Why Russia first entered the Eurovision Song Contest in 1994 and who represented the country? Bashny.Net

No matter what anyone says, Russia has always wanted to be part of the civilized European world. And those who belonged to the so-called elite, and even once visited Europe, tried to bring their homeland closer to the values of European society. The musicians and performers wanted to show that there are worthy songs in Russia. And the country is famous not only for laptas, balalaika and bears. Today's edition. "Site" He will tell you how Russia’s participation in Eurovision began. Many people wanted to go there, but Eurovision They didn't.



Eurovision is not just a European competition for young performers. This is an opportunity to declare yourself as a player in big politics. And most importantly, it is an opportunity to bring your performers to the international level. But in 1994, the Soviet mentality was still very deep in Russia. When, on the one hand, the friendship of peoples was proclaimed, and on the other hand, a complete ban on cultural figures from leaving the country. Well, with the collapse of the USSR, it was already possible to leave, only there was nothing even for artists. About how he lived in the 90 years and how the songs of the group “Combination” became a reflection of the reality of the Russian people can be read here.



About Eurovision in the then Soviet Union knew and even actively followed. But the opportunity to watch the full broadcast of the inhabitants of the huge country appeared only in 1989. With the collapse of the Soviet Union, no one thought that Russia could one day become part of the huge Eurovision family. But there was a desire. After many years of the Iron Curtain, I’m here. And already in 1993, the question of Russia’s participation in Eurovision became very acute. In the same year, Sergey Antipov, the main director and host of Program A, insisted that the first channel join the European Broadcasting Community.



The first step towards the European Community has been taken. And already in 1994, Russia received the right to represent its participant at the Eurovision Song Contest. The question was who to send there. After all, it was impossible to “hit your face in the dirt” and observe all the rules of Eurovision. These rules have remained unchanged for decades. And then Sergey Antipov proposed to hold a national selection of candidates. There were not so many applications, only about two dozen. But the repertoire was diverse, from Russian chanson to European pop music.



In the national selection in 1994, Masha Katz won. She was the only one to sing songs in English. But the condition of the competition was that the performer sang in the language of his country. The song Magic World had to be translated into Russian. And it was very good, because this was another condition of the competition. The song before the participation in Eurovision should not have sounded to a wide audience. The words and music Masha Katz wrote herself, helped her family. The song is called The Eternal Wanderer. And then there were preparations for the competition itself, a trip to Dublin.



Intrigues and scandals at Eurovision Well, what a Russian wedding without a fight. That was the case with national selection. That seems to be the essence of Eurovision. Many people disagreed with the jury’s decision. They tried to accuse Masha Katz of bribing votes, her connection with famous performers who gave her this participation. Through all this had to go the first participant of Eurovision from Russia. But Masha continued to prepare for the competition, think through the whole number and performance. Fortunately, she was helped by real professionals and supported in everything. Then Russia took ninth place in the competition. For the country’s debut performance, it was a great result.



But on returning home Masha Katz did not expect praise and great fame. On the contrary, they tried to forget about her. She was not invited to concerts or to the jury. And where she was, there was an order to expel her. Neither the organizers nor Masha Katz herself could understand this attitude towards her. Subsequently, she was a backing vocalist for almost all Russian performers. Her voice voice voiced the characters of Russian versions of Hollywood films and cartoons. But most importantly, her dream to attend Eurovision has come true.



Until 2022, Russia was part of the Eurovision Song Contest. National selections have not been held in the country recently, and who will represent the country is decided by the government. After the Russian attack on Ukraine, Russia was excluded from participation in Eurovision and from the international broadcasting community. Now Russian performers can only dream of international fame and the opportunity to represent their country at such a large-scale competition as Eurovision.