On the heels of Eva Rivas’ 7th place finish in the 2010 Eurovision song contest, Armenian singer Sona Shahgeldyan won the New Wave song contest, held in Jurmala, Latvia on July 31st. The 9th annual competition boasted 17 participants hailing from 12 countries.
New Wave was established by Russian composer Igor Krutoy and pianist Raimonds Pauls of Latvia in 2002. The contest was founded as a search for up-and-coming performers, primarily in the Western European and Near East regions. Individual singers or groups perform in a series of rounds to win the title.
In the final round, the 24–year-old Shahgeldyan scored a total of 288 points to narrowly beat out Ukranian Tatiana Shirko. She received a prize of 100,000 Euro, part of which she plans to donate in aid of stray animals. Uku Suviste of Estonia grabbed the third place trophy.
To continue reading about the contest, click here.