Belarus

Robert Wells

About Quick Facts NameRobert Henry Arthur Wells Born07 April 1962 Nationality🇸🇪 Swedish National SelectionInternal selection 2010Eirodziesma 2007Melodifestivalen 2003Melodifestivalen 1987 In Eurovision2010 Oslo SongButterflies (with 3+2, 2010) Biography Robert Wells, born in Stockholm on April 7 1962, is a Swedish composer, arranger and musician. Wells was educated at Adolf Fredrik’s Music Classes and the Royal College of Music in Stockholm. Throughout the 1980s, he played alongside numerous Swedish artists, such as Lill-Babs, Gösta Linderholm, Eva Bysing, and Jerry Williams. He later embarked on a solo career, achieving success with the hit “Upp på berget,” which reached Svensktoppen in 1986. In the Melodifestivalen of 1987, he participated with the song “Sommarnatt,” and he returned to the Melodifestivalen stage in 2003, performing in a duet with Sofia Källgren the song “My Love.” Wells gained significant popularity as a pianist on the TV game show “Så ska det låta,” where he showcased his extensive musical talent. His “Rhapsody in Rock” annual concert tours have been audience favorites in Sweden and internationally, drawing over 1.9 million spectators in Sweden since 1998. In addition to his Melodifestivalen appearances, Wells also competed in the Latvian national final for the Eurovision Song Contest, Eirodziesma, in 2007 with the song “The Legends of Rock and Roll.” as a member of the group Johnny & Meldra featuring The Rockettes. In 2007, Wells contributed his piano skills to “A Song For You,” featuring vocals by Céline Dion, and also co-wrote the song. His music was selected as the official TV music for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. During the winter of 2008/2009, he was part of TV4’s “Körslaget,” leading his own choir. He wrote “7 Days & 7 Nights” for the Swedish hard rock band The Poodles for their 2009 album “Clash of the Elements,” and also played piano on the album. Additionally, he performed on the piano for Belarus’ entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 2010. In 2021, Wells appeared on TV4’s “Masked Singer” disguised as a raven. Entries Butterflies (& 3+2) Country🇧🇾 Country Year2010 LanguageEnglish LyricsMalka Chaplin MusicMaxim Fadeev Backings– Results Semi Points: 59Position: 9Running order: 16 Results Finals Points: 18Position: 24Running order: 9 https://youtu.be/MvK2KU2zfzA?si=KFhGTi9aHc9hlIw4

3+2

About Quick Facts MembersYulia ShishkoArtsem MikhalenkoElgiazar FarashanAlena KarpovichNinel Karpovich Active2009 – 2010 Nationality🇧🇾 Belarusian National SelectionInternal selection 2010 In Eurovision2010 Oslo SongButterflies (feat. Robert Wells, 2010) Biography 3+2 was a pop group from Belarus that participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2010 held in Oslo, Norway. The creation of the band was spearheaded by the Belarusian TV channel ONT alongside the initiative “New Voices of Belarus” in 2009. The band comprised finalists from this television competition. Securing a spot in the national selection for Eurovision 2010 significantly boosted the group’s popularity. On February 25, 2010, 3+2 was selected through an internal process to fly the Belarusian flag at the Eurovision Song Contest 2010. The group received various song submissions from Belarusian and foreign songwriters. After considering numerous proposals for their song, visuals, and stage performance, the group’s management decided to seek insight from the renowned producer and songwriter Max Fadeev. Fadeev delivered a complete package for the group within a week, including the song “Butterflies,” which he co-wrote with Swedish musician Robert Wells and Polish poet Malka Chaplin specifically for 3+2. Initially, the group had selected “Far Away” for their Eurovision entry but switched to “Butterflies” following unfavorable feedback online. In the grand finale, “Butterflies” ended up in 24th place, accumulating a total of 18 points. After the Eurovision Song Contest, the group had not been active together. Entries Butterflies (featuring Robert Wells) Country🇧🇾 Belarus Year2010 LanguageEnglish LyricsMalka Chaplin MusicMaxim Fadeev Backings– Results Semi Points: 59Position: 9Running order: 16 Results Finals Points: 18Position: 24Running order: 9 https://youtu.be/MvK2KU2zfzA?si=hkYZ0kobr6MbVQPq

Maimuna

© EBU/Thomas Hanses About Quick Facts NameMaimuna Amadu Murashko-Diko Born28 May 1980 Nationality🇧🇾 Belarusian National SelectionBelarusian national final 2015 In Eurovision2015 Vienna SongTime (2015, with Uzari) Biography Maimuna Diko (born Maimuna Amadu Murashko, née Diko, on May 28, 1980, in Leningrad) is a Belarusian artist, violinist, educator, and former concertmaster.Maimuna Diko was born into a family of scientists. Her mother was from Belarus, and her father was from Mali. After Maimuna’s birth, her parents moved to Mali. Four years later, Maimuna moved to her grandmother’s place in the Mogilev region in Belarus, where she studied at a music school. She began her musical education at Music School No. 1. From 1994 to 1999, she studied at the Mogilev State Gymnasium-College of Arts. In 1999, Maimuna received a scholarship from the special fund of the President of the Republic of Belarus to support talented youth. That same year, she enrolled at the Belarusian State Academy of Music, specializing in string instruments. During her studies at the Academy of Music, she performed with the Youth Symphony Orchestra “Moloday Belarus”. She participated in several international tours with the orchestra. One of the significant projects during this period was her solo performances during the orchestra’s tour on Reunion (France). She worked as a teacher at the Minsk State Music School named after M. Glinka for two years. In 2003, Maimuna Diko became the first violinist of the Presidential Orchestra of the Republic of Belarus under the direction of Viktor Babarykin. She worked with the orchestra until 2009. As a member of the Presidential Orchestra, she participated in numerous festivals and concert programs. The most notable among them are the International Arts Festival Slavianski Bazaar in Vitebsk (2003-2009), the International Pop Music Festival Komrat-2005, Songs of the World-2006 in Chisinau, Republic of Moldova, the International Music Festival Golden Hit in Mogilev (2003, 2007, 2009), and the Yuri Bashmet International Festival (2006-2009). Maimuna’s solo career began with the recording of “Humoresque” in 2009, composed by Kirill Kristya. In 2010-2011, she collaborated with Belarusian bayan player Pavel Nevmerzhitsky, recording “Csárdás” by Vittorio Monti in 2010 and “Libertango” by Astor Piazzolla in 2011. She also collaborated with Belarusian composer Yevgeny Oleinik, with whom she created instrumental compositions such as “Queen of Africa,” “Malanka”, and “Vyartanne”. In 2011, she released her first maxi-single, “Queen of Africa,” which included instrumental compositions from different years. Maimuna participated in the International Arts Festival Slavianski Bazaar in Vitebsk in 2011 and 2012. In 2011, she performed as a guest in the anniversary concert “Syabry Gather Friends” of the Syabry ensemble. In 2012, she performed at the closing ceremony of the Slavianski Bazaar together with Marina Degtyareva’s ballet “Maridans.” In July 2012, she gave a solo concert as the headliner at the “Ljubljana Festival” held annually at the Slovenian Philharmonic Hall in Ljubljana, Slovenia. In October 2014, she released her second album, “Showtime,” which brought together compositions of various genres. The music for the album was composed by Vitaly Sudin, a professional cellist and author of soundtracks for theatrical productions and films. Among the compositions is an interpretation of Michael Jackson’s legendary “Medley,” which became a tribute to the violinist’s favorite artist. On December 26, the final of the national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest 2015 took place. The winner was the duo Uzari & Maimuna with the song “Time,” which earned them the right to represent their country in Austria. The idea of a collaborative composition combining classical crossover and pop-rock genres belonged to Maimuna. At the Eurovision Song Contest 2015 in Vienna, Uzari & Maimuna unfortunately did not qualify for the final. In November 2016 she performed at the concert “Leaving No One Behind” for the 50th anniversary of UNDP and “Inclusive Belarus” company “Showtime”. She performed together with Konstantin Goryachy. In 2017, Maimuna started performing at the open-air venue “U Ratushi” (Freedom Square). She was accompanied by the Belarusian State Academic Music Theater conducted by Yuri Galyas. The shows were called “Pumayanke”. On December 14th, a new solo concert by Maimuna started at the Belarusian State Musical Theater, featuring a program specially prepared for listeners with different musical tastes, including works of various genres. In December 2019, she performed in Lithuania. On 18 March 2021, the official video of Maimuna’s performance of “Lacrimosa” was released. The video was followed on 8 October 2022 by “Misirlou”. On 3 May 2023, her new album “Broken magic” was released. Entries Time (& Uzari) Country🇧🇾 Belarusian Year2015 LanguageEnglish LyricsSvetlana GeraskovaMaimuna Murashku-Diko MusicYuri Navrotski BackingsYuriy SeleznyovArtyom AkhpashDenis Lis Results Semi Points: 39Position: 12Running order: 11 Results Finals Points: –Position: –Running order: – https://youtu.be/Cwjm1lRV4N4

Uzari

© EBU/Thomas Hanses About Quick Facts NameYuri Navrotski Born11 May 1992 Nationality🇧🇾 Belarusian National SelectionBelarusian national final 2015Belarusian national final 2013Eurofest 2012 In Eurovision2015 Vienna SongTime (& Maimuna) Biography Yury Viktorovich Navrotsky , better known as Uzari, is a Belarusian artist, composer, and producer. Yury Navrotskiy was born into a family of musicians. He attended several schools, including a general education school, a theatrical school, and a music school. In 2008, he enrolled in the Saint Petersburg University of Culture and Arts, specializing in jazz, and graduated in 2013. In 2008, Uzari began working at the Music Hall theater and caught the attention of directors. He played the roles of Kai and the Crow in the musical adaptation of The Snow Queen. His first publicly released composition was “Chto mezhdu nami” (“What’s Between Us”), which won the”Song of the Year Belarus award in 2011. That same year, he represented Belarus at the International Contest of Young Performers of Popular Music “New Wave,” where a star for Uzari was placed on the Star Alley in Jurmala. Prior to that, Uzari served as a backing vocalist for Anastasiya Vinnikova at Eurovision 2011. In 2012, Yuzari performed at the Slavic Bazaar Festival in Vitebsk. He participated in the Eurovision selection process in 2012 and 2013, reaching the finals with the songs “The Winner” and “Secret.” In 2014, together with Dmitry Piven, he served as a producer, composer, and arranger for the song “Sokal,” which Nadezhda Misyakova performed at the Junior Eurovision Song Contest. Finally, in 2015, Uzari, alongside Belarusian violinist Maimuna, represented Belarus at Eurovision 2015 with the song “Time.” Although the song did not qualify for the final, Uzari considered Eurovision as a significant milestone in his career. He has been awarded the Song of the Year Belarus prize from 2011 to 2017 and in 2019. In 2016, the “Art Platform” arts center was opened, providing vocal and dance training. In the same year, Uzari participated in the Ukrainian show Holos Krainy (the Ukrainian version of “The Voice”). In 2016, Uzari released his first single in the Belarusian language, titled “Mora,” which also won the Song of the Year Belarus award. In 2017, he released the Belarusian-language singles “Supratsleglyya” and “Ya vydumlayu,” a version of Ivan Dorn’s song “Stycamen” in the Belarusian language. In 2017, Uzari performed at the Sibur Arena during the St. Petersburg Tennis Trophy 2017 and participated in the international festival Laima Rendezvous Jurmala. He also performed at the Olympic Sports Complex during the Synergy Global Forum. In 2018, Uzari co-wrote the official anthem “This Land” for the European Games, which reached the top five finalists. Later, “This Land” was played at the Dynamo Stadium during the volunteers’ march at the Closing Ceremony of the Games. In July 2018, he performed at the Laima Rendezvous Jurmala festival with the song “Ya vydumlayu” in Jurmala. In August 2018, together with Dmitry Piven, he became the author of the official anthem for the St. Petersburg Open 2018 tennis tournament, sharing the stage with Dima Bilan at the Sibur Arena. In October 2018, he began recording his debut album, “Padzyaka sertsa” (Gratitude of the Heart). In February 2019, the single “Padzyaka sertsa” was released. On April 10, 2019, the album was released, along with a music video for the title track. On June 30, 2019, Uzari performed at the closing ceremony of the European Games at the Dynamo Stadium in Minsk. In July 2019, he performed at the Laima Rendezvous Jurmala festival in a duet with Latvian singer Aija Andrejeva, singing the song “Novae kino.” He also performed solo with the song “Padman” accompanied by an orchestra. In August of the same year, he performed at Laima Vaikule’s festival in Odessa. On January 18, 2020, he received the Best Performer of the Year award at the Song of the Year Belarus 2019 ceremony on. On March 21, 2020, he released a music video for his new song “Moy Vibe” (My Vibe). On May 6, 2020, Uzari released the album “Say WOW.” On November 5, 2021, Yuzari became a participant in the show “The Voice,” joining Leonid Agutin’s team and reaching the quarterfinals of the competition. Entries Time (& Maimuna) Country🇧🇾 Belarus Year2015 LanguageEnglish LyricsSvetlana GeraskovaMaimuna Murashku-Diko MusicYuri Navrotski BackingsYuriy SeleznyovArtyom AkhpashDenis Lis Results Semi Points: 39Position: 12Running order: 11 Results Finals Points: –Position: –Running order: – https://youtu.be/Cwjm1lRV4N4

Belarus disqualified

There will be no Belarusian entry in the upcoming Eurovision Song Contest. After the EBU decided that the song “Ya nauchu tebya” by the band Galasy ZMesta did not comply with the rules, they got a new chance. The band submitted a new song. However, today the EBU came up with this statement: “On Wednesday 10 March we wrote to the broadcaster BTRC, which is responsible for Belarus’ entry for the Eurovision Song Contest, to request that they take all steps necessary to amend their entry to this year’s event to ensure it is compliant with the rules of the competition. Following this BTRC submitted a new song, by the same artists, within an agreed timeframe. The EBU and the Reference Group, the Contest’s governing board, carefully scrutinized the new entry to assess its eligibility to compete. It was concluded that the new submission was also in breach of the rules of the competition that ensure the Contest is not instrumentalized or brought into disrepute. As BTRC have failed to submit an eligible entry within the extended deadline, regrettably, Belarus will not be participating in the 65th Eurovision Song Contest in May.”

EBU: Belarus, change the song or be disqualified!

At the moment the Belarusian entry was published, people started complaining about the lyrics. The song was, in the eyes of many, a way to explicit political song. EBU started investigating and came up with a statement on the Belarusian song today: “As part of the regular procedure for all songs submitted to compete in the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC), the EBU has carefully scrutinized the Belarusian song, Ya Nauchu Tebya (I’ll Teach You) by Galasy ZMesta to ensure it complies with the rules of the competition. It was concluded that the song puts the non-political nature of the Contest in question. In addition, recent reactions to the proposed entry risk bringing the reputation of the ESC into disrepute. We’ve written to the broadcaster BTRC, which is responsible for Belarus’ entry for the Eurovision Song Contest, to inform them that the song, in its present form, is currently not eligible to compete. Furthermore we’ve requested that they take all necessary steps to submit a modified version, or a new song, that is compliant with the ESC rules. Failure to do so could result in disqualification from this year’s Contest.” What we are now all waiting for is a reaction of BTRC. Will the lyrics be changed or will Belarus withdraw from the contest. To be continued…. source: EBU

Galasy ZMesta to represent Belarus

More or less out of the blue, the EBU announced the contestant for Belarus today. It is going to be the five man band Galasy ZMesta. The song, a feelgood song, is called “Ya naucha tebya”, which translates as “I’ll teach you”. Long time, nothing was known about what Belarus was up to. VAL, the duo that was supposed to represent Belarus in 2020, was not invited.

Allocation draw 2020 will be the same in 2021

As the countries participating in the 2021 Eurovision Song Contest will be the same as in 2020, the allocation draw also will be the same. Eurovision.tv just confirmed that the 41 participating countries agreed on that. That means, the countries will perform in the same part of the same semifinal as was planned for the 2020 contest. Of course, the following order will be decided when all the songs are known. The allocation draw was, and is: 1st semifinal, 1st part: North Macedonia Belarus Lithuania Sweden Slovenia Australia Ireland Russia 1st semifinal, 2nd part: Norway Cyprus Croatia Azerbaijan Malta Israel Ukraine Romania Belgium 2nd semifinal, 1st part: Austria Moldova Poland San Marino Serbia Iceland Czech Republic Greece Estonia Germany, Italy and The Netherlands will also be able to vote in this semifinal. 2nd semifinal, 2nd part: Denmark Bulgaria Switzerland Finland Armenia Latvia Georgia Portugal Albania France, Spain and the United Kingdom will also be able to vote in this semifinal.

VAL will not represent Belarus

Belarus will not be represented by the duo VAL in the 2021 Eurovision Song Contest. Belarusian state television company BTRC has confirmed that. VAL was chosen to represent Belarus in the, cancelled, 2020 contest. In an interview, Vlad and Valerie stated that BTRC decided not to invite them for two reasons: they had given their critical opinian about current president Alexander Lukashenko, and they did not perform on shows, organized by the authorities. BTRC denies this. According to them, they did not invite VAL for the upcoming contest because they were in fact not the winners of the national selection. Both jury and televoters had them in 2nd place. “Da vidna” won the overall voting. A strange argumentation. If you follow that line, Duncan Laurence was also not the winner of the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest. We are anxious who wás, according to BTRC, the winner of the national final. Yan Yarosh, the jury winner, or Chakras, who won the televoting? photo: president.government.ua The protests against Lukashenko remain. We don’t know what will happen in the near future in Belarus, so we got the feeling this story is going to be continued… source: ATN News

This week: Eurostream 2020!!

Of course, we would have loved to keep you updated for the rehearsals of the 2020 Eurovision Song Contest. But unfortunately, that is impossible.Thank goodness, this week we can follow Eurostream 2020, a great alternative for the contest.On Tuesday, may 5th, you can watch the first semifinal show. On thurday, may 7th, you can watch the second one. Of course, upcoming saturday we will have the Grand Final!!! You can watch them on the Eurostream Youtube Channel or Facebook Page.And guess what: YOU are able to vote in it. There will be an expert jury ánd televoting in the show, just like in the real Eurovision Song Contest. The first semifinal following order will be:1.Sweden2.Ireland3.Belarus4.Australia5.Lithuania6.Russia7.North Macedonia8.Slovenia9.Azerbaijan10.Norway11.Israel12.Malta13.Croatia14.Belgium15.Romania16.Cyprus17.Ukraine The second semifinal following order will be:1.Czech Republic2.Moldova3.Greece4.Serbia5.Poland6.Estonia7.San Marino8.Iceland9.Austria10.Finland11.Denmark12.Portugal13.Armenia14.Albania15.Switzerland16.Georgia17.Bulgaria18.Latvia So, although there will be no Eurovision Song Contest, there ís an alternative. Hope to see you this week!!