Dilara Kazimova

Dilara Kazimova
Dilara Kazimova (2014)
Background information
Born	May 20, 1984 Baku, Azerbaijan SSR, Soviet Union
Genres	Pop, pop rock, rock, R&B
Occupation(s)	Singer, Actress
Instruments	Vocals
Associated acts	Unformal, Milk & Kisses

Dilara Kazimova presenting herself.

Dilara Kazimova (Azerbaijani: Dilarə Kazımova; born 20 May 1984 in Baku) is an Azerbaijani singer and actress.^[1][2] She represented Azerbaijan in the Eurovision Song Contest 2014 in Copenhagen^[3] with the song "Start a Fire".

Career

Born in Baku, Dilara Kazimova studied vocal arts at the Baku Academy of Music. After graduating, she briefly performed as part of an opera troupe. From the early 2000s, she was a member of the rock band Unformal and later the lead singer for the duo Milk & Kisses. Both bands participated in the Azerbaijani national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest before, with Unformal placing second in the national final in 2008, and Milk & Kisses placing second again in the national final in 2010.^[1][4] In 2010, the duo Milk & Kisses represented Azerbaijan at the annual New Wave music festival in Jurmala, Latvia, but came 16th out of 17 contestants.

In 2014, Dilara Kazimova participated in the Azerbaijani selection (this time by herself) and won the competition.^[5] "Start a Fire", the song with which Dilara represented Azerbaijan in Copenhagen, was released two weeks later, on 16 March 2014, at the same time as the video clip.^[6]

Kazimova is currently a contestant of the Ukrainian reality talent show Holos Krayiny (part of the international syndication The Voice). Svyatoslav Vakarchuk turned around his chair so he will be her coach and mentor for the duration of the show.^[7][8]

Kazimova has also starred in two Azerbaijani films Try Not to Breathe (alongside Fakhraddin Manafov) in 2006 and Purgatory (for which she recorded the soundtrack "Sonsuz yol" as part of the band Unformal) in 2007.^[9][10]

Filmography

Year	Film	Role	Notes
2006	Try Not to Breathe		Short film, debut film
2007	Prugatory		Supporting role and soundtrack

References

1. "Azərbaycanın Eurovision təmsilçisi seçildi (FOTO+VİDEO) | Medianews". Medianews.az. 2014-02-24. Retrieved 2014-03-02.
2. "Showbiz - Dilara Kazimova". News.day.az. 2014-02-24. Retrieved 2014-03-03.
3. Omelyanchuk, Olena. "Dilara wins Böyük Səhnə in Azerbaijan". Eurovision.tv. Retrieved 2 March 2014.
4. "Dilara Kazimova (Milk & Kisses) » BAKU.WS - Развлекательный портал Азербайджана". Baku.Ws. Retrieved 2014-03-02.
5. "Azerbaijan: Dilara Kazimova wins Böyük Sehne 2014". wiwibloggs.com. 2 March 2014. Retrieved 23 March 2014.
6. "Watch: Dilara Kazimova wil start a fire for Azerbaijan.". wiwibloggs.com. 16 March 2014. Retrieved 23 March 2014.
7. "Діляра Кязімова: Я ніколи не думала, що буду співати пісню Вакарчука, та ще й у Києві!". Retrieved 30 March 2014.
8. "Діляра Кязімова "Без бою" - Голос Країни - Вибір наосліп - Сезон 4". Retrieved 30 March 2014.
9. "Azərbaycanı Eurovisionda Dilarə Kazımova təmsil edəcək-FOTOLAR | Jurnalist Araşdırma Mərkəzi". Jam.az. Retrieved 2014-03-02.
10. "— Stylish Baku | Dilarə Kazımova: "Stil – dəbdə olan geyimdən asılı olmayaraq düzgün geyim seçmək bacarığıdır."". Sbm.az. 2013-05-30. Retrieved 2014-03-02.