escYOUnited
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Azerbaijan AZERBAIJAN 2021 - Efendi - Mata Hari
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A-lister
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A-lister's review:
Out of the "bops" this year, this one is my #1, and if I should compare it to "Cleopatra" then the Azeri team got it right this time around and picked the parts that made the 2020 entry stand out, but in a much more finished package and stronger production. Unlike last year's entry, this sounds like a finished product where the different elements are well mixed together instead of feeling oddly put together. I really like the ethnic elements here and this might very well be the best Azeri entry to date! This one lands in my top. 3 this year, the highest personal ranking for an Azeri entry yet!
Out of the "bops" this year, this one is my #1, and if I should compare it to "Cleopatra" then the Azeri team got it right this time around and picked the parts that made the 2020 entry stand out, but in a much more finished package and stronger production. Unlike last year's entry, this sounds like a finished product where the different elements are well mixed together instead of feeling oddly put together. I really like the ethnic elements here and this might very well be the best Azeri entry to date! This one lands in my top. 3 this year, the highest personal ranking for an Azeri entry yet!
RevNet
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THE GOOD:
This song is pretty good. The Ariana Grande comparisons will be obvious, as they are now with this critique. The song might not win it all (it's a bit monotonous), but I do see it in the Final. 8 points
- Good vocals.
- Good, strong beat.
- The backing vocals are a bit jarring.
This song is pretty good. The Ariana Grande comparisons will be obvious, as they are now with this critique. The song might not win it all (it's a bit monotonous), but I do see it in the Final. 8 points
Iker
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It's an interesting view, very different than mine. 'Cleopatra' blew me away & this one I just like. It sounds like a much less exciting rehash of last year for me. I don't get that endorphines rush listening to it.
And imho the production in 'Cleopatra' was top-notch, here I am not completely sure about it.
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Bakinka
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Efendi - Mata Hari (choreography) Azerbaijan- Eurovision 2021
#eurovision #azerbaijan #efendi #matahari
www.youtube.com
njdevils94
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MAD20
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They better work in a serious coreography... What the hell is that?! Still can't get the hype for Mata Hari, probably the biggest downgrade from last year together with Georgia.Efendi - Mata Hari (choreography) Azerbaijan- Eurovision 2021
#eurovision #azerbaijan #efendi #matahari
I love this interview. She's so charming. It's probably Efendi's choice to answer in her native language, but I wish each ESC act had a similar interview answering questions in their native language.
Now, dear Efendi and team,
Add
pole dancing to the staging
Now, dear Efendi and team,
Add
pole dancing to the staging
Iker
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Maybe she's not fluent in English? But when she sings her English sounds fine to me at least.I love this interview. She's so charming. It's probably Efendi's choice to answer in her native language, but I wish each ESC act had a similar interview answering questions in their native language.
Now, dear Efendi and team,
Add
Bakinka
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Samira was guest on 'Fatih'in divani' TV show on Ictimai TV:
www.youtube.com
Fatehin divanı - Samira Əfəndi, Sənan Şəfizadə, Rəsminə Qürbətova, Ağamehdi Mirzəyev - 03.04.2021
https://www.facebook.com/ictimai.tv/https://www.instagram.com/ictimaitv.official/https://itv.az/#İTV#Fatehindivanı#ictimaitv #video #televiziya #baku #videol...
www.youtube.com
Brandt
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It is not uncommon for Azerbaijani singers to practice their English songs in advance although they don't speak the language. Happened many times in the past years.
Iker
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So it is possible for them to sound ok when singing in English but at the same time not be good at knowing it?
Brandt
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Pretty much it, apparently. You could often see Azerbaijani singers having a translator during press conferences and such.
Chingiz for example could speak Russian but for English questions, he had somebody else.
Azerbaijan Press Conference: Chingiz "Truth" @ Eurovision 2019 | wiwibloggs
Chingiz — Azerbaijan's Eurovision 2019 singer - had his first rehearsal of "Truth" yesterday in Expo Tel Aviv. Here's his first press conference.Thank you to...
www.youtube.com
Euterpa
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This song to me sounds like something that would have won in the 2000s, maybe I'm wrong. It's that pop + ethnic instrumental hook that reminds me of that era. San Marino is doing the same thing + it added that classic late 2000s/early 2010s rap bridge but somehow San Marino is doing that whole thing better, it has a stronger melody imo.
I can't help but feel they had some formula in mind while making this and created the song just like someone following a recipe to bake a cake. You know...there are cooks that know ingredients "inside out", so they use their knowledge and creativity to carefully combine flavours we all know in their own way in order to create something interesting and tasty. And there are cooks that just know what are the best ingredients that people usually love so they go like "oh yeah, let's put that, because that works" and then you have a cake that tastes good but you can tell that
- there's no huge effort nor passion behind that creative process (another country that suffers from this in this year's contest is Sweden)
- while the key ingredients are great, the combination of all ingredients wasn't the best possible one
I also have a problem with how the song follows this formula up to a certain point...then we have a shhhhhh break from which we have a sudden and huge build-up that sounds rock-ish and has nothing to do with the rest of the song.
Seeing some very awkward dance moves in the music video, I also feel like they just wanted this kind of song to represent them and didn't take into consideration is the song actually the best fit for Efendi.
I do enjoy some parts of this song, the melody is nice and catchy, but I can't get over the above-mentioned things. I won't be surprised if the juries don't rank this high.
Our Jacques also admitted he doesn't speak Italian at all, he just learned the pronunciation.
I can't help but feel they had some formula in mind while making this and created the song just like someone following a recipe to bake a cake. You know...there are cooks that know ingredients "inside out", so they use their knowledge and creativity to carefully combine flavours we all know in their own way in order to create something interesting and tasty. And there are cooks that just know what are the best ingredients that people usually love so they go like "oh yeah, let's put that, because that works" and then you have a cake that tastes good but you can tell that
- there's no huge effort nor passion behind that creative process (another country that suffers from this in this year's contest is Sweden)
- while the key ingredients are great, the combination of all ingredients wasn't the best possible one
I also have a problem with how the song follows this formula up to a certain point...then we have a shhhhhh break from which we have a sudden and huge build-up that sounds rock-ish and has nothing to do with the rest of the song.
Seeing some very awkward dance moves in the music video, I also feel like they just wanted this kind of song to represent them and didn't take into consideration is the song actually the best fit for Efendi.
I do enjoy some parts of this song, the melody is nice and catchy, but I can't get over the above-mentioned things. I won't be surprised if the juries don't rank this high.
Our Jacques also admitted he doesn't speak Italian at all, he just learned the pronunciation.
tkris
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Which songs are your favourite this year ? Who would your points go to ?Samira was guest on 'Fatih'in divani' TV show on Ictimai TV:
Fatehin divanı - Samira Əfəndi, Sənan Şəfizadə, Rəsminə Qürbətova, Ağamehdi Mirzəyev - 03.04.2021
https://www.facebook.com/ictimai.tv/https://www.instagram.com/ictimaitv.official/https://itv.az/#İTV#Fatehindivanı#ictimaitv #video #televiziya #baku #videol...
BorisBubbles
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Still not over how hard she ripped off Eefje de Visser's music videos lmfao 
Bitch WISHES she was an Eefje though.
(if you're unfamiliar with her, now is the time to get acquainted (link). She's a scheduled interval act and makes incredibly good music. )
Bitch WISHES she was an Eefje though.
(if you're unfamiliar with her, now is the time to get acquainted (link). She's a scheduled interval act and makes incredibly good music. )
BorisBubbles
Veteran
Lol if Mata Hari were derivative of any of the songs on Bitterzoet instead of Cleopatra (wait, does this imply MH would be in Azeri? omg ), it would probably rank first on my ranking. But I would rather have Eefje as a contestant for the Netherlands or Belgium (where she currently lives) in the future.
), it would probably rank first on my ranking. But I would rather have Eefje as a contestant for the Netherlands or Belgium (where she currently lives) in the future. 
Franzilein
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Not sure about the production team behind the music video, but the song was written by Dutch songwriters. There might be a connection
already waiting impatiently to see the whole thing
