Home / Armenia / We Won’t Go to Baku as Martyrs, But ‘Risk is Always a Pleasure’: Armenian Rock Band Dorians on Eurovision Entry

We Won’t Go to Baku as Martyrs, But ‘Risk is Always a Pleasure’: Armenian Rock Band Dorians on Eurovision Entry

Before the Azerbaijan factor, Armenian rock group Dorians didn’t have any intention of participating in the Eurovision Song Contest. The band’s singer, Gor Sujyan, conveyed this news to local daily 168 Zham (“168 Hours”), referring to Baku hosting this year’s song contest. Note, Sujyan has submitted the band’s song to Armenia’s Public TV, which will make the final decision on whether Armenia will participate or not.

“Today the Azerbaijan factor is more about risk and responsibility, and perhaps that’s what attracted us. We have our message through our song, which we’ll direct to the world, and why not, also to Azerbaijan,” said Sujyan.

The singer asserts that if the contest wasn’t taking place in Azerbaijan, the group would’ve never participated in Eurovision.

On the possible risks and hazards associated with going to Azerbaijan, Sujyan said: “If it’s been decided that Armenia will be going to Eurovision, for which a document was also signed — I don’t think that there’s the threat of physical danger. Perhaps there will be mental pressure or said on stage are bad words, catcalling; it’s possible they might even throw paper, but I don’t think that there’s a physical threat. Of course, Baku will be on alert that nothing is suddenly thrown on stage, but risk is always a pleasure.”

Nevertheless, Sujyan is sure that “they definitely won’t be going to be martyrs.”

To the paper’s question that their song “This is our world” has a clear subtext and, according to the artists, how will Azerbaijan respond when a call for peace is made to the world, Dorians’ producer Vahagn Gevorgyan said: “This song is sung for the entire world, where all people are in the same situation. Any normal human being wants health and peace because they want to be happy. Of course, we understand also that wars bring money to people — to put it another way, [war] is business. On the Internet, our supports have left such types of comments… For example, ‘What does it mean to end wars, cut the barbed wire? [Let them] give our lands back’. This is a sick approach. I think that if we are considered to be the winning nation in the [Nagorno] Karabakh War, then the approach of the victorious nation making calls of peace is more noble.”

The journalist also asked the lead singer about his political orientation in the upcoming parliamentary elections in Armenia, to which Sujyan said they are neither for nor against anyone.

“We have our own world where we live. There’s a lot of discontent in Armenia and smiles are few — it seems munnat [discontent] prevails among us. We like to sit on the bed, wait for fate, but you should act, work, and understand, what is the purpose of your life?” he concluded.