Now Eurovision 2025 is firmly behind us and we’ve had a chance to properly digest the shitshow events of Basel, it’s now time to discuss What Went Wrong. We’ve all had a chance to mull over the results of the contest. The Eurovision 2025 final saw some very dramatic results, but 11 acts did not get a chance to see that.
In our 5 part Euan, Shiloh, and Kittens discuss what went wrong with Azerbaijan.
Who are Mamagama?
Mamagama is a trio that consist of Asef on vocals, Hasan on guitar and Arif on drums and was formed in 2021. The trio has numerous experience performing in numerous festivals including Albaniaโs Kรซnga Magjike in 2022.
What are the issues with the selection?
Euan – The strategy is good. There aren’t problems with how they’re actually going about this route, it’s just not gone the right way. How they’ve gone about this should continue.
Shiloh – None, honestly. Mad respect to Azerbaijan for abandoning the foreign songwriters over the past few years and choosing more indie artists with a more centralized, local sound. It hasn’t been a winning formula for Eurovision so far, but I have faith.
Kittens – A much stronger selection this time around, with a much better idea of what could work on the Eurovision stage. While it isn’t quite to my taste, I can definitely see it has more appeal than what they’ve been sending recently.
Was the song and act good enough to be in Eurovision?
Euan – Shiloh can just do one. They were good enough to be in Eurovision, they do have a charm about them, and I do like the song, but this was just not it for Eurovision. It’s really pleasant to hear, but it felt more like a song that’s put first one an album before the actual banger.
Shiloh – Song yes, act no. I’ll expand on this later. I loved “Run With U”, it’s just the type of music I love to listen to at work or in the offseason, but I don’t think Mamagama as performers were quite ready for the big stage. The lead singer in particular had this kind of manic, restless energy to him that I really really wish would have been toned down.
Kittens – it’s hard to know consistency about this act as we had a bit less exposure to them than some other artists, but you could definitely see there was the makings of a good act there. I do think they struggled on the big stage to engage with the audience, and the vocal was not 100%, which probably indicates they need a few more years of refining as performers.
Did the staging compliment the song and stand out?
Euan – No element of this made any sense. There’s certainly a unique sound that the song had in comparison to the rest of the songs this year, but for the staging it just completely flattened it. Not helped by the deluge of red we saw over multiple acts. None of the elements alone worked with the song, and together it came off as very messy and quite amateurish – and I say this as someone who usually adores Azerbaijan’s stagings.
Shiloh – Oh no. God no. Azerbaijan has struggled with staging in recent years (which is odd, because back when I was getting into Eurovision they were much better at it) and this is no exception. The orange? The odd use of the backup dancers? The set piece? The aforementioned manic lead singer energy? Yeah. It just felt unsettling. I would have preferred darker lighting, closer shots, and a LOT more subtlety.
Kittens – I don’t really know what I was expecting, but this was absolutely not what I was expecting. Especially when there is a built up, all ready aesthetic from the (actually excellent) music video, why would you bin that whole idea? It’s Hoida Mut at UMK all over again – messy, doesn’t tell a story, doesn’t make the most of the performers, doesn’t make it memorable. A real shame.
Could this song have qualified if changes were made?
Euan – I honestly think that with a better staging concept there was a possibility of this being able to scrape a 10th place
Shiloh – With significantly improved staging, yeah, maybe. Again, I loved the song and it was definitely a unique one in Eurovision this year, so with the right staging it could have scraped through 9th or 10th.
Kittens – Borderline, always borderline. I don’t think there’s a way for this to confidently get over the line. But if you managed to redo the staging, and deal with the vocal issues, it might inch over the line.
What are our outlooks for future contests?
Euan – Despite all this I am still confident that Azerbaijan are going to turn the corner. It’s regrettable the results of the last three years, but the actual strategy they’ve gone down isn’t actually a bad one. I think they just need to do more to drum up solid established talent and be more active instead of passive in that hunt. I firmly believe there’s potential for them to be a solidly top ten country again.
Shiloh – I think Azerbaijan is really trying to cook something up, and I hope that after this year’s result they don’t totally scrap their current strategy and return to their previous approach. The thing that ultimately needs to be fixed is the staging–keep trucking on with that artist selection method and something will come of it.
Kittens – best selection they’ve done in a long while, and genuinely offering something a little different in the competition, with a bit of their own special flavour – if they keep this up they could get somewhere…. just depends if they actually manage to do it.
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 Mamagama to represent them in 2025 with the song “Run With U”; they scored seven points in the first semifinal, placing fifteenth and missing out on the Grand Final for a third 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 โThat Eurovision Siteโ onย Twitter,ย Facebook,ย Instagram,ย TikTok,ย Threadsย andย Blueskyย as we prepare for Eurovision 2024!
Source: That Eurovision Site
Image Credit: Sarah Louise Bennett / EBU