Efendi releases ‘Mata Hari’ – Azerbaijan’s song for Eurovision 2021

Overnight, Efendi released ‘Mata Hari’, which will represent Azerbaijan at the Eurovision Song Contest in Rotterdam.

Azerbaijan's entry was teased last week on the official Eurovision YouTube channel. The teaser featured the words 'Game of Desire', which led many Eurovision fans to believe this was going to be the title of the song.

About the song, Efendi said:

It is very important to talk about strong women in order to remind our beautiful ladies that despite the fact that we still live in a world full of prejudices, a woman can do anything and female power cannot be compared with anything.

The lyrics tell the tale of Mata Hari, a Dutch exotic dancer who was convicted of being a spy during the First World War.

According to INFE Azerbaijan, six songs were sent to Azerbaijani broadcaster ITV, which included 'Ratata', 'When I'm Gone', 'Manifesto', 'Breathing You', 'Owe You Pretty', and the eventually internally selected 'Mata Hari'.

Efendi was originally intended to be Azerbaijan’s representative to the Eurovision Song Contest last year, before it was ultimately cancelled. Azerbaijani broadcaster ITV internally selected her last year with the song ‘Cleopatra’.

Born in Baku, Azerbaijan, Samira Azer gizi Efendiyeva, known professionally as Efendi, is a pop and jazz singer who has competed in international singing competitions prior to the Eurovision Song Contest, including the ‘Voice of Nur-Sultan’ festival held in Nur-Sultn, Kazakhstan, in 2019, and coming third at the Silk Way Star competition held in Almaty, Kazakhstan in 2017.

Efendi will be performing in the second half of the first semifinal at Eurovision.