RUSSIA – Speaking to Super.ru YouTube series Alena, blin!, Manizha said that she was dreaming of a Eurovision participation since she was a kid. Her all time favourites are t.A.T.u (Russia 2003) and Dana International (Israel 1998) but her inspiration for Eurovision 2021 is Salvador Sobral but she also loves Bilal Hassani.
“From the last few years, I absolutely loved the boy from Portugal, who sang in his own language. Who sang a very touching song without special effects or a guitar. I thought back then: “Wow, why don’t we believe in our own language and simple things?”. Why do we love to hide behind masks and special effects on stage? He did something to me that I wanted to get closer to my native language. The last time the contest was held, there was a contestant from France, who mixed languages. He sang in his own language and in English. I already did that for a few years and to me it was very strange, they probably would not take me. But now I am confident in what I am doing, because I ceased to see borders. There are no borders to language.”
