AZERBAIJAN: Bulgaria's Sofu Marinova rehearses for Eurovision semi-final

Record ID: 218231

  • Title: AZERBAIJAN: Bulgaria's Sofu Marinova rehearses for Eurovision semi-final
  • Date: 24th May 2012
  • Summary: BAKU, AZERBAIJAN (MAY 23, 2012) (REUTERS) BUS WITH EUROVISION LOGO DRIVING BY CRYSTAL HALL, EUROVISION 2012 VENUE
  • Embargoed: 8th June 2012 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Azerbaijan
  • Country: Azerbaijan
  • Topics: Entertainment
  • Reuters ID: LVA1J5IG6GATQNYB7Y5UYQTZOAZ2
  • Story Text: Bulgaria's Eurovision Song Contest 2012 entry Sofi Marinova, rehearsed her song the "Love Unlimited," on Wednesday (May 23) on Baku's Crystal Hall stage, just hours ahead of the second round of semi-finals.
    Marinova is one of 18 Eurovision hopefuls who are scheduled to participate in the second semi-final on Thursday (May 24) and are aiming to win the right to perform at the final to be held in Azerbaijani capital later this week.
    Marinova, known back at home as a Roma pop-folk singer, rehearsed a song which tells five different stories of love--not just between a man and a woman but also between family members and friends.
    Unlike acts with background vocals, dancers and theatrics on the Eurovision stage, Marinova rehearsed her song alone on stage in a white leather dress and a golden belt in front of a simple pink backdrop. The Bulgarian entry decided to rely on her "five-octave vocal range" which she skilfully uses to stir emotions, according to her website.
    The second round Eurovision semi-final entrants include acts from Belarus, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Estonia, Macedonia, Georgia, Lithuania, Malta, Norway, Portugal, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, the Netherlands, Turkey and Ukraine. Ten contestants go through to the final.
    In the first semi-final heat on Tuesday (May 22), Romania, Moldova, Island, Hungary, Denmark, Albania, Cyprus, Greece, Russia and Island were chosen to go on to compete in the Eurovision final to be held on May 26. The winners were determined by a 50/50 combination of viewer SMS voting and a jury panel.
    Azerbaijan, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom will join the contest at its last stage on May 26.
    Marinova, already an award-winning artist in Bulgaria, is the first ever pop folk singer to represent Bulgaria in the second semi-final on May 24.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2012. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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