Azerbaijan’s head of delegation Vasif Mammadov was quoted by 12xal about his country’s upcoming Eurovision Song Contest participation in Liverpool.
According to Mammadov, over 200 applications for Eurovision 2023 were submitted, however most came from foreign composers and writers. Azerbaijan typically sends a local artist, but using songs written by foreigners. Mammadov would like to see a change this year;
“Our goal and desire with this, is to have local composers’ music featured in [Eurovision]. Based on the selection process, if a local and a foreign song meet the same criteria, we will prefer the local song. That is, we really want the music of Azerbaijani composers to be played [at Eurovision]. Let’s demonstrate that we also have talented composers. I hope this can serve as a stimulus for years to come. Finally, in May we can use the phrase ‘we did our best’ with peace of mind.”
He noted that the Azerbaijani artist and song would be reveled by the end of January, marking a departure for Azerbaijan, who typically wait until the very end of the selection window every year set by the EBU.
Nadir Rüstəmli represented Azerbaijan in Turin last year. His song “Fade to Black” finished 10th in the 2nd Semi Final, however received no points from the televote. In the Grand Final, Azerbaijan finished in 16th place overall.
Would you like Azerbaijan to change things up this year and send an entirely home-grown entry? Let us know in the comments below or on our social media @escbubble!
