Russia’s Polina Gagarina Passes Eurovision 2015 Semi-Final

VIENNA (Sputnik) – Russian singer Polina Gagarina has successfully passed the first Eurovision 2015 semi-final held in the Austrian capital.

Gagarina told Russian journalists on Tuesday evening that she could feel the support of the Russian audience during her performance and was also welcomed by listeners from other countries.

"Europe greeted us wonderfully. People from different countries were singing along," Gagarina said.

The first semi-final of the Eurovision 2015 song contest was held on Tuesday evening in Vienna, Austria. Gagarina, a composer and actress, performed "A Million Voices," a song written by an international team of songwriters from Russia, Sweden and Germany.

The second Eurovision semi-final will be held on Thursday and will be followed by a final on Saturday, where 10 performers will compete.

Austria was chosen to be the event host country this year after its contestant Conchita Wurst won the 2014 competition with her song "Rise Like a Phoenix." It is the second time since 1967 that Vienna is hosting the event.

Winning the Eurovision contest has become a matter of national pride for millions across Europe since the annual song contest was first held in 1956.

In 2008, Russia's Dima Bilan won Eurovision with the song "Believe," bringing the large-scale musical event to Moscow the following year.