Russia’s Eurovision song selected
Published 08 March, 2009, 00:11
One of Russia's most promising young singers, Anastasia Prikhodko, will represent the country at the 54th Eurovision song contest in Moscow. She beat 15 other contestants vying to take part in the final on May 16.
Anastasia Prikhodko became famous in 2007 after winning a highly popular singing contest in Russia, The Star Factory.
Praised for her rich low voice, the 21-year-old star said she dedicated the song to her mother.
Prikhodko was born in Ukraine and has been singing since she was eight years old. She plays the piano, guitar and flute.
The national final in Moscow lasted over two and a half hours and involved two rounds of voting. In the first round, TV viewers chose 3 qualifiers by text and phone voting. The overall winner was chosen by a professional jury in the next, final round.
In 2008, Russian pop singer Dima Bilan won the Eurovision Song Contest in Belgrade, claiming Russia's first-ever win in the competition. His victory automatically gave Russia the right to host the 2009 song contest.
The Eurovision has been broadcast every year since its inception in 1956. One of the longest-running television programmes in the world, it is watched by millions of fans from around the globe.
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