Azerbaijan, Baku, March 16 / Trend V.Imanov /
Participation at Eurovision 2012 contest is the most important moment in the history of Mandinga, members of the Romanian group Elena (lead singer), Alex (trumpet) and Chupi (drums), who will represent Romania at Eurovision Song Contest told Trend on Friday.
"Going to Baku is an all new experience for us. No matter what happens we expect to have a good time. This is our chance to experience something unique. It will be very interesting to find out what the people in other countries of Europe feel about the song Zaleilah," Chupi said.
The 57th Eurovision Song Contest will be held in Baku Crystal Hall, which is under construction near the area of the State Flag. The Eurovision 2012 semi-final rounds will be held in Baku on May 22 and May 24 and the final on May 26.
Elena said both the people watching the National Eurovision Final in Romania and a committee of judges voted for the group.
"We were optimistic when we entered the competition, but we did not expect so much support from our fans. The number of votes we received from them was very impressive," she said.
Alex said although we Mandinga is considered a popular band in Romania they went through the same process as the other contestants. The competition was powerful and there were some very good acts performing, he said.
Chupi said this will be the members' first visit to Baku and Azerbaijan.
"We know that Azerbaijan is a Muslim nation and that there is a strong cultural and historical heritage here. We also know that Baku is very close to the Caspian Sea. Therefore we expect to come back to Romania with some great stories to tell our friends and with beautiful pictures to convince them to come visit you," he said.
Elena said it is still pretty soon to tell because we they are still working on performance.
"We want it to be better that the one we gave in Romania. What we can tell you is that there will be some pyrotechnics involved and some special elements," the lead singer said.
As this is their biggest event so far they expect to be a bit more nervous than on other occasions.
"When we are on stage we know what we have to do, but it's those moments before you go live that are very important. We will have to focus on the show and let our emotions free afterwards," Alex said.
Band's performance will bring to this contest joy and fun, Chupi believes. "What we want is to share our song with the people of Europe. Zaleilah has a positive vibe to it and we believe it will make people dance and smile. Who doesn't love fun?" he said.
It is an honor for Mandinga to represent Romania at the Eurovision Song Contest, Elena said.
"We are proud to represent our country and we want to make our country proud of us. It is a big responsibility, but how can a band be successful if they don't have the courage to take on big projects such as this one," the lead singer said.
Alex said they are prepared for any kind of reaction to their performance.
"However, we believe that our song will make people vote for us. And for your readers, if they haven't heard our song so far, all they have to do is search for "Mandinga - Zaleilah" on YouTube. I bet it will give them a good feeling," he said.