Russia is through to the Eurovision Song Contest 2019 final with entry Sergey Lazarev taking to the stage in Tel Aviv, Israel this weekend. Following the first semi-finals, the nation has dropped down the odds of winning. Russia has participated in over 20 different Eurovision Song Contests and will be hoping Lazarev’s performance Scream will lead him to victory. Here is all you need to know about the Russian entry.
Who is Russia’s Eurovision entry Sergey Lazarev?
Russia’s Eurovision 2019 hopeful Lazarev is a 36-year-old singer from Moscow.
Lazarev’s no stranger to Eurovision having finished third in the contest back in 2016.
Eurovision fans will undoubtedly remember his performance of You Are the Only One from 2016 which peaked at number 18 in the Russian charts.
Returning to the Eurovision stage in 2019, Lazarev this time is singing Scream.
Scream has already gained a lot of attention from Eurovision fans thanks to the intricate stage performance that will accompany it.
WHY IS AUSTRALIA IN EUROVISION 2019?
Lazarev completed the first dress rehearsal of his routine for Scream earlier this month.
The Eurovision official website details exactly what fans can expect from the singer’s performance.
Scream’s description reads: “Sergey’s outfit (all white) contrasts well with the dark staging at the start of his performance, with meteors flying across the behind many Sergey Lazarev’s.
“He is multiplied eight times by mirrors on stage (and) as the song progresses, the mirrors become screens.
“We see Sergey as rain pours down, while reflections of him appear in different poses in the mirrors.
“The meteors are replaced with rainfall against a black backdrop before clouds swirl and lightning strikes.”
WHERE IS ISRAEL ON THE MAP? ARE THEY IN EUROPE?
Lazarev has also provided more of an insight as to what to expect ahead of the live finals.
The singer said: “This time it’s a completely different song, completely different emotion.
“We would like to express all emotions that the song has to the stage performance.
“So the audience will understand the whole meaning of the song, the whole meaning of this performance.”
HOW MANY TIMES HAS THE UK WON EUROVISION?
Eurovision fans will catch a glimpse at Lazarev’s performance during the second semi-final.
Ahead of Saturday’s grand final (May 18), 18 countries will battle it out for the last remaining 10 spots in Thursday’s semi (May 16).
Lazarev will be hoping to become only the second performer in Russia’s history to be crowned Eurovision winner.
His odds rank him as an outsider, with Betfair place him at 9/1 to see off the competition (odds accurate up to Tuesday, May 14).
In contrast, the Netherlands’ hopeful Duncan Laurence is favourite at 5/4, closely followed by Sweden at 6/2.
The UK, on the other hand, look almost certain to miss out on Eurovision glory as Betfair has placed odds of 200/1 on the nation securing victory.
The Eurovision 2019 final takes place on Saturday, May 18 at 8pm on BBC One.