Meet Yulia Samoylova From Russia

This year 43 countries will be present at this years Eurovision Song Contest to be held in Lisbon in May. With less than two weeks to go until all of Europe descends on Portugal's capital, Eurovoxx will introduce you to each country that will be participating.

Who Is Julia Samoylova?

Any fans who followed the competition last year will certainly know who this singer is. Yulia or Julia will be this years Russian singer with the song, "I Won't Break". The singer who was born in 1989 heralds from the former USSR. She first came to prominence and recognised back in 2008 where she founded the band "TerraNova" which primarily featured songs of the heavy rock genre. The band only last two years, before it broke up.

From "TerraNova", the Russian publics love affair with the talented singer arose in 2013 where she came second on the Russian version of the X factor. From there she sang at the Winter Olympics which was held in Sotchi in 2014.

Last year the singer came embroiled in an international scandal where she was slected by Russia's Channel One to be their Eurovision entrant. Yulia was due to sing the song, "Flame Is Burning". However, this was not to be as she was banned from performing in Ukraine. This was as a result of her perfroming in then annexed Crimea which broke Ukranian law. Both The EBU, Russia and Ukraine all fought to find a solution. However, none was to be found, and she was forced to abandon her Eurovision dream.

Regardless of last years drama, Yulia is back bigger and better than before, and will be performing in Lisbon. She has released three singles, "Flame Is Burning", "Poison" and "I Wont Break" which have all had relative success in Russia.

Check Out Yulia Samoylova's Eurovision Entry, "I Won't Break" Here:

How Was Yulia Chosen?

Last year Russia's Channel One confirmed that Yulia would be their representative. After she was forced to withdraw from the competition, many suspected she would be asked again. This was certainly the impression given by Yulia, and Eurovision spectators before this year. None of this was official though. However, on the 29th January 2018, the Russian broadcaster did officially confirm that it had asked the talented artist to perform again.

Check Out The Eurovoxx Reaction Video To Russia's Eurovision Entry:

Russia At Eurovision

Russia first appeared at the Eurovision Song Contest back in 1994 just as the East was growing in the competition. This year will mark their 21st entry, however, some would argue it's 20th after Yulia withdrew from the competition last year. At Eurovision, the country has been very successful. They won it back in 2008 when Dima Bilan won the crown with his song, "Believe". This was his second attempt after coming second in 2006 with the song, "Never Let You Go".

Their worst result came in 1995 when Philipp Kirkorov's entry "Kolybelnaya dlya vulkana" scored 17 points, and came 17th. They have an impressive twelve top ten performances, with several just missing out on that spot. Since the introduction of the semi finals, Russia has been one of the most successful nations having a 100% qualification record. Last year the country was forced to withdraw. Can Yulia make up for it this year?

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