Greece: The 7 artists of ERT’s shortlist have been revealed!

After the completion of the voting of the public committee – demoscopic jury, the names of the seven artists who remain in the running to represent Greece at Eurovision 2023 were revealed! These are four female and two male solo artists as well as a female duet!

Who are the 7  shortlisted artists?

ERT’s seven-member panel of experts selected the seven songs which were evaluated today by the 70-member demoscopic jury. The lucky eurofans, who were randomly selected by an electronic draw among approximately 3,000 applicants, had the opportunity to listen to the seven songs, one of which is the 43rd Greek entry in the Eurovision Song Contest. Immediately after the voting was over, ERT, in order to prevent any leaks, revealed the names of the seven artists who are in the final phase of the selection process.

But let’s see in detail who are the seven artists who are still hoping to represent Greece in the 67th Eurovision Song Contest in Liverpool next May!

(The names are in alphabetical order)

Konstantina Iosifidou

The young singer-songwriter Konstantina Iosifidou, who is part of the Final Touch record label (label of Walnut entertainment), submitted her proposal for Greece’s participation in the 67th Eurovision Song Contest to ERT. Her song is an English pop-rock ballad with lyrics and music by her. It is an anthem for the joy of life, love and freedom of youth.

Konstantina Iosifidou is 22 years old and became known through her participation in The Voice of Greece in 2018 in the team of Panos Mouzourakis. In 2022, the young and talented Konstantina made her recording debut with the song ‘Let you go‘.

Antonia Kaouri & Maria Maragkou

One of the surprises of this year’s shortlist is the female duo of Antonia Kaouri and Maria Maragkou. Apart from her solo entry, Antonia Kaouri also submitted a duet with Maria Maragou, which managed to make it to the final selection phase.

You have been reading about Antonia Kaouri for quite some time on Eurovisionfun, and she was one of our suggestions this summer. Antonia has released two singles since her participation in The Voice of Greece. Kostis Maraveyas described her as one of the best young pop artists of Greece. Antonia is signed by MINOS EMI.

Maria Maragkou is an actress, but she loves singing just as much. Her origin is from the island of Syros, and as you will see, apart from a very beautiful voice, she has a unique look. Undoubtedly, this is a female duet that would not remain unnoticed.

Klavdia

Klavdia Papadopoulou is yet another artist who gained recognition in The Voice of Greece. Klavdia’s submission, with her very special voice and the signature of the ARCADE songwriting and production team, managed to qualify for the final selection phase.

The song she submitted to ERT is an English melodic slow ballad with a build-up, adressing important social issues. The song showcases the young singer’s powerful voice and features emotional explosions. Klavdia is one of PANIK Records‘ proposals.

Leon of Athens

Another one of our summer proposals that shows up in the final shortlist of ERT is Timoleon Veremis aka Leon of Athens. The successful songwriter, who already has Eurovision experience, since he is one of the creators of Greece’s 2019 entry with Katerine Douska, wants to return as a performer this time around.

The creator of the song is himself, together with David Sneddon, and if we could describe his entry we would say that it is a happy uptempo song, with 80s vibes, reminiscent of Harry Styles’ latest releases. The lyrics of the song are in English. Leon of Athens is the proposal of Cobalt Music.

Melissa Mantzoukis

The finalist of German Pop Idol, Melissa Mantzoukis was another one of Eurovisionfun’s suggestions last summer for the Greek representation at Eurovision 2023.

Melissa’s proposal includes a song, written by a team of Greek and Dutch songwriters. Melissa recorded it this summer in Greece during her summer holidays. It is a modern pop dance track, which could easily be played in all the clubs. The song is a female emprowerment anthem, adressing the issue of how each modern woman has to find the confidence and protect herself from all the toxic and offensive behaviors she faces.

Monika

One of the surprises of this year’s Greek Eurovision selection process was the participation of Monika. Monica Christodoulou aka Monica or Monika is undoubtedly one of the biggest names taking part.

She and her team put a lot of thought into the song they submitted. It wasn’t the only one, as they submitted a total of three songs, one of which made it to the final shortlist. Her entry is a mid tempo track in her unique musical style and has English lyrics. Royal Music is the record label that signs her entry.

Victor Vernicos

Victor Vernicos Jorgensen is the youngest participant of this year’s selection process, as he is only 16 years old. Despite his young age, his remarkable talent led him to the final shortlist.

Victor writes, arranges and produces his songs himself.  That was the case with the song he submitted to ERT. His song is an English ballad and can be described as very emotional and powerful. It’s a song that wouldn’t be out of place in a Scandinavian National Final, which is not surprising considering Victor also has Danish roots. Victor Vernicos is a proposal of PANIK Records.

What’s next?

After the completion of the voting by the demoscopic jury, the shortlisted artists will meet privately with the 7-member panel of experts and the ERT management.

The artists and their teams will get to present their plans and vision for their participation, if they are selected. The professional team who will accompany them in Liverpool, their plans for directing and staging, promotion etc will be discussed. These meetings are very important, as last year they played a pivotal role in the selection of Amanda Georgiadi Tenfjord and Die Together.

After the completion of the meetings, the ERT panel – expert’s jury will convene again to give their own rating. The final result will be decided by the public – demoscopic jury’s rating (50.6%) and the expert jury’s rating (49.4%), the same way the results of Eurovision 2023 final will be determined.

A final decision and announcement of the artist and the song that will represent Greece in the upcoming song contest is expected by mid-January.

Who will get to fly the Greek flag in Liverpool? Tell us in the comments below!


We would like to wish all 7 (+1, as we have a duet) artists good luck! May the best song win and he, she or they bring us the best result in Liverpool!

Congratulations to each and every one the artists who continue to hope for the Greek representation, and to all those who submitted entries but weren’t chosen to be in the shortlist.


Don’t miss our YouTube live at 20.00 CET, where we’ll be talking all about everything, commenting on today’s announcements and the voting process of the public committee!

Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun for real-time developments about Greece in Eurovision 2023!

France: Aiming for the victory in Eurovision 2023 – Announcements to be made soon!

With Junior Eurovision 2022 complete and France being the big winner, all eyes of France Télévisions are now on Eurovision 2023.

Although last July it was announced that the country will organize a national final for the selection of its participation, there have been no further announcements about the submission of entries, nor information about the selection process.

This time last year, the deadline for submitting entries had already closed, while at the end of 2020, we knew all twelve artists of Eurovision France: C’est vous qui décidez 2021.

Appearing on Radio Sud on Christmas Eve, France’s head of delegation for the competition, Alexandra Redde-Amiel, was asked about the country’s plans for the upcoming competition and also about whether the channel would opt for a renewed national final or an internal selection. Her answer was the following:

We focused so much on Eurovision Junior, while I was also involved with Eurovision for adults. I have a lot of great surprises that I will announce to you, not immediately but soon. We want to win Eurovision, so there are several issues. I’m going to take a few days off and I think that’s when my final decision will be made.

Alexandra Redde-Amiel declined to say more, simply repeating her desire to continue to “be proud” and boost the Eurovision brand in France. Above all, the head of the delegation confirms it loud and clear: France wants to win Eurovision. This is of course the reason for the country’s second Junior Eurovision victory, as well as Barbara Pravi’s second place in 2021.

As for 2022, France Télévisions, in addition to failing in viewership numbers (1.47 million viewers and 8.8% viewership), the channel had received mixed reviews regarding the quality of its selection (despite the 3,000 song submissions). Alvan & Ahez’s penultimate place in Turin’s Grand Final (France’s worst result since Eurovision 2005), however, hasn’t got the country’s hopes down for a future win.

With rumors swirling either of a renewed national final, or an internal selection with a well-known artist, France Télévisions is expected to make an announcement early in the new year.

In 2022, Alvan & Ahez represented France with the song “Fulenn”. They finished 24th in the Grand Final with 17 points.

https://youtu.be/H1lcGXwOqJI

Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun for all news regarding France’s entry in Eurovision 2023!

Source: eurovision-quotidien.com

Greece: The demoscopic jury vote takes place today!

The Greek Public Broadcaster ERT, announced that the Greek entry for Eurovision 2023 will be selected by a combined vote of a demoscopic jury counting for 50,6% and a professional jury counting for 49,4%, a voting pattern similar to the new system which was announced a few months ago by EBU, to be used at the Grand Final of Eurovision 2023.

After a public invite for interested audience members to be part of the jury, almost 3000 people submitted an application. 70 people were selected after an online draw and the demoscopic jury will vote today, Wednesday 28th of December. Participants are split based on their age groups as follows:

  • 18 – 25 years old: 25 jury members
  • 26-35 years old: 20 jury members
  • 36-45 years old: 15 jury members
  • 46 years old or older: 10 jury members

The demoscopic jury will give their scores for the 7 shortlisted songs chosen by the professional jury, at the headquarters of ERT in Athens.

What comes next?

Once the demoscopic jury vote is done, meetings will be held with the artists that are part of the shortlist. The management team of ERT and the professional jury will meet with their artists and their teams, allowing them to present their plans and vision for their song, in case they are selected to represent Greece at Eurovision 2023. Then, the professional jury will meet and give their scores for the entries. Scores will be combined based on the before mentioned percentages, and the entry for Greece in Eurovision 2023 will be determined.

The Greek representative and title of its entry will be announced until mid January.

 

Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun for all the latest updates about the Greek Eurovision entry!

Malta: Listen to snippets from the MESC 2023 songs!

Malta’s public television, TVM, has decided to hold a national final to select its entry for Eurovision 2023. Thus, MESC is back for another year.

We already know the 40 artists and songwriters that will compete in the MESC 2023 semi-finals.

A short while ago, snippets of the songs that will compete for the country’s representation in Liverpool were revealed through Malta’s social media for Eurovision.

You can listen to the nominated songs in the list below by clicking on the song titles:

  1. Aidan – “Reġina”
  2. Andre’ – “Broken Hill”
  3. Bradley Debono – “Blackout”
  4. Brooke – “Checkmate”
  5. Cheryl Balzan – “La La Land”
  6. Chris Grech – “Indescribable”
  7. Christian Arding – “Eku ċar”
  8. Clintess – “Lura qatt”
  9. Dan – “It’ll Be OK”
  10. Dario – “Pawn in a Game”
  11. Dario Bezzina – “Bridle Road”
  12. Dominic and Anna – “Whatever Wind May Blow”
  13. Eliana Gomez Blanco – “Guess What”
  14. Fabrizio Faniello – “Try to Be Better”
  15. Francesca Sciberras – “Masquerade”
  16. Geo Debono – “The Mirror”
  17. Giada – “I Depend on You”
  18. Greta Tude – “Sound of My Stilettos”
  19. Haley – “Tik Tok”
  20. Ian “On My Own”
  21. Jake – “Love You Like That”
  22. James Louis – “Dream”
  23. Jason Scerri “Anything Can Happen”
  24. Jessika – “Unapologetic”
  25. John Galea – “Trailblazer”
  26. Kirstie – “Girls Get Down”
  27. Klinsmann – “Piranha”
  28. Lyndsay – “Haunted”
  29. Maria Christina – “Our Flame”
  30. Maria Debono – “X’allegrija”
  31. Marie Claire – “Thankful”
  32. Mark Anthony Bartolo – “Tears”
  33. Matt Blxck – “Up”
  34. Maxine Pace – “Alone”
  35. Mikhail – “Leħen fiċ-ċpar”
  36. Nathan – “Creeping Walls”
  37. Ryan Hili – “In the Silence”
  38. Stefan – “Heartbreaker”
  39. Stefan Xuereb – “What Do You Want?”
  40. The Busker – “Dance (Our Own Party)”

Among them, we find, first of all, Brooke who has tried to represent the country in 2016, 2017 and 2018 and although the fanatics of the competition strongly supported her, she did not manage to succeed. Two contestants of last year’s MESC, MATT BLXCK and Aidan are back, while we also have three past representatives, Fabrizio Faniello (Malta 2001 and 2006), Jessica (San Marino 2018) as well as Eliana Gomez Blanco who represented her country at Junior Eurovision 2019.

The 24 songs that will qualify for the semi-final will be selected from four heats through public and jury voting. In the Semi-Final, the 16 finalists will be selected to compete in the Grand Final.

Through a draw, it was determined that the first song that will be featured in the first heat is Hailey‘s “Tik Tok“, while the last song to compete in the fourth heat will be Maria Cristina‘s “Our Flame“.

The schedule of the Malta Eurovision Song Contest 2023 is as follows:

  • Heat 1 – January 13th
  • Heat 2 – January 20th
  • Heat 3 – January 27th
  • Heat 4 – February 3rd
  • Semi-Final – February 9th
  • Grand Final – February 11th

Finally, the slogan of MESC 2023, entitled “LET US SHINE“, was announced.

Did you pick out any of the songs from MESC 2023? Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun for all the news regarding Malta’s participation in Eurovision 2023!

Estonia: Interview with Janek | “Ηouse of Glass” and Eesti Laul 2023!(video)

Janek, one of the candidates of this year’s national final of Estonia, Eesti Laul with the song “House of Glass“, spoke exclusively to EurovisionFun and to Stella Gialetzi and Apostolis Matamis.

The singer, after talking about the changes that have come to his life recently due to the competition, referred to his decision to participate in this year’s national final:

“Although music has always been in my life, lately I’ve decided to write more and start collaborating with other musicians. So I decided to join Eesti Laul, as it’s a good way to introduce myself to both Estonian and foreign audiences and to the public of other countries.”

As for the involvement of “House of Glass”, he revealed that it is a song about love and that many people can relate to it. At the same time, it is also a song about the sadness and confusion that a breakup brings to a relationship. He states that the message of his participation can be compared to his effort in musical events, as he has been trying for a long time to succeed in the field and realize his dreams.

“I came up with the chorus melody maybe in my shower but they told me it’s not good! But when I decided to work with Morland (Norway 2015), between several songs he told me that this has the most potential and so we made some changes and ended up with House of Glass!”

Among other things, he himself, talking about his stage presence in the semi-final, commented to us that they don’t want to do much but only what is necessary for the song, while he revealed to us that he will be alone on the stage of Eesti Laul 2023!

His favorite Estonian entries are “Rändajad” by Urban Symphony (2009), while his favorite Eurovision entries are Sweden 2012, Austria 2014 and many other entries that failed to qualify  in the Eurovision final.

Just before the end of the interview, Janek offered us a part of his song acapella.

Watch the exclusive interview with Janek in the video below:

Below you can listen to House Of Glass by Janek  (Eesti Laul 2023):

Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun for all the news about Eurovision 2023! Don’t forget to subscribe to our Youtube Chanel for more exclusive interviews and everything about Eurovision!

 

Albania: Eurovisionfun Reacts to Eurovision 2023 Entry ”Duje” (video)

For one more year, the Public Television of Albania (RTSH) chose to participate in Eurovision through FiK. The grand final took place at Pallati i Kongreseve in Tirana, with Albina & Familja Kelmendi receiving at the end of the night the ticket to Eurovision 2023 in Liverpool!

The Eurovisionfun team couldn’t help but see and comment on “Duje”, the country’s entry for the upcoming Eurovision contest! Enjoy Bogiannos Apostolos, Matamis Apostolis and Gialetzi Stella in a delightful reaction video with detailed commentary for the second entry for the 2023 edition of Eurovision!

Below, watch the winning performance of Albina & Familja Kelmendi, with the song “Duje” that will represent Albania at Eurovision 2023:

What do you think will be the fate of Albania in Eurovision 2023? Tell us in the comments below!

Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun for all developments regarding Albania’s participation in Eurovision 2023!

 

Finland: Listen to the first snippets from UMK 2023!

The Official Instagram account for UMK has published a short snippet of the songs that will compete on Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu 2023 to represent Finland in Eurovision.

In a short video to celebrate Christmas, UMK host Samu Haber shared with us the quick snippets.  Although this is a very small teasing fans can have a little taste of the upcoming season!

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by UMK23 (@uudenmusiikinkilpailu)

Starting on January 12 until January 20 we will get to know each song competing on UMK 2023, one song every day.  The name of the artists will be announced on January 11.

The Rasmus represented Finland in Eurovision 2022.  The popular rock band ended in 21st place.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSi9nfr65FE

Are you excited about next year UMK?  Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun for more news about Finland in Eurovision!

Estonia: Listen to the acoustic version of House of Glass, Janek’s entry in Eesti Laul 2023!

Janek with his song House of Glass, is already considered one of the favorites to win Eesti Laul 2023 and represent Estonia in Liverpool. Janek released the acoustic version of the song a few hours ago, leaving once again the best impressions.

House of Glass is signed among others by the Norwegian songwriter Kjetil Mørland, with experience in the Eurovision contest.

Eurovisionfun spoke to Janek a few days ago. You can watch our interview in the video below:

Will Janek manage to represent Estonia at Eurovision 2023? Tell us in the comments below!

Stay tuned at Eurovisionfun for all the updates!

United Kingdom: The BBC ready to take over the organization for Eurovision 2024!

In the latest episode of the Euro Trip podcast, Eurovision 2023 executive producer Andrew Cartmell was a guest.

The producer of this year’s contest spoke about the preparations for the event which will take place in May in Liverpool, the plans for the selection of the next participation of the United Kingdom, but also the intention to undertake the event again for 2024!

“We are now in the production phase of the three live shows. The most important thing – regardless of the final result – is the quality of the performance and the song.

Of course we would like to get along. It would be amazing to be in the top ten or top five, why not win? We have to do this every year. We have to go in wanting to win. Nobody says, ‘Don’t win it, you can’t host it twice.”

The 67th Eurovision Song Contest will take place in Liverpool and more specifically at the M&S Bank Arena.

The first Semi-Final will be played on Tuesday 9 May, the second Semi-Final on Thursday 11 May and the Grand Final on Saturday 13 May 2023.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZ0hqX_92zI

Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun for all the updates in Eurovision 2023!

Source: eurotrippodcast.com

Lithuania: Lina Štalytė disqualified from Pabandom iš naujo 2023!

A few hours ago LRT, the public broadcaster of Lithuania, announced that Lina Štalytė, a competitor in their national final for Eurovision 2023, is officially out of the contest.

According to LRT, Lina’s song “My Body”, had already been released in 2020, something that is against the rules of the contest, as songs that are eligible to compete in Eurovision 2023, shouldn’t have been released or performed publicly, prior to September 1st, 2022.

For the contest to go on now, somebody has to take Lina Štalytė’s spot, and this will be The PiXLES with their song “Šaukt“.

So this is the new list of Pabandom iš naujo! 2023 competitors:

  1. Agnė – “New Start”
  2. Aistė Pilvelytė – “We’re Not Running”
  3. Alen Chicco – “Do You”
  4. Antikvariniai Kašpirovskio dantys – “Sėdi ir važiuoji”
  5. Baiba – “When the Lights Go Out”
  6. Beatrich – “Like a Movie”
  7. Donata – “Dreamer”
  8. Gabrielius Vagelis – ”Šauksmas”
  9. Gebrasy – “Saw Your Ghost”
  10. Il Senso – “Sparnai”
  11. I. T. – “Žinau, tai tu”
  12. Joseph June – “Vacuum”
  13. Justa Rubežiūtė – “When I’ll Find”
  14. Justė Kraujelytė – “ESC Need More Fun”
  15. Justin 3 feat. Dj AugustYno – “Not Giving Up”
  16. Luknė – “Paradise”
  17. Mario Junes – “Do What You Do”
  18. Matt Len – “Midnight Train”
  19. Melona – “Song Of Whispers”
  20. Monika Linkytė – “Stay”
  21. MoonBee – “Rumor”
  22. Multiks – “London”
  23. NOY – “Destiny’s Child”
  24. Paulina Paukštaitytė – “Let Me Think About Me”
  25. Petunija – “Love Of My Life”
  26. Rūta MUR – “So Low”
  27. The PiXLES “Šaukt”
  28. Viktorija Faith – “If You Ever Miss Me”
  29. Voldemaras Petersonas – “Things”
  30. W.I – “You Can Not”

We remind yu that the competing artists in Papandom iš Naujo can release their songs from the moment of their selection up until the day of the first Heat in January 21. Papandom iš Naujo 2023 will take place with two Heats, two semi-finals and the grand final. These are the exact days:

  • First Heat – January 21
  • Second Heat – 28 Ιανουαρίου
  • First Semi-Final – February 4
  • Second Semi-Final – February 11
  • Grand Final – February 18

The last winner of Pabandom iš Naujo and Lithuania’s representative in Eurovision 2022 was Monika Liu with the song “Sentimemtai” and ended up in 14th place with 128 points:

Stay tuned on Eurovisionfun for all the news regarding the Lithuanian participation at the Eurovision Song Contest 2023, in Liverpool!

Source: lrt.lt