Belarus previously competed in the Eurovision Song Contest but since 2021 has been expelled from the European Broadcasting Union for a period of three years.
Manizha came out on top with the song
“Russkaya zhenshchina (Russian Woman)”.
Russian national final for Eurovision 2021 results
1. Manizha 39.7% (WINNER)
3. Therr Maitz 24.6%
29-year-old Manizha was born in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. After the Tajik Civil War, the family relocated to Moscow. She first dipped her toe in the music business back in 2009. Performing under the name the name Ru.Kola, she showed great promise with “Neglect”.
In 2018, she became the first Russian artist to be given the “Deezer Next” treatment. Deezer is a French-based music streaming service and their “Next” initiative highlights the music of select artists from around the globe through increased exposure in playlists. Her current and unique sound combines soul with traditional and electric flair. Despite all the mixing and matching, in a 2018 interview with Wiwibloggs, she told us her music is “super simple, music from my heart, that’s all”. She also said it honours “realness”