Ell & Nikki

Ell & Nikki (also known as Eldar & Nigar) were an Azerbaijani pop duo consisting of singers Eldar Gasimov and Nigar Jamal. 

On 14 May 2011 they won the Eurovision Song Contest 2011 for Azerbaijan with their entry "Running Scared". It was the country's first (and currently only) win at the contest.Azerbaijan win Eurovision as Blue and Jedward finish mid-table 

Although Nigar Jamal represented Azerbaijan, she lives in Enfield, North London."Eurovision Song Contest 2011: review", The Telegraph, 15 May 2011. Accessed 15 May 2011.

 Band history 

 Eurovision win 
Both Eldar and Nigar had separately entered the selection contest for Azerbaijan's Eurovision Song Contest entry. They both won and were made into a duo under the name Ell & Nikki. As the contest was taking place in a Western European country, the name change was made to prevent confusion of Jamal's first name being interpreted as a racial slur. 

Their entry, named "Running Scared", was written by Stefan Örn and Sandra Bjurman from Sweden and Iain Farquharson from the UK. The performance included four backing vocalists and singers, including Jessica Marberger and Vera Prada who had earlier in the year attempted to represent Sweden as part of Shirley's Angels.

 After Eurovision 
Following their win, Eldar was one of the presenters of the Eurovision Song Contest 2012. Both of them handed the trophy to 2012's winner Loreen. Eldar was also a judge on the Azerbaijani version of The Voice.

In 2014, Nigar was a judge on the Turkish version of The X Factor. She lives in the United Kingdom.

 References 

Category:Eurovision Song Contest winners
Category:Musical duos