Charisma determines the success of a singer. In the case of Ulviyya Rahimova you feel her power over the audience as soon as she appears on stage.  Together with her musicians, Ulviyya transports us from her usual venue at the Jazz Center to another place. This is a place where the power of public opinion weakens and Baku imbibes the spirit of a city which belongs to free-thinking and open-minded people. Ulviyya holds a postgraduate music degree. Before switching to classical jazz, she was a member of the Beri Bah band under the supervision of Rauf Babayev. Today she plays with some of the most talented young musicians in Azerbaijan, such as Isfar Sarabski, Elchin Shirinov, Ruslan Guseynov and others. Recently she surprised everyone with her ability to transform herself from a jazz to a pop singer.

Our meeting with Ulviyya took place shortly after the Azerbaijan national Eurovision contest, in which she made it to the semi-finals. Fans were thrilled with her new image and performance of In Love. Ulviyya’s friends persuaded her to participate in the contest and that became “a breaking point”. Soon after work begun on her solo project Ulviyya decided to quit her full-time job at a foreign company. It was no longer possible for her to combine an activity that she loved and one that she disliked. Her family did not immediately accept her choice. “My mother was concerned about my loss of social status” and a stable salary. But Ulviyya espouses no such stereotypes because she believes that “creative people live in heaven”. For her these recent changes represent “an opportunity to grow when you don’t need to sit in the office from 9 to 6”. Of course, on her chosen path, a singer may experience financial difficulties, but she prefers to be “her own boss”.

“They opened the cage and let out the bird,” this is how Ulviyya describes her present state. She performs at the Jazz Center as well as the most prestigious corporate and government events. Ulivyya’s answer to the question on how to be successful in show business in Azerbaijan is simple and reserved: “You have to be pushy. You shouldn’t be afraid of the audience. You shouldn’t worry about what people think of your every move.” She admits that good looks are important because after all “the audience loves beauty”, whereas vocals are less valuable. Sponsorship is essential for every singer. Here Ulviyya pauses and explains that until recently “sponsorship” was widely misinterpreted in Azerbaijan.

“Five-six years ago a sponsor was considered to be someone who slept with you and spent money on you.” Today sponsors simply finance singers just as producers participate in putting together a project. Ulviyya does not agree that you have to go to bed with people to be successful. “Your personal stance will determine the treatment that you get. Overall we should not lose our dignity or forget our personal principles in life.” As to fame in Azerbaijan Ulviyya interprets it as a state when “you no longer have to call to receive invitations for television and radio.”

Taking into account that Ulviyya has received plenty of phone calls lately, she does not show even a touch of hubris. Her fairly conservative style and manner reflect a good education and upbringing. She expresses her emotions freely. However there is nothing to reveal any frustration in reference to the results of the Eurovision contest, which were not in her favor. There were plenty of rumours and outbursts online regarding the fairness of these results. But she responds without hesitation that she does not doubt the professionalism of the jury. Neither does she doubt her own professionalism.

Ulviyya knows how to take pleasure in a victory – that was evident in the energy she invested in her solo project for the semi-finals. At the same time she knows that defeat should be accepted with dignity. The jury at the contest was looking for a song to fit a particular format but in show business, as we know, it is the public that votes. Today Ulviyya has more than a thousand fans on facebook (one of the highest-ranked sites in Azerbaijan based on traffic). According to this indicator of public opinion she was way ahead of all her competitors during the semi-finals.

Any further discussion of the results of the contest leaves Ulviyya unperturbed. She achieves success “only through performance” and takes no interest in scandal and gossip. “If I had one more chance, I would focus on the vocals.” However there was very little time, only a month, to develop a program and to prepare for the contest. In this timeframe she had to find a composer with a song, create a stage image, and learn her dance routine. Although Ulviyya admits that pop is not the direction she wants to take, she experienced a change while participating in the Eurovision. “The contest helped me become more confident. It taught me to listen to others but make my own decisions.”

Today Ulviyya is defining her own creative path. The results of this process will determine her choice of direction in music and future image. She would like to sing in her own language – in Azerbaijani. The bossa nova style and forgotten folklore have a lot of appeal for her. Ulviyya feels that her learning in Baku has reached its peak and plans to continue vocal training in Tbilisi and Moscow. In the near future she would like to work with her former music supervisor, Rauf Babayev, on recording a non-jazz CD.

Career shifts are accompanied by changes in her personal life. A wedding is in the offing. Ulivyya thanks her fiancé, Jake, for his “moral support and presence” throughout her participation in the national Eurovision contest. Happiness combines with a touch of sadness because now we will be attending some of Ulivyya’s last regular performances in Azerbaijan. “It’s good to know that there will always be a home for me in Baku,” she says in reference plans of moving abroad. Let’s hope that Azerbaijan can hang on to one of its most popular jazz singers.