In her music video for “I Won’t Break”, Julia Samoylova becomes one with nature — appearing to transform into a snow-capped mountain.
And it seems she may do something as magical and arresting when she finally hits the Eurovision stage for rehearsals in a little over a week.
On Saturday Julia appeared in a Live Chat staged by Russian social network VK. She was joined by Channel 1’s Yuri Aksyuta, Russia’s Head of Delegation for the Eurovision Song Contest.
Since the broadcast aired the Russian media have focused on one key point — that her dress will play an important role in her stage show.
“The main dress in which I’m going to perform will be very interesting,” she says. “It won’t be just an outfit, it will be a part of the scenery. ”
In terms of Russian stage shows, this takes us back to Polina Gagarina, whose highly regarded stage show saw her wearing a large white dress that allowed for light projection. Interestingly, Julia shares the same stage maestro as Polina — the acclaimed stage director Alexei Golubev. He’s the sought-after mind behind roughly 300 music videos for some of Russia’s biggest stars, including Dima Bilan, Alsou and Valeria.
Fans of this year’s edition will no doubt be thinking of Estonia’s Elina, who, in recent weeks, has been trying to come up with the 60,000 euros needed for her own projection dress staging.
She had a projection dress in the Estonian selection — and it was pretty magical. But for the larger Eurovision stage she needs more projectors, and that’s been complicating the Estonian budget.
In any case, if Julia’s dress “becomes part of the scenery”, might she become the mountain again as in her music video? Is it possible she’ll be on a platform that rises to the sky as her dress stretches outward, creating something towering and ominous that, with the help of lights, resembles a snowy peak? Dunno. But her tease has our minds racing…
When we asked her about the music video mountain on the Moscow Eurovision Party red carpet, she said she wasn’t sure of what the concept of the mountain meant.
“I don’t know either,” she laughed. “I just tried to be myself while recording, so I think that it was good.”
Julia’s backing vocalists
Much has been said of Julia’s first live performance of “I Won’t Break” earlier this month at the Moscow Eurovision Party.
But rather than getting held down by that, Julia is moving forward. The backing vocalists from Moscow are not the backing vocalists she will work with in Lisbon.
During the live chat she confirmed she’ll be singing with three new backing vocalists and performing alongside two young dancers.
Two of her backing vocalists — Netta Nimrodi and Arie Burshtein — actually co-wrote her song, so will no doubt have mastered the various harmonies needed to nail their creation.
Along with Leonid Gutkin, the pair of Israeli composers made up the team responsible for last year’s intended entry “Flame is Burning.”
Do you think that Julia Samoylova will become a mountain on the Eurovision stage as she did in her music video? Do you think Elina should be nervous if Julia brings a projection dress? Let us know in the comments box below!
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I have a feeling it has something to do with a mountain. Maybe…
a) She’ll portray a mountain
b) She’ll “be born” from a mountain
c) She’ll gradually become a mountain
d) Dancers will stack up blocks around her, so she’ll become a mountain
e) All the above…
…and, yeah, projection dresses are kind of trite.
IT sounds there is a dress batle betwen Rusia and Estonia.
JUlIA against LA FORZA.
Who will Get the best DRESS?
The best live voice in the contest against the worst live voice in the contest
Well, this can’t get any more dated. Oh! And her back vocalists weren’t the problem. She was out of tune and screaming over them, so unless she improves or the new back vocalists are able to do a miracle, this shouldn’t qualify.
Russia at their worst got 11th. Very few are worried about qualification chances.
This song is so mutch better than Israel, France, Estonia, Bulgaria…..
Ukrain tookCharlotte Pirellis dress 2008.
are you joking, right?
lawl
Ukraine got the Hero dress? #MoreDrag
Probably her dress will look like a mountain. I am tired of dresses and projections. I need another type of drama, please!
projection dresses are too fastfood and nothing to do with real music 😉
Netta is fast food and she’s leading.
I WANT BURGER KING DAMMIT!
She will not repeat Polina Gagarina’s success even with dozens of dresses and an orchestra
Estonia will pull it off though, good luck to Elina
Because you at least have SING at a SONG contest
dress projections is way too much fastfood in the eyes of Salvador, so Russia is a certain NQ now
Waylon Sobral, Salvador Sobral Us Dutch Outlaws will slay against Russia 🙂
She should become a Matrioshka in the end!
Estonia then Greece and now Russia. May the best dress win!
All the clashes… Wait. Greece has the dress too!?
Yulia doesn’t want to show the wheelchair because she doesn’t want symphaty votes. Good for her, not like Mercy. Another smart move from Russia. You must give that to them.
Estonia, just give Elina a nice normal dress and that’s it. Like Ireland 1996.
Estonia really should find other ideas for their staging. Russia deserved the projection dress more.
Estonia had the idea first, so why should they give it up to a country that will probably do worse?
No one should use it. It’s not fresh idea. Boring
Citing six great philosophers of the Ural:
“Party for everybody! Dance!
Come on and dance!
Come on and dance!”
sixth in the final with aprons…
They were 2nd…
I’d vote for this if they dress her as the mountain!!! Please make her a meme
I feel so sorry for her. Being part of Russias game… Yuck
bland song and its about the song not about the stage or sadly her story she will get points and go to the final sadly not because of the song because people are going to feel sorry for het i dont think thays fair or to her .
its not about her she seems lovely i want to make that clear before i get jumped on just feel the song is gonna get more points than it should thats all .
inb4 she has no clue about the meaning of her dress turning into a mountain on the stage. 😛
oh yes, it’s the perseverance, cuz mountains don’t break!
Long dress or no long dress, I would still prefer seeing her on stage where we can see her sitting on a wheelchair. It is very much okay for me and she does not have to be embarrassed or upset about it if she thinks it that way. I mean, Monika (Poland 2015) successfully did it in the past. Lots of luck, Yulia!
I don’t think Russia deserves to qualify this year based on the song, but that said, I hope Yulia can put in a strong performance in Lisbon – the live version in Moscow was scary.
Can someone please delete Koits comment? This person is evil.
Ok.. i know the dress has been done many times before but if they literally do the same thing that Elina did in Eesti Laul then ill just consider it as a massive F you from Russia to us.
I mean they DEFINENTLY saw the Eesti Laul performance and if they decide to just “rip off” the staging then words won’t be able to describe my hate for their delegation (delegation being the keyword here).
Same. I feel like they put a knife against our back, not cool. But then again, this move isn’t new, since it’s RUSSIA. Sorry, but I lost all my respect for this entry.
You don’t have the money and Russia does. Please Estonia doesn’t own the idea or concept. It’s a competition and if Russia thinks it can bring their A-game and crush Estionia with a similar staging then good on them! May the better performance win!
What hexular is saying is true. Elina was the first singer in the WORLD to use a projection dress. It was on the news: a performer in Estonia invented a BRAND NEW thing: a dress with projections on them. Totally new original and their idea. Azerbaijan 2012 was a rip-off of Elinas staging.
If her live vocals are okay live, She Will crack the top ten. Their staging Will 1000000% be bomb and the song is better than people make it out to be. Throw just a couple of sympathy votes and we have a potential top 5- placement. (And Im dead serious)
Unlikely. The vocals from the Moscow pre-party were unsalvageable – they’d have to have many off-stage backing vocalists to drown Yulia out if they want any chance of sounding acceptable. They could still qualify, because Russia, but a top 5 (and probably top 15) is out of the question.
For me it’s clear that Russia will qualify. Based on the merits the song has. (I actually like it.) And regardless of Yulia singing well or not. Then on the Grand Final I hope she won’t go higher than 11th-13th.
If Russia is using the projectors and wants to build goodwill (i.e. points) in the former Soviet zone they should offer Estonia the use of the projectors for their number. Especially since they’re in different Semis and are not competing directly.
This is a song contest right? Why should Russia help Estonia? You bring your A Game to the contest! If Russia cares and bring their A Game and willing to come up with the money for a good staging then they deserve to go through. Estonia should try to beat that. Simple as that! I don’t think it is in Russia’s interest to help Estonia and I don’t think Russia wants to see Estonia in the final. I am not Russia by the way just think that Estonia should maybe be less stingy and get it together.
And what happen if both in the final?
I expected that.
Battle of the dresses then?
Right? Exciting times!
Can someone delete koits comment? Not that Julia Will ever read it, but just to show him that calling her an ugly cripple is disgusting.
Comments like Koit’s are the living proof that Russia (regardless of how bad Yulia’ll sing live) HAS to qualify. But hopefully not crack the TOP10!
YOU ARE EVIL!
They will both suffer if they both use the same staging trick. I feel like Björkman would also get pretty uppity over it. Either the techinques/dresses will be very unique to their acts or one simply won’t use it (in this case it would obviously be Estonia due to the budget problems)
New news: Estonia’s dress projection is happening!
I will be very interested to see how the two dress projections will differ from one another since I think usually the ESC production team would have something to say about two very similar stagings.