Many of you may have heard of Eurovision, but few probably know what it actually is. It's a song contest that many countries outside of North America (not just Europe) compete in every year. It actually started all the way back in 1956. The singers representing each country, who usually compete in American Idol type competitions to make it, do not necessarily have to be from that country, and all songs are sung in English. Celine Dion sang and won for Switzerland in 1988 and ABBA won for Sweden, of course, in 1974. Those really are the only two notable, international sensations to come out of this contest. The contest is usually embraced more by smaller market countries. In Azerbaijan, needless to say, the contest reigns supreme! We are the defending champions and will be hosting the contest this coming year.
As the hype and excitement builds, my two friends and fellow volunteers Brad and Tim decided to make their own music video, a rendition of Jay-Z's "New York State Of Mind". Little did they know the video would go viral and get over 80,000 hits in less than a month. They, now known as the Caspian Dreamers, became national pop sensations overnight!
Well, the other night they had a 30 minute appearance on the station that is hosting this year's competition. I was invited and got to sit backstage. They concluded the interview with a wonderful performance! After, my phone was blowing up with texts from Azeri friends who had watched, all of whom pledged to vote for Brad to represent Azerbaijan. Oh ya, almost forgot, Brad announced his candidacy on national television! If it is anything like their youtube music video's popularity, you may be seeing an American represent Azerbaijan at Eurovision 2012!
Click Here for their Live Television Performance
the only thing that would make that better is seeing your tone-deaf self dancing in the background.
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