Blog Post 2: The nation on stage - Azerbaijan’s 2021 entry, “Mata Hari”
In my previous paper, I concluded that Azerbaijan national identity has been threatened by the ethnic-Armenian, both externally by Armenia and internally by Armenia’s irredenta the Nagorno-Karabakh region. With their incoherent values across the country and the lack of distinction from their greatest ally, Turkey, Azerbaijan is left grasping straws to create an identity for themselves. In this paper, I will be exploring the extent to which those facets are present in Azerbaijan’s 2021 performance at Eurovision in Rotterdam, Netherland. Meet the singer, Samira Efendi According to Eurovision Song Contest Wiki, Azerbaijan’s 2021 Eurovision entry, Efendi’s “Mata Hari,” got ranked at 20 th place in the grand final. The performance involved a female singer, Efendi, and five backing dancers. Samira Efendi, also known by her stage name Efendi is an Azerbaijan-born singer. Before she represented Azerbaijan in 2020 with the song “Cleopatra” and 2021 Eurovision with the song “Mata Hari”, she...