Azerbaijan, Baku, Feb. 28 / Trend V.Imanov /
The culture and cuisine of Azerbaijan and having a capital at which the prestigious European Song Contest will be held, has always been an attraction for the Ukraine representative at Eurovision-2012, Gaitana.
"I've always been attracted by the culture of Azerbaijan and of course, its cuisine. Azerbaijan is a great country with great artists. I have always watched all of your performances at the contest," Gaitana said in an interview with Trend.
The singer said she loves to cook and wants to add some of the Azerbaijani national dishes to her huge collection of recipes. "I know that you have a special recipe of meat ... I want to try it," she said.
Gaitana has never been to Azerbaijan. "I've always wanted to visit you. Finally, my dream will come true," she said.
Gaitana has the brightest expectation of taking part in the forthcoming Eurovision-2012. "My main goal is to represent my country, win the favour, respect and love of the European audience and invite everyone to visit us in Ukraine.
"In my song I call 'Be my guest', I want the whole world to be close and friendly , so that with a smile and kindness, travel and exploration there will be a world without barriers and we can visit each other," said the singer.
She said it is important to gain the confidence and love of the host country. "As God wills, we are now preparing for the trip and I think we will not disappoint the audience. We hope that they will appreciate us."
The Ukraine representative does not want to compete with anyone, or to make predictions, since the event not a sporting game. "The main task of the artist is to go on stage and show what he or he is capable of and I promise that I will do my best to surprise the whole of Europe with my performance. There are many worthy artists this year, but still more than half are unknown, but I have already marked some songs and recorded them in my iPod," said Gaitana.
The singer said her father a Congolese, was incredibly happy when learnt about her victory in the national selection of Eurovision-2012. "He watched the selection on the Internet and after the announcement of the results was among the first to congratulate his daughter on her victory."
Gaitana - Lourdes name, translated from the Lingala language spoken by nearly all the inhabitants of the Congo, means strong and great.
"Many people think that this is my nickname. But actually it is my real name. I am very grateful to my parents for this because the name plays an important role in the destiny of man," she said.
The 57th Eurovision Song Contest will be held in Baku's Crystal Hall, which is under construction near the area of the State Flag.
The Baku Crystal Hall is the arena with a capacity of up to 23,000 spectators. Approximately 16,000 people will be able to attend each of the three Eurovision Song Contest live shows in May.
The Eurovision 2012 semi-final rounds will be held in Baku on May 22-24 and the finals on May 26.
Azerbaijan won the right to host the prestigious European song contest after the victory of Eldar Gasimov and Nigar Jamal (Ell / Nikki) at Eurovision 2011 in Dusseldorf, Germany last May.