Ell & Nikki

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

Ell & Nikki
Nigar (left) & Eldar (right) performing at Eurovision 2011
Background information
Origin	Baku, Azerbaijan
Genres	Pop
Years active	2011 – 2013
Members	Eldar Gasimov Nigar Jamal
Website	Official website

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.

Although Nigar Jamal represented Azerbaijan, she lives in Enfield, North London.

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 Azerbaijani version of The X Factor. She lives in the United Kingdom.