Photo credit: Khalid Zeynalov
When Azerbaijani duo TuralTuranX were internally selected to represent Azerbaijan at Eurovision 2023, little was known about the pair outside of their home country. However, the twin brothers have charmed fans with their song ‘Tell Me More’. Read on to learn more about their career and how they might fare in Liverpool.
Who are TuralTuranX?
Tural and Turan BaÄŸmanov are 22-year-old identical twin brothers from Zaqatala in Azerbaijan. They had no formal training in music but whilst at school they spotted a piano and began skipping their classes to practise songs in secret. This initially displeased their father, who wanted them to focus on their studies. However, when he saw that the brothers were serious about making music he bought them a second-hand synthesiser. They then took up the guitar and started playing at local events and school performances.
Unfortunately, tragedy would strike the twins which would ultimately lead them to take a break from music. Firstly, the two boys lost their father at a young age, the man who had helped start their musical journey and who they still credit their careers to today. Then, in 2015, Tural and Turan’s other brothers Emin and Jamal both died in a road accident. The twins had no choice but to take time away and heal from their pain.
In 2019, Tural moved to Baku and formed the band TheRedJungle with a friend of his. Turan would soon join them and in 2020, struggling to book gigs due to COVID-19 restrictions, the pair became well-known street musicians.
The Road to Eurovision
On 2nd February 2023, Azerbaijani television network Ictimai TV announced that TuralTuranX were one of five acts in contention to represent Azerbaijan at Eurovision 2023. Azerbaijan have internally selected their entrants since their debut in 2008 so the next stage for the brothers was to have their studio recordings and live performances shared with a focus group. The group decided that TuralTuranX should be the act to represent Azerbaijan at Liverpool.
‘Tell Me More’ is written by Azerbaijani songwriters Nihad Aliyev and Tunar Taghiyev, as well as TuralTuranX themselves. This marks the first time in 15 years that the delegation have sent an entry written by an entirely Azerbaijani team, the last time being in the country’s 2008 debut when Elnur and Samir performed ‘Day After Day’. Since then, Azerbaijan have often sent their entries with songs from Swedish songwriting camps, including their only win so far, ‘Running Scared’ by Ell & Nikki. Many have praised the delegation for selecting TuralTuranX, seeing the shift to Azerbaijani musicians and writers as a shift towards greater authenticity.
The song draws heavily on TuralTuranX’s love for music from the 60s and 70s, such as Pink Floyd and The Beatles and this is also reflected in their Eurovision staging. Clad in green and purple seventies-style suits, the pair stand on a broken heart plinth, playing their guitars and letting their close harmonies do the talking. You can see photos from their rehearsals below:
Photo credit: EBU – Chloe Hashemi and Sarah Louise Bennett
TuralTuranX will perform in the first semi-final on Tuesday 9th May. They will appear 12th in the running order, between Sweden and Czechia. Although it remains to be seen whether this spot will help or hinder them, it’s safe to say TuralTuranX have earned some fans around Europe and we wish them all the best!
