Georgia’s hot ticket: The temperature is rising for Nutsa Buzaladze

When Nutsa Buzaladze was selected by Georgian broadcaster GPB to head to Eurovision, she wanted to go against the country’s track record of performing ballads, even though she’s a big fan of them. She listened to hundreds of songs that had been submitted for her to consider, and in the end she narrowed it down to three. She recorded those songs and knew straight away that Firefighter was for her.

When she performed her Eurovision entry in the halftime show of an important football match in Georgia, it started raining. This firefighter says that she did in fact order the rain. Next on the wish list: Superbowl!

Nutsa might be a familiar face to a lot of music fans, after she finished in the top 12 of American Idol in 2023, where she performed with none other than Kylie Minogue. She’s also had a residency in the UAE, released an album, and won the Albanian music competition Kënga Magjike in 2021. She’s certainly on the rise, and the only way is Eurovision.

Nutsa has a very special memory from her time as a musician, when a woman came up to her after a concert had ended. The woman told Nutsa it was the first time she’d been to a concert since her son passed away 10 years previously; understandably, Nutsa was incredibly moved by this moment and it has stayed with her since.

If Nutsa could have 3 wishes, she’d choose 2 selfless acts and then keep one piece of magic for herself. She’d ask for a shelter for dogs, a shelter for homeless elders, and a Grammy award.

Nutsa has her own dog too, who has a unique skill — he can bark her mum’s name.

When we asked Nutsa who her Eurovision hero is, she chose Alexander Rybak, who won Eurovision for Norway in 2009 with Fairytale. Could it be because of his timeless music? His violin skills? His stagecraft? Nusta, declaring herself a very unserious person, says: “Because he’s handsome!” Not the answer we were expecting, but an undeniable fact.

Nutsa’s musical taste is built around songs that have stood the test of time. She loves power ballads like Whitney Houston’s I Have Nothing, Nina Simone’s Feeling Good, and Michael Jackson’s Earth Song. She’s also a fan of iconic rhythm-heavy hits including Beyoncé’s Deja Vu, Annie Lennox and Eurythmics’ Sweet Dreams, and Guns N’ Roses’ Welcome To The Jungle. You can certainly hear the influences of some of these styles in Firefighter.

The Official Eurovision Song Contest Podcast caught up with Nutsa, and she said: “Fans [are] adorable and I was not expecting this much love and I’m really happy. I’m gonna do my best to give it back to people.”

You can hear more from Nutsa on episode 15 of the Official Eurovision Song Contest Podcast.

You can learn more about Nutsa Buzaladze from Georgia right here.