AN Isle of Man management company is behind a performer taking centre stage at the Eurovision Song Contest grand finale.
Emin, a singer-songwriter from Azerbaijan who is managed globally by Douglas-based Solus Entertainment, will be performing during an interval in the event, due to take place in Azerbaijan’s capital Baku on May 26.
Solus Entertainment is producing the eight-minute live interval show for a TV audience estimated at 300 million. Alistair Audsley, joint head of Solus Entertainment, said: ‘It’s a huge honour for us, as an Isle of Man company, to be given this fantastic opportunity’.
Emin – who is 32, who grew up in Russia and is married to Leila Aliyeva, daughter of the president of Azerbaijan – has been developing his singing career since 2005.
His first album, Wonder, released in 2011 was a BBC Radio 2 Album of the Week. He is already big in Baku, Moscow, Kiev and St Petersburg and now hopes to increase his UK profile.
He recently premiered his second album, being launched internationally in London. After the Thunder, due for release on Monday on the record label Saffron Music Limited, which also has its headquarters in Douglas.
The opening track, Baby Get Higher, is already being played by Radio 2.
Mr Audsley, who also heads Saffron Music, explained: ‘Back in 2009, I was introduced to Emin as a credible link between Russian and the UK music industry, so I flew out to Moscow, went to one of his concerts and it soon became clear to me that Emin had both great talent and great potential.
‘My first call was to David Bainbridge, my business partner, who has been in the business for many years working with some huge names – and is not easily impressed.’
The Eurovision interval show is being directed by Peter Bird of Solus Entertainment, who has worked on shows for Lady Gaga and the 2011 Rugby World Cup opening and closing ceremonies in New Zealand.
He says he has masterminded a ‘sensational’ entrance for Emin: ‘The scale of the production’s enormous – a real “window-onto-the-world” opportunity for Emin and the country – and the Azerbaijani people are being just so amazingly supportive and tremendously professional. We presented ideas and they really liked them. Effectively we’ve been give a blank canvas and can do whatever we want, so we are.
‘Often in this business, when you’re planning a spectacle, people say “why?” In this case they’re saying “why not?”, which is great.
‘The set will be amazing, very “tongue-in-cheek pulling-out-all-the-stops”, in style with Emin’s musicians, supplemented by a full orchestra and dancers.’