Azerbaijan to present duet with Arash at Eurovision
19-year old Aysel Teymurzada, who will represent
Azerbaijan at the 2009 Eurovision song contest to be held in Moscow
in mid-May, will sing a duet with Arash, an Iranian-born ethnic
Azeri singer and songwriter.
The announcement was made by Arash in an interview with the BBC. The two will perform the song Always, which he wrote and composed specifically for Aysel, at the Second Semi-Final of Eurovision, due on May 14.
"I was aware of an open call to select the song. I had written a good song and then sent it to Azerbaijan, and they liked it. Then I thought that since I was a singer too, I wanted to participate as well. So, it happened, and I am now heading to Eurovision," Arash said.
In order to find the right song for Aysel, an open call had been issued to both national and foreign songwriters to submit proposals. The national broadcaster, Ictimai (Public) TV, received a total of 30 submissions, which a seven-member jury had to evaluate. In the end, they unanimously voted in favor of Always.
According to Arash, Always will contain elements of Middle Eastern, Iranian and Azeri music, but its overall style will be European.
Born 1977 in Tehran, Arash currently lives in Sweden. His father, who comes from Tabriz, is a well-known singer in Afghanistan. Although the songs performed by Arash are European-style, they reflect elements of the Middle East.
Arash released his first album in 2005, which went gold in several European countries. He has created such smash hits as Pure Love, Donya (World) and Boro Boro (Go away).
The last Eurovision contest was held in Serbia on May 24, 2008 and was won by Russian star Dima Bilan. According to the rules, this year`s contest is being hosted by Russia.
Azerbaijan took part in the Eurovision song contest for the first time last year and Elnur and Samir managed to finish eighth in the final with their song "Day after day."
The announcement was made by Arash in an interview with the BBC. The two will perform the song Always, which he wrote and composed specifically for Aysel, at the Second Semi-Final of Eurovision, due on May 14.
"I was aware of an open call to select the song. I had written a good song and then sent it to Azerbaijan, and they liked it. Then I thought that since I was a singer too, I wanted to participate as well. So, it happened, and I am now heading to Eurovision," Arash said.
In order to find the right song for Aysel, an open call had been issued to both national and foreign songwriters to submit proposals. The national broadcaster, Ictimai (Public) TV, received a total of 30 submissions, which a seven-member jury had to evaluate. In the end, they unanimously voted in favor of Always.
According to Arash, Always will contain elements of Middle Eastern, Iranian and Azeri music, but its overall style will be European.
Born 1977 in Tehran, Arash currently lives in Sweden. His father, who comes from Tabriz, is a well-known singer in Afghanistan. Although the songs performed by Arash are European-style, they reflect elements of the Middle East.
Arash released his first album in 2005, which went gold in several European countries. He has created such smash hits as Pure Love, Donya (World) and Boro Boro (Go away).
The last Eurovision contest was held in Serbia on May 24, 2008 and was won by Russian star Dima Bilan. According to the rules, this year`s contest is being hosted by Russia.
Azerbaijan took part in the Eurovision song contest for the first time last year and Elnur and Samir managed to finish eighth in the final with their song "Day after day."
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