The 2020s are fast approaching. But when it comes to Eurovision the decade has already ended. What a glorious ten years it’s been! And Armenia has been there for almost all of them.
It missed the contest just once this decade. In 2012, it withdrew due to safety concerns when the contest was hosted in Azerbaijan. The two nations have no diplomatic relations and conflict between both is ongoing.
Overall, Armenia’s qualification rate in the 2010s is 66.67%. With a record like that, it’s clear that the country has had plenty of Eurovision highs along with some lows. But which of its entries did best and which did worst? Wonder no more as we’ve compiled a definitive ranking of Armenia’s Eurovision entries in the 2010s.
For the purposes of this ranking, we’re going off the percentage of maximum possible points which each entry received at Eurovision.
For example, a finalist in 2019 could only receive a maximum of 960 points i.e. 24 points from each of the other 40 countries voting. If an act finished with 200 points, they would have received 20.83% of the points available to them.
This is not to be confused with the percentage of all votes cast.
9. Srbuk “Walking Out” (2019)
Result: 16th in semi-final with 49 points — 10.21% of maximum possible points
The closing contest of the decade saw Armenia return to an internal selection. In November 2018, X Factor Armenia and The Voice Ukraine alum Srbuk became the first artist to be announced for Eurovision 2019. But fans had to wait until the day before the submission deadline to hear her entry, “Walking Out”. Alas, just as the Expo Tel Aviv crowd disappeared mid-performance, so too did support for the song. Srbuk finished third from bottom, ahead only of Austria’s PAENDA and Ireland’s Sarah McTernan.
8. Sevak Khanagyan “Qami” (2018)
Result: 15th in semi-final with 79 points — 15.67% of maximum possible points
The second season of Depi Evratesil saw Armenia return to a more traditional national selection format — 20 acts competed, each with their own songs. From this, Sevak Khanagyan emerged the runaway victor with “Qami”. The entry was significant since it was the first time that Armenia had sent a song entirely in Armenian. However, the dark and brooding number was left behind in a semi-final that has been billed as one of the toughest ever.
7. Emmy “Boom Boom” (2011)
Result: 12th in semi-final with 54 points — 22.50% of maximum possible points
Up to 2011, Armenia had never finished outside of the top ten. But the streak came to a abrupt end in Düsseldorf when the country missed out on the final completely. The 2007 and 2010 national finalist Emmy had been internally selected. Her entry “Boom Boom” was chosen in a four-song national final. Yet, despite its central hook of “Boom Boom, Chaka Chaka” and bizarre boxing-themed staging, “Boom Boom” came extremely close to qualifying. Switzerland’s Anna Rossinelli took the last qualification slot with 55 points, just one point more than both Emmy and Malta’s Glen Vella. Eurovision’s tie break rules awarded Vella the eleventh place spot.
6. Genealogy “Face The Shadow” (2015)
Result: 16th in the grand final with 34 points — 7.26% of maximum possible points
One hundred years after the Armenian Genocide, Armenia sent Genealogy — an internally selected supergroup representing the nation’s global diaspora. They were Essaï Altounian (Europe), Tamar Kaprelian (the Americas), Vahe Tilbian (Africa), Stephanie Topalian (Asia), Mary-Jean O’Doherty (Australia), and Inga Arshakyan (Armenia). Inga had previously competed at Eurovision with her sister Anush in 2009. Despite the historic centenary, the anniversary was never officially cited as the reason behind the group’s creation. But amid allegations of political themes, the song title was switched from “Don’t Deny” to “Face The Shadow”. Even with the diasporic call out, the entry only managed to amass 34 points from eight countries, including 12 points from Georgia.
5. Artsvik “Fly With Me” (2017)
Result: 18th in the grand final with 79 points — 8.03% of maximum possible points
Unlike the 2018 edition, the first season of Depi Evratesil was only concerned with selecting an aritist for Eurovision. In a format closely resembling The Voice, hopefuls auditioned before a panel of six song contest veterans. The TV broadcasts began on 1 October 2016, culminating with Artsivk’s victory on 24 December. Then, almost three months later, she presented “Fly With Me” to the world. Avant-garde staging generated much hype, yet the entry finished a disappointing 18th.
4. Dorians “Lonely Planet” (2013)
Result: 18th in the grand final with 41 points — 8.99% of maximum possible points
Undeterred by its first non-qualification in 2011, Armenia retained the same selection format for its 2013 comeback. This time, Gor Sujyan was internally selected with his band Dorians. They had previously come third in the 2009 national final. “Lonely Planet” was chosen from a four-song final. The entry quickly gained notoriety in Eurovision due to Tony Iommi being one of the songwriters. He was a founding member of Ozzy Osbourne’s heavy metal band Black Sabbath. While Dorians failed to light up the grand final scoreboard, they did finish one place higher than another British musical icon — Bonnie Tyler.
3. Iveta Mukuchyan “LoveWave” (2016)
Result: 7th in the grand final with 249 points — 25.30% of maximum possible points
Armenia’s 2016 internally selected representative was revealed to much fanfare. In the weeks and days preceding the announcement, the delegation teased fans with numerous hints including a silhouette of the chosen singer. It was, of course, Iveta Mukuchyan. Months later, “LoveWave” dropped. The song’s experimental nature initially left many perplexed, but everything came together on the Stockholm stage. Clever camera cuts, holograms, flames, and Iveta’s bodysuit and cape combo meant it was a performance that audiences couldn’t forget.
2. Eva Rivas “Apricot Stone” (2010)
Result: 7th in the grand final with 141 points — 30.92% of maximum possible points
Armenia kicked off the decade with a nine-song national final, in which Eva Rivas easily triumphed. “Apricot Stone” picked up over 10,000 more televotes than Emmy’s effort in second place, although the juries preferred the latter. At Eurovision, the catchy number was lapped up by the public — they placed Eva fourth. The entry stood out further thanks to the presence of a giant apricot stone which germinated and grew into a small, blossom-filled apricot tree in the space of three minutes.
1. Aram MP3 “Not Alone” (2014)
Result: 4th in the grand final with 174 points — 40.28% of maximum possible points
From the moment the last dubstep beats subsided upon the premiere of Aram MP3’s “Not Alone”, Armenia sat atop the bookies’ Eurovision 2014 odds. Talk of Yerevan 2015 was real. It wasn’t until rehearsals began in Copenhagen that he began to slip. Still, the internally selected artist secured a very impressive fourth place — Armenia’s joint-highest result. Contradicting the song title, MP3 stood alone on stage, winning over Europe with only his voice, song and a little LED. Along with Sirusho, he is the only Armenian artist to finish inside the top five.
Do you agree with the list? What are your rankings? Which is your favourite Armenian entry of the 2010s? Let us know in the comments.
Honestly, 2010, 2016 and 2017 are really the only Armenian entries this decade that I still find decent. Fly With Me was ridiculously underrated, but I can understand why it finished where it did because it didn’t appeal to me at first either. 2014 is also a good song that was one of my favourites at the time of the contest but has aged horribly imo.
I was in the arena during the semifinal show and was forced to go out being told that the arena should have been evacuated to make it seem empty ,as a constituent of the performance. But i had paid for those tickets and been allowed to see every second of the show. I was robbed!!!
You don’t actually think we believe this, do you?
I was joking:) btw if there are any native English speakers over there, i just started to learn English, so i am a newbie. Are there any mistakes in my comment above? If there are can you correct them please? Thank you.
Did someone else notice that Walking Out disappeared from Spotify?! What a pity !
Does anyone know why it disappeared? I’m so sad 🙁
It might have something to do with her production company. She’s signed to a big label in Armenia (Factory Productions) and they may want to remove Srbuk from this whole Eurovision obstacle. This is just a speculation though.
poor baby srbuk
I really hope Armenia wins in the next few years. Recently discovered Armenia’s pop scene and I love it. Sirusho’ Huh-Hah or Iveta’s Armenian Girls would have been amazing Eurovision entries.
Aram, Dorians and Iveta is my Top 3. But I still thinking Sirusho is the Armenian act up to this day. I’d love have her back one day at the ESC stage.
I think Armenia’s downhill already happened from 2015, where the creation of the supergroup Genealogy was not accompanied by a strong enough song. I think Iveta’s LoveWave is not even that strong: that staging is a saving grace after all. It was followed by “Fly With Me” which is slow-burning, “Qami” which doesn’t really engage, and “Walking Out” which feels too rushed-and-pushed. Diversity-wise, Armenia does it very well in the past 5 years, but I think they also need to find a gray area where it can be unique and experimental while also friendly for the audiences at home, like… Read more »
Interestingly, looking at their method of selection history: 2010 – An open national final with 9 songs – 7th 2011 – A private national final of 4 songs with Emmy – DNQ 2013 – A private national final of 4 songs with The Dorians – 18th 2014 – Internal selection of Aram and “Not Alone” – 4th 2015 – Internal selection of Genealogy and “Face the Shadow” – 16th 2016 – Internal selection of Iveta and “LoveWave” – 7th 2017 – Talent show national final and internal selection of “Fly with Me” – 18th 2018 – An open national final… Read more »
Armenia is right now in the phase Sweden faced between 2005 and 2010: no passion, no energy, and everything was highlighted by Swedish failure to qualify in 2010. Armenia, after two years of not qualifying and weak results in 2017 (even 2016, they expected to win, but they came 7th), will have to bring a bit more diversity in their selection. It seems to me they easily failed into a typical approach by many broadcasters: they choose one composer who did well once or twice in row and then they expect that particular type of music will do well every… Read more »
The only composer that repeats is Lilit Navasardyan who wrote Love Wave and Fly With Me and they are very different in their style.
Same happened to Azerbaijan who were a powerhouse until 2013, slowly decreased 2014 and after peaking with NQ last year. But they recovered fast with Chingiz and his 8th place this year.
Their entries in 2016, 2017 and 2019 followed the same path although 2 of 3 songs are from the same composer: very similar approach to staging, camera cuts and general atmosphere in songs. It cannot work every single time.
Loving these new articles. Very interesting to see the ranking of each countries songs.
My personal ranking of these songs are:
1. Lovewave (Probably best Armenian entry ever)
2. Not Alone
3. Walking Out (Should not have scored Armenia’s lowest ranking. Was better than most other songs in the Semi that were ranked higher)
4. Fly With Me
5. Apricot Stone
6. Face The Shadow
7. Qami
8. Lonely Planet (I don’t understand how this qualified and Walking out didn’t. Very average song)
9. Boom Boom (How the F does this rank better than Walking Out?!)
How Walking out did worse than Qami, Boom Boom is beyond me.
I guess how Lonely planet is not dead last is beyond anyone.
My absolute favourites from Armenia are «Not Alone», «Lovewave» and «Fly With Me». Seriously enchanting songs with amazing vocalists, staging and the build-up is super. Also made by the same composers if I’m not mistaken. «Fly With Me» could’ve had somewhat better staging I guess as even though I love it and it’s one of my favs from 2017, the performance felt a bit monotoned and slow at times when things needed to happen. All the songs «suffer» from the same thing though which prevented a better outcome and that’s the fact that the 3-minutes are not good enough to… Read more »
They are not made by the same composer.
The thing with Armenia is that they don’t enter songs. The songs are usually non-sensical. It’s just that they put on a good show. 2019 was basically a repeat of 2016, 2017. In glad people finally saw beyond the pyro. In terms of performances, I would say 2014 and 2016 where strong years for Armenia and yes, I also liked Qami last year…why? Because it was the first time in years that Armenia actually sent a song. Sure it was an NQ, but that’s okay. If you don’t understand English, don’t try and enter non-sensual English lyrics and try to… Read more »
They don’t enter songs…it means what it says. It’s all about the pyro, the wind machine and a diva with big hair.
I wasn’t snapping (well I didn’t mean too) apologies if it came across in that way (long day). I know what your saying with other countries, it just seems more obvious with Armenia. In my opinion, they enter songs that make no sense, yet ended up breaking top 10 for years at the expense of more deserving songs…all because they would have an explosion on stage. I’d prefer if they stopped being “all fur coat and no knickers” and give us something with more depth. That’s all I meant to say, sorry if I seemed rude. (I’m nice I swear!… Read more »
Thank you Tibor, for accepting my apology 🙂
Returning to your comment, when you say no musical substance and just fireworks…that’s exactly what I mean. It just feels a little empty for me. LoveWave was great, but every entry since has just felt like the same format.
Melovin’s song was the song with the most sensible lyrics in recent years. How could you say it doesn’t make sense?
They copied it almost every year though, and now it’s starting to fail, they’re going to have to go back to the drawing board and enter something with more depth. Then, I think they will actually stand a chance of winning because they normally do well with the televote anyway…
I understand where u coming from but saying “they don’t enter songs” is pretty inaccurate. Yes they’ve been trying to make another Iveta type of staging with all the pyro and different camera angles but the sound is still different
Enough with this snobbery. Just because a song is non-traditional does not make it less of a song. Sure I would call joke entries non-songs, but that is not what Armenia is sending. In actuality, the only song I can think of that is more non-traditional is “Love Wave”, which is just a piece of experimental pop music sung by a strong performer. “Walking Out”, “Qami”, “Fly with Me”, “Not Alone”, etc., they were all just songs that had unique stage shows. I don’t see anyone calling Cyprus 2018 or Sweden 2015 “non-songs” because of their focus on performance…
It’s not snobbery, it is after all a SONG contest, and to me, what Armenia does every year does look amazing and is artistic, I won’t deny that, but what I do think it is that it comes across as very soulless.
Had Aram’s vocals been on point Armenia would have placed higher. I mean, Austria was strong as well as The Netherlands, but if Armenia managed to place 4th with those vocals I can’t imagine what they could have achieved…
Austria was going to win in 2014 no matter how good any other country was going to be. It was Austria’s year. The highest Armenia could have gotten was 3rd-4th really, which is what happened.
Austria was unbeatible that year no matter what.
As Darren said it was their year. Conchita had a massive televoting win (almost in Sobral / Il Volo level)
Same with Netherlands as a solid 2nd.
Armenia and Sweden were close for 3rd and 4th
I think Armenia is underrated a lot. “Qami” and “Walking Out” both deserved qualification (although Srbuk didn’t sound too good live), and “Fly with Me” should’ve finished much higher. I’d like to see a return to Depi Evratesil in 2020, while they didn’t get the result they were hoping for in 2018, the national final itself still produced some really good songs that showcased the Armenian music industry. Someone raised the issue of sending non-English speakers, and it’s very true. Other countries do this as well, but if you’re sending an artist who cannot speak English but is performing an… Read more »
Armenia have brought very much to the table this decade, despite its lows. “Not Alone” and “LoveWave” are prime examples on how to stage your song, the suspense built before the drop on those two songs are precious gifts that Armenia had choose to share with us. Some of the best of the decade. After that, “Apricot Stone” was really great and catchy, “Face the Shadow” was decent although not that memorable, “Qami” was a bit boring but nice and to see Armenian back on the stage was really great despite their foreseable result. “Fly With Me” and “Walking Out”… Read more »
For me, the overall ranking will be something like:
1. 2014
2. 2016
3. 2010
4. 2015
5. 2017
6. 2018
7. 2019
8. 2011
9. 2013
I like not alone , apricot stone and fly with me
apricot stone is one of my favorite entries ever <3
Lovewave’s semi final performance makes Armenia 2016 my fave Eurovision song ever, final was worse and I think it should’ve been in the top 5 instead of Russia or Sweden. 2nd is 2019, but the staging should’ve been better but the juries needed to respect the vocals. Srbuk definitely isn’t the worst Armenian entry yet. 3rd is 2017, a mediocre song with an amazing staging although Artsvik’s movements were quite repetitive. I feel sorry for Armenia because their last 3 efforts were quite great but the results haven’t reflected that. Maybe it’s because they send non-english speakers and they have… Read more »
Oooh that point on non English singers is a good point. Obviously it wouldn’t have affected Sevak but I’m guessing Artsvik and Srbuk might’ve had difficulty connecting to songs they may not have fully understood, in contrast to Iveta, who not only understands English perfectly but also co-wrote her song’s lyrics.
Also having Azerbaijan in the semis probably didn’t help (and Azerbaijan were probably affected by this last year as well)
Lonely Planet has a beautiful lyrics. Shame on those who underestimate the song.
Armenia is an odd one for me in the contest, 2010, 2016 and 2017 were some of my favourites of those years, yet 2011 and 2013 were my least favourites. However Genealogy in 2015, while admittedly a nice concept, probably had my least favourite song of the entire decade..of all entries even alongside Portugal 2011 and Montenegro 2012 and so on… 2014, 2018 and 2019 were all a bit meh and underwhelming for me. But while not part of this decade 2008 and 2009 were amazing years for Armenia, looking forward to see how the 2020s go for them
Honestly…if your lowest ranking song of the decade is Walking Out then you should be considered a Eurovision powerhouse. Walking Out was in my top 10 this year and one of my most favorite Armenian entries. I’m still scratching my head on what happened.
Must be how it was performed first and the fact that Srbuk made a wrong note at one point (they keep on showing it at the semi final recap).
She wasn’t off key during the high note, the range just wasn’t as wide in the music video. Regardless, I just don’t understand how she only finished 15th with the public or the jury for that matter (and 16th overall). It just makes no sense to me. Especially when the song has almost clocked 6 million views on youtube – far more than some of the songs that finished in the top 5.
Actually armenia was reported to have used Bots to boost up views
Kris, would you please, inform where was reported that Armenia have used bots?
That’s so true Ron! I guess the running order, being in probably the strongest semi-final in Eurovision history, and the fact that it is one of those songs that you only truly appreciate with more listens, killed its chances. I actually really liked the staging, including the part where the stadium is empty. I do, however, think that the staging would have been even more impactful if she had some male dancers (like in the music video), or if she did a mic drop before walking out at the end. 🙂
I agree. I think for starters, the stage director and the costume designer must be fired. Both in 2018 and 2019 they screwed up. Like I said in another post, everything that depended on Srbuk, she did 100% – it was everyone else who was working for her that screwed up (i.e., no dancers, extra dark staging, the outfit, the staging and the fact that she had 4 back-up vocalists who provided minimal back-up support)
There’s a noticeable disconnect between Srbuk and her song when she’s performing i’ve been saying that since the Amsterdam concert. I’m not feeling the energy she’s giving while performing this song. Half a Goddess with the styling and the dancers from her postcard would work on stage much better
I think we can all agree that Armenia should have gone the Half a Goddess route but I still love Walking Out.
‘Lovewave’, ‘fly with me’, and ‘walking out’ are absolutely epic. Together with ‘jan jan’ by Inga & Anush, those four songs are on my most favorite Eurovision songs of all time list. I also have to say that Armenia is probably one of the best countries when it comes to staging, and it’s helped by the fact that the songs themselves are generally really good. My only qualm with them is 2018… They had the likes of ‘poison (ari ari)’, ‘you and I’, and ‘Puerto Rico’, and then chose to send ‘qami’ instead, which wasn’t a very memorable song, and… Read more »
Upvoting you and making my first comment on this site to voice my support for “Poison (Ari Ari).” That song is amazing, and I wish it had made the final. Thanks for reminding me of it!
Aram MP3 is my favourite entry for Armenia in the 2010s.
Armenia’s Dark Pop Era launched them from one of my least fav Eurovision countries to one of my favorites – Not Alone was INCREDIBLY emotional and powerful for me and the staging perfected its slow build and explosion. Tied for my winner of that year, and one of my all time favs! Face the Shadow was a bit of a miss live on stage but I like the music video – and the group concept – a lot! LoveWave is truly iconic, especially as an example for how staging can elevate a song. The opening wasn’t even particularly elaborate or… Read more »
Very mixed decade – half terrible, half great. Armenian entries in 2000s were overall much better but it’s easier to produce 4 good songs than 9. 9. 2015 – Don’t Deny One of my least favorite songs on ESC this decade. I get the message and noble intentions behind it but I can’t stomach to listen to those 3 minutes. The whole performance sounds messy and chaotic (cue my family member watching this for the 1st and only time in 2015: “How many of them are there?”), boring at first and grating in the end. Sorry for Ms. Inga who… Read more »
On song alone probably Artsvik and fly with me, although it was good live there was something missing in how it was presented. Overall Armenians best entry was love wave, Srbuks and Arams songs were really good too but both were a bit messy looking on stage. Finally Emmy falls into the soo bad it’s good category I liked it but I still don’t understand why.
2016
2014
2010
2018
2019
2017
2015
2011
2013
The fact that Iveta Mukuchyan is only one place above Dorians is… concerning.
Jan Jan in 2009 still their best imo
Absolutely! It’s the highest quality possible!
The bookies’ opinion are irrelevant
Srbuk far too underated, best out of the songs, shoudve been top 5
@William Lee Adams can we leave this + – thing in the past already? People downvote anything making everything seem negative 😐
Aram mp3 would be called Aram stream swipe these days
Srbuk was underrated as f… Love most of these entries from this decade
1.Lovewave 2016
2.Not Alone 2014
3.Apricot Stone 2010
4.Walking Out 2019
5.Fly With Me 2017
6.Qami 2018
7.Boom Boom 2011
8.Lonely Planet 2013
9.Face the Shadow 2015
There’s a huge gap for me between the first 5 and the last 4 entries.
I’d move Qami up into the top half but otherwise, you make a good point.
I know what you mean, it’s a solid entry and compared to the other 3 it’s better, but the song was just really boring for me. :/
Results-wise, Armenia is just weird: following two justified positions in 2010-2011 (one great song, one fairly awful one), their return in 2013 saw them achieve a streak of qualifications that seemed to indicate that regardless what they send, they will make the final, whether it be a solid well-produced contemporary and slightly unique track (Aram 2014, Iveta 2016), a middle-of-road rock entry (Dorians 2013) or a complete cacophony of shouting voices and sounds (Genealogy 2015, Artsvik 2017). Clearly some of these qualifications were more justified than others… This meant that unlike many other countries, Armenia took the freedom to send… Read more »
I agree with you with the exception of bashing for Swiss and Maltese entries which were good examples of decent pop songs, much better than many others this year.
I’d say Armenia’s downfall might be due to being in tough semi finals- in both 2018 and 2019 they were in the semi finals of deaths, and in Sevak’s case due to a number of countries reverting to national languages post Salvador, that might have hurt him further. Unfortunate, as they’re by no means the worst Armenian entries ever.
Artsvik was so underrated. She was my favourite in 2017!
Their 2013 entry really deserves all the credit it can get. Tony Iommi from black Sabbath as a songwriter. What a great achievement. UK themselves would never even think about trying. Well done!
But that song was… bland at best.
Yes! Terribly generic rock and full of cliches in its lyrics!!
Srbuk and Sevak should have made it smh, and The Dorians did not deserve to qualify. I think Armenia needs to send and entry in the style of Iveta- Armenian Girls: with the right staging it would totally finish top 5. Armenian is a great language for upbeat dance songs and if they find the right singer Armenia might get the first top 3.
Iveta should have been higher.
LoveWave was amazing
I don’t know about you, but for me the fact that the last two Armenian entries were ranked lower than “Boom Boom” is a crime.
Yeeeeep.
But that also, to some extent, showcases the state of music industry overall in the noughties and very early ‘2010s. If Armenia sent “Boom Boom” this year, they’d flop more than they have back then, possibly.
12th place in the semi final is actually pretty high for Boom Boom imo.
Back then they were on a streak of 5 consecutive qualifications since their debut and it was almost unthinkable for them not to qualify. But then they didn’t and Turkey didn’t as well and so gradually every country experienced that with the exception of Ukraine (2 missed contests though) and Australia (only 4 semis so far).
It looks like big players of 2000s – Armenia, Azerbaijan, Greece, Romania and Serbia – all more or less struggle and 2011 was the first sign of things to come with Italy’s silver return and Turkey and Bosnia & Herzegovina on their way out.
Armenia is always overrated. I hope they will fail in 2020 again. The only good song is Qele Qele which is actually pretty mediocre
The fact that there are ppl actually liking this fool’s comment is funny. How is Armenia always overrated? They had three non qualification and only three top 10 this decade. You pretty much hating
Celina, there is a small (-) sign before the number, which means there are that much dislikes not likes.
Salam Azerbaycan
You forgot Qele qele
It’s about the 2010s, “Qele, Qele” is from ESC 2008.
Read the title of the article :p “Qele Qele” was the Armenian entry in Eurovision 2008.
Oh I somehow managed not to spot that it’s only for 2010 and on.
1. Iveta (my 2016 winner)
2. Aram (top 5)
3. Eva (top 5)
….
4. Srbuk (top 15)
5. Artsvik (top 15)
…
6. Genealogy (bottom 5 in the final)
7. Emmy (no final)
8. Sevak (no final)
9. Dorians (no final)