A CONCERT FULL OF SURPRISES

Emin Agalarov, an Azerbaijani singer and composer, gathered a full house at another charity concert held in Green Theatre in Baku on 7 July. He sang the Baku audience's favourite songs from the new album "Wonder" recorded by Emin in England this year. The singer composed most of his new repertoire in partnership with renowned songwriters Paul Barry (the author of a good half of Enrique Iglesias's hits), Jamie Scott, Wayne Hector and others. The producer of the record was Brian Rowling, known for his work with Lara Fabian, Enrique Iglesias, James Morrison, Cher, and many other world-famous stars. At the same time, two key songs from the album - entitled "Wonder" and "Obvious" - were composed entirely by Emin. As he said, "both these tracks are about feelings and emotions for someone you love, about whom you grieve but who is not with you anymore".

This year, the grateful public and the Baku sky, on which the velvet voice of Emin spread with a rolling echo, also heard a few new songs from the singer's forthcoming album, on which he is working now. As Emin admitted, the new songs are almost a sketch and working versions. But due to the fact that Baku concerts always have a special nature for him, the singer could not but share them with the Baku admirers of his music. At the concert, he even sang the new songs he himself very much likes, but will not include in his new album for certain reasons. With great insight, Emin played the song "Better", which he dedicated to his father, Aras Agalarov. The singer said that on the day of the concert, Agalarov Sr. underwent surgery, and he was very sorry that he was not with him. "I think dad will forgive me, because he knows that I love and value him. He will realize that today I should be here with you."

The concert was attended by the grandmother, mother and sister of Emin and his wife Leyla Aliyeva and sister Arzu. To the applause of the audience, the singer, as always, dedicated to the beautiful Leyla the famous hit of the 20th century "Unchained Melody", known from the movie "Ghost". He confessed to the audience that he was indebted to Leyla for his achievements in music and 50 per cent of his success. His tender feelings for his wife and her support force him to create.

On stage, as always, Emin was elegant. He interacted with the audience with ease, great pleasure and a fair amount of humour. He patiently signed autographs, took flowers and talked to guys from the fan club. As a sign of gratitude, the fans dedicated to their beloved singer a song which they performed on the Green Theatre stage and presented a cake in honour of the fifth anniversary of his marriage with Leyla Aliyeva.

The concert was lyrical and touching. Incredibly gentle songs gave way to romantic ballads about love, while the famous "Still" was sung by the whole audience together with Emin. By tradition, the legendary "My Way" was also performed - and again, as announced by Emin, it was dedicated to Muslim Magomayev. These were, perhaps, the most touching moments of the evening: Muslim Magomedovich was one of the teachers and mentors of Emin. At the same time, Emin said that very soon, a monument to the great Azerbaijani will be erected on Nizami Square in Moscow. In addition, a school of music will be built, which will be named after Muslim Magomedovich.

A real surprise for the Baku audience was the appearance on the stage of a representative of Saffron Music, Alistair Audsley, during a break between the songs. He spoke about Emin's success on the music stage in the Foggy Albion and presented him with an original gift. He said that Emin was the first non-British artist not only from Azerbaijan but also from the whole of Eastern Europe to be mentioned by Britain's largest radio station BBC Radio 2 twice in a row. First, his debut single "Obvious" was mentioned in the programme "The Song of the Week", and then immediately after the release of the album "Wonder", the same BBC Radio 2 called it "the album of the week". And recently, the composition "Any Time You Fall" also became the best. By the way, "Obvious" has reached 25th place in the British national radio charts, and now "Any Time You Fall" is catching up with it, taking 28th place. "Any Time You Fall" from the album "Wonder" is successfully spreading on the UK airwaves. The track is included on the playlists of Heart Network (includes 17 radio stations across the country), Manx FM, Imagine FM, BBC Radio Wales, Media Sound (includes Arrow FM, Bright FM, Sovereign FM and Splash FM) and Quidem Network (four stations Touch FM , Radio Rugby Sound and Banbury Sound).

For the first time, a musician from Russia and Azerbaijan is on the playlist of the world's largest radio station. This is a great achievement not only for Emin, but for the whole of Azerbaijan. Incidentally, for the BBC's broadcasting policy, this case can be called unprecedented. Two singles from one album consecutively received status as "The Record of the Week" - it is a unique event and recognition of the musician's success in the British show business industry. And recently, Emin was nominated for the prestigious "Man of the Year" prize, which is annually awarded by GQ Russia magazine - the Russian version of the world famous glossy magazine. Currently, it is one of the most notable medals awarded by the Russian mass media to representatives of culture, sports, business and public figures. Emin is now going to conquer the US music arena. Emin's charity concert raised $100,000. These funds will be spent on the further refurbishment of secondary school № 130 in Baku's Nardaran village.