RUSSIA: Eurovision contestant expects stong competition

Record ID: 860058

  • Title: RUSSIA: Eurovision contestant expects stong competition
  • Date: 15th March 2013
  • Summary: MOSCOW, RUSSIA (MARCH 15, 2013) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF PRESS CENTRE EXTERIOR SCREEN WITH PHOTOGRAPH OF RUSSIAN EUROVISION SONG CONTEST PARTICIPANT DINA GARIPOVA
  • Embargoed: 30th March 2013 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Russian Federation
  • City:
  • Country: Russia
  • Topics: Entertainment
  • Reuters ID: LVA35GJOEAKJ39J6JE39MN312VNA
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  • Story Text: Dina Garipova, Russia's choice for the upcoming Eurovision Song Contest, said on Friday (March 15) she expected strong competition ahead of the in the 58th annual contest in Malmo, Sweden, which takes on on May 14.
    Garipova, 21, who is considered to be one of this year's song contest favourites, made the comments at a news conference in Moscow. At the conference she officially presented her song "What If", written by Russian composer Leonid Gudkin in cooperation with two Swedish composers Gabriel Alares and Joahim Bjornberg.
    "As far as I understand this Eurovision will be very strong, because contestants have outstanding songs and performances, and really good voices. So I just hope people will enjoy it and get positive emotions, and us, contestants, we'll do our best to make it that way," Garipova said.
    Garipova said she liked "What If".
    "I had no impression that it (the song) resembled anything, because it is so complete and I got so in to it right from the very beginning that I had no doubts that it would be the song I'd sing. Even if it might slightly resemble something, I don't think it's a crime," Garipova said.
    Composer Alexander Gradsky who worked with Garipova on her song, said that regardless of the Eurovision contest, he would like Dina to develop her career in Russia.
    "As I really don't care about Europe and other countries - maybe Europeans would be somehow interested in that and I don't care - I think she has to earn her singing authority here, in Russia, with Russian repertoire, which she will have to organise in the next two years," Gradsky said.
    Garipova won the Russian state channel competition Golos (Voice) in December 2012.
    Thirty-nine countries will take part in this year's competition which takes place from March 14 to 18.
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