Tatar websites are reporting that one of the two Azerbaijani winners of the 2011 Eurovision Song Contest in Germany has Tatar relatives.
Known as Ell/Nikki, Eldar Gasimov and Nigar Jamal beat out 24 other finalists to secure Azerbaijan’s first-ever Eurovision win on Saturday (May 14).
The popular Kazansky blog wrote that among Gasimov’s most prominent Tatar relatives is Marziya Dautova (1901-1962), who was a famous actress at the Tatar Theater in Astrakhan, Russia.
Gasimov, 21, is an international relations student in Baku, while Jamal, 30, lives in London.
Ell/Nikki won 221 points in voting from 43 countries for its pop ballad “Running Scared,” beating out performers from second-place Italy and third-place Sweden.
The victory by Ell/Nikki means next year’s Eurovision contest will be held in Baku.
Read more in Tatar here