Azerbaijan in the Eurovision Song Contest 2012
| Eurovision Song Contest 2012 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Country |  Azerbaijan | |||
| National selection | ||||
| Selection process | Artist: Milli Seçim Turu 2012 Song: Internal Selection | |||
| Selection date(s) | Artist: 12 February 2012 Song: 17 March 2012 | |||
| Selected entrant | Sabina Babayeva | |||
| Selected song | "When the Music Dies" | |||
| Finals performance | ||||
| Final result | 4th, 150 points | |||
| Azerbaijan in the Eurovision Song Contest | ||||
| ||||
Azerbaijan participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2012 as host in Baku and selected their entry in a series of competitive heats and a national final Milli seçim turu, which was organised by Azerbaijani broadcaster İTV.
Azerbaijan was represented by Sabina Babayeva in the grand final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2012, on 26 May 2012, with the song "When the Music Dies", as the 13th act. She came fourth overall with 150 points.
Before Eurovision[]
Milli Seçim Turu 2012[]
Milli Seçim Turu 2012 was the national final organised by İTV that selected the Azerbaijani contestant for the Eurovision Song Contest 2012. The competition consisted of ten shows that commenced on 28 November 2011 and concluded with a winning artist on 12 February 2012. The ten shows were hosted by Husniye Maharramova, Leyla Aliyeva and Kamran Quliyev.[1] All shows were broadcast on İTV and streamed online via the broadcaster's website itv.az. The final was also streamed online at the official Eurovision Song Contest website eurovision.tv.[2]
Format[]
The competition consisted of ten televised shows including eight heats and a semi-final, each held across five days between 17 December 2012 and 3 February 2012. During the heats and semi-final, each artist performed five cover versions of various songs: a foreign song on Monday, an Azerbaijani song on Tuesday, a former Eurovision song on Wednesday, a song with special focus on performance on Thursday, and a song of their choice on Friday. The 50/50 combination of public voting via SMS and the votes of a jury panel determined the winner of each heat that advanced to the semi-final, while the combination of public and jury voting determined the five qualifiers that advanced to the final on 12 February 2012. In the final, the winner was selected by the jury from the remaining artists.[3]
Competing artists[]
On 15 October 2011, İTV called for interested artists to apply for the competition by 25 October 2011. Eligible artists were those that were citizens of Azerbaijan or part of the Azerbaijani diaspora.[4] 119 applications were received and 72 artists were selected by the broadcaster for the competition.[5] Among the competing artists were Yan Kashepava and Caspian Dreamers from the United States and Vlada Akhundova from Russia.[6]
Shows[]
Heat 1[]
The first heat took place between 28 November and 2 December 2011 at the İTV studios in Baku. Orkhan Karimli was selected to advance to the semi-final based on the combination of a public and jury vote.
| Draw | Artist | Place |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ramin Guliyev | 4 |
| 2 | Janana Zeynalova | 7 |
| 3 | Orkhan Mirzayev | 8 |
| 4 | Samra Rahimli | 3 |
| 5 | Kanan Gadimov | 5 |
| 6 | Anastasiya Bedritskaya | 9 |
| 7 | Amil Gojayev | 6 |
| 8 | Orkhan Karimli | 1 |
| 9 | Elnara Hasanova | 2 |
Heat 2[]
The second heat took place between 5 and 9 December 2011 at the İTV studios in Baku. Maryam Karimova was selected to advance to the semi-final based on the combination of a public and jury vote.
| Draw | Artist | Place |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rufat Aliyev | 8 |
| 2 | Mehriban Sadykhova | 9 |
| 3 | Farid Hasanov | 3 |
| 4 | Ilham Hamidov | 4 |
| 5 | Huseyn Abdullayev | 2 |
| 6 | Maryam Karimova | 1 |
| 7 | Sehri Rahimova (superaliyev) | 6 |
| 8 | Live Or Leave | 7 |
| 9 | Elvin Babazadeh | 5 |
Heat 3[]
The third heat took place between 12 and 16 December 2011 at the İTV studios in Baku. Khayyam Mustafazadeh was selected to advance to the semi-final based on the combination of a public and jury vote.
| Draw | Artist | Place |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Khayyam Mustafazadeh | 1 |
| 2 | Farid Ramazanov | 7 |
| 3 | Rustam Allazov | 5 |
| 4 | Rovshan Azizov | 4 |
| 5 | Aysel Guluzadeh | 6 |
| 6 | Yelena Karimova | 9 |
| 7 | Anar Safarov | 3 |
| 8 | Altun Zeynalov | 2 |
| 9 | Aytaj Valiyeva | 8 |
Heat 4[]
The fourth heat took place between 19 and 23 December 2011 at the İTV studios in Baku. Fagan Safarov was selected to advance to the semi-final based on the combination of a public and jury vote.
| Draw | Artist | Place |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Orkhan Nasibov | 7 |
| 2 | Emin Hasan | 6 |
| 3 | Empathy | 4 |
| 4 | Rinat Aslanov | 8 |
| 5 | Nigar "Nika" Babayeva | 3 |
| 6 | Nadezhda Mikayilova | 2 |
| 7 | Fagan Safarov | 1 |
| 8 | Kamran Azizov | 5 |
Heat 5[]
The fifth heat took place between 26 and 30 December 2011 at the İTV studios in Baku. Elton Ibrahimov was selected to advance to the semi-final based on the combination of a public and jury vote.
| Draw | Artist | Place |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Elnara Kazimova | 6 |
| 2 | Azad Shabanov | 2 |
| 3 | Samir Mammadov | 7 |
| 4 | Elton Ibrahimov | 1 |
| 5 | Gunay Ahmadova | 4 |
| 6 | Yan Kashepava | 8 |
| 7 | Suleyman Aghakishiyev | 9 |
| 8 | Fidan Huseynova | 5 |
| 9 | Aydin Eyvazzadeh | 3 |
Heat 6[]
The sixth heat took place between 2 and 6 January 2012 at the İTV studios in Baku. Adil Bakhishli was selected to advance to the semi-final based on the combination of a public and jury vote.
| Draw | Artist | Place |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Habil Ahmadov | 4 |
| 2 | Orkhan Afandi | 5 |
| 3 | Ramila Muradova | 3 |
| 4 | Elgiz Mammadov | 6 |
| 5 | Adil Bakhishli | 1 |
| 6 | Bakhtiyar Gasimov | 2 |
| 7 | Jahangir Gasimzadeh | 7 |
| 8 | Vlada Akhundova | 8 |
Heat 7[]
The seventh heat took place between 9 and 13 January 2012 at the İTV studios in Baku. Sabina Babayeva was selected to advance to the semi-final based on the combination of a public and jury vote.
| Draw | Artist | Place |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Erkin Osmanli | 8 |
| 2 | Ad Gloriam | 4 |
| 3 | Ayla Idrisova | 2 |
| 4 | Kamran Abdullayev | 5 |
| 5 | Sabina Babayeva | 1 |
| 6 | Khana Hasanova | 3 |
| 7 | Khayal Taghiyev | 9 |
| 8 | Natig Baghirov | 6 |
| 9 | Azer Salimli | 7 |
Heat 8[]
The eighth heat took place between 23 and 28 January 2012 at the İTV studios in Baku. Arzu Ismayilova was selected to advance to the semi-final based on the combination of a public and jury vote.
| Draw | Artist | Place |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tofig Hajiyev | 5 |
| 2 | Rinat Alimov | 9 |
| 3 | Arzu Ismayilova | 1 |
| 4 | Ali Mammadli | 7 |
| 5 | Ulkar Guliyeva | 4 |
| 6 | Abbas Karimli | 6 |
| 7 | Zaur Amiraslanov | 3 |
| 8 | Ulvi Rashidov | 2 |
| 9 | Caspian Dreamers | 8 |
Semi-final[]
The semi-final took place between 30 January and 3 February 2012 at the İTV studios in Baku. The eight artists that advanced from the preceding eight heats competed and Arzu Ismayilova, Elton Ibrahimov, Fagan Safarov, Orkhan Karimli and Sabina Babayeva were selected to advance to the final based on the combination of a public and jury vote.
| Draw | Artist | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Orkhan Karimli | Finalist |
| 2 | Maryam Karimova | Eliminated |
| 3 | Khayyam Mustafazadeh | Eliminated |
| 4 | Fagan Safarov | Finalist |
| 5 | Elton Ibrahimov | Finalist |
| 6 | Adil Bakhishli | Eliminated |
| 7 | Sabina Babayeva | Finalist |
| 8 | Arzu Ismayilova | Finalist |
Final[]
The final took place on 12 February 2012 at the Heydar Aliyev Palace in Baku. The five artists that advanced from the preceding semi-final performed three cover versions of various songs and Sabina Babayeva was selected by the jury as the winner. The jury consisted of Menzer Nuraliyeva (representative of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Azerbaijan), Faiq Suceddinov (singer), Zumrud Dadashzadeh (professor at the Baku Music Academy), Zulfiyya Khanbabayeva (singer), Tunzala Aghayeva (singer and composer), Ismail Omarov (General Director of İTV) and Rauf Babayev (singer).[4] In addition to the performances of the competing entries, Eurovision Song Contest 2011 winners Ell & Nikki, 2012 Maltese Eurovision entrant Kurt Calleja and 2012 Turkish Eurovision entrant Can Bonomo performed as guests.[2]
| Draw | Artist |
|---|---|
| 1 | Orkhan Karimli |
| 2 | Sabina Babayeva |
| 3 | Elton Ibrahimov |
| 4 | Fagan Safarov |
| 5 | Arzu Ismayilova |
Song selection[]
On 17 March 2012, İTV announced that Sabina Babayeva would be performing the song "When the Music Dies", written by Anders Bagge, Sandra Bjurman, Stefan Örn and Johan Kronlund. The song was presented on the same day via the release of the official music video. In regards to the song, Babayeva stated: "'When The Music Dies' is a very special song. I feel it. Every time I sing, it feels like it's happening to me again. I think everybody has had this kind of moment in their life. Actually, I do believe music really should not die, because it helps us to stay alive no matter what happens."[7]
At Eurovision[]
Azerbaijan, as the last year's winner, hosted the contest, and therefore automatically qualified for the final, on 26 May.
The draw that determined the semi-finals and running orders was held on 25 January 2012. As a result of this draw, Azerbaijan (along with Italy and Spain) voted in the first semi-final, held on 22 May.
Sabina Babayeva performed at the Grand Final and came fourth place overall with a total of 150 points.[8] The public awarded Azerbaijan 5th place with 151 points and the jury awarded 8th place with 118 points.[9]
Voting[]
Points awarded to Azerbaijan[]
| Score | Country |
|---|---|
| 12 points | |
| 10 points | |
| 8 points | |
| 7 points | |
| 6 points |  Slovakia
|
| 5 points | |
| 4 points | |
| 3 points |  Serbia
|
| 2 points | |
| 1 point |  Ireland
|
Points awarded by Azerbaijan[]
|
|
References[]
- ^ "Milli Seçim Turu 2012". 4lyrics. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Montebello, Edward (12 February 2021). "Watch now: Azerbaijan selects artist". Esctoday. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
- ^ "72 acts qualify in Azerbaijan". eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union. Retrieved 19 November 2011.
- ^ Jump up to: a b "Azerbaijan 2012".
- ^ "119 entries received in Azerbaijan". eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union. Retrieved 13 November 2011.
- ^ Castings for Eurovision 2012 Selection Started Archived March 10, 2012, at the Wayback Machine. Lent.az. 3 November 2011. Retrieved 13 February 2012.
- ^ Sabina Babayeva's Eurovision Contest Song Presented Archived March 20, 2012, at the Wayback Machine. 1news.az. 17 March 2012.
- ^ "Grand Final of Baku 2012". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 1 May 2021. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
- ^ Siim, Jarmo (18 June 2012). "Eurovision 2012 split jury-televote results revealed". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 21 June 2012. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
- ^ Jump up to: a b "Results of the Grand Final of Baku 2012". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 1 May 2021. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
- ^ "Results of the First Semi-Final of Baku 2012". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 1 May 2021. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
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- Countries in the Eurovision Song Contest 2012
- Azerbaijan in the Eurovision Song Contest
- 2012 in Azerbaijan