The plot thickens in Russia as Philipp Kirkorov, the Russian pop guru and Eurovision veteran has now dropped big hints, which are all pointing at the return of Sergey Lazarev to the contest.
Jurors in New Wave
In this year’s edition of the New Wave contest, held in Sochi, both Lazarev and Kirkorov are, along with Dimitris Kontopoulos (producer/songwriter Belarus 2007, Ukraine 2008, Greece 2009, Azerbaijan 2013, Russia 2014 & 2016, Greece 2017) three of the members of the jury, which gets to decide a part of the final score. It’s interesting to note that all three were part of the Dream Team, which represented Russia in Stockholm in 2016.
Concert full of surprises
In contrast to Eurovision, New Wave is spread across several days and also includes gala nights and concerts, where no voting is involved. Last night, in order to celebrate Russia’s king of show business Philipp Kirkorov’s 50th birthday (which was in April), some of the biggest superstars from the former Soviet region gathered together, to perform Kirkorov’s biggest hits. Understandable, one of the artists performing on the night was Sergey Lazarev, who performed a song called Serdce v 1000 svechey (A heart in 1000 candles). After Lazarev’s performance, Kirkorov came on stage to praise him and Sergey thanked Philipp for friendship and for all the support he has given him. He also thanked Philipp for the fact that he had convinced him to do Eurovision and for the wonderful song You’re The Only One. To which Philipp replied with:
- “It’s not over yet, We’re yet to take revenge. I promise you, I believe you will make it.”
Which one can surely take as a big hint for the upcoming season. Is Sergey indeed planning a Eurovision return with Philipp Kirkorov in his team? There were pictures of the full Dream Team gathered in Moscow back in autumn 2016, it’s already known that Kontopoulos has written at least one new song for Sergey and Sergey has so far only announced two dates for his upcoming tour. Is Yulia Samoylova out of the picture? Which broadcaster is about to confirm for 2018? I believe we should wait in the upcoming weeks to find out.
Do you think Kirkorov’s wish of finally winning ESC will come true in 2018? Is history about to repeat itself, with Sergey Lazarev winning 10 years after his fellow countryman Dima Bilan? What is your favourite Russian entry? Discuss below or follow us on @ESCXTRA
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