Sofia Nizharadze
Georgia's hopeful in this year's Eurovision Song Contest is Sofia Nizharadze who will present her song Shine to more than 100 million TV-viewers.Born in Tbilisi, Georgia, Sofia Nizharadze graduated with honors from the musical academy of the Tbilisi State conservatory where she studied piano and vocals. At age 3 she started performing on a professional stage and her talent was unanimously admired by a wide audience. At age 7 she was mentored by Jansugh Kakhidze, a prominent Georgian conductor, author of famous soundtracks for Georgian cinema productions that turned into hits among Georgian music fans. Soon Sofia joined a children music choir where she took the lead as a talented vocalist at various shows, and TV projects.Later on she performed the world hit Sous Le Ciel De Paris at the French Embassy. Shortly afterwards, Bernard Pivout, a journalist, amazed by her talent invited her to his program at TV5.  Â
Sofia has won numerous awards in her career and has also starred in musicals like Romeo and Juliet and Notre Dame De Paris. She has also performed in a duet with José Carreras in 2001.