Nigar
Jamal and Eldar Gasimov, who go by the name Ell/Nikki, won 220 points for their
classic pop ballad with a catchy refrain, “Running Scared,” meaning next year's
songfest will be hosted in Baku.
“I'm
the happiest man in the world right now,” Gasimov, 22, shouted to the crowd of
36,000 who packed the Fortuna Duesseldorf Arena to watch the show.
In the
past three years, Azerbaijan has finished in the first 10 at the songfest, but
have never before reached the top.
“Its
unbelievable our dream came true,” Jamal, 30, said after winning the title.
“I've
never been a singer before, I was a housewife, a mother of two children,” she
said. “It was my dream to become a singer and now my dream has come true.” The
pair, clad in a white suit and a floaty white gown, were awarded the trophy
from Germany's 19-year-old Lena Meyer-Landruth, who had sought to make history
by defending her title for a second consecutive year in a row. She finished
10th with the sultry “Taken By A Stranger.” Second place went to Italy — back
in competition after a 14-year hiatus — with 189 points for Raphael Gualazzi
for his jazz number “Madness of Love.” Close behind him in third place was
Sweden's Eric Saade, singing the dance pop song “Popular,” with 185 points.
Azerbaijan
had been among the entries favored to win heading into the competition, but
other favorites, including the much-hyped Irish duo Jedward, nor the British
bookies' top pick, French tenor Amaury Vassili, came in among the top 10
finishers.
Several
entries held up the competition's reputation for quirky, kitschy costumes, with
the boys from Jedward wearing sparkling red space jackets and spiky quiffed
hairdos and Moldova's punk rock entry taking the stage sporting tall, conical
caps and featuring a woman on a unicycle.
More
than 120 million viewers around the globe tune in to watch the spectacle that has
taken place every year since 1951. Organizers said the production cost $17
million.
Viewers
in the 43 participating nations cast votes by SMS or phone which counted for 50
percent of the contestants' final score. The other 50 percent had been
determined by panels of juries selected by each nation.
Two
rounds of semifinals held earlier in the week whittled the competitors down to
25 finalists who took to the stage Saturday for an extravagant sound-and-light
display.