OSLO, Norway-Eva Rivas rehearsed the Armenian act for the 2010 Eurovision Song Contest for the second time on the stage Friday at the Telenor Arena in Oslo. She will be singing Apricot Stone during the competition this northern summer.
Rivas has been well received in this year's competition. Describing her first rehearsal in Oslo, Oikotimes reporter Lilian Brunell writes how she was impressed by Apricot Stone.
"It's a song that goes immediately into my heart and it feels so genuine! I think this entry will appeal to the TV-viewers," Brunell said. "An apricot will of course be on the stage."
According to Brunell, Rivas "has already been appointed as the most beautiful woman in Eurovision 2010."
Rivas, whose first performance is on May 27, has been leading in Eurovision charts in recent weeks. Commentators of the event speculate she may have a "great shot" at winning this year's song competition for Armenia, especially after reports were confirmed that she would be performing alongside famed Duduk master Jivan Gasparian.
That Rivas is in the lead comes as no surprise to her director, Diana Mnatsakanyan, who oversees the Armenian delegation to Eurovision. "Eva's song is about a love of motherland and not only about love to Armenia, but rather a love toward a motherland for any person in the world," she said, adding that she has been very pleased with Rivas' performance thus far.
The Russian-Armenian performer arrived in Oslo after a promotion tour of Europe, where she performed her token song. Rivas planted Apricot trees in every country she visited along the tour.
