Azerbaijan: Efendi releases her Eurovision 2021 entry "Mata Hari"

Azerbaijan: Efendi releases her Eurovision 2021 entry
Monday, 15 March 2021

  • Azerbaijan's Eurovision 2021 hopeful , Efendi, has released her Eurovision 2021 entry "Mata Hari" .

    Soon after the ESC 2020 cancellation due to the covid-19 pandemic, the Land of Fire , decided to reinvite last year's hopefu, Efendi,  to Rotterdam 2021. The Azeri national broadacaster, Ictimai TV,  launched a song selection process, during which it received a total of 229 compositions from local and foreign authors were sent in during the submission period of the song selection.

     According to the selection process, the song would be selected  based on the votes of an international focus group of more than 50 Eurovision experts from different countries. A total of six entries were shortlisted among which four uptempo songs and two ballads. The candidate songs for Efendi were: 

    1. Mata Hari (up-tempo)
    2. Ratata (up-tempo)
    3. When I’m gone (ballad)
    4. Manifesto (up-tempo)
    5. Breathing You (ballad)
    6. Owe You Pretty (up-tempo)

    Eventually Mata Hari  was selected as Efendi's Eurovision 2021 entry the song and the music video of which have been released officially today. 

    Efendi's song is  contemporary dance track, featuring  traditional instruments of Azerbaijan. The wind instrument zurna, drum nagara and the rhythms of the Azerbaijani folk dance yalli dominate the track coloring it with those ethnic elements that we saw in her ESC 2020 entry 'Cleopatra'. In addtion the song also includes a short chanted phrase innationallanguage marking the first time such element features an Azeri ESC entry. 

    Efendi is set to compete in the second half of the 1st semi final show on May 18, 2021.

     

    A few words for Efendi

    It's not the first time that Samira was near to representing the country as last year she was again among the internal selection's candidates for Eurovision 2019. In the past she had even taken part in the Azeri national selection Böyük Səhnə , without achieving to qualify to the final.

    In 2015-2016 she participated in first season of The Voice of Azerbaijan where she finished second behind Emiliya Yagubova. In 2017 she took part in the international music competition Silky Way Star giving spectacular vocal performances.

     

    Azerbaijan in Eurovision

    The Land of fire debuted in the contest in 2008 and since then they have been present in every single edition of it, counting a totla of 13 participation.  In 2011 The duo Eldar & Nikki gave the country its one and only victory with their entry Running scared, leading the Eurovision event next year in the capital city of Baku. 

    In 2018 Azerbaijan was represented by Aisel and her entry X my heart, despite a dynamic performance she failed to qualify to the Grand Final. In 2019 Azerbaijan chose Chingiz through an internal selection to represent the country in Tel Aviv with his entry 'Truth', which finished 8th in the Grand final scoreboard.

    While Efendi's Eurovision 2020 journey was interrupted due to the coronavirus outbreak and never had the chance to perform 'Cleopatra' in Rotterdam, iTV decide to stick with the same act this year, giving her the chance to complete her mission in ESC 2021.