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At last, one of the most discussed questions of the year has been revealed. Yesterday, on March 11, the Public Television Company announced the name of Armenia’s representative for Eurovision Song Contest 2026—and yes, it is Simon, a singer and dancer whose possible participation in the contest had been rumored for quite some time.

While many people who are not particularly interested in Eurovision are now trying to figure out who Simon is and why he was entrusted with such a responsible role on this musical stage, fans of the contest—not only in Armenia but also abroad—became familiar with him about a year ago and had even begun imagining him performing on the pan-European stage.

The reason is that Simon took part last year in the national selection Depi Evratesil, organized by Armenian Public Television Company. Based on the votes of both the jury and the audience, he became one of the main contenders to represent Armenia—more precisely, he finished in second place. The competition was won by Parg (Armenian singer), who received the ticket to Eurovision Song Contest 2025, while Simon, who competed with the song Ay Paparey Bye, took second place. With such a result, it was clear that the singer’s Eurovision moment was not far away.

According to the Public Television Company’s official statement, Simon was selected internally, taking into account the singer’s “experience and continuous development.”

What is known about Simon

Simon is 32 years old. He was born on August 9, 1994, in Hrazdan, into a family of doctors. His love for dance and singing appeared from an early age. Among his inspirations, the singer highlights Michael Jackson.

In recent years, Simon has been performing at one of Yerevan’s entertainment venues, showcasing his energetic dance and vocal abilities.

As for his personal life, Simon is married and has twin sons. His wife, Anush Avagyan, is also his producer.

“Paloma Rumba”: the song Simon will perform at Eurovision

Simon will represent Armenia at Eurovision with the song Paloma Rumba.

According to the official description, the song is about rejecting everyday monotony and stepping outside one’s comfort zone. The title interpreted as “Dance of the Dove,” symbolizing the flight of freedom.

The music was written by Lilit Navasardyan, while the lyrics were co-written by Rosa Linn, together with David Tserunyan and Eva Voskanyan.

The music video features a storyline: Simon, disappointed after losing Depi Evratesil, tries to switch to an office job, but his Eurovision dream proves stronger and ultimately brings him back to where he truly wants to be—on stage. The video was directed by Arthur Manukyan.

Reactions online

Within just a few hours, the music video for “Paloma Rumba” gained more than 200,000 views and many comments online. Many Eurovision fans wondered why Armenia announced its representative and song so late. One European fan joked:

“I finished school, won eurovision, started a family and retired before Armenia has decided to release their entry.”

Other comments included:

• “He's gonne perform this live at 180%. This guy invented energy.”
• “You already know the live performance for this is going to be iconic.”
• “Armenia is always unique!! Well done and good luck from Germany.”
• “Wait what?? Armenia came to win the televoting? Banger! Good luck from Greece.”

In any case, Eurovision proves every year that our positive or negative opinions about our participants do not necessarily match the final results. Predicting who will win Eurovision is as tempting as it is tricky. As they say, all that remains is to support our representative and remember that on the day of the contest we share one goal: Armenia’s victory—or at least a strong and impressive performance on Europe’s prestigious musical stage.

The Eurovision Song Contest 2026 will take place in Vienna on May 12, 14, and 16.

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