Russian press officer: “Yulia Samoylova is not Céline Dion”

Russia’s representative Yulia Samoylova was not happy with her vocal performance today. Dmitry Melnikov, member of the Russian delegation, stated this in an interview with ESCDaily. “She is not Céline Dion. She is a singer in a weelchair.”

“Yulia is a perfectionist. And today she was happy with everything else. The staging, camera work, even the backing vocals. However she was unhappy with her own performance.”

“We had to get up very early this morning,” Melnik adds. “Because we were the first one. And for someone in Yulia’s condition, this is very tough to be at your best. Her morning vocals were not good. But people have to keep in mind that she is not like any other singer. She is not Celine Dion. She is in a weelchair.”

Watch the full interview below:

Bookmakers think that Russia might not qualify for the Eurovision Grand Final this year. It would be the first non-qualification for the Eurovision top country that Russia is. Melnik explains that his delegation is big and does everything to make sure that does not happen. “We are still hungry to get the best possible result.”