Reunions are big bucks these days, just ask Take That or the Spice Girls. This hasn’t gone unnoticed by Eurovision stars. Last week we saw Moje 3 reform, now it’s the turn of Nigar Jamal and Eldar Qasimov aka Ell & Nikki.
The duo have reunited for “Music Still Alive”, their first single together since “Running Scared”. It’s billed as a tribute to Michael Jackson and samples his track “Human Nature”. It’s hard to tell why the pair decided that now was the time to pay tribute to the late King of Pop. The message at the beginning of the video states that they love him but isn’t that a rather tenuous link? But then again what harm did a bit of randomness ever do to anyone?
Unfortunately, like much of Azerbaijan’s musical exports this is all style over substance. The production values are top notch as usual but everything else about the song is a bit ordinary – not a word you’d often associate with Michael Jackson. The track plods along with Nigar and Eldar taking it in turns to reassure us that the music is still alive. But it never goes anywhere and ends pretty much exactly as it began. This is the sequel that “Running Scared” didn’t need.
Rating: 2/5
P.S. Here’s the Michael Jackson song which “inspired” Ell & Nikki. It really is in a different league to it’s surrogate offspring.
http://youtu.be/kql0ld02SS4
Padraig Jude contributed this report from Ireland. Follow him on Twitter at @PadraigJude. And while you’re at it, like our Facebook page to stay up-to-date with the latest Eurovision news and gossip.
Photo: Nigar Jamal
there are many bad people
just great and there are many bad
AZERBAYCAN CANIM MENIM <3
@Eurovisiondco: Try listening to Sweden 1984 … maybe you’ll have a list to enlarge more than what you would like.
Nunca me gustaron no me gusta y no me gustaran.Creo que voy a huir corriendo al escucharlo.
Oh man. Way to destroy a great song… Thanks, Azerbaijan.
These pair are a joke .. Just awful .. Rubbish personalities and to my mind worst eurovision winners ever along with Maria N for Latvia in 2002 ..
I still like him … but never liked her. Very ackward thing to do at this point for no reason … and creating a new (lame) melody and lyrics to an already known backing track is just … so wrong. Cheesy to say the least. I agree “this is all style over substance” and yet again ironically or not this statement is what defines 90% of eurovision entries. They both incorportate such idea very well: with awful vocals and a terribly made songwriting on this bizarre tribute.
Their voices sound horrible together and the song sounds really cheap.