Greece

Andromache

© EBU/Nathan Reinds About Quick Facts NameAndromache Dimitropoulou Born12 oktober 1994 Nationality🇬🇷 Greek National SelectionInternal selection 2022 In Eurovision2022 Turin SongEla (2022) Biography Andromache Dimitropoulou, known professionally as Andromache, is a Greek singer. She was born in Siegen, Germany to Greek parents, but at the age of 10 she moved with her family to Lechena, Ilia, Greece. Andromache started her music career working in small shops in Athens. Then, in 2015, she participated in the second season of The Voice of Greece, where she was in the team of Michalis Stavento. Her musical journey in the show, although it stopped after the 2nd liv showe, “opened the door” of Nikos Vertis. She collaborated with him for two years (2015-2017). This was followed by other collaborations with Greek artists, such as Konstantinos Argyros (2017-2019), Nikos Economopoulos (2019-2020) and Thodoris Ferris. Her discographic debut was in 2017. She released her first single entitled “To fengari” with lyrics and music by George Papadopoulos, followed “Den boró” and “Den se diálexa”. Then “Na’soun psema” to music and lyrics by Vassilis Koumentakos, “Thalassaki” in collaboration with Duo Violins where it is an adaptation of the traditional song. “S’agapo” and “Vásano mou”. On March 9, 2022, it was announced that Andromache would represent Cyprus in the Eurovision Song Contest 2022. with the song “ela”. Entries Ela Country🇨🇾 Cyprus Year2022 LanguageEnglishGreek LyricsAlex PapaconstantinouArash LabafEyelar MirzazadehFatjon MiftarajFilloreta Raçi FifiRobert UhlmannViktor SvenssonYll LimaniGeorge Papadopoulos MusicAlex PapaconstantinouArash LabafEyelar MirzazadehFatjon MiftarajFilloreta Raçi FifiRobert UhlmannViktor SvenssonYll LimaniGeorge Papadopoulos DancersNefeli TheodotouDespina Lagoudaki Results Semi Points: 63Position: 12Running order: 9 Results Finals Points: –Position: –Running order: – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2IUdTl-gAI

Amanda Georgiadi Tenfjord

©EBU/Nathan Reinds About Quick Facts NameAmanda Klara Georgiadis Born09 january 1987 Nationality Greek/ Norwegian National SelectionInternal selection 2022 In Eurovision2022 Turin SongDie together (2022) Biography Amanda Klara Georgiadis, artistically known as Amanda Tenfjord, is a Greek-Norwegian singer, songwriter and medical student. She was born in Ioannina, Greece, to a Norwegian mother and a Greek father. She grew up in Tenfjord, Norway.In 2015 he moved to Trondheim to study medicine at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. In 2019, she announced that she was suspending her studies to focus on her music career. Amanda began taking piano lessons at the age of 5. Her song “Run” won the Music Award in 2015 and appeared in a promotional video for the Personskadeforbundet LTN in 2014. In 2016 she participated in the music competition of Norwegian TV 2, “The Stream”, where she was placed among the top 30 participants. In 2018 she appeared on a program on P3 Live in 2019 with the song “Let Me Think”. She has also toured with the Norwegian band Highasakite. In 2019 she starred in the music festival “Trondheim Calling”. Amanda was awarded the Haram Municipality Youth Culture Award in 2019. In 2021 she released the EP “Miss the way you missed me”. In 2022 she was asked by Greek broadcaster ERT to represent Greece in the Eurovision Song Contest. Entries Die together Country Greece Year2022 LanguageEnglish LyricsAmanda Georgiadis MusicAmanda GeorgiadisBjørn Helge Gammelsæter Backings– Results Semi Points: 211Position: 3Running order: 15 Results Finals Points: 215Position: 8Running order: 17 https://youtu.be/BWeT0nJpB3Y

Our predictions for the first semifinal

Tomorrow, the moment is there. We will have the first semifinal for the Eurovision Song Contest. What does the team of Eurovision Universe think? You will read it here. In fact, we are convinced of a final place for these countries: Albania, after all the fuzz around the act. Song and act are strong, Rona will qualify! Latvia: A song about veggies and (….). Cheerful, colourful and with a very modern topic. Lithuania: The act might not be what Monika wished for, but the song will stand out. Switzerland: The swiss song is in the style of Duncan Laurence and Gjon’s Tears, but less strong. It’s gonna be hard for Switzerland, but it is possible. Ukraine, because…. it’s Ukraine. The country is the hot favourite to even win the final. The Netherlands, S10 manages to tell the people where she sings about. Even in Dutch! Portugal: You can’t explain “Saudade” in any other language. MARO explains it by music. Not a sure qualifier, but we think it will. Greece; there is no such a song in Eurovision this year. It is unique and the act is strong. Norway, because every year needs an act like this. People vote for yellow masked wolves. Armenia: The song is strong, the singing is strong, the act is strong….. it has written final all over! But of course, we wish all the artists good luck. Tomorrow, by this time, we will know more….

Day 5: A sun that doesn’t move, a Greek tavern and COVID19

Today we saw the second rehearsals for the first 14 countries from the first semifinal. For the first time the press was allowed to see the rehearsals on large TV screens in the press center. It is now certain that the kinetic sun does not rotate. During the first rehearsals it turned out that the time between performances was too short to move the center part of the sun. As a result, several countries had to adjust their graphics, because they were not or only partially visible ALBANIA: The outfit had been changed and Ronela Hajati also had her own blond hair again, instead of the pink hair she had during the first rehearsal. It was a dynamic performance, in which there was almost constant dancing, together with her four dancers and a dancer. After the first rehearsal, there were some comments about an allegedly offensive dance move by Ronela with her dancer, but she kept it in anyway. LATVIA: The six were wearing the familiar colorful suits and the decor was also very colorful. Various types of vegetables were displayed on the LED screen. In the middle of the song there was a moment for the saxophonist. The performance ended with the singer making a split. LITHUANIA: Monika Liu stood alone on the big stage in Turin and mainly sang her song into the camera. She moved elegantly and attracted all the attention. The song doesn’t really need anything more. SWITZERLAND: Dressed all in black, Marius Bear was on stage and a broken heart was visible on his face and on the floor. So emotions abound. SLOVENIA: As said before, it was a big disco ball that mainly caught the attention of the Slovenian act. The boys wore 1970s-style velvet suits and the drummer appeared to be drumming above the disco ball. Compared to the previous rehearsal, there was little change. UKRAINE: There was a lot to see on stage, besides the colorful costumes there was a lot of visual spectacle. It was traditional, ethnic with a modern twist, just like last year’s contribution. Because of the war in Ukraine, this performance has something emotional and that is subtly reflected in the visual spectacle. BULGARIA: The performance started with a split screen, showing the drummer on one side and another member of the group. A small rock concert with all the trimmings, including a lot of fire(work). THE NETHERLANDS: There were few noticeable changes from the first rehearsal of S10. In the Netherlands, there was some fuss about the singer’s bare belly, but it is still naked for a while. A lot has been taken out of the lighting of S10. MOLDOVA: After the intimate moment of the Netherlands, a party erupted on stage with the contribution of Zdob şi Zdub, who are participating for the third time. They used the entire stage for their folklore song: Hey ho, let’s go…, but no train on stage. Lots of color, matching the contribution. CROATIA: During rehearsals today, Mia had problems with her in-ears. No surprises at Mia’s performance. The postcards were also shown to the press today. A drone searches for the location where the artist of the country in question can be seen and we see the visual artist in the area. DENMARK: The beginning was just like in the national final, Siggy starts alone at the piano, with her quieter part of the song and then the rock show starts. Last year we went back to the eighties with Denmark, now it seems back to the nineties. In case you don’t remember the name of the band, REDDI appeared on the LED screen. AUSTRIA: Of course there is a Halo on stage. Lots of fireworks and strong staging. The vocal part of the duo was, as we can see now, quite disappointing. GREECE: For those who don’t understand the act of Greece: Amanda seems to be in a Greek tavern; hence the chairs around her. But some of the seats have fallen over. That fits with the lyrics of the song. Amanda could count on a big round of applause from the audience. PORTUGAL: A delegation member from Portugal tested positive for corona, so the entire delegation had to go back to the hotel and be tested. Fortunately none of the ladies tested positive and they were able to rehearse for their performance, but later than planned. After all the rehearsals had been completed, Portugal was allowed to go on stage after Greece. During this rehearsal it was clear that it was one of the background singers who tested positive for corona. The ladies were lined up in a circle and brought this atmospheric contribution in a good way.

Day 2: Another eight rehearsals

The second day of rehearsals: For now, there seems to be no solution in sight regarding the kinetic sun on stage. Meanwhile, the second group of semifinalists made their appearance for rehearsals. We still get little information. We do not know how the participants sing. What we get is mainly the picture. What you can do best, is read this article and follow Kal’s Italian journey on Youtube, Instagram and TikTok PORTUGAL: “Saudade” is one such word that occurs in only one language. It’s what MARO sings about. MARO is on the back podium, close to the green room. She and her backing vocals form a circle, MARO in purple in the spotlight. The graphics are kept simple: some indefinable figures in different colors. Before we forget: the smoke machine is working. CROATIA: Is Croatia your guilty pleasure this year by any chance? Mia is wearing a pink-red dress, with at least one leg clearly visible. The three dancers are wearing less bright colors. They tell a story with their movements. DENMARK: The Reddi girls wear orange, green, red and checkered purple suits. They all have an instrument in their hands that makes you wonder if they can play it at all. Retro 70s, that’s what we see. The graphics consist of checkered neon colors. AUSTRIA: LUM!X and Pia Maria stand in a kind of illuminated circle, in which we see the colors of the Austrian flag. There is a lot of movement and dancing on the stage. Bright lights and pyrotechnics are not lacking in this act either. ICELAND: “Með Hækkandi Sól” is the name of Systur’s song. The ladies are dressed in retro 70s outfits. One of the three is wearing an imposing hat. The graphics consist of glitter. According to Eurovision.tv, that gives the whole thing something magical. The show seems to end in bright orange light. GREECE: Amanda wears a long silver-white dress. She is alone on stage. Around her, in blue light, chairs stand and lie in a circle. Eurovision.tv reports an echo on the vocal, but what they exactly mean by that is not clear. NORWAY: For those who have been following Subwoolfer for a while, the Norwegian performance will contain few surprises. Keith and Jim, who we still don’t know who they really are, wear their yellow wolf heads. They are assisted by three dancers, also completely wrapped in yellow. All wear sunglasses. Behind them DJ Astronaut is standing on a platform, he is completely dressed in gold. ARMENIA: Rosa Linn from Armenia performs in a special setting: a complete bedroom! The furniture and walls seem to be made entirely of scrap paper. Rosa Linn sits in the midst of it all with her guitar, playing her song.

Amanda Georgiadis Tenfjord for Greece 2022!

The 24 year old Greek singer/ songwriter Amanda Tenfjord will represent Greece in Turin! However she won’t represent the country she was born in, as she was originally born in a little town in Norway called Tenfjord, but is half Greek. She usually sings her songs in English. The Norwegian-Greek singer has released a few singles and an EP earlier this year, together with her best song “Then I Fell In Love”. ERT choose her internally after six juries made the desicion to choose Amanda, and dropped these other four finalists. (Photo credits: ERT) Her musical journey began way back when she was only 16. At that age Amanda learned how to play piano, took singing lessons and started writing her own songs. And this is of course not the end of her career, as we will follow her all the way to Turin! (Photo credits: Jonathan Visaas Kise)

Another Summer Night – Kalomira

(Maria) Kalomira (Carol Sarantis) is a Greek-American artist. She was born and raised on Long Island, just outside New York. At the end of 2007, Heaven Music chose Kalomira to be their contestant in the 2008 National Final to represent Greece in the Eurovision Song Contest 2008 held in Serbia Kalomira picked an R&B style upbeat song with a Greek feel, titled “Secret Combination” In the first semifinal, held on May 20, 2008, Kalomira fared well, coming in first place. At the Eurovision final, on May 24, she came in third behind Russia and Ukraine, with 218 points. Follow our Summer Party : Spotify and You Tube Photocredits: EBU

Anxhela Peristeri

© EBU/Andres Putting About Quick Facts NameAnxela Peristeri Born24 march 1986 Nationality🇦🇱 Albanian National SelectionFestivali i Këngës 2021 In Eurovision2021 Rotterdam SongKarma (2021) Biography Anxhela Peristeri, (born in Korça, is a well-known singer and songwriter. She got her first lessons in her hometown, she finished art high school in Tirana, while she graduated from the Academic Faculty in Greece. Angela lived in Greece for some time where she also participated in the X Factor. In 2014, she returned to Albania as a singer Anxhela Peristeri with a new song and clip entitled “Femër mediatike”. Although she has lived in Greece for years, she chose to return to the Albanian audience. She now lives in Tirana and is regularly participating in festivals and show. She is the winner of the first edition of “Your Face Sounds Familiar”, the runner up in “C’est la Vie” and the winner of the “Kënga magjike” 2017. In October 2020, Albanian broadcaster Radio Television Shqiptar (RTSH), announced that Peristeri was one of twenty-six contestants selected to compete in the 59th Festival i Kënges with the song “Karma”. Peristeri won this selection and represented Albania at the European Song Festival 2021 in May. Peristeri’s first EP,”N’Tiranë”, was released in January 2022. The single, “N’Tiranë”, had reached number 25 on Albania’s Top 100 chart. Entries Karma Country🇦🇱 Albania Year2021 LanguageAlbanian LyricsOlti Curri MusicKledi Bahiti Backings– Results Semi Points: 112Position: 10Running order: 11 Results Finals Points: 57Position: 21Running order: 2 https://youtu.be/OxniMKVXjqM

Athena Manoukian

About Quick Facts NameAthena Manoukian Born22 May 1994 Nationality🇬🇷 Greek National SelectionDepi Evratesil 2020 In Eurovision2020 Rotterdam (canceled) SongChains on you (2020) Biography Athena Manoukian is a Greek singer, born in Athens. She is of Armenian descend. In 2007 she won the first prize in the tv show “This is what’s missing”. A year later, she took part in the Greek national final for the Junior Eurovision Song Contest.In 2011, Athena released her first single “Party like a freak”, which became a big hit in Greece. The song was followed by “I surrender” and “Na les pos m’agapas”. All of these singles became gold discs. Two years later, she found her international breakthrough with the song “Xo”. She won the Armenian Pulse Award for best song in English and she won the European Song Contest in Armenia. Both in 2015 and in 2016, she was a serious option for several countries to be their representatives in the Eurovision Song Contest, but it did not happen in the end. In 2017, she wrote a song for Helena Paparizou. In 2018, she performed in the X-Factor United Kingdom as a guest performer. In 2020 she was chosen to represent Armenia in the Eurovision Song Contest with the song “Chains on you”. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen because of the Corona crisis. Athena Manoukian did not remain silent after the cancelation of Eurovision. She released no less than 3 singles in 2021, followed by “Kiss me in the rain” in 2022. Entries Chains on you Country🇦🇲 Armenia Year2020 LanguageEnglish LyricsAthena Manoukian MusicAthena ManoukianDJ Paco Backings– Results Semi Points: –Position: –Running order: – Results Finals Points: –Position: –Running order: – https://youtu.be/XpQHGMM8c5U

Stefania

© EBU/Andres Putting About Quick Facts NameStefania Liberakakis Born17 december 2002 Nationality🇬🇷 Greek🇳🇱 Dutch National Selection– In Eurovision2021 Rotterdam2020 Rotterdam (cancelled) SongLast dance (2021)Supergirl (2020) Biography Stefania Liberakakis is a Greek/Dutch singer and actress, born in Utrecht. When she was 9 years old, she already participated in the tv-show The Voice Kids. After this, she sang in the children’s choir Kinderen voor Kinderen. In 2016, Stefania represented the Netherlands at the Junior Eurovision Song Contest as a member of the group Kisses, together with Kymora Henor and Sterre Koning. Their song “Kisses and dancin” reached an 8th place. In 2018 and 2019, she played a role in the tv-series Brugklas and the additional movie Brugklas: de tijd van mijn leven. She also played a role in the movie 100% Coco New York. As a solosinger she released five singles so far, including a duet with Dutch singer Jannes. In 2020, she was supposed to represent Greece in the Eurovision Song Contest with the song “Supergirl”. However, due to the corona crisis, that didn’t happen. Greek television ERT invited her for the 2021 contest. The song she sang was called “Last dance” and became 10th in the contest, the best score for Greece since years. Right after the contest, Stefania went to Athens for promotional purposes. Stefania released the song “Mucho Calor” on June 25, 2021. She made three appearances at the Mad Video Music Awards 2021, performing “Last Dance” in collaboration with Archolekas, “S’agapáo sou fónaxa” in collaboration with Petros Iakovidis and “Mucho Calor”. Entries Last dance Country🇬🇷 Greece Year2021 LanguageEnglish LyricsSharon Vaughn MusicDimitris KontópoulosArcade BackingsKirsten Michel DancersMarkos GiakoumoglouGeorgios PapadopoulosKostas PavlopoulosNikos Koukakis Results Semi Points: 184Position: 6Running order: 4 Results Finals Points: 170Position: 10Running order: 10 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QhZhJFp0vVw Supergirl Country🇬🇷 Greece Year2020 LanguageEnglish LyricsSharon VaughanDimitris KontópoulosArcade MusicDimitris KontópoulosArcade Backings– Results Semi Points: –Position: –Running order: – Results Finals Points: –Position: –Running order: – https://youtu.be/dJxCINWp_j0