Now several months on from Eurovision 2024 we’ve all had a chance to mull over the results of the contest. The Eurovision 2024 final saw some very dramatic results, but 11 acts did not get a chance to see that. We thought we’d have a deep dive into these acts and give you our opinion on What Went Wrong. Today we’re going to discuss Azerbaijan’s Fahree and Ilkin Dovlatov.
In our 11th and final part Kittens, Angus, and Euan discuss what went wrong with Azerbaijan.
Who are Fahree and Ilkin Dovlatov?
FAHREE, who is the stage name for singer Fakhri Ismayilov, is fairly new to the music industry. In 2022 FAHREE released his debut single “Dance”. While FAHREE has a masters and Bachelors in Law, the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic made him realise he wanted to focus on music. FAHREE has released two other singles outside his debut and Eurovision song, they are entitled “Apardı uzaqlara” and “Yollar”.
Ilkin Dovlatov has also only been in the Azerbaijani music industry a short time. In 2023, Ilkin took part in The Voice Azerbaijan. Ilkin finished the competition as the runner-up. As well as The Voice, Ilkin has also taken part in the Azəri Star competition. Alongside his Eurovision song, Ilkin has released two further tracks “Ters” and “Geceler”.
FAHREE and Ilkin Dovlatov’s Eurovision 2024 song “Özünlə apar” was written by FAHREE himself alongside Edgar Ravin, Hasan Haydar, Mason Salikh and Mila Miles. Hasan and Edgar also prouduced the song.
What are the issues with the selection?
Kittens – Auditions are all well and good. You get talented performers who can sing on stage. But it feels baffling for the process to not need to also contain the song element. We’ve had plenty of performers who can sing and perform this year, but it’s been the song that has really struggled, and I feel like this has been yet another of these ones.
Angus – Azerbaijan have, besides some particularly notable blips, always sent in pretty good vocalists. The song is usually where the delegation seems to struggle. While one would hope that the recent change to utilizing Azeri songwriters might change that, it seems like İTV just don’t really know how to pick a song, which is a particular important part of the Eurovision equation.
Euan – I think there’s issues in how they’re selecting their acts. If they’re going down the bifurcated route of selecting an act and a song, then I really feel like the act needs to be chosen significantly earlier than when the song is chosen, else you’ll just end up with a fairly rushed together pairing of song and singer with songs that aren’t suited to the act’s vocals.
Was the song and act good enough to be in Eurovision?
Kittens – Good enough as performers? Yes I think so. The song just lacked a lot for me. It wasn’t memorable in any way, and I’m struggling to remember much about it now, only 2 months after the contest. Look, I love to see a country sending something that is authentic to themselves, but it has to have some more punch and more energy (not necessarily BPM’s, before I get called out!) than this did.
Angus – I am in full agreement with Kittens here. The performers did well, but the song was very much just… there. It was cool to see something so authentic from Azerbaijan for a change, but overall the song fell flat.
Euan – I think the song definitely was good enough to be at Eurovision. It was the perfect blend of moody and atmospheric to be there. I think that they were also good enough performers to be at Eurovision. However, I think in hindsight the two combined together didn’t work. The song was definitely outwith Fahree’s remit and you could really hear it at points in his vocals. He’s a great singer and performer but this was not a song for him.
Did the staging compliment the song and stand out?
Kittens – The song was low key and so was the staging. I do think it was a good staging for the song itself, although I think they struggled like other artists to really utilise the sheer size of the stage. Did it stand out? Not particularly. I’d love to have seen something much more distinctive that might have given that key to make it more memorable.
Angus – I frankly thought the staging was distracting. What was that face on the LEDs signifying? Why did a massive hand prop show up on stage? And how did anyone think those space-age outfits were the right choice? These are just some of the questions I was left with during and after the performance.
Euan – As a whole I think the staging worked really well at complimenting the songs, but there were some issues. The camerawork at points didn’t really work and it was quite awkward in the transitional point while waiting for the hands to appear on stage. Additionally, although I feel it looked great it didn’t do much to make the performance stand our visually, and I feel just a pop of colour at points would have had a substantial impact on it.
Could this song have qualified if changes were made?
Kittens – Honestly, no. In a year that was full of songs that just had so much more, this was far too low key, far too unmemorable. The televote was never really going to really mobilise for a song like this.
Angus – This song was miles of qualification and I really cannot even begin to fathom what a potential path to the final could’ve looked like.
Euan – As much as I love it, I think that being a mid-tempo song in the semi it was in, it was always doomed to not qualify.
What are our outlooks for future contests?
Kittens – As someone who has almost never liked what Azerbaijan have put out, I feel I am a little poorly placed to comment. But I think they do need to think much more carefully about how it will be received by the televoting public. I applaud them for trying to be authentic to their country’s music scene, and if that’s their primary goal then absolutely they should go for it. But if the game is to win Eurovision they need to provide something much more high impact and really show off what they can do, both in the song and the staging.
Angus – Who knows! Sometimes Azerbaijan does well, sometimes they don’t. Sometimes I don’t mind what they send, other years I hate it with a fiery passion. I do hope that they continue showing off their own music scene, and I am sure that soon we will hear and see them in a Eurovision final again.
Euan – They’re going to absolutely slay it and we’re going to Baku in 2026.
Azerbaijan’s Eurovision Journey
Azerbaijan is a powerhouse in Eurovision, first debuting in 2008 with the song “Day After Day” by Elnur & Samir, finishing 8th. The country has since gone on to achieve five top-5 performances, including one win in 2011. Azerbaijan has an impressive qualification record, only failing to make the final in 2018, 2023, and 2024.
Azerbaijan internally selected Fahree and Ilkin Dolatov to represent them in 2024 with the song “Özünlə apar”; they scored eleven points in the first semifinal, placing fourteenth and missing out on the Grand Final for a second year in a row.
What do think about our thoughts? Do you think Azerbaijan could have qualified? Let us know in the comments or on social media! Be sure to follow ‘That Eurovision Site’ on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Threads and Bluesky as we prepare for Eurovision 2024!
Source: That Eurovision Site
Image Credit: Image credit: Alma Bengtsson / EBU
Tim J