She represented Russia at last year’s contest with the ballad “I Won’t Break”.
And despite her non-qualification, Julia Samoylova has not been broken.
Instead she has gone from strength to strength, and last month gave a vocally improved live performance of “I Won’t Break” at God Dobrovolca 2018 in the city Veliky Novgorod.Our sources close to Julia reveal that she’s been working with a vocal coach and it really shows.
Unlike her Eurovision performance, there were no added effects or dancers with her on stage. Instead, the focus was all on her and her song. It looks like that played in her favour!
Throughout the entire spectacle, Julia seems way more confident and looks like she enjoyed her performance more. Moreover, her vocal delivery was much stronger than in her appearance at Eurovision. After admitting that both her vocals and stage performance didn’t deserve a spot in the final, it seems Julia has her self-confidence back.
On top of which, her pronunciation has also improved. It is clearly a much stronger performance. In fact, she even included some new notes showing vocal variation. Towards the end, she also sang a line in Russian, for added flourish.
The performance is part of the nation-wide “Year of Volunteering 2018”, which aims to unleash the potential of Russia’s younger generation for the state. Julia definitely honoured those selfless people who give of themselves by giving us her new and improved vocals.
Back in May, Julia ended up in fifteenth place at the second semi-final, thus leading to Russia’s first non-qualification since the introduction of the semi-finals in 2004. However, she has continued releasing music. Back in August, we covered the release of her track “Bez Odezhd”. хорошая работа, Julia!
What do you think of Julia’s performance? Do you think that this would’ve been enough to get her through to the final? Let us know down below!
Read more Russia Eurovision news
Props to her and to her team for doing good in Portugal. Even if she did not do great on stage, at least she fulfilled her dreams during her time there.
She’s clearly so much more confident and relaxed here. Such an adorable person I really wish her the best
Love this song and Julia!
To put her on top of a volcano was a flop of all time as a Eurovision staging. Nice to know she wasn’t lynched by her countrymen as we always do in my country Finland to our representatives after a bad result @ the ESC.
Lovely woman. Its clear her song resonates more with her now than it did at ESC. Julia the Eurovision family will always adore and love you. ?
Good for her! Russia didn’t deserve to qualify from the semi-final but Julia is such an inspirational person. So many times, songs which don’t qualify for the final get swept under the carpet and the singers don’t perform them again. Julia came back and showed everyone that she is much better than the performance she gave in Lisbon.
It’s amazing how Julia has kept her dignity despite being used, chewed up and spat out by the Russian executives.
Even I do not like a song, I love her.
Owh, good for her! I feel like she didn’t got the support she needed back in may to deliver a good stage performance.
I think that it’s way better than her semi-final performance, but it’s still a bit meh, particularly on her pronunciation.
Oh, that’s so much better !
That’s really a shame, i think a big part of the issue in the Eurovision performance was that they chose to lower the key/pitch, and it made it sound awful, just like Jessica’s “Party Voice” in the Melfest final.
I’ve said it a million times and I’m going to say it again: I love her, her song and the performance was great too. Would Russia have performed in Russian this year, she would have been able to sing better and finish top 10. I, again, wish her all the best and hope that the sick comments made about her haven’t reached or hurt her.
Although not liking her performance in Lisbon, she’s such a lovely and intelligent person, I simply adore her
It’s day and night ! Julia was very good singing and she shows her confidence in stage ! Congratulations
She obviously wasn’t comfortable with the staging they gave her in Lisbon.
Something pared back like this would have resonated a lot more with voters.
She want brake
It seems that her ESC performance is now water under the bridge.
San Marino could play the hero and fulfill her Eurovision dream, *properly*. But I guess they have “better plans”.
@Jo – yes they have the unstoppable “Human Ken Doll” Rodrigo Alves LOL
That was far more enjoyable than her Eurovision performance.
Nice to see Yulia in better spirits than last May. The song, however, remains a poor one.