All countries except the "
Big Five" (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom), and the host country, are required to qualify from one of two semi-finals in order to compete for the final; the top ten countries from each semi-final progress to the final. The
European Broadcasting Union (EBU) split up the competing countries into six different pots based on voting patterns from previous contests, with countries with favourable voting histories put into the same pot. On 20 January 2014, a special allocation draw was held which placed each country into one of the two semi-finals, as well as which half of the show they would perform in. Armenia was placed into the first semi-final, to be held on 6 May 2014, and was scheduled to perform in the first half of the show. Once all the competing songs for the 2014 contest had been released, the running order for the semi-finals was decided by the shows' producers rather than through another draw, so that similar songs were not placed next to each other. Armenia was set to open the show and perform in position 1, before the entry from
Latvia. In Armenia, the two semi-finals and the final were broadcast on
Armenia 1 with commentary by Erik Antaranyan and Anna Avanesyan during the semi-finals, and by Tigran Danielyan and Arevik Udumyan during the final. The Armenian spokesperson, who announced the Armenian votes during the final, was Anna Avanesyan.
Semi-final Aram Mp3 took part in technical rehearsals on 28 April and 2 May, followed by dress rehearsals on 5 and 6 May. This included the jury show on 5 May where the professional juries of each country watched and voted on the competing entries. The Armenian performance featured Aram Mp3 wearing a dark grey coat with a diamond-shaped brooch in the colours of the Armenian flag, black gloves and black boots performing alone on stage. The LED screens transitioned from dark settings with spotlights on Aram Mp3 from the back to explosive and pulsating elements with flickering lights as the song progressed. The stage presentation also included pyrotechnic flame effects and the use of a wind machine during the performance. At the end of the show, Armenia was announced as having finished in the top 10 and subsequently qualifying for the grand final. It was later revealed that Armenia placed fourth in the semi-final, receiving a total of 121 points.
Final Shortly after the first semi-final, a winners' press conference was held for the ten qualifying countries. As part of this press conference, the qualifying artists took part in a draw to determine which half of the grand final they would subsequently participate in. This draw was done in the order the countries were announced during the semi-final. Armenia was drawn to compete in the first half. Following this draw, the shows' producers decided upon the running order of the final, as they had done for the semi-finals. Armenia was subsequently placed to perform in position 7, following the entry from
Romania and before the entry from
Montenegro. Aram Mp3 once again took part in dress rehearsals on 9 and 10 May before the final, including the jury final where the professional juries cast their final votes before the live show. Aram Mp3 performed a repeat of his semi-final performance during the final on 10 May. Armenia placed fourth in the final, scoring 174 points.
Voting Voting during the three shows consisted of 50 percent public televoting and 50 percent from a jury deliberation. The jury consisted of five music industry professionals who were citizens of the country they represent, with their names published before the contest to ensure transparency. This jury was asked to judge each contestant based on: vocal capacity; the stage performance; the song's composition and originality; and the overall impression by the act. In addition, no member of a national jury could be related in any way to any of the competing acts in such a way that they cannot vote impartially and independently. The individual rankings of each jury member were released shortly after the grand final. Following the release of the full split voting by the EBU after the conclusion of the competition, it was revealed that Armenia had placed third with the public televote and fifth with the jury vote in the final. In the public vote, Armenia scored 193 points, while with the jury vote, Armenia scored 125 points. In the first semi-final, Armenia placed fourth with the public televote with 121 points and fourth with the jury vote, scoring 102 points. Below is a breakdown of points awarded to Armenia and awarded by Armenia in the first semi-final and grand final of the contest, and the breakdown of the jury voting and televoting conducted during the two shows:
Points awarded to Armenia Points awarded by Armenia Detailed voting results The following members comprised the Armenian jury: • Asatur Asatryan (jury chairperson)musician, producer • Arman Davtyanpainter, sculptor, designer •
Inga Arshakyansinger, represented
Armenia in the 2009 Contest •
Anush Arshakyansinger, represented
Armenia in the 2009 Contest •
Avet Barseghyanradio and television host, songwriter ==References==