Russia sends Yulia Samoylova to Kyiv!

It was quite uncertain for a while, but Russia have now revealed their entry for the upcoming Eurovision Song Contest. They will be represented by Yulia Samoylova with the song A Flame Is Burning, which you can see below.

Yulia Samoylova

Yulia Samoylova is a 27 year old singer from Ukhta, Russia. She previously participated in Faktor A, a Russian talent show. Samoylova was born as a healthy child, but her health soon deteriorated. She lost function in her legs, as well as other functions in her body. That resulted in her having to use a wheelchair. Samoylova soon picked up singing, which gave her an opportunity to express herself even more. She found it helps her dealing with her situation.

Uncertainty surrounding Russia

Many fans were in doubt whether Russia would even reveal an entry at all. Several rumours in the past few months suggested that a withdrawal may even be on the cards. This past Thursday, Russia were to air a special TV show where they would discuss Eurovision participation. Many people beforehand guessed that Russia could indeed opt to withdraw, whatever the consequences may be. Such a withdrawal would have been because of a tensed situation between Russia and Ukraine, as the countries are involved in a military conflict with each other.
The other report suggested Russia may not attend tomorrow’s delegation meeting. All heads of delegation of the participating Eurovision nations will come together in Kyiv to officially hand in their entries to EBU. Whether Russia will attend is not yet sure, but there most certainly is an entry ready to be sent in.

Russia’s Eurovision history

Russia is one of the most successful countries of the recent years. They have never missed a final of the contest since the introduction of the semifinals in 2004. Since then, they’ve finished on the podium six times, including one victory. Dima Bilan won the contest in 2008 with Believe. Last year, Sergey Lazarev attempted his luck and finished in third after winning the televote with his You Are The Only One.

Your opinion

We’re curious to know what you think of the Russian entry. Is Russia’s qualification record in danger or is it a solid qualifier? Check out the entry below and let us know what you think in the comments section, on Facebook or on Twitter!