Support The Moscow Times!

Russian Singer Makes Eurovision Finals (Video)

Dina Garipova performing "What If" at the Eurovision semi-finals on Tuesday night.

Russia's entry to Eurovision, Dina Garipova, will take part in the weekend finals of Europe's most popular song contest after clearing the semi-finals with a solid performance of her "What If" ballad.

Garipova, 22, competed with musicians from 15 countries — Austria, Estonia, Slovenia, Croatia, Denmark, Ukraine, the Netherlands, Montenegro, Lithuania, Belarus, Moldova, Ireland, Cyprus, Belgium and Serbia — at the first semi-finals at Sweden's Malmo Arena late Tuesday.

The second semi-finals will be held Thursday to determine another 10 Eurovision title contestants.

The grand finale on Saturday will feature 26 performers — 20 winners of the two semi-finals, as well as representatives of the host country, Sweden, and the "Big Five," the founders and the main sponsors of the contest — France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Britain.

Garipova, who was picked as Russia's entry at Eurovision after winning the popular "Golos" (Voice) television show on Channel One last year, is considered by bookmakers as one of the favorites at the contest, although Denmark's Emmelie de Forest with "Only Teardrops" is still on top of the most-likely winner list.

Garipova, who was born to a family of physicians in Zelnodolsk, Tatarstan, started studying singing at the age of 6 at the Zolotoi Mikrofon Theater in Kazan.

In 2008, pop star Dima Bilan brought Russia the country's only victory at Eurovision with "Believe."

His success was heralded by Russia's state-run media as a sign the country was finally making a return to Europe and reclaiming its superpower status in politics and culture, including popular music.

Material from The Moscow Times was added to this report.

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter

Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysiss and more from The Moscow Times. You will receive it in your mailbox every Friday. Never miss the latest news from Russia. Preview
Subscribers agree to the Privacy Policy

A Message from The Moscow Times:

Dear readers,

We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."

These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.

By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.

Once
Monthly
Annual
Continue
paiment methods
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.

Read more