CYPRUS 2025

The Cypriot song was officially revealed on March 11th with the official video release. Way back in September 2024, the Cypriot delegation announced their internally selected representative and that the chosen track was being finalised and would be released at a later date. Going to Basel is Theo Evan with the song "Shh" 

Evangelos Theodorou (Theo Evan's real name) was born in Nicosia and started singing and dancing early on. He was in the school choir and took part in theatre and talent shows across the island. He studied at The English School in Nicosia and then went to Berklee College of Music in Boston where he studied music and performance.  In 2021, he released his debut single "The Wall" and has released another 7 after this in the intervening years. Theo is the first Cypriot-born entrant to compete for Cyprus since 2017. His music is mostly in the genre of Mediterranean pop but he also encompasses harder dance genres, reggaetón and R&B.

The music video contains a mish mash of different themes which hinge on the mystery of pyramids and the secret within. It feels a bit Indiana Jones meets James Bond in a three minute video. The song follows a verse, pre chorus, chorus structure which is run through twice. The verses are syllabic, almost spoken and have a rather odd intonation to them. The pre-chorus has a slight Mediterranean/Middle Eastern sound which acts as a nice bridge between the styles following and preceding it. The chorus has a clearer timbre and uses long notes for the 'hush hush' part of the song and also expands into the higher register. Just after the two minute mark the song breaks down a little before going back to the outro which refers back to the end of the chorus. The instrumentation leans into the electronic and dance music genre, starting off rather mystical and trancey but by the second verse the beat has really kicks in.

This is one of the more "The Code" coded songs we have on this year's playlist. Although Theo does not have the vocal dexterity of Nemo, the fact that the song is made up of definable bits which are produced and sung in a particular fashion and the use of character and instrumentation to create interest and tension makes it feel that way. In a visual capacity I like the staging idea of people running around like assassins; I also like the idea of the pyramids as a mystical entity to keep secrets inside. In addition, having a pyramid on stage to sing on, jump off or run around might be an interesting take on Nemo's spinning top. The chorus is quite catchy but does go on a bit, plus the breakdown in the final minute breaks up the flow too much when there could be something more exciting happening. Personally I find the verses rather odd, in particular the description 'I've got golden locks' is a confusing beginning as you don't know who or what he is referring to. Maybe the riddle with be revealed during his performance? 

ARTIST - Theo Evan
SONG - Shh
WRITING/PRODUCTION CREDITS - Linda Dale, Dimitris Kontopoulos, Lasse Nymann, Elsa Søllesvik, Elke Tiel

CYPRUS 2024

The Cypriot song was revealed on February 29th - with the première of the song on the Eurovision Song Contest youtube channel. Way back in September, CyBC revealed that they had internally selected their singer and the chosen song would be in production. The Cypriot song for Malmö is "Liar" by Silia Kapsis.

Vasiliki Silia Kapsis is Australian and has a Cypriot father and Greek mother. She explored the Arts from a young age as her father was a singer. She joined the Australian Youth Performing Arts Company which lead to numerous performances of acting, singing and dancing around the globe. She made her acting debut in a short film called Pearly Gates and also presents on Australia's Nickelodeon channel. Her debut single was released in 2023 with 3 follow up songs released throughout that same year She has also worked with the ImmaBeast Dance Company in Los Angeles and was nominated for Aussie/Kiwi Legend of the Year at the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards in 2023. 

Liar is a mid-tempo dancy pop song. The backing track is low-level during the verses and ramps up a little bit more in the chorus but overall it is rather nondescript and would sound rather boring on its own without the vocal. This track has a nice compact verse with lines that repeat in both verses. There is then a refrain which keeps up the same kind of feel but is a more upbeat  The songs then pulls back before dropping with the beat back into the chorus. The chorus has a lot of repetition of the title of the song although the the overall tempo feels a little bit stilted. During the final minute, 30 seconds or so is mostly instrumental which will almost definitely be used for a dance break section. There is then one final chorus before ending on the name of the song.

This song attempts to hark back to Cyprus' success period with female-lead dance-infused bangers. The video really leans into Silia's immense dancing ability and the connection she makes down the camera, with the male dancers and the other characters in the video. The narrative of the video is a little weak and I'd rather have watched a staged gig or club night than all the additional 'get your own back' storyline. Silia wears an eye-catching gold suit which stands out within the dark setting of the video. Silia can definitely dance but how well she can dance, sing, emote, fire up the crowd and get the televoters on side - all at the same time - is another thing. Although this track has a strong beat, the songwriting here is not up to scratch. The lyrics are simplistic and the tune overly complicated. I feel the melody and rhythm of the verses is more memorable than the chorus, even if the lyrics are pretty tame. Although there is a beat, it plods along rather than gee you up. I feel that quickening it up could make it into quite a fun pop song or even slowed down to make a more heartfelt ballad. Overall this song feels very posed and sassy compared to the more raw and emotional songs on the table. I am also not quite sure who would vote for this over some of the more diverse acts in semi one.

ARTIST - Silia Kapsis

SONG - Liar

WRITING/PRODUCTION CREDITS - Dimitris Kontopoulos, Elke Tiel

CYPRUS 2023

The Cypriot song was revealed on March 2nd via the premiere of the official music video on you tube. Way back in October, Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation (CyBC) announced that Andrew Lambrou had been internally selected as their entrant. His song is called "Break a broken heart".

Andrew Lambrou was born in Sydney Australia to a Greek-Cypriot family. As a child he took part in local singing competitions and on seeing his talent his mother enrolled him into a music school. To start his music career he uploaded cover songs onto his youtube channel and Instagram. In 2015 he took part in X Factor Australia but was eliminated before the live shows. He returned to posting cover songs and in early 2021 he signed to City Pop Records releasing his debut single "Throne". Lambrou came to the attention of Eurovision fans when he entered "Eurovision – Australia Decides" in 2022 with the song "Electrify" eventually coming seventh.

The video documents the breaking up of a relationship. The song is partially set in a swimming pool (I guess at least it isn't a horse-related), a restaurant and an odd run down building where he is to be found with the band. The song starts with a voice synthesised beginning and an atmospheric backing track. This song is pretty non stop after here. There is a verse-pre chorus-chorus roundel which is then repeated. At the two minute mark there is a bridge, made up of lines from the previous verses before repetition of the title of the song to the end.

Although it is nice to see Cyprus try something a little different, it is slightly unfortunate that it just seems to be joining the queue along with all the other rock infused entries already chosen. From a qualification perspective this is not a bad choice as both Australia and Greece are in its semi which will hopefully turn into televotes. On the down side the proliferation of similar songs in its semi might mean that people are likely to vote for one or two or the rock songs but not all, possibly weakening the status of all the rock songs, not just this one. This song reminds me a little of Hovig's entry in 2017 but that song was much more ambiguous in its theme while this song has a definite narrative.

The main problem with this song is that if feels quite moany. With so many bouncy, happy, and catchy rock songs this lacks positive rapport. The video doesn't help matters either and obviously the staging is something that needs to be factored in. Hopefully it will not just be "Andrew in front of a band" because this will not help his chances of standing out. In fact I honestly don't know what this should look like without feeling obvious or cheesy. I don't want him with a band neither do I want him with dancers. Who knows what this will look like or sound like in May and from that perspective I almost have no expectations.

ARTIST - Andrew Lambrou

SONG - Break a broken heart

WRITING/PRODUCTION CREDITS -  Jimmy Jansson, Jimmy Joker, Thomas Stengaard, Marcus Winther-John

CYPRUS 2021

The Cypriot song was revealed on February 24h, via is premier play on CyBC’s show “Happy Hour”. Back in November, CyBC announced that they would not be reselecting their 2020 artist and Elena Tsagrinou would be representing Cyprus. Her song is called "El diablo" (The Devil)

During the video clip Eleni is  in a very simple black room which is very dimly lit. There is a fair bit of strobing and spotlights but nothing too obvious. She is wearing a long-sleeved silver top and a kind of spangly loin cloth. She sings along with the track while doing a very full on and intense dance routine. During the last minute she is joined by some body painted men who join in their Elena's routine as well as lifting her up at the end. There are also some shots of her in a flesh coloured outfit but appears to be trapped inside some cling film as well as some crudely inserted advertising spots.

The song starts very serene and flat with a very subdued shortened chorus. The backing track starts pulsating and becomes more electronic through the verse. The tune here is very monotone, almost spoken apart from one line in the middle. The prechorus is almost acappella and has melodic and quiet feel before the track bursts in with the power of the chorus where the tune is very simple and repetitive. This pattern is then repeated which gets to 3/4 of the way through the song. Next we have a short bridge which is a choir of children singing "I love el diablo" which turns the mood of the song a little bit sinister and then we have one more turn of the chorus before the name of the song is whispered at the very end.

Elena first came into the public eye as a contestant on the Greek "Got Talent" show as a teenager. She started her music career as the singer with the group OtherView before she went solo in 2016.  Most of her back catalogue is Greek language music however she has had some English material. She has also balanced her music career with TV presenting and coaching with "The two of us" and "The Voice Greece".

It is very obvious that Cyprus has found a bit of a groove concerning Greek female performers singing Latino inspired bangers. But sometimes that groove can feel more like a trench and at some point you are not going to get out of it. Although the song is not as identical as the Fuego/Replay comparison you certainly feel some kind of similarity - possibly to Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance". On a positive note the fact that this has become a bit of the "Cyprus at Eurovision" identity now, this might make it more memorable- not to mention standing out compared to some of the more synthy songs out there. What concerns me is that the song sounds highly processed and that a live version may sound rather weak. That said I am sure they will be using the pre-recorded vocals to their advantage and balancing the dance routine a little more. Personally I am not quite sure what this brings to the table as I think I am ready for Cyprus to do something different. I need them to surprise me now.

ARTIST - Elena Tsagrinou
SONG - El Diablo (The devel)
WRITING CREDITS - Laurell Barker, OXA, Thomas Stengaard, Jimmy "Joker" Thornfeldt

25/01/12 CYPRUS

The Cypriot Final wias held on January 25th at the PIK TV Studios in Nicosia, hosted by Christos Grigoriades. Ivi Adamou was internally selected by CYBC and sung all 3 songs. The winner was be chosen by a mixture of an "expert" jury (50%) and televoting (50%)

The show itself was far too long and strung out A 2 hour show to present 3 badly mimed songs? I don’t think so ! The selection was won by the pre-contest favourite “La La Love” – unfortunately not a song about appreciation for a certain Teletubbies character…

The song itself if a very bubbly, dancy song with a ‘la la la’ style chorus which of course is incredibly catchy OR incredibly annoying, depending on your point of view. Some could say it is quite a stereotypical Eurovision entry with a nonsense chorus.

Unfortunately, Ivi did not sing any of her entries live or have a full proper staging, therefore it is almost impossible to give a pointed critique of he chance in Baku. Her dress during the selection process was not particularly nice looking OR flattering and I hope she can come up with something a bit more fun and inspiring. Her dancing was a little raw, sometimes uncomfortable and OTT at times and the whole thing could have benefitted from some dancers. I really don’t have much confidence in her live singing ability, this is also furthered by the fact that the track seems very heavy in autotuning and production. I get the feeling that not only will she need dancers but may also need some good solid backing singers.

So in general, I am not particularly impressed by the song or the performance and just hope that this entry steps up its game before May.

SONG  - La La Love

ARTIST – Ivi Adamou

COMPOSERS - Alex Papaconstantinou, Björn Djupström, Alexandra Zakka, Viktor Svensson

LANGUAGE – English