Remember back in March when the world and his wife had an opinion on Julia Samoylova? And how Russian telly bosses insisted she’d get her three minutes in the Eurovision sun next year?
To recap the bit that made this such a spectacularly awkward Eurovision story: on 12 March 2017, Russia’s Channel One selected Yulia Samoylova to represent the country at the Kyiv Eurovision Song Contest with Flame Is Burning. But Samoylova had performed in Crimea in June 2015 after entering from Russia, and Ukraine’s Security Service subsequently imposed a three-year ban on her entering Ukraine. That ban meant she could not attend Eurovision 2017.
The European Broadcasting Union said it was “deeply disappointed”, while acknowledging that Ukrainian law had to be respected. It offered Russia alternatives, including a live satellite performance or changing the performer. Russia declined those options, and on 13 April the EBU announced that Russia could no longer participate in the 2017 contest.
Russian officials and media said Julia would get the chance to represent Russia in 2018. But, as of this August 2017 article, that was an intention rather than a confirmed entry. Let’s not forget that promises like hearts are made to be broken. Reports suggested that Julia was still waiting for firm confirmation. And that’s a shame, because of course Eurovision was her biggest dream.
Russian Eurovision legend (not our words) Philipp Kirkorov indicated a willingness to help write a song for her – hopefully something more edifying than the dismal Flame is burning. In the same 2017 interview, though, he also expressed reservations about her suitability for the contest. A generous offer, then, but not exactly a ringing endorsement.
Earlier that week wiwibloggs probed Eurovision pretty boy Sergey Lazarev to see if he might be up for the gig. He reportedly said he had not decided whether he would return for Eurovision 2018, ruling nothing out but confirming absolutely nothing.
It conjures up an image of Samoylova throwing darts at a Lazarev poster.
All told, it wasn’t looking good for Julia. She might have been best holding off booking that temptingly cheap flight or bagging a non-flexible hotel deal for now.
What happened next? In retrospect, the promise was eventually kept. Samoylova was confirmed as Russia’s 2018 entrant in Lisbon with I Won’t Break, rather than Flame Is Burning. She performed in the second semi-final on 10 May 2018, but did not qualify for the grand final, finishing 15th in the semi-final.
