Russian tabloid paper Super.ru has published an article in which they mention a potential Eurovision shortlist. The list includes seven well known names in Russian music, including former Eurovision entrants Sergey Lazarev, Elena Temnikova and Philip Kirkorov.

Lazarev, Panayotov and more

The Russian rumour mill for the Eurovision Song Contest usually contains the same set of the names. The same seems to go for this year. A couple of months ago, VGTRK announced that they would commence their preparations this month. Below, we’ll take a look at each of the seven names mentioned by Super.

Sergey Lazarev

To Eurovision fans, Sergey Lazarev is a household name. One of Russia’s biggest pop music stars entered the Eurovision Song Contest back in 2016. He then finished in third with “You Are The Only One”, despite being the #1 favourite for victory. His return has since been rumoured more than once. Lazarev has said he’d be open to a return to the contest, if he knows he can win the show.

Aleksandr Panayotov

Another eternal rumour is Aleksandr Panayotov. The singer took part in national finals before, but has never managed to win the ticket to the Eurovision Song Contest before. In December, Russian fans noticed a conversation on Instagram between the 34 year old singer and Philip Kirkorov, in which discusses “a victory for Russia”, without mentioning Eurovision. Panayotov himself commented on the rumours just a few days ago.

Manizha

Former winner of Golos, the Russian franchise of The Voice, Manizha is a also on the list. In an interview with Wiwibloggs last year, the singer mentioned the opportunity of her going to the Eurovision Song Contest in 2019. She has however made her feelings rather clear on Instagram, just after the article was published by Super.ru, seemingly laughing at the thought of going to Eurovision, as you can see below:

Elena Temnikova

On first sight, Elena Temnikova may be a bit of an unknown name when it comes to Eurovision. She did however once fly Russia’s flag, back in 2007 as part of Serebro. After leaving the group in 2014, she pursued a solo career. Recent social media posts from the singer include teasers about an upcoming project and new music.

Egor Kreed

24 year old rapper Egon Kreed is another name on the list. Super.ru don’t seem to have any clear clues on his potential Eurovision entry. All we know is that there is a chance Philip Kirkorov is going to involved in some way or another and Egor Kreed has a song with Kirkorov and Timati which was released last year.

Olga Buzova

In the same category as Egor Kreed, we see Olga Buzova. The 32 year old is mostly known as a reality show contestant. She is currently trying to start her singing career, with singles like “WIFI” and “Tequila Night”. According to Super.ru, she certainly is extravagant enough to take on the challenge. It’s just a matter of ability to sing a song more than once and actually sing it well, the Russian tabloid mentions.

Philip Kirkorov

A surprising name on the list is that of 51 year old Philip Kirkorov. The nestor of Russia’s music scene has represented his country before, in 1995 with “Kolybelnaya Dlya Vulkana”, finishing seventeenth. His love for the contest has been documented well, though. In previous years, he’s been involved in several entries. Last year, he composed Moldova’s entry “My Lucky Day” for DoReDos. In late 2018, he and Dimitris Kontopoulos also mentioned looking forward to Tel Aviv…

Just last week, politician Vadim Manukyan told Express-Gazeta newspaper that he wanted to see Kirkorov fly Russia’s flag at the upcoming Eurovision Song Contest. Perhaps the media council of which he’s a part can convince VGTRK that Philip Kirkorov should travel to Tel Aviv?

Rumour mills galore

The article Super.ru published is full of a collection of hints and remarks from singers in the past year. All we know for sure is that Russia have something to make up for after the Eurovision Song Contest in Lisbon.

On her second try to make it to Eurovision, Julia Samoylova flew the Russian flag in Portugal. Sadly, she didn’t make it through to the final with her “I Won’t Break”.