Russia has decided: Manizha to Eurovision 2021 with "Russian Woman"

The announcement of a Russian national selection for Eurovision 2021 happened just last week with barely any details: no artists, no songs, no voting details... Nothing. All we knew was that Channel One would broadcast an event to determine the artist and song that will represent Russia in Eurovision Song Contest 2021 in Rotterdam.

Tonight's show was the first Russian Selection since 2012, and featured only three songs performed live from Moscow. The show was hosted by Yana Churikova.

The voting was 100% up to the Russian public who could only vote once. They voted for Manizha and the song "Russkaya Zhenschina" (Русская Женщина / Russian Woman).

Little Big performed the song "Uno" that were supposed to go to Eurovision Song Contest last year. The band had previously announced that they would not be up for competition in 2021 as they don't want to compete against their song from 2020.

Other guests were: Philipp Kirkorov (Russia 1995), Polina Gagarina (Russia 2015) and Dima Bilan (Russia 2006 and 2008).

Manizha

Manizha Dalerovna Sangin (Манижа Далеровна Сангин) is 29-year-old from Dushanbe, Tajikistan, currently living in Moscow. She began her professional career as part of groups such as Ru.Kola, and had a hit with the song Neglect in 2009.

Her first steps in music happened in 2003. Back then she used to take part in children's singing competitions and even went on to win the Grand Prix of the Rainbow Stars in Latvia.

It was in 2007 that she joined the project Ru.Kola and later on became a finalist at the Five Stars music competition in Sochi, Russia. She would replace this project for the Russian group Assai in 2011 and then for Krip De Shin.

It was with the later project that she recorded her first EP and performed at various music festivals in Russia. Once the project disbanded, Manizha moved to London to begin studying gospel music.

In 2016 she went to her music career and released her debut studio album – Manuscript – in February 2017. Her second would come a year later (ЯIAM). In 2019 she released her first solo EP, Womanizha.

"Russkaya Zhenschina"

The song "Russkaya Zhenschina" is written by Manizha herself along with Ori Avni and Ori Kaplan.

Manizha says:

– This is a song about the transformation of a woman’s self-awareness over the past few centuries in Russia. A Russian woman has gone an amazing way from a peasant hut to the right to elect and be elected. From factory workshops to space flights. She has never been afraid to resist stereotypes and take responsibilities.

– This is the source of inspiration for the song. By coincidence I wrote it in March 2020 while on tour, but for the first time I perform it a year later.

Russia in Eurovision Song Contest

Since 1994 Russia has participated 22 times in Eurovision Song Contest. They won the contest in 2008 with the song "Believe" performed by Dima Bilan.

In 2017 the Russian singer Yulia Samoylova was denied entry to Ukraine, and therefore Russia decided to boycot Eurovision 2017. She returned for the 2018 contest in Lisbon, but for the first and only time, Russia didn't qualify for the Grand Final.