Aside from Australia, Azerbaijan is home to Eurovision’s most easterly capital and also its most recent entrant. They have been in it to win it from the start, triumphing in 2011 on only their fourth appearance in the contest. They haven’t hit the top 10 in the past three years but have always qualified for the final. Can Dihaj maintain their 100% record?

Azerbaijan’s entry last year, Samra sang “Miracle” and Samra’s lead vocals really did make it a miracle that it qualified at all. Strong backing vocalists helped it through, and Dihaj was one of those backing singers. Now she’s the lead artist on their contemporary electropop effort, “Skeletons”. I think this is an OK song but I wouldn’t have placed it anywhere near as high as this if it had been my own personal top 42. I think it has some similarities with last year’s songs, and I don’t think is that distinctive.

That said, it does have a catchy refrain, and Dihaj’s live vocals are more reliable than Samra’s last year. With less than a week to the first semi-final, first rehearsals have been taking place so we’ve had a first look at some of the staging. Azerbaijan is renowned for their staging and we were promised that this would be avant-garde – and indeed that it is and then some! I think this could be the moment Azerbaijan “jumped the shark” or in this case the horse. Nevertheless, it’s a sure fire qualifier I think – though I don’t quite know where it will finish in the grand final.

Mum’s reaction: “Didn’t hate it but didn’t seem to go anywhere did it?”

Official music video:

Live at Eurovision in Concert in Amsterdam:

Azerbaijan at the Eurovision Song Contest:

First entered: 2008

Appearances (excluding this year): 9

Best result: Winner 2011

Last year’s result: 17th