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Georgia’s Eurovision debut happened in 2007, although there were initial plans to participate a year earlier. However, these plans were halted due to the costs associated with participation, leaving Armenia as the sole country to debut in 2006.

Since its debut, Georgia has consistently set itself apart from the conventional Eurovision entries that fans are used to. With an outside-the-box approach to the contest, the country often opts for bold, edgy songs featuring intriguing personalities and captivating staging. However, despite this unique perspective, Georgia has struggled to achieve significant success, with its best result being 9th place in the grand final. Additionally, the country has one of the weaker track records, having only qualified for the final 8 times in its 16 appearances.

I admire Georgia’s creativity and perseverance in its Eurovision journey. While the results may not always be in their favor, you can hardly call their approach “safe“. Georgia consistently takes risks by sending unconventional and daring entries, which I believe could pay off in the long run.

Coming at Eurovision with a BANG 💥

Georgia’s first-ever Eurovision participant, Sopho Kalvashi, was internally selected by the Georgian Public Broadcaster (GPB). However, the song she performed was chosen entirely by the public from five compositions that were submitted. “Visionary Dream” placed 12^th in the Grand Final of the 2007 edition.

In 2008, Georgia opted for a national selection and chose Diana Gurskaya to perform the powerful ballad “Peace Will Come”. Her strong vocals and captivating staging earned Georgia an 11th-place finish in the contest.

Continuing its Eurovision journey, Georgia found itself at the center of one of the contest’s most well-known controversies. In the wake of the 2008 Russian invasion of South Ossetia, Georgia’s 2009 National Selection was won by Stephane and 3G with the song “We Don’t Wanna Put In“. The song violated Eurovision’s rules against political messaging and Georgia was asked to change the lyrics, but when they refused, the country was forced to withdraw from the contest, despite already being drawn to perform in the first semi-final.

In 2010 and 2011, Georgia achieved its best results to date, with 9th place finishes thanks to Sofia Nizharadze‘s ballad “Shine” and Eldrine‘s pop-rock anthem “One More Day“.

Life’s too short for boring songs ♭🤔

The non qualification steak 🙃

Between 2017 and 2023, Georgia failed to qualify for the final each year, marking the second-longest non-qualification streak in Eurovision history, following the Netherlands eight-year streak from 2005 to 2012.

During this period, Tamara Geachechiladze came very close to qualification in 2017, missing the final by just 16 points. However, she will always be remembered for her powerful vocals and the “I’m here to win” meme that became iconic.

Oto Nemsadze’s 2019 performance drew significant attention during rehearsals, with Georgia receiving praise from the community for the staging that perfectly complemented the dark-themed song. Unfortunately, he only managed to get the 14^th place in the semi-final.

Another notable performance during this period was Iru Khechanovi’s “Echo” in 2023. Iru, who won the 2011 Junior Eurovision Song Contest with the group Candy, surprised both Eurovision fans and bookmakers with her non-qualification.

Where to…