On May 19, the first out of two semi-final rounds will be held in order to determine who will take the stage in Eurovision 2015’s grand final, held in Vienna (aside from the six straight-to-final countries). This list represents those participating in this semi, from Macedonia onwards.
Macedonia: Daniel Kajmakoski will be singing the song Autumn Leaves. The 31-year-old rose to fame upon wining the first season of X Factor Adria (the Serbian installment of the popular singing show The X Factor.)
Serbia: 28-year-old Bojana Stamenov will represent this country in 2015’s Eurovision Song Contest. She will be competing with the track Beauty Never Lies.
Hungary: Performing the song Wars for Nothing will be the artist Boggie (full name Boglárka Csemer.) She is best known for her track Nouveau Parfum, the video for which is something of a hard-hitting expose regarding the overwhelming tendency in media to photoshop the way a woman looks in order to make her “acceptable” to societal standards in regards to female appearance.
Belarus: Uzari and Maimuna will represent their country in this year’s Eurovision Song Contest singing Time. Uzari (real name Yuri Navrotsky) is a Belarusian singer-songwriter who competed in the country’s 2012 national final with the track The Winner, and in 2013 with Secret. In his first attempt he came in fifth, and his second eighth. Maimuna is a Russian-born violinist, who has competed in many competitions since 1990 in which she showcased her musical talents.
Russia: Representing the country with the song A Million Voices is 28-year-old Polina Gagarina. In 2003, the singer-songwriter won the second season of Star Factory, a Russian televised singing contest.
Denmark: Danish pop-rock band Anti Social Media will be competing in this year’s Eurovision Song Contest, singing The Way You Are. The group consists of members Philip Thornhill, Nekolaj Toth, David Vang, and Emil Vissing.
Albania: Elhaida Dani, 22, is singing the song I’m Alive for her shot at the Eurovision 2015 winning title. The original plan was to perform the song Diell; however, this choice was withdrawn on February 23 in favor of the aforementioned track.
Romania: Romanian rock band Voltaj, who won the 2005 MTV Europe Music Award for Best Romanian Act, will be performing their song De la capăt. Their discography is quite extensive, comprising of some 20 odd albums, singles, and the like.
Georgia: Nina Sublatti (real surname Sulaberidze), who is Russian born to Georgian parents and was moved back to the country in question shortly after her birth, will be singing the song Warrior. Sublatti is 20, and is best known for her 2013 win of Georgia`s version of the Idol franchise. The show in question is called Sakartvelos Varskvlavi. Her debut album, Dare to Be Nina Sublatti, is currently the highest selling album in the country to date.
Out of the nine countries listed, as well as the other seven that are participating in the first semi-final of 2015`s Eurovision Song Contest, it remains to be seen which of them will advance to the aforementioned grand final. This event will take place on May 23, 2015.
By Rebecca Grace
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