Azerbaijan in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024

Selected entrantFahree feat. Ilkin DovlatovSelected song"Özünlə apar"Selected songwriter(s)Azerbaijan in the Eurovision Song Contest

◄2023 •

2024

Azerbaijan is set to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 in Malmö, Sweden, with "Özünlə apar" performed by Fahree and featuring Ilkin Dovlatov. The Azerbaijani broadcaster İctimai Television (İTV) internally selected the country's entry for the contest.

Background

Prior to the 2024 contest, Azerbaijan has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest fifteen times since its first entry in 2008.^[1] Azerbaijan has won the contest on one occasion in 2011 with the song "Running Scared" performed by Ell and Nikki. Since their debut in 2008, Azerbaijan has had a string of successful results, qualifying to the final in every contest until in 2018 when they failed to qualify with the song "X My Heart" performed by Aisel. Azerbaijan has placed in the top ten seven times, including a third-place result in 2009 with the song "Always" performed by AySel and Arash and a second-place result in 2013 with the song "Hold Me" performed by Farid Mammadov. In 2023, Azerbaijan failed to qualify to the final with the song "Tell Me More" performed by TuralTuranX.^[1]

The Azerbaijani national broadcaster, İctimai Television (İTV), broadcasts the event within Azerbaijan and organises the selection process for the nation's entry. Azerbaijan has used various methods to select the Azerbaijani entry in the past, including internal selections of both the artist and song, as well as national finals to select their artist followed by an internal selection to determine the song. Between 2011 and 2013, Azerbaijan organized a national final titled Milli Seçim Turu to select the performer, song or both for Eurovision. In 2014, the broadcaster utilised an existing talent show format titled Böyük Səhnə where the winning performer would subsequently be given an internally selected song. Since 2015, the broadcaster has internally selected both the artist and song that represented Azerbaijan. On 14 July 2023, İTV confirmed its participation in 2024 and that its entry would again be selected internally.

Before Eurovision

Internal selection

Upon confirming their participation in the 2024 contest, İTV opened a submission window for interested artists and songwriters, lasting until 30 September 2023.^[2] Perfomers without a song could not apply individually. Songs could be submitted in any language, and their authors are not required to be Azerbaijani nationals.^[3] A total of 214 song submissions were received by İTV, 88 of which were from Azerbaijani artists.^[4][5]

By 20 October 2023, sixteen acts were selected to take part in an audition round in Baku on 29 October 2023, when İTV announced the names of the fifteen auditioned artists (one having been unable to attend); among them was Aisel, who had previously represented Azerbaijan in the 2018 contest. The acts were judged by a panel which included 2009 Azerbaijani representative Aysel Teymurzadeh and Eurovision 2011 winners Ell and Nikki,^[6][7] as well as composers Faig Sujaddinov [az; fr] and Vagif Gerayzadeh [az], art director Ranar Musayev, and music producer DJ Fateh.^[8] On 6 November 2023, six artists were announced to have passed the auditions, shown below in bold.^[9] The Azerbaijani representative was chosen after consultations with focus groups of Eurovision fans, journalists and music professionals.^[10] In mid-February 2024, Eldar "Ell" Gasimov clarified that discussions involved international professionals from Asia and America and that the selection was approaching its end.^[11]

Reports in February 2024 suggested that Aisel with "Game of Chess" and Ilkin Dovlatov, Mila Miles & Etibar Asadli [az; de] with "İnsanlar" were the two acts left in the running,^[12] however, on 7 March, Fahree was announced as the selected entrant,^[13] with the song, "Özünlə apar", revealed and released on 15 March.^[14] Prior to the release, it was anticipated that Ilkin Dovlatov, one of the shortlisted artists in the selection, would perform a part of the entry in the traditional Azerbaijani mugham style.^[15][16] "Özünlə apar" is the country's first entry for the contest to feature Azerbaijani as a major language.^[17]

Shortlisted artists^[7][9][18]

Aisel Alesker Amrah Musayev Edgar Ravin Emy Lia Fahree Ilkin Dovlatov, Mila Miles and Etibar Asadli Lexa Mari Qorqud Rahib Mirzoev and Tofig Yadigar Rilaya Sabina Beyli Sabina Guluzadeh Tofig Hajiyev and Jamal Gurbanov

Internal selection finalists^[9][12][19]

Artist	Song	Songwriters
Aisel	"Game of Chess"	Aysel Mammadova Jay Hun Leyla Akhundova
Emy Lia	—
Fahree	"Özünlə apar"	Edgar Ravinov Fakhri Ismayilov Hasan Haydar Madina Salikh Tamila Rzayeva
Ilkin Dovlatov, Mila Miles and Etibar Asadli	"İnsanlar"	Adil Rakidi Etibar Asadli Tamila Rzayeva
Qorqud	—
Sabina Guluzadeh

At Eurovision

The Eurovision Song Contest 2024 will take place at the Malmö Arena in Malmö, Sweden, and consist of two semi-finals held on the respective dates of 7 and 9 May and the final on 11 May 2024. All nations with the exceptions of the host country and the "Big Five" (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom) are required to qualify from one of two semi-finals in order to compete for the final; the top ten countries from each semi-final will progress to the final. On 30 January 2024, an allocation draw was held to determine which of the two semi-finals, as well as which half of the show, each country will perform in; the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) split up the competing countries into different pots based on voting patterns from previous contests, with countries with favourable voting histories put into the same pot.^[20] Azerbaijan was scheduled for the second half of the first semi-final.^[21] The shows' producers then decided the running order for the semi-finals; Azerbaijan was set to perform in position 12, following the entry from Moldova and before the entry from Australia.^[22]

Commentary for the contest on İTV will be provided by Nurlana Jafarova [az].^[23]

Performance

Fahree and Ilkin Dovlatov will take part in technical rehearsals on 28 April and 1 May, followed by dress rehearsals on 6 and 7 May.^[24] Their performance of "Özünlə apar" at the contest is staged by Yevhenii "Timó" Timokhin [uk].^[25]

Voting

The spokesperson for the Azerbaijani jury at the final will be Aysel Teymurzadeh, who represented Azerbaijan in the 2009 contest.^[26]

References