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Get to know Dihaj, the alternative artist from Azerbaijan

21 March 2017 at 13:37 CET
Dihaj will represent Azerbaijan at the 2017 Eurovision Song Contest. Haris Farsarakis
Dihaj is the stage name of singer and musician Diana Hajiyeva who will represent Azerbaijan in the 2017 Eurovision Song Contest with the song Skeletons. Her song was composed by Isa Melikov and Sandra Bjurman, the same team behind Azerbaijan's winning entry from 2011, Running Scared.

Dihaj is an alternative artist who got involved in the underground music scene whilst she was studying at The Institute of Contemporary Music Performance in London. In 2014, she created Dihaj, an electronic music collective, whose sound has been described as "experimental doom pop".

Critics have praised Dihaj's originality and atmospheric vocals: "The most interesting aspect of my entry is that it’s different; from the slightly provocative song title to what you are going to see on the stage in May. I want to show the Eurovision’s audience it doesn’t matter how different or alternative you are; you can be heard and seen by audiences all around the world," she said.

"I do understand that I'm not a typical Eurovision singer," says Diana. "For me, Eurovision is a way to reach new audiences in so many countries. If you are serious about developing yourself professionally, you just can't ignore such a great opportunity to learn and speak to the audience," she added.