Mystical Song Contest 59

The Mystical Song Contest #59 (also known as MSC 59) was the fifty-nineth edition of the Mystical Song Contest. It took place in Gyumri, 🇦🇲 Armenia after Sona Yesayan ft. Gor Hakobyan won in Galway, 🇮🇪 Ireland.

It was confirmed that 52 countries participated in the 59th edition. No one debuted, withdrew or returned.

The top 6 of last edition 🇦🇲 Armenia, 🇷🇺 Russia, 🇺🇦 Ukraine, 🇸🇰 Slovakia, 🇳🇿 New Zealand and 🇿🇦 South Africa were automatically pre qualified for the Grand Final of this edition. The 46 other participating countries were split into 2 semi finals and a Pre-Qualification Round which consists of the countries which ended in the bottom 4 of each semi final of the previous edition.

The running orders were made by the supervisor of the contest ESC Thømås.

Gyumri
Gyumri (Armenian: Գյումրի, pronounced [ɡjumˈɾi]) is an urban municipal community and the second-largest city in Armenia, serving as the administrative center of Shirak Province in the northwestern part of the country. By the end of the 19th century, when the city was known as Alexandropol, it was one of the largest cities of Russian-ruled Eastern Armenia with a population similar to that of Yerevan. It was renamed to Leninakan during the Soviet period. The city's population grew above 200,000 prior to the 1988 Spitak earthquake, when it was devastated. As of the 2011 census, the city had a population of 121,976, down from 150,917 reported at the 2001 census.

Gyumri is the seat of the Diocese of Shirak of the Armenian Apostolic Church.

The area of modern-day Gyumri was known as Armenian Kumayri during the period of the Kingdom of Urartu. Under the domination of Turkic tribes, Kumayri was Turkified as Gümrü. In 1837, Kumayri was renamed Alexandropol after Czar Nicholas I's wife, Princess Alexandra Fyodorovna. Between 1924 and 1990, the city was known as Leninakan in honor of Vladimir Lenin. Following independence, the original name Kumayri was used until 1992, when Gyumri was chosen as the name of the city.Archaeological excavations conducted throughout the Soviet period have shown that the area of modern-day Gyumri has been populated since at least the third millennium BC. The area was mentioned as Kumayri in the historic Urartian inscriptions dating back to the 8th century BC. Historians believe that Xenophon passed through Kumayri during his return to the Black Sea, a journey immortalized in his Anabasis.

At the decline of the Urartu Kingdom by the second half of the 6th century BC, Kumayri became part of the Achaemenid Empire. The remains of a royal settlement found just to the south of Gyumri near the village of Beniamin dating back to the 5th to 2nd centuries BC, are a great example of the Achemenid influence in the region. However, at the beginning of the 5th century BC, Kumayri became part of the Satrapy of Armenia under the rule of the Orontids. An alternative theory suggests that Kumayri has been formed as an urban settlement in the late 5th century BC, ca. 401 BC, by Greek colonists.

Later in 331 BC, the entire territory was included in the Ayrarat province of Ancient Armenian Kingdom as part of the Shirak canton. Between 190 BC and 1 AD Kumayri was under the rule of the Artaxiad dynasty of Armenia. During the 1st century AD, Shirak was granted to the Kamsarakan family, who ruled over Kumayri during the Arsacid Kingdom of Armenia.

Host of the show
On January 2, 2022 it was announced that Gohar Gasparyan will be the host of Mystical Song Contest 59.

Gohar Gasparyan (Armenian: Գոհար Գասպարյան; is an Armenian TV personality, journalist, and model who currently works at Public Television of Armenia. From 2010 to 2018, she was head of the Armenian delegation in Eurovision and Junior Eurovision Song Contest.

Gasparyan was born on 19 October 1985 in Yerevan. Her father is a military man and her mother is a French language teacher. In 2002 she graduated from high school No. 114 School after "Khachik Dashtents" in Armenia.

The same year she entered the State Linguistic University after Valery Bryusov, the department of English Language and International Journalism. Since 2003 she has been working at Armenian Public Television as TV host of international programs.

In 2014 Gohar's childhood dream came true and she founded the first Armenian cotton candy brand called "Happyk". In July 2016 she married famous Armenian painter, lawyer Narek Van Ashughatoyan.

She started hosting her first TV program at the age of 12. In 1996 she hosted two junior TV programs on The 3rd channel "Talented Children", "The Story of my childhood".

On 3 December 2011 Gasparyan and Avet Barseghyan were presenters of Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2011 in Yerevan.

Gasparyan was born in 1985 in Yerevan. In 2002 she graduated from Secondary School No. 114 after Kh. Dashtents. In 2002–07 she studied English language and international reporting at Yerevan State Linguistic University after V. Brjusov. In 2007–09 took a Master's Course at Yerevan State University Department of Journalism. Also received an international master's degree at SUA attached Armenian School of Journalism.

In 1996–2001 was the host of program series for children and teens at Public TV 3rd Wave project (Talented Children, 3rd Wagon, etc.). Gohar has been working at Armenia Public TV as program host and author, commentator of international projects since 2003 (This Evening/Morning/Night, First Program, Rubicon, Top 10, etc. She is the commentator of Eurovision and Junior Eurovision song contests since 2006 and Head of Eurovision Armenian Delegation since 2010. In her activity as a host, a special place is with cultural and sport special projects, concerts and exclusive interviews (Junior Eurovision 2010 in Yerevan, Plácido Domingo, Jivan-80, Fanny Ardant, Arthur Abraham, Alain Delon, World Chess Champions, Eurovision National Selections, Golden Apricot, etc.), as well as organization of specific events (www.unistaff.am). Since October 2012 Gohar has been the host of Found Dream TV show on First Channel.

Debuting/Withdrawing
No countries withdrew or debuted.

Returning Artists
Here is the list of the returning artists for the 59th edition.

Pre-Qualification Round
On January 3, 2022 the supervisor of the contest ESC Thømås revealed the running order of the Pre-Qualification round.

Semi Finals
On January 3, 2022 the supervisor of the contest ESC Thømås revealed the running order of both semi finals.

The big 6 members were assigned to a semi final where they had to vote.

A total of 21 countries competed in each semi final and 10 countries qualified in both.

Semi Final 1
In this semi final 🇷🇺 Russia, 🇺🇦 Ukraine and 🇿🇦 South Africa had to vote.

Semi Final 2
In this semi final 🇦🇲 Armenia, 🇸🇰 Slovakia and 🇳🇿 New Zealand had to vote.

Grand Final
On January 25, 2022 the supervisor of the contest ESC Thømås revealed the running order of the Grand Final.