Azernews.Az

Baku has hosted a press conference of the most unusual participants of Eurovision 2012, Buranovskiye Babushki from Russia, Trend Life reported. The band will perform in the first semi-final of the contest due in the Azerbaijani capital in late May with the song ``Party for Everybody`` in English and Udmurt.

For two days of press conferences, this one was the longest and was of huge interest for the media. Questions rained down, and the Babushki (Grannies) and the leaders of the band answered them with humor and songs in English and Udmurt.

``Performing on stage, we are changing and opening new possibilities in ourselves and see how the people around us are changing for the better. Youths sing, so why can`t we? And how! Although the `Party for Everybody` didn`t come easily to us. First it was translated from English into Russian and then into Udmurt, by letters, of course. The main thing for us is taking part in the contest, not victory,`` the Babushki said.

The Russian band includes mostly seniors, with the youngest performer being Alevtina Begisheva, 54, and the oldest one Natalya Pugachyova, aged 76.

Babushki said they chose a hotel on the shores of the Caspian Sea to be away from the hustle and bustle, quietly preparing for the contest, and they saw a sea for the first time in their life. And, of course, they promised in the near future to learn one of the Azerbaijani songs.

``We looked at a map and realized that.... Volga flows into the Caspian Sea, on the shore of which Baku is situated, and Kama flows into the Volga River, and our own River Buron flows into Kama. So, Azerbaijan is our home,`` Babushki said.

Buranovskiye Babushki is a folk band from Malopurginsk region of Udmurtia, from the village of Buranovo, performing a variety of songs in the Udmurt language, rehashing well-known Russian and foreign performers.

The ensemble was founded over 40 years ago. For the first time the band began to perform rehashing in the Udmurt language in 2008. On the Day of the Mother Tongue in the Udmurt Philharmonic the Babushki sang popular songs by Boris Grebenshchikov and Viktor Tsoi in the Udmurt language. Since then they have repeatedly been in the spotlight of the press and television.

The 57th Eurovision Song Contest will be held in Baku Crystal Hall, built near the National Flag Square on the Caspian shore. The Eurovision 2012 semi-finals will be held on May 22 and May 24 and the final on May 26.

Azerbaijan won the right to host the prestigious European song contest after the victory of Eldar Gasimov and Nigar Jamal (Ell/Nikki) at Eurovision 2011 in Dusseldorf, Germany.

Eurovision has a rich tradition and heritage, dating back to 1956. It is one of the few truly pan-European television programs transmitted live via the Eurovision satellite network, in prime time on free-to-air television, as well as online. The three shows attract a total of over 100 million viewers throughout Europe and beyond.