A surprise drop from Azerbaijan this morning, as Efendi releases her entry for the Eurovision  Song Contest 2021.
Last year she was set to represent the country with ‘Cleopatra’, the contest was cancelled unfortunately, but Azeri broadcaster Ictimai promised her she’d be back next year and here she is with an ode to another powerful woman in history: ‘Mata Hari’!

That the focus is on powerful women, is something the Azeri delegation also underline:

The song is about the power of women, who captivate you with their poise, who surprise you with their endless strength, and who move you in mysterious ways. Women in society are habitually associated with tenderness, care and weakness, but for some of them, life has prepared cruel lessons that not every man can handle.

Mata Hari was an exotic dancer from The Netherlands, who was convicted by France of being a spy for the Germans in World War I. This is heavily disputed as many believe the French needed a scapegoat back then, Mata Hari was subsequently executed by the firing squad in France.

Efendi speaks about the power that is in each and every woman:

It is very important to talk about strong women in order to remind our beautiful ladies that despite the fact that we still live in a world full of prejudices, a woman can do anything and female power cannot be compared with anything. And if suddenly you do not have enough inspiration now, let the stories of strong women in history become the source of that very charge of energy with which you can cope with everything and achieve even bigger success. There is a queen in each of us and I want to remind you that it’s time to release her.

The power anthem was written by the Dutch songwriting trio Amy van der Wel, Luuk van Beers and Tony Cornelissen.
Listen to the song right here:

What do you think of ‘Mata Hari’?
Let us know in the comments below!