Does Azerbaijan want to win Eurovision again? Because if they do, and if they’re willing to put in the usual work behind the scenes to optimise their chances, then we could very easily be heading back to Baku.
If you’re getting a sense of déjà vu, that’s because those are the words I used to describe Farid’s “Hold Me” in last year’s line-up check article – and in many respects, the very same argument can also be made this year. That might seem like quite a daring statement to make. Everyone expects Azerbaijan to knock on the door of the top 10 – the country’s record on the scoreboard since debuting in 2008 is exceptional, after all – but singer Dilara Kazimova isn’t really on anybody’s radar for the victory right now.
That could be because Land Of Fire Start A Fire is anything but a typical Eurovision entry. A quiet, classy and understated ballad without a “big” chorus, it shows that just because you employ Swedish songwriters every year, you don’t necessarily always end up with a stereotypically Swedish-sounding song. Nevertheless, and despite the composers being “bought in”, the singer and song are a perfect fit for each other and the overall package is a very impressive one.
My verdict? OK, maybe I don’t actually see this as a genuine contender for victory – it’s probably too “difficult” for that. But even with the tweaks to the voting system, there’s no reason Azerbaijan shouldn’t land in the top 10 again, and this oasis of calm among the craziness and campness of ESC could easily see them matching the result achieved by the similarly grown-up “When The Music Dies” in 2012, at least.
Top 10 |
Victory |
Personal |
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