On Tuesday, May 18, Rotterdam hosted the first semi-final of the 2021 Eurovision Song Contest.

The Russian singer Manizha, who performed at the third number with the song Russian Woman, entered the finale of the show.

The artist appeared on the stage in a voluminous dress made of rags - they were sent by women of different nationalities from a number of regions of Russia.

Soon, Manizha pulled out of her outfit and sang the rest of the song in a red jumpsuit.

According to the singer herself, her dress "demonstrates how many nationalities there are in our country."

The overalls, on the other hand, symbolize stereotypes associated with the role of a woman.

During the performance, images of paintings were broadcast on the screens, which reflected Russian folklore motives, as well as motivating phrases flashed.

In the second half of the issue, the images were replaced by videos with famous Russian women representing different peoples.

Among them are Chulpan Khamatova, Alexandra Bortich, Tatiana Bulanova and others.

Numerous members sang along with Manizha.

At the end, their images formed into the title of the song.

Manizha expects her act to inspire viewers to make positive changes in their lives.

“I really wish that a person who is now in some kind of mental disorder could see this performance and just be inspired, could just stand in front of the mirror and say:“ I'm cool!

I can change my life!

I want to move forward! "

- said the singer on the First Channel.

First finalists

According to the results of voting by viewers and members of the jury, nine more contestants passed to the Eurovision final.

Among them - the Lithuanian The Roop, who performed with the electropop song Discoteque and performed an incendiary dance. 

Greek singer Elena Tsagrinu, representing Cyprus with the song El Diablo, decided to surprise the audience with a frank outfit and spectacular dance.

Earlier, the composition was at the center of a scandal - a petition appeared on the network, the authors of which demanded to remove it due to the fact that it allegedly offends the feelings of believers.

This incident did not prevent Tsagrin from reaching the final. 

Also, the popular Belgian band Hooverphonic, which previously released such hits as Mad About You and Vinegar & Salt, will continue to fight for the award.

At Eurovision, artists perform with the song The Wrong Place.

Samira Efendi from Azerbaijan presented a song about the famous spy Mata Hari and performed it in English and Azerbaijani.

Oriental motives sound in the composition.

Also, a song with a national flavor and in the native language was chosen by the Ukrainian group Go_A.

She performed with a composition called "Noise". 

Another finalist was the Maltese singer Destiny Chucuniere with the song Je Me Casse.

According to bookmakers, the artist is one of the main contenders for the victory.

Also, artists from Israel (Eden Alene), Sweden (Tusse) and Norway (TIX) will continue to fight for the first place.

Other participants in the first semi-final included Ana Soklich (Slovenia), Montaigne (Australia), Vasil (North Macedonia), Leslie Roy (Ireland), Albina (Croatia) and Roxen (Romania).

According to the selection results, they were not included in the top ten finalists. 

The second semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest will take place on Thursday 20 May.

Representatives of San Marino, Estonia, Czech Republic, Greece, Austria, Poland, Moldova, Iceland, Serbia, Georgia, Albania, Portugal, Bulgaria, Finland, Latvia, Switzerland and Denmark will take the stage.

Ten out of 17 artists will advance to the final of the competition.

Musicians from 26 countries will compete for the victory on May 22.

Surinamese singer Zhangyu Makroi, playing for the Netherlands, as well as representatives of the Big Five countries, the founders of the competition - Great Britain, Germany, France, Italy and Spain, will join the 20 artists and creative teams selected at the end of the semifinals.

Russian Woman

Manizha Khamraeva was born in the capital of the Tajik SSR, Dushanbe, on July 8, 1991.

Soon the family of the future singer moved to Moscow due to the civil war.

Manizhi's interest in music, which arose in childhood, was supported by her grandmother.

Later, the singer took her surname Sangin.

From the age of 12, Manizha has performed at music festivals and competitions.

In 2003, the aspiring singer took the Grand Prix at the international competition for young singers Rainbow Stars in Jurmala.

In 2007, the artist began performing under the creative pseudonym Ru.Kola.

Her first song, "I Neglect", became a hit.

The video for the composition was shown on various music TV channels.

The album of the same name, which included 11 songs, was released in 2008.

Around the same time, Manizha Sangin began to study at the Russian State Humanitarian University at the Faculty of Psychology.

Three years later, she left the production project: according to the recollections of the singer, she liked to give concerts, but the repertoire did not suit her in full.

For some time, Manizha participated in various musical projects, and in 2013 she started promoting her blog on Instagram.

She also began to make money on social networks by promoting other projects.

With the money raised, the singer independently recorded the second album, Manuscript, which she distributed through social networks in 2016.

Thus, she again captured the attention of the public and was able to return to the stage.

A year later, the artist gave a big concert at the Ice Palace in St. Petersburg.

The third collection "YaIAM" was released in 2018.

In 2020, Manijou Sangin was appointed UN Goodwill Ambassador for Refugees.

The artist also fights against domestic violence and is an ambassador for the Gift of Life charity foundation.

Manizha became a participant in Eurovision 2021 following the results of the national selection, which was aired on Channel One on March 8, 2021.

Then she first presented the composition Russian Woman.

In addition to her, Therr Maitz and # 2Mashi groups claimed a ticket to Rotterdam.

Manizha got 39.7% of the vote from viewers.

After the victory, the singer was supported by many colleagues.

However, many users criticized the lyrics of the song and the very fact that the performer calls herself a Russian woman.

In April, ANO Veteranskie Vesti turned to the Investigative Committee with a request to check the song Russian Woman "for signs of incitement to hatred or enmity." In March, the organization also sent a complaint to the chairman of the Investigative Committee, Alexander Bastrykin. According to representatives of "Veteranskiye Vesti", Manizhi's speech violates national harmony and humiliates the dignity of Russian women.