We can not wait for the Eurovision Song Contest in Liverpool. Therefore, we have a closer look at one of the contestants every day. Today: Azerbaijan.
TuralTuranX
For the first time since 2008, Azerbaijan chose for a song that was written and composed by an Azerbaijani team. The lyrics of “Tell me more” are from the singing duo TuralTuranX themselves, they wrote the music together with Nihad Aliyev and Tunar Taghiyev.
TuralTuranX are twins. Their names are Tural and Turan Bağmanov and they were born on 30 October 2000. They are from Zaqatala, in the northwest of Azerbaijan. At a young age, they started playing the piano, soon followed by the synthesizer and the guitar. However, when their father passed away it made them stop making music for a while.
Tural moved to Baku and played in a band called TheRedJungle. He was later joined by his brother. Their Eurovision Song, “Tell me more”, is their debut as a duo.
Twins in Eurovision
TuralTuranX are twins. They are, however, not the first twins in Eurovision. In 1959, the sisters Alice and Ellen Kessler were the first ever twins in Eurovision history. They sang “Heute Abend woll’n wir tanzen geh’n” for Germany. But don’t forget Sophie & Magaly, who made “Le papa pinqouin” Eurovision history in 1980. Unfortunately, both girls passed away already.
In 2010, we saw Twiins…. true, Daniela and Veronika Nízlová, representing Slovakia, are also twins. They didn’t reach the final. But who forgot Edward and John Grimes, aka Jedward. They were on Eurovision stage twice: in 2011 and 2012. And it looks like this was the decennium of the twins. In 2013, we saw Anastasiya and Maria Tolmachevy for Russia on stage. And what to think of OG3NE? In 2017 the three sisters represented the Netherlands. Two of the three, Amy and Shelley, are twins.
In 2021 we saw twins again on stage. And again it was for The Netherlands. Jeangu Macrooy performed as a soloist, but his twin brother Xilan was in the backings. And now we have TuralTuranX!
Azerbaijan in the Eurovision Song Contest
Azerbaijan was quite a successful country in Eurovision so far. They took part for the first time in 2008. In all those years, they only missed the final on one occasion. The country won in 2011 with Ell & Nikki and their “Running scared”. But the top-5 was reached more often: already at their 2nd participation in 2009, AySel & Arash reached a 3rd place with their “Always”. Being the favourite at the betting odds, Safura became 5th with her song “Drip drop” in 2010. As a host country contribution in 2012, Sabina Babayeva‘s “When the music dies” became 4th. And in 2013 they almost won it again: Farid Mammadov ended up in 2nd place with his “Hold me”.
Bookmakers
It currently doesn’t look good for Azerbaijan in the betting odds. They have a 30th place, which is not enough to reach the final. That would be the 2nd time in Eurovision history for Azerbaijan. Let’s hope for the country that the bookmakers are wrong.
The song:
And of course, this is the song:
Robert Zolles, Wikimedia Commons Voting System Under Review The results of Eurovision 2025 sparked discussion in several countries. In particular, Israel won the public televote by a large margin, which led to concerns about the voting process. Some broadcasters have officially asked the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) to investigate. In response, the EBU released a statement. They confirmed that the televoting system worked according to the rules and that they found no irregularities. However, they promised to evaluate the situation and listen to feedback from participating countries. The goal is to keep Eurovision fair and transparent. Debate Over Israel’s Participation Alongside the voting concerns, Israel’s participation itself is a topic of discussion. Several broadcasters have asked the EBU to open talks about whether Israel should continue to take part in Eurovision. The request comes in the wake of political tensions and protests before the 2025 contest. The EBU has not changed its position. It maintains that Eurovision is a non-political event and that all active members have the right to participate. Whether this debate will affect the 2026 lineup is still unclear. The Netherlands and Others Begin 2026 Preparations Broadcasters are already thinking about next year. In the Netherlands, AVROTROS opened its submission process on 19 May. Artists and songwriters can send in their songs until 31 August. The broadcaster expects to make a final decision in December. Denmark and Finland have gone one step further. They have both set dates for their national finals. Denmark’s selection will take place on 14 February 2026, while Finland will choose its act on 28 February 2026. So far, Austria, the Netherlands, and Montenegro have confirmed participation. Andorra has announced it will not return to the contest. Most other countries have not made official statements yet. 