"Russian Woman" (Russian: Русская женщина, romanized: Russkaya zhenshchina, stylised in all caps) is a song by Russian-Tajik singer Manizha, independently released as a single on 19 March 2021. The song represented Russia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2021 in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, after winning the national final Evrovidenie 2021 – Nacionalniy Otbor.[1] To date, this is the last Russian entry in the Eurovision Song Contest, after the country was excluded from the 2022 contest.
| "Russian Woman" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Manizha | ||||
| Written | 8 March 2020 | |||
| Released | 19 March 2021 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 2:56 | |||
| Label | Independent | |||
| Songwriter(s) |
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| Producer(s) |
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| Manizha singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Russian Woman" on YouTube | ||||
| Eurovision Song Contest 2021 entry | ||||
| Country | ||||
| Artist(s) | ||||
| Composer(s) |
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| Lyricist(s) | Manizha | |||
| Finals performance | ||||
| Semi-final result | 3rd | |||
| Semi-final points | 225 | |||
| Final result | 9th | |||
| Final points | 204 | |||
| Entry chronology | ||||
| ◄ "Uno" (2020) | ||||
Background
edit"This is a song about the transformation of a woman's self-awareness over the past few centuries in Russia. A Russian woman has gone an amazing way from a peasant hut to the right to elect and be elected (one of the first in the world), from factory workshops to space flights. She has never been afraid to resist stereotypes and take responsibilities. This is the source of inspiration for the song. By coincidence I wrote it on March 8, 2020 while on tour, but for the first time I perform it a year later."
— Manizha explains the meaning behind "Russian Woman" to Eurovision.tv.
Controversy
editMany Russian viewers took offense to a singer of Tajik descent singing about Russian women and to the singer's activism for LGBT rights and women's rights, and left hate comments on the video and her Instagram account, demanding that she drop out of Eurovision.[2] Yelena Drapeko, First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Culture, suggested banning Manizha from performing in Eurovision under the Russian flag, commenting also that Eurovision offered no cultural value and was too politicized and pro-LGBT.[3]
Eurovision Song Contest
editThe song was selected to represent Russia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2021, after Manizha was selected through Evrovidenie 2021 – Nacionalniy Otbor. The semi-finals of the 2021 contest featured the same line-up of countries as determined by the draw for the 2020 contest's semi-finals. Russia was placed into the first semi-final, held on 18 May 2021, and passed into finals. The final was held on 22 May 2021, and the song got 9th place with 204 points.[4]
Charts
edit| Chart (2021) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Flanders)[5] | 32 |
| Greece (IFPI)[6] | 51 |
| Iceland (Tónlistinn)[7] | 40 |
| Lithuania (AGATA)[8] | 12 |
| Netherlands (Single Top 100)[9] | 81 |
| Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[10] | 84 |
Release history
edit| Region | Date | Format(s) | Label | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Various | 19 March 2021 |
|
References
edit- ^ "Manizha's 'Russian Woman' wins on International Women's Day". Eurovision.tv. 8 March 2021. Retrieved 8 March 2021.
- ^ "Russia's Tajik-born Eurovision star on the abuse she's received". BBC. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
- ^ Salunov, Anatoly. "Драпеко потребовала запретить Маниже петь на "Евровидении" под российским флагом". sobesednik.ru. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
- ^ "Grand Final of Rotterdam 2021 - Eurovision Song Contest". Eurovision Official Website. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
- ^ "Manizha – Russian Woman" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved 31 May 2021.
- ^ "Official IFPI Charts – Digital Singles Chart (International) – Week: 20/2021". IFPI Greece. Archived from the original on 31 May 2021. Retrieved 31 May 2021.
- ^ "Tónlistinn – Lög" [The Music – Songs] (in Icelandic). Plötutíðindi. Archived from the original on 5 June 2021. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
- ^ "2021 21-os SAVAITĖS (gegužės 21-27 d.) SINGLŲ TOP100" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. 28 May 2021. Archived from the original on 28 May 2021. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
- ^ "Manizha – Russian Woman" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
- ^ "Manizha – Russian Woman". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
- ^ "Russian Woman – Single by Manizha on Apple Music Russia". Apple Music. 19 March 2021. Archived from the original on 18 March 2021. Retrieved 12 April 2021.