Turkey in the Eurovision Song Contest 2011

Turkey was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 2011 with the song "Live It Up", composed by Kutlu Özmakinacı, with lyrics by Ergün Arsal, and performed by the band Yüksek Sadakat. The Turkish participating broadcaster, Türkiye Radyo ve Televizyon Kurumu (TRT), internally selected its entry for the contest.[1]

Eurovision Song Contest 2011
Participating broadcasterTürkiye Radyo ve Televizyon Kurumu (TRT)
Country Turkey
National selection
Selection processInternal selection
Selection date(s)Artist: 1 January 2011
Song: 25 February 2011
Selected artist(s)Yüksek Sadakat
Selected song"Live It Up"
Selected songwriter(s)
  • Kutlu Özmakinacı
  • Ergün Arsal
Finals performance
Semi-final resultFailed to qualify (13th)
Turkey in the Eurovision Song Contest
◄2010 2011 2012►

Before Eurovision

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Internal selection

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In October 2010, Turkish Eurovision website eurovisiondream.com launched an online petition to persuade Türkiye Radyo ve Televizyon Kurumu (TRT) to hold a national final instead of an internal selection, aiming to reach 10,000 signatures in two weeks.[2] However, TRT announced on 1 January 2011 that it had selected the band Yüksek Sadakat to represent Turkey in Düsseldorf.[3][4] Prior to the announcement of Yüksek Sadakat as the Turkish representative, rumoured artists in Turkish media included Atiye, Ayna, Hande Yener, Hayko Cepkin, and Şebnem Ferah.[5] Three songs, all written in English, were submitted by the band to the broadcaster in late January 2011 and a selection committee selected "Live It Up" as the song they would perform at the contest.[6][7]

On 25 February 2011, "Live It Up" was presented to the public during a press conference that took place at the TRT Tepebaşı Studios in Istanbul, broadcast on TRT 1 as well as online via the official Eurovision Song Contest website eurovision.tv.[8] The song was written by members of the band Kutlu Özmakinacı and Ergün Arsal.

At Eurovision

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Turkey competed in the first semi-final on 10 May 2011 but did not qualify for the final, placing 13th with 47 points.[9] The public awarded Turkey 10th place with 54 points and the jury awarded 12th place with 58 points.[10] This was the first and as of 2012, only time that Turkey did not make it to the final since the semi-final system was introduced in 2004. It was the first year that Turkey wasn't present in a Eurovision final since 1994, when they had been relegated due to a poor result in 1993.

Voting

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Points awarded to Turkey

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Points awarded to Turkey (Semi-final 1)[11]
Score Country
12 points
10 points   San Marino
8 points
7 points
6 points
5 points    Switzerland
4 points
3 points   Georgia
2 points
1 point   United Kingdom

Points awarded by Turkey

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References

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  1. ^ Halliwell, Mits (31 May 2010). "EUROVISION 2011 - 14 countries already confirm participation for 2011". Oikotimes. Retrieved 4 August 2010.
  2. ^ Hondal, Victor (23 October 2010). "Turkey: Fans campaign for a national final". EscToday.com. Retrieved 23 October 2010.
  3. ^ Hondal, Victor (29 November 2010). "Turkey: Official announcement in January". EscToday.com. Retrieved 30 November 2010.
  4. ^ Al Kasiri, Ghassan (31 December 2010). "Turkey decided: Yüksek Sadakat to Dusseldorf". Oikotimes.com. Retrieved 31 December 2010.
  5. ^ "Eurovision'a 'Yüksek Sadakat'". Dikkat Müzik! (in Turkish). 2 January 2011. Retrieved 14 April 2021.
  6. ^ "Turkey: Yüksek Sadakat confirm Eurovision song in English". Esctoday. 10 January 2011. Retrieved 14 April 2021.
  7. ^ "Yüksek Sadakat reveals Turkish entry". European Broadcasting Union. 25 February 2011. Retrieved 23 February 2022.
  8. ^ Busa, Alexandru (25 February 2011). "Turkey : Song title announced". Esctoday. Retrieved 14 April 2021.
  9. ^ "First Semi-Final of Düsseldorf 2011". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 30 April 2021. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
  10. ^ Bakker, Sietse (26 May 2011). "EBU reveals split televoting and jury results". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 28 May 2011. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
  11. ^ a b "Results of the First Semi-Final of Düsseldorf 2011". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 30 April 2021. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
  12. ^ "Results of the Grand Final of Düsseldorf 2011". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 30 April 2021. Retrieved 30 April 2021.