Azernews.Az

By Laman Ismayilova

EBU and AVROTROS have just revealed the dates for the upcoming edition of Eurovision Song Contest.

The two Semi-Finals are scheduled for May 18 and May 20, while the Grand Final is expected to take place on May 22, 2021, eurovision.tv reported.

The dates for the next year’s Contest were announced at Ahoy in Rotterdam, the venue for next year’s show.

"The music, the artists, the fans, the competition and the international character combined is what makes the Eurovision Song Contest so special. We now have a year to explore all scenarios in detail with the parties involved and to make the shows happen regardless of the circumstances, with adjustments if necessary. We still aim high!", said Sietse Bakker, Executive Producer Event.

Further, it will be decided which elements of this year's cancelled edition will remain in 2021.

"The stage will be carried over to next year, because that was already prepared. Apart from that, a lot depends on what is possible at that time, on the availability of all those involved and on what fits the spirit of 2021," said Bakker.

This year the song contest was canceled amid coronavirus pandemic. However, fans of music contest had a great a chance to enjoy a spectacular show "Eurovision: Europe Shine A Light", featuring 41 songs of this year's entries.

During the show, Azerbaijan's Eurovision 2020 participant Samira Efendi thrilled Eurovision fans with song "Cleopatra", which reached more than four million views on YouTube.

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.

"It is truly a song about freedom, a celebration of all cultures and all sexualities and it's a song that is meant to inspire people to be who they are and to be proud of themselves - just as Cleopatra was. 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.

The singer will take part in the next year's contest to be held in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

Notably, Azerbaijan marked its debut in 2008 with the duo of Elnur and Samir, who managed to become 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 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 the eighth place at the song contest.

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