Mystical Song Contest 51

The Mystical Song Contest #51 (also known as MSC 51) is the fifty-first edition of the Mystical Song Contest. It takes place in Moscow, 🇷🇺 Russia after Yaseniya won in Chișinău, 🇲🇩 Moldova.

It was confirmed that 48 countries participate in the 51st edition. No one debuted, 🇸🇮 Slovenia withdrew while 🇫🇴 Faroe Islands returned.

The top 6 of last edition 🇷🇺 Russia, 🇦🇺 Australia, 🇮🇹 Italy, 🇸🇪 Sweden, 🇳🇿 New Zealand and 🇨🇾 Cyprus were automatically pre qualified for the Grand Final of this edition. The 42 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.

Moscow
Moscow (/ˈmɒskoʊ/, /ˈmɒskaʊ/; Russian: Москва, tr. Moskva, IPA: [mɐˈskva] (listen)) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 12.4 million residents within the city limits, while over 17 million residents in the urban area, and over 20 million residents in the Moscow Metropolitan Area. The city covers an area of 2,511 square kilometres (970 sq mi), while the urban area covers 5,891 square kilometres (2,275 sq mi), and the metropolitan area covers over 26,000 square kilometres (10,000 sq mi). Moscow is among the world's largest cities, being the largest city entirely in Europe, the largest urban area in Europe, the largest metropolitan area in Europe, and the largest city by land area on the European continent.

Originally established in 1147, Moscow grew to become a prosperous and powerful city that served as the capital of the Grand Duchy that bears its namesake. When the Grand Duchy of Moscow evolved into the Tsardom of Russia, Moscow still remained as the political and economic center for most of the Tsardom's history. When the Tsardom was reformed into the Russian Empire, the capital was moved from Moscow to Saint Petersburg, diminishing the influence of the city. The capital was then moved back to Moscow following the Russian Revolution and the city was brought back as the political centre of the Russian SFSR and the Soviet Union. In the aftermath of the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Moscow remained as the capital city of the contemporary and newly established Russian Federation.

As the northernmost and coldest megacity in the world, and with a history that dates over eight centuries, Moscow is governed as a federal city that serves as the political, economic, cultural, and scientific centre of Russia and Eastern Europe. As an alpha world city, Moscow has one of the world's largest urban economies, and is one of the most expensive cities in the world. The city is one of the fastest growing tourist destinations in the world, and is one of Europe's most visited cities. Moscow is home to the third-highest number of billionaires of any city in the world, and has the highest number of billionaires of any city in Europe. The Moscow International Business Center is one of the largest financial centres in Europe and the world, and features some of Europe's tallest skyscrapers. Muscovites enjoy public digital services more than anywhere else in Europe, and the best e-government services in the world. Moscow was the host city of the 1980 Summer Olympics, and one of the host cities of the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

As the historic core of Russia, Moscow serves as the home of numerous Russian artists, scientists, and sports figures due to the presence of its various museums, academic and political institutions and theatres. The city is home to several UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and is well known for its display of Russian architecture, particularly its historic Red Square, and buildings such as the Saint Basil's Cathedral and the Moscow Kremlin, of which the latter serves as the seat of power of the Government of Russia. Moscow is home to many Russian companies in numerous industries, and is served by a comprehensive transit network, which includes four international airports, nine railway terminals, a tram system, a monorail system, and most notably the Moscow Metro, the busiest metro system in Europe, and one of the largest rapid transit systems in the world. The city has over 40 percent of its territory covered by greenery, making it one of the greenest cities in Europe and the world.

Host of the show
On April 16, 2021 it was announced that Philipp Kirkorov will be the host of Mystical Song Contest 51.

Philipp Bedrosovich Kirkorov PAR (Russian: Фили́пп Бедро́сович Кирко́ров; born Philip Bedrosovich Kirkorov (Bulgarian: Филип Бедросович Киркоров), 30 April 1967) is a Bulgarian-born Russian pop singer. He is a five-time winner of the "Best Selling Russian Artist" title at the World Music Awards ceremonies.

Philipp Kirkorov was born on 30 April 1967 in Varna, Bulgaria. His father, Bedros Kirkorov, is a Bulgarian-born singer of Armenian descent. In 1984, he entered the Gnessin State Music School, graduating with honors in 1988. His musical style is mainstream Russian pop music with various Western influences and, like many Russian pop stars of the 1990s and 2000s, he frequently collaborates and records duets with other Russian pop artists. His mother, Victoria Markovna Kirkorovа, (née Likhachevа) is of Russian and French descent.

In 1988, Kirkorov met Russian singer Alla Pugacheva for the first time. She invited him to take part in her New Year's concert show. The following year, Kirkorov toured and performed with Pugacheva in Australia and Germany. He was also a finalist in the Russian national "Song of the Year" competition.

In 1990, Kirkorov won the Grand Prix in the competition "Shlyager-90" (Hit-90) in Leningrad with the song "Nebo i Zemlya" (Sky and Earth). In 1992, his music video to the song "Atlantida" was selected as "Music Video of the Year". His popularity began to spread outside of Russia and he toured in the United States, Canada, Germany, and Israel.

In 1993, he won the Russian Ovation award for "Best Singer of the Year" and also scored a win at the Bulgarian international singing competition Golden Orpheus. The following year, he unveiled his new solo concert program, titled "Ya ne Rafael" (I am not Raphael), which included cover songs by Engelbert Humperdinck, Tom Jones, Frank Sinatra, Paul Anka and Elvis Presley. He also recorded "Ya podnimayu svoy bokal" (I raise my glass), which he said was a love letter to Alla Pugacheva.

In 1994, he proposed to Alla Pugacheva and she accepted. On 13 January the couple announced their engagement in Moscow. On 15 March the marriage was registered in St. Petersburg by then-mayor Anatoly Sobchak. On 15 May the wedding of Kirkorov and Pugacheva took place in Jerusalem. Kirkorov represented Russia in the Eurovision Song Contest 1995 held in Dublin with the song "Kolybelnaya dlya vulkana" ('Lullaby for the volcano') and finished in 17th place. He co-wrote the Belarusian entry at the Eurovision Song Contest 2007, "Work Your Magic" for Dmitry Koldun, and wrote the 2008 Ukrainian entry "Shady Lady", performed by Ani Lorak. He was also a judge in the second season of Music Idol in Bulgaria. Kirkorov makes a cameo in Verka Serduchka's video "Do Re Mi". Other than his native Bulgarian, he is fluent in Russian, and is proficient in Spanish and English.

He became a father in 2012. His daughter, Alla-Victoria Filippovna Kirkorova, was born in Miami. He decided to call her Alla-Victoria after Alla Pugacheva and his mother Victoria.

In December 2012 he signed an open letter criticizing a St. Petersburg bill banning "homosexual propaganda", along with pop stars like Dima Bilan and Valery Syutkin.

Debuting/Withdrawing
On March 11, 2021 it was announced that 1 country won't participate in the 50th edition.


 * 🇸🇮 Slovenia : RTV Slovenija, the Slovenian broadcaster, stated that the country won't participate in the 51st edition because the country wants to take a break from the contest. The last participation of the country was in the 50th edition.

Returning Artists
Here is the list of the returning artists for the 51st edition.

Pre-Qualification Round
On April 16, 2021 the supervisor of the contest ESC Thømås revealed the running order of the Pre-Qualification round.

Semi Finals
On April 16, 2021 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 19 countries competed in each semi final and 10 countries qualified in both.

Semi Final 1
In this semi final 🇦🇺 Australia, 🇸🇪 Sweden and 🇳🇿 New Zealand had to vote.

Semi Final 2
In this semi final 🇷🇺 Russia, 🇮🇹 Italy and 🇨🇾 Cyprus had to vote.

Grand Final
On April 27, 2021 the supervisor of the contest ESC Thømås revealed the running order of the Grand Final.