Georgia Brings Patriotic Ballad to Eurovision With Pro-Georgian Dream Artist

Executive Summary:

• Georgia’s entry at the Eurovision Song Contest this year, “Freedom,” is sung by Mariam Shengelia, who publicly supports the governing pro-Russian political party, Georgian Dream, and has performed at their events.
• The song has been criticized by Georgians and among fans internationally for its nationalist overtones, often labelled ”pro-Russian,” and is widely expected to fail to qualify for the Grand Final during the Eurovision Song Contest on May 13–17.
• After being banned from Eurovision in 2009 for submitting an explicitly anti-Russia song, Georgia’s entry this year represents a broader shifting government policy that is softer on Russia and increasingly distant from Europe.

The Georgian Public Broadcaster is sending pro-Georgian Dream singer Mariam Shengelia with the song “Freedom” to the Eurovision Song Contest in Basel, Switzerland, this May (YouTube/@EurovisionSongContest, March 14; Eurovision, accessed May 8). Eurovision is one of the most viewed televised events internationally, with over 163 million viewers throughout Europe and beyond watching the contest in 2024 (Eurovision, May 23, 2024). Countries traditionally select songs and performers who convey aspects of the national culture and identity they wish to portray to the rest of the world, particularly other European participants. This year, Georgia is sending a singer closely linked to the pro-Russian ruling Georgian Dream party. The chosen song stylistically resembles previous Russian female-led nationalistic ballads at Eurovision (YouTube/@creativetweaking, September 12, 2009). The decision to select “Freedom” demonstrates a shift in tone from the Georgian Public Broadcaster that mirrors broader changes in the government and its stances toward Europe and Russia, sparking backlash from viewers in Georgia and internationally.

This year, Georgia is one of 37 countries participating in Eurovision. Each country’s entry is selected differently—some hold a “national final,” where the selection process is televised and viewers can vote on their favorite entry to go to Basel. Other countries have an “internal selection,” where the participating broadcaster hand-picks an artist to send to Eurovision. This year, Georgia’s entry was internally selected and was one of the last to be revealed by Eurovision. Given Shengelia’s well-known sympathy for the ruling Georgian Dream party, the reception among Georgians online has been mixed, with many calling her “Qotsi” (Georgian shorthand for Georgian Dream supporters) or pro-Russian (for a few examples, see YouTube/@GeorgianBroadcaster, March 14; TikTok/@1tv.ge, March 15; Facebook.com/@1stchannel.1tv.ge, March 14). There was particular excitement for Nini Iris, a Georgian singer based in the United States who publicly announced she had applied to represent Georgia this year (Eurovoix, January 26). Shengelia’s selection instead could represent a preference for locally-based artists who can present a more patriotic message than Georgians living abroad.

The song “Freedom” is a grandiose ballad sung in Georgian and English that stands out for its patriotic overtones. In the music video, Shengelia’s red dress, along with the red lighting and visuals, evoke the colors of the Georgian flag. Shengelia is supported on stage first by dancers from the Erisioni traditional dance ensemble, then the Tbilisi Youth Orchestra, highlighting cultural tradition (Newsday.ge, March 15). The lyrics include “the thirst for freedom carried in the heart by the homeland,” tying a sense of “freedom” to an inward-looking pride in Georgia. This is taken further with the lines “we will never give up this sky and mountains,” “the homeland is the one and only,” and “I don’t want any other wealth.” Although it is not immediately clear who threatens the “sky and mountains” and offers “other wealth,” the patriotic feel of the song and the context of Shengelia’s connections to Georgian Dream suggest a rejection of European integration. The end of the music video jumps between postcards of the Georgian landscape, reinforcing a patriotic spirit and echoing Georgian Dream’s political campaign from 2024, which similarly showcased images of Georgia’s natural beauty (Facebook.com/GeorgianDreamOfficial, October 9, 2024).

“Freedom” follows in the footsteps of several female-led ballads submitted by Russia to Eurovision, with parallels to Russia’s 2015 entry “A Million Voices” sung by Polina Gagarina, an internationally-sanctioned vocal supporter of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine  (YouTube/@EurovisionSongContest, May 23, 2015; European Commission, accessed May 9). In 2015, one year after Russia’s annexation of Crimea, Gagarina sang of peace, unity, and love, dressed in an angelic white dress. The background visual showed a monochrome globe centered on Russia. Relatedly, Julia Samoylova brought a song of resilience called “I Won’t Break” to the 2018 contest (YouTube/@EurovisionSongContest, May 10, 2018). Samoylova was previously selected for the 2017 contest in Kyiv with a similar song, but was banned from entering Ukraine due to her performances in Crimea since 2014 (YouTube/@EurovisionSongContest, March 13, 2017; Eurovision.tv, April 13, 2017). Whereas Gagarina finished as the runner-up in 2015, Samoylova failed to qualify for the final in 2018.

Shengelia, despite previously expressing support for Ukraine following Russia’s full-scale invasion, has since been known for her vocal support of Georgian Dream (Facebook/mariami.shengelia.1, February 24, 2022 [1], [2]). Georgian Dream has increasingly isolated the country from the West by implementing new freedom-repressing laws and Kremlin-aligned policies while continuing to suppress pro-democracy protests (see EDM, April 30, May 7). Georgian Dream’s election ads included contrasts of destruction in Ukraine with peace and prosperity in Georgia, sparking outrage internationally (Facebook.com/salome.zourabichvili; Embassy of Ukraine in Georgia, September 26, 2024; Netgazeti.ge, October 7, 2024). Georgian media outlets have noted Shengelia’s reputation on social media as “the government’s favorite singer” (Ambebi.ge, March 10; Allnews.ge, March 12). She performed with her band Mix2Ra at one of Georgian Dream’s events in August 2024 (Facebook.com/tvimedi; Imedi News, August 27, 2024). In the run-up to the 2024 parliamentary election, Shengelia performed and endorsed the party at one of their rallies (Rustavi 2, October 23, 2024).

In a Georgian-language interview with the Georgian Public Broadcaster, Shengelia claimed that “the message [of her Eurovision song, ‘Freedom’] is of course, peace” (YouTube/@GeorgianBroadcaster, March 24). Her reference to “peace” rather than the Georgian word for “freedom” sparked controversy among Georgian viewers, as this drew parallels with the consistent message of “peace” used by Georgian Dream in their election campaign (Radio Tavisupleba, March 24; On.ge, March 25). When asked by a Eurovision fan site about allegations that she was “pro-Russian” and homophobic (referring to Georgian Dream’s anti-LGBT law which came into force in December 2024), Shengelia did not outright reject these claims (see EDM, July 3, 2024; Civil Georgia, September 9, December 12, 2024). Instead, she referred generally to “disinformation” and “absurd allegations” (Wiwibloggs, March 23).

Overly patriotic entries do not tend to be well-received at Eurovision. Georgia itself was banned from the contest in 2009 for sending the anti-Russia anthem “We Don’t Wanna Put In.” At the time, Eurovision was taking place in Moscow following Russia’s 2008 win, and fresh on the heels of the Russo-Georgian War of 2008, Georgia submitted a song that clearly highlighted a desire for Georgia to be separate from Russia and its leader since 2000, President Vladimir Putin. The European Broadcasting Union, which organizes Eurovision annually, rejected the song on the grounds of its lyrics being too political (Civil Georgia, March 11, 2009).

International reception to “Freedom” from Eurovision fans has been largely mixed to negative. On the fan site Eurovisionworld, “Freedom” is rated an average of 1.8 stars out of 5 by 12,032 users, and is 36th in the betting odds (second to last) to win the contest (Eurovisionworld, accessed May 9 [1], [2]). According to fan polls and betting odds, Georgia is widely expected to fail to qualify from the semi-finals and potentially finish last overall (Wiwibloggs, March 18; Eurovisionworld, accessed May 9).

Georgia’s entry, nevertheless, has not been rejected entirely by the Eurovision community. Shengelia was welcomed at Eurovision “pre-party” events in Amsterdam and Madrid in April, which featured many of this year’s contestants (YouTube/@Wiwibloggs, April 5; YouTube/@eurovisionspain, April 20). Last year, Nutsa Buzaladze represented Georgia and qualified for the final, finishing 21st overall (YouTube/@EurovisionSongContest, May 11, 2024). Since Eurovision, she has faced protests at her own concerts for backing Georgian Dream in the 2024 election (Tabula.ge, September 5, 2024; Radio Tavisupleba, January 4).

The shift in Georgia’s Eurovision trajectory comes at a time when Georgian Dream is isolating itself from the West and facing accusations of increasingly pro-Kremlin, authoritarian repression (see EDM, April 15, 30). Having participated in Eurovision since 2007, Georgia’s best results were ninth place in 2010 and 2011, meaning the country never received the publicity and tourism boost that other former Soviet countries have received upon winning and hosting the contest (Eurovision Song Contest, accessed May 8). Eurovision, nonetheless, offers a rare opportunity for the Georgian government to shape the narrative and perceptions of Georgia on the international stage. Eurovision is a massive international cultural platform for the country and, at least for three minutes, tens of millions of viewers across Europe will all have their eyes on Georgia.