Once upon a time, in 2011, a group of grandmothers from Buranovo, Russia, decided to form a singing group.
They called themselves Buranovskiye Babushki.
Their goal: Eurovision glory.
On their first try, they didn’t go very far.
On their second try, however, they sang a song called “Party for Everybody” and there was literally a party for everybody when they beat out past Eurovision winner Dima Bilan, among others, for a shot at Eurovision that year in Baku, Azerbaijan. The song was mostly in Udmurt with one phrase in English. At Eurovision, they scored a healthy second place to the incomparable Loreen. Good going for a group of grannies.
Here’s how singer Elena Ekimova reacted, as well as Dima Bilan and his team. Note the stark contrast.