Dihaj, an alternative artist from Azerbaijan
By Laman Ismayilova
Diana Hajiyeva, an alternative artist from the Land of Fire, will try to repeat success of Azerbaijani duo Ell and Niki with her song ‘Skeletons’ at Eurovision 2017.
Diana Hajiyeva, whose stage name is Dihaj, will represent Azerbaijan in the 2017 Eurovision Song Contest with the song composed by Isa Melikov and Sandra Bjurman, the same team behind Azerbaijan's winning entry from 2011, Running Scared.
Dihaj is an alternative artist who got involved in the underground music scene whilst she was studying at the Institute of Contemporary Music Performance in London. In 2014, she created Dihaj, an electronic music collective, whose sound has been described as "experimental doom pop”.
Critics have praised Dihaj's originality and atmospheric vocals. "The most interesting aspect of my entry is that it’s different; from the slightly provocative song title to what you are going to see on the stage in May. I want to show the Eurovision’s audience it doesn’t matter how different or alternative you are; you can be heard and seen by audiences all around the world", she said while talking to the official website of Eurovision Song Contest.
"I do understand that I'm not a typical Eurovision singer", says Diana. "For me, Eurovision is a way to reach new audiences in so many countries. If you are serious about developing yourself professionally, you just can't ignore such a great opportunity to learn and speak to the audience", she added.
Forty-three countries will participate in the Eurovision 2017 that will take place in the International Exhibition Centre in Kiev, Ukraine, following Ukraine's victory at the 2016 contest in Stockholm with the song "1944", performed by Jamala.
Azerbaijan will act in the first semi-final, which will also see performances of Montenegro, Finland, Georgia, Portugal, Belgium, Sweden, Albania and Australia.
Cyprus, Slovenia, Armenia, Moldova, Czech Republic, Latvia, Iceland, Greece, Poland will perform in the second semi-final.
The Big Five and the host country are directly qualified to the final. Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom will vote in Semi-Final 1. Germany, Ukraine and France will vote in Semi-Final 2.
The final of the international song contest "Eurovision-2017" will be held in Kiev (Ukraine) on May 13, the semifinals - on May 9 and 11.
The official opening of the contest will take place on May 7 at the Mariinsky Palace, Kiev.
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Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Lam_Ismayilova
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