Bonomo continues to Eurovision finals

BAKU - Doğan News Agency

Can Bonomo, representing Turkey in the Eurovision song contest, stages his show during the semi finals on May 24 night in Azerbeijan’s capital Baku. AFP photo

Can Bonomo, representing Turkey in the Eurovision contest, made it to the finals on May 24 nigth night in the second semifinal of the Eurovision song contest. Lithuania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Ukraine, Sweden, Macedonia, Norway, Estonia, Malta and Turkey are the ten countries that qualified for the Eurovision 2012 final on Saturday after passing through the Thursday semifinal at the Crystal Hall in Baku, Azerbaijan.

A total of 18 contesting countries competed during the second semifinals of the competition.
Bonomo’s family said they were very happy for their son and were supporting him from İzmir and Turkey. Noting that most people thought that the committee did not invite the family to Eurovision, Bonomo’s father, Yaşar Bonomo, said he did not go to the competition because of health problems in the family.

The finalists will join another ten performers picked earlier in the week and acts from six nations that were pre-qualified including the UK, France, Germany and host nation Azerbaijan. Among Thursday’s finalists were strong favorites Sweden, Turkey, Serbia and Norway. But the Netherlands, Croatia and Slovenia failed to make it through.

After winning the 2011 contest, Azerbaijan spent 45 million euros to give its capital city a facelift as it welcomes Eurovision fans from all over the continent at this year’s event.

More than 125 million people are expected to watch the contest, which is now in its 57th year.

Can Bonomo held his first rehearsal in Baku May 16 in preparation for the 57th Eurovision Song Contest. Bonomo’s rehearsal of his song “Love Me Back” took place at the Crystal Hall, where he was accompanied by five male dancers. Asked how tension between Turkey and Israel affected him as a Turkish citizen of Jewish origin, Bonomo said, “I am an artist and a singer. I pay close attention to my career. There are nice individuals here from various nations.”