008, represented by Diana Gurtskaya
with the song "Peace Will Come
". It had slightly better luck than in 2007, progressing from the semi-final (where it scored 107 points, finishing 5th) and coming in 11th (out of 25) in the final.
, it had been debated by Georgian Public Broadcasting
(GPB) whether Georgia would be present at the Eurovision Song Contest 2009
in Moscow. GPB chairman stated that it would not be unreasonable to withdraw, but that they were under a time restraint since a national selection event would have to be organized if they chose to participate. On 28 August 2008, GBP announced that Georgia would withdraw from the 2009 contest
, citing that they refuse to compete in a "country that violates human rights and international laws", as well as doubts being cast on the safety of their participants.
After winning the Junior Eurovision Song Contest in 2008
, and getting the maximum 12 points from Russia they were encouraged to participate again in 2009.
After a national final was held on 18 February, 2009 the selected entry for Georgia was decided to be Stefane & 3G with their 70s-inspired song "We Don't Wanna Put In
". However the song gained controversy due to the lyrics of the song, which included perceived political references to Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin
, which GPB denied. Nevertheless, the EBU banned the song from competing due to its lyrics, and asked GPB to either change the lyrics of the song or select another song to compete. GPB claimed that the EBU's rejection of the song was due to political pressure exerted by Russia, and withdrew again from the contest on 11 March.
" at the Contest, written by Hanne Sørvaag
, Harry Sommerdahl and Christian Leuzzi.
Georgia competed in the second semi-final of the contest on 27 May, performing in the 16th slot, and qualified for the final. Georgia came 9th in the final, with 136 points, achieving their best place so far.
to the contest in Düsseldorf, Germany. They managed to equal Sopho Nizharadze's 9th place of the year before.
Georgia has received the most points from...
NOTE: The totals in the above tables include only points awarded in Eurovision finals, and not the semi-finals since 2004.
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...
. Although Georgia
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
did plan to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest 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....
, it decided to withdraw after 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...
demanded it re-write its song which made reference to the Russian
Russians
The Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries....
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...
.
2007 debut
On 27 October 2006, Georgia, confirmed that they wished to debut at the Eurovision Song Contest 2007Eurovision 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...
. At that time, 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) still limited the contest to a maximum of 40 countries, however, in March 2007, it was announced that all 42 applicants would participate in the 2007 Contest in Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
. At the contest, Georgia managed to progress from the semi-final (where it scored 123 points, finishing 8th), but only came 12th (out of 24) in the final.
2008
Georgia appeared for its second time in the contest for 2008, represented by Diana Gurtskaya
Diana Gurtskaya
Diana Gudaevna Gurtskaya |Georgia]]) is a blind Georgian singer residing in Moscow, Russia. Following a failed attempt in Belarus the previous year Diana, on March 1, 2008, won the Georgian national final with 39.4% of the vote, therefore she represented Georgia at the 2008 Eurovision Song Contest...
with the song "Peace Will Come
Peace Will Come
"Peace Will Come" was sung by blind Georgian singer Diana Gurtskaya and represented Georgia at the Eurovision Song Contest 2008. It qualified from the second semi-final on May 22, 2008 at 7th and eventually finished in 11th place out of the twenty five countries that took part...
". It had slightly better luck than in 2007, progressing from the semi-final (where it scored 107 points, finishing 5th) and coming in 11th (out of 25) in the final.
2009 withdrawal
Due to the 2008 South Ossetia war2008 South Ossetia war
The 2008 South Ossetia War or Russo-Georgian War was an armed conflict in August 2008 between Georgia on one side, and Russia and separatist governments of South Ossetia and Abkhazia on the other....
, it had been debated by Georgian Public Broadcasting
Georgian Public Broadcasting
Georgian Public Broadcasting is the national public broadcaster of Georgia. It started broadcasting radio in 1925, and Georgian TV started broadcasting in 1956. Today, 85% of the Georgian population receive the First Channel , and 55% receive the Second Channel...
(GPB) whether Georgia would be present at the Eurovision Song Contest 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....
in Moscow. GPB chairman stated that it would not be unreasonable to withdraw, but that they were under a time restraint since a national selection event would have to be organized if they chose to participate. On 28 August 2008, GBP announced that Georgia would withdraw from the 2009 contest
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....
, citing that they refuse to compete in a "country that violates human rights and international laws", as well as doubts being cast on the safety of their participants.
After winning the Junior Eurovision Song Contest in 2008
Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2008
The Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2008 was the sixth Junior Eurovision Song Contest, which is the world's largest song contest for children. It was held at the "Spyros Kyprianou" Athletic Centre in Lemesos, Cyprus and hosted by Alex Michael and Sophia Paraskeva. It was won by the Georgian trio...
, and getting the maximum 12 points from Russia they were encouraged to participate again in 2009.
After a national final was held on 18 February, 2009 the selected entry for Georgia was decided to be Stefane & 3G with their 70s-inspired song "We Don't Wanna Put In
We Don't Wanna Put In
"We Don't Wanna Put In" is a 2009 song by Stephane & 3G and was to have been the Georgian entry to the Eurovision Song Contest 2009 held in Moscow, composed by Stefane Mgebrishvili and written by Bibi Kvachadze....
". However the song gained controversy due to the lyrics of the song, which included perceived political references to 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...
, which GPB denied. Nevertheless, the EBU banned the song from competing due to its lyrics, and asked GPB to either change the lyrics of the song or select another song to compete. GPB claimed that the EBU's rejection of the song was due to political pressure exerted by Russia, and withdrew again from the contest on 11 March.
2010 return
Georgia returned to the Contest in 2010, after a one-year gap, and was represented by 23-year-old singer Sopho Nizharadze. Sopho sang the song "ShineShine (Sopho Nizharadze song)
"Shine" is a song composed by Hanne Sørvaag, Harry Sommerdahl and Christian Leuzzi and performed by Sopho Nizharadze, and represented Georgia at the Eurovision Song Contest 2010. The song was selected on 27 February from six songs performed by Nizharadze, with a public televote and a professional...
" at the Contest, written by Hanne Sørvaag
Hanne Sørvaag
Hanne Margrethe Fredriksen Sørvaag is a Norwegian singer/songwriter born in Stavanger, Norway, December 27, 1979. She is currently based in Stockholm, Sweden....
, Harry Sommerdahl and Christian Leuzzi.
Georgia competed in the second semi-final of the contest on 27 May, performing in the 16th slot, and qualified for the final. Georgia came 9th in the final, with 136 points, achieving their best place so far.
2011
In 2011, Georgia sent the rock band EldrineEldrine
Eldrine is a Georgian rock band that represented Georgia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2011 with the song called One More Day. The current line-up consists of 6 band members: Sophio Toroshelidze, Mikheil Chelidze, Irakli Bibilashvili, David Changoshvili, Tamar Shekiladze and Beso Tsikhelashvili...
to the contest in Düsseldorf, Germany. They managed to equal Sopho Nizharadze's 9th place of the year before.
Contestants
| Year | Artist | Title | Final | Points | Semi | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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... |
Sopho Khalvashi Sopho Khalvashi Sopho Khalvashi is a Georgian musician. She comes from a family of Adjarian origin. It was announced on December 12, 2006 that she would represent her home nation at the Eurovision Song Contest 2007. The song "Visionary Dream" was Georgia's first entry into the contest... |
"Visionary Dream Visionary Dream "Visionary Dream" was the Georgian entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 2007, performed in English by Sopho. This was Georgia's debut at the Contest. The song was originally titled "My Story".... " |
12 | 97 | 8 | 123 |
| 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... |
Diana Gurtskaya Diana Gurtskaya Diana Gudaevna Gurtskaya |Georgia]]) is a blind Georgian singer residing in Moscow, Russia. Following a failed attempt in Belarus the previous year Diana, on March 1, 2008, won the Georgian national final with 39.4% of the vote, therefore she represented Georgia at the 2008 Eurovision Song Contest... |
"Peace Will Come Peace Will Come "Peace Will Come" was sung by blind Georgian singer Diana Gurtskaya and represented Georgia at the Eurovision Song Contest 2008. It qualified from the second semi-final on May 22, 2008 at 7th and eventually finished in 11th place out of the twenty five countries that took part... " |
11 | 83 | 5 | 107 |
| 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",... |
Sopho Nizharadze | "Shine Shine (Sopho Nizharadze song) "Shine" is a song composed by Hanne Sørvaag, Harry Sommerdahl and Christian Leuzzi and performed by Sopho Nizharadze, and represented Georgia at the Eurovision Song Contest 2010. The song was selected on 27 February from six songs performed by Nizharadze, with a public televote and a professional... " |
9 | 136 | 3 | 106 |
| 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... |
Eldrine Eldrine Eldrine is a Georgian rock band that represented Georgia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2011 with the song called One More Day. The current line-up consists of 6 band members: Sophio Toroshelidze, Mikheil Chelidze, Irakli Bibilashvili, David Changoshvili, Tamar Shekiladze and Beso Tsikhelashvili... |
"One More Day One More Day -Music:* One More Day , an album by Diamond Rio** "One More Day" * "One More Day" * "One More Day" * "One More Day", a song by the pop rock band Stellar*... " |
9 | 110 | 6 | 74 |
| 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,... |
Voting history (2007-2011)
Georgia has given the most points to...| Rank | Country | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 37 | |
| 2 | 34 | |
| 3 | 23 | |
| 4 | 20 | |
| 5 | 19 |
Georgia has received the most points from...
| Rank | Country | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 41 | |
| 2 | 37 | |
| 3 | 35 | |
| 4 | 31 | |
| 5 | 30 |
NOTE: The totals in the above tables include only points awarded in Eurovision finals, and not the semi-finals since 2004.
External links
- Points to and from Georgia eurovisioncovers.co.uk