Stefania Liberakakis has landed a new role as a Misfit girl!

Stefania Liberakakis, Greece’s representative in Eurovision 2021 in Rotterdam, has landed a role in the fourth Misfit film. The fourth installment in the Misfit series is called “Misfit: The Switch”.

The film’s plot

Stefania takes on the role of Noah, a girl who has only one dream, namely to participate in a major dance competition for schools. To make that happen, she secretly swaps school with her best friend. In doing so, she is labeled as an outsider at that new school where she faces new challenges and obstacles. It remains to be seen whether her dream will indeed come true. Other roles in the film include Bettina Holwerda, Timor Steffens, Anique Dreamon and Duncan Tromp.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Stefania (@stefania_)

“Misfit: The Switch” is directed by Erwin van den Elshof, who also directed the previous three Misfit films and Misfit: The Series, which is available on Netflix. The film is produced by NewBe in co-production with Splendid Film and it will be out in Dutch cinemas from 5 October.

Greece: ERT is ready for Eurovision 2023!

It’s ERT’s time and Eurovisionfun is in the thick of it all! Learn everything about ERT’s plans for Eurovision 2023, and more… What is this year’s selection procedure? When shall we expect an official announcement? Who have expressed an interest in participating?

As August approaches, the Greek National Broadcaster is ready for the Eurovision 2023 project. Shortly before the summer holidays, the ERT’s executives, involved in the past years’ selection procedure and preparation, have finalised their planning, with the selection procedure scheduled to commence, as last year, at the beginning of September.

The team leaders

Eurovision project’s supervisor, for the third consecutive year, will be none other than Dora Chiraki, while Sofia Dranidou will also return to her position for the third consecutive year as Greece’s head of delegation. You don’t change a winning team, especially when this team has now the necessary expertise and knowledge to go one step further. Indeed, this stability, after several years, in people surcharged with the Eurovision project, is a goal that all participating broadcasters seeking good results in the Contest aim to achieve. 

The procedure for selecting country’s representative

Although we do not know the exact procedure for the selection of Greece’s participation in Eurovision 2023, ERT is expected to remain faithful to the formula it has been following in recent years. That is, to give the opportunity to record labels and production companies to submit their proposals, and to come up, through an internal selection by a committee designated by ERT for this purpose, to the proposal that will bring the best results for Greece in May.

Moreover, it is now widely accepted that ERT’s committee has correctly chosen the songs and artists for the last three years, thus marking a triumphant return of Greece to the elite of Eurovision countries. People in the field, albeit at first being skeptical about the committee’s objectivity and judgement, now agree that the selection method carried out by ERT gives everyone the opportunity to take part in the procedure, keeping away unnecessary drama and negative publicity. At the same time, it has also managed to arouse the interest of artists, who in previous years would not have participated in Eurovision.

ERT expects to capitalise on all of the above to an even greater degree this year, since more and more artists are coming forward and expressing their interest in participating in ERT’s internal selection, estimating a way bigger turnout than the 43 proposals submitted last year. 

The dates

Moving to the practical aspect of the matter, it is expected that the official announcement for the submission of proposals will be issued just after the presentation of the ERT’s program, which will take place on September the 6th. Of course, it remains to be seen if ERT will insist on the internal selection or if it will try to engage the public in some way, although as we noted above, the former is more likely.

The goal for Eurovision 2023 is clear; a place, for the third year in a row, in the top-ten. A goal which is not as easy as it seems. Besides, at the moment only three countries managed to have two consecutive places in the top-10, one of them being Greece. Of course, after this year’s eighth place, the bar is particularly high, but the Greek team is optimistic that it will do credit to all Greek fans.

The artists who have expressed interest so far

The artists who, in one way or another, have expressed their interest to represent Greece in the next ESC (which will take place in the United Kingdom) are the following :

  • Vasilis Kourtis
  • Melissa Mantzouki
  • Antonia Kaouri
  • Leon of Athens
  • Katerina Stikoudi
  • Kalomira
  • Klavdia
  • Aggelos Archaniotakis
  • Tania Breazou
  • Evangelia
  • Joanne et al.

Eurovisionfun will be again this year on the forefront, supporting the Greek entry, ERT and our team with all our strength and vigour, because as we have previously said, they are making a worthwhile effort!

Stay tuned here, at the home of Eurovision in Greece, for all the news and updates about the Greek entry in Eurovision 2023!

 

Evangelia: “I’m sending in a song for Eurovision 2023”!

As we have already revealed, the Greek artists’ interest in participating in Eurovision 2023 is particularly strong! And while the first rumours have already begun to spread, we already have the first official confirmation from none other than Evangelia, a promising young artist who came into vogue the last couple of years!

Evangelia, whose music fuses Greek folk sounds, with (mostly American) pop elements, has already pulled of hits, such as “Páme Páme”, “Fotiá”, and “Ónira”. Also, the new video clip for her song, “Paradise”, was recently released.

The singer, who grew up in New Jersey, USA, and is originally from Crete, said in an Instagram live on her personal account, talking to Adem Kavaz (a Turkish Cypriot Eurovision fan) that she “wants to represent Greece or Cyprus in ESC” and “she will submit a song for Eurovision 2023”.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Adem Kavaz (@all_about_eurovision_sc)

The Instagram video is not available, but it will be published soon on Adem Kavaz’s blog and youtube channel .

It is not the first time that Evangelia will seek to take part in ESC, since last year she reportedly submitted three songs, (one of which was “Ónira”), to represent Greece, which, however, did not go through the second stage of evaluation by the selection committee. Evangelia also sought to represent Cyprus in the 2022 ESC.

Would you like to see Evangelia at Eurovision 2023? Stay tuned for any updates!

Exclusive: More artists interested to represent Greece in 2023!

Even though it is not announced yet, the Greek public broadcaster ERT will most likely follow an internal selection for Eurovision 2023, which comes as no surprise after 2 consecutive top 10 results. There are many artists that are already thinking to submit a song to ERT for Eurovision 2023 and we have information on more artists that are interested to submit song(s). Lets take a look at them, while it needs to be emphasized that they all have the intention to apply but decisions will be taken later in the summer.

Anastasia 

Newcomer in the Greek music scene Anastasia, became known through a viral TikTok video she posted of her song “Amarties” which was released 5 months ago and has more than 22 million views on YouTube. Anastasia and MINOS-EMI, the record company she is signed to, are more than positive to send a song for Eurovision 2023 so it’s possible that she will apply to represent Greece next year.

Good Job Nicky

An artist that came very close to represent Greece last year was Good Job Nicky, who was among the 5 shortlisted submissions that ERT considered. He recently stated that he is open to submit a song again, while his record company COBALT is also in favor of another attempt. It is not clear yet if he will submit an entry for 2023 or for 2024, since he is advised by many to take a break before submitting a song again. Below you can listen to the song he submitted to ERT for 2022.

Anxhela Peristeri

The Eurovision 2021 representative of Albania Anxhela Peristeri, recently said in an interview that she would like to go to Eurovision again, but this time with Greece. She lived many years in Greece, while she collaborated with many famous Greek artists including Eleni Foureira. If she has the right song, it is very likely that she will submit it to ERT.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9KXznajJvY

Kalomira

This comes as no surprise since Kalomira’s comeback to the contest is rumored the last years. She was preparing songs to submit for Eurovision 2022 with a team of international songwriters, but she did not submit them to ERT.  In an interview she recently gave, she expressed her wish to return to the contest, while she is thinking to submit songs for 2023.

Along with the names that we reveal are considering submitting songs to ERT, artists from our suggestions for Greece 2023 are also considering sending songs for next year’s contest. Vassilis Kourtis, Melisa Mantzoukis, Antonia Kaouri, Leon of Athens and possibly Tania Breazou are likely to be a part of the internal selection for the next representative of Greece in Eurovision.

ERT is expecting more than last year’s 43 submissions, due to another top 10 result and the increasing popularity of the contest, especially online.

Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun for all the latest news!

 

The most successful Eurovision countries in the 20s!

Eurovision is heading to the third decade of the 21st century and it has clearly changed not only in comparison with the past, but also with the recent years. In this article we investigate how countries scored during the first 2 years of the 20s, as well as their average score.

As you can see below, we cannot identify a group of 5-6 performing performing always well, as it used to happen the last years. Only a few countries are consistently doing well, despite the fact that the scores studied are only of the last 2 years. Tougher competition, the success of the contest on social media (TikTok had a business partnership with the contest this year featuring exclusive clips of the first rehearsals on the platform), as well as the high interest by record labels are only some of the reasons why it is harder to perform consistently well, since entries are of higher lever than the past.

Lets see in detail the average score of the countries during this decade:

Country        2022   2021    Average

  1. Ukraine           1          5             3
  2. Italy                 6          1            3,5
  3. Greece             8         10            9
  4. Sweden           4         14             9
  5. Russia             –           9             9
  6. Switzerland    17        3             10
  7. Moldova          7        13            10
  8. Serbia              5         15            10
  9. Portugal          9         12           10.5
  10. Lithuania       14         8             11
  11. France            24         2             13
  12. Spain               3         24           13.5
  13. Iceland          23          4            13.5
  14. Finland          21          6            13.5
  15. United Kingdom 2     26           14
  16. Norway           10         18            14
  17. The Netherlands 11     23          17
  18. Azerbaijan     16          20            18
  19. Belgium          19         19             19
  20. Armenia         20          –              20
  21. Malta               35          7             21
  22. Estonia           13         31             22
  23. Poland            12         33            22.5
  24. Cyprus            29         16            22.5
  25. Romania        18          28            23
  26. Israel              30          17           23.5
  27. Albania          28          21           24.5
  28. Australia        15          34           24.5
  29. Bulgaria         38          11           24.5
  30. Germany        25          25            25
  31. Croatia           26          27           26.5
  32. St. Marino     33          22           27.5
  33. Czech Republic 22     36             29
  34. Denmark        31         29             30
  35. North Macedonia 27 35             31
  36. Austria           36         30             33
  37. Ireland           34         37            35.5
  38. Latvia             32         39            35.5
  39. Slovenia         40        32              36
  40. Montenegro   37         –                37
  41. Georgia           39       38             38.5

As you can see in the table above, there are very few countries where the average of their positions in these two years is below 10. This proves how difficult it has become to be in the top ten. It is even more difficult to have continuous results within top 10, since only three countries have achieved this, Ukraine, Italy and Greece!

It is evident that Italy and Ukraine are the two powerhouses of the competition for this decade (so far). Sweden remains high on the list, but far from the first place it was in the last decade. Greece is recovering dynamically since it is in third place, when in the previous decade it was out of the 20s. Cyprus gets lower scores year by year, unfortunately making us believe that 2018 was just a coincidence and is currently in 24th place!

Regardless of personal taste and opinions, the numbers speak themselves and is clear that Ukraine, Italy and Greece are doing great during this decade. The new strategy of the management of ERT to chose the artist and the song internally, is proven to be successful, after years of bad results and 2 NQ (2016,2018).

Stay tuned on Eurovisionfun because the journey to Eurovision 2023 has already begun!

Greece: Will not return to Junior Eurovision in 2022 | EXCLUSIVE

Greece does not return to this year’s Junior Eurovision Song Contest, which will be held in Yerevan, Armenia, on December 11, 2022.

ERT continues its abstention from the Junior Eurovision Song Contest, with its last participation in the distant 2008. The most probable most likely of the national elections in the fall and the change of the mid-summer CEO are the two main factors that led ERT in this decision. In 2023 ERT will reconsider its decision.

So far, ten countries have confirmed their participation in the upcoming Eurovision children’s song contest, which this year celebrates its 20th anniversary:

  • Armenia
  • Northern Macedonia
  • Bulgaria
  • France
  • Georgia
  • Ireland
  • Spain
  • Netherlands
  • Poland
  • Portugal

Greece at Junior Eurovision

Greece participated in the maiden contest of Junior Eurovision 2003. Five more entries followed until 2008. For the first three years, ERT did well, always managing to be in the top ten of the final standings. From 2006 onwards, however, the follow-up was not proportionate. In fact, in 2007 our country took the last place, something that has never happened in any other EBU competition. All Greek participations emerged through an open selection and a national final. Our best participation was Now Is Our Series, with Alexandros Chountas and Kalli Georgelli, who in 2005 took sixth place!

Stay tuned in Eurovisionfun for all the updates!

Eurovision 2022: Watch the Live-on-Tape videos of Greece, Armenia and Finland!

The live-on-tape of the countries that participated in the 66th Eurovision Song Contest in May in Turin will be shown this year through the official Eurovision channel on YouTube.

From June 14 to 23, Eurofans will have the opportunity to watch the live-on-tape appearances of about thirty of the forty countries that took part in this year’s contest.

Today, it is the turn of three more countries, two of the first semi-final and one of the second semi-final. Since the EBU decided to show the live-on-tapes based on the running order of the first semifinal, this means that today it is the turn of Greece, Armenia and Finland.

🇬🇷 Watch the Live-on-Tape performance of “Die Together” by Amanda Georgiadi Tenfjord:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWmhGVv-b-s

🇦🇲 Watch the Live-on-Tape performance of “Snap” by Rosa Linn:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDCrgxAD-Ss

🇫🇮 Watch the Live-on-Tape performance of “Jezebel” by The Rasmus:

Watch the previously published Live-on-Tape videos:

What do you think about the first Live-on-Tape videos of Eurovision 2022? Do you like them or do you prefer the live performances?

Stay tuned on Eurovisionfun for all the news regarding the Eurovision Song Contest!

Anxhela Peristeri: “I want to represent Greece in Eurovision next time”!

Invited to the show “Night with Avlona”, Anxhela Peristeri, who represented Albania at Eurovision 2021, spoke about her personal life, but also the Eurovision song contest.

The popular singer who made a career in Greece and whose father is of Greek origin, as she mentioned in an exclusive interview she gave us last year, said that next time in the Eurovision contest she would like to represent Greece.

I would represent Greece because I know the culture and I lived there. Although my song was orchestrated by a Greek composer, Dimitris Kontopoulos, this was not discussed. But I would like (to represent Greece).

We remind you that Anxhela Peristeri’s song was orchestrated in the studio of Dimitris Kontopoulos in Athens.

We who had the good fortune to meet Anxhela Peristeri last year in Rotterdam, wish from the bottom of our hearts that she claim her dream and why not see her on the stage of the contest with the Greek colours. She is one of the best female voices to hit the Eurovision stage in recent years.

Source: tetovasot.com

Foals-Yannis Filippakis: I received an email from someone related with Eurovision in Greece!

As we previously wrote, preparations for Eurovision 2023 have already started. Among our -legendary- recommendations on who should represent Greece next year, is the UK based band Foals and their frontman, Yannis Filippakis.

In an interview for Life is Yours magazine which is out next Friday, among others he reveals that he received an email from someone in Greece related with Eurovision asking him if he is interested to represent Greece.

He managed to make a trip out to Karpathos, where his dad still lives, during the pandemic, and has started to delve deeper into his love of Greek folk music. His interest in visiting the country developed around the same time as his relationship with his dad – who makes Greek folk instruments himself – improved. “There’s some music there that I absolutely love, especially from the island my dad’s from, but I wonder how it’d land here,” he says. “Or do I do it for the Greeks?” I tell him he should do Eurovision, prompting him to recall a recent “weird email” from someone in Greece that was actually related to the annual song contest. He grins, seemingly envisioning himself among the sequins, glitter and general insanity of that world. “Can you imagine?”

While he doesn’t clearly responds on whether he is interest to represent Greece or not, we can’t help but spot similarities with how Amanda Georgiadi Tenfjord was approached last year, through an email by someone related with the contest in Greece. For someone with the career of Filippakis, it’s definitely not an easy decision to apply for Eurovision; In 2019 with their album Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost – part 2, Foals reached the No. 1 on the British charts, while their tour just before the start of the pandemic was sold out. In 2020, the Grammy Award-nominated duo CamelPhat  released Hypercolour with the participation of Yannis Filippakis as a solo artist. The Liverpool duo declared themselves Foals fans and “were always on their list to work together” in an interview with Forbes magazine. You can watch the video clip below.

 

Would you like to see the Foals representing Greece? Tell us in the comments!

Source

The plans of Greece and Cyprus for Eurovision 2023!

Even though the Grand Final of Eurovision 2022 was less than a month ago, the Greek and the Cypriot public broadcasters, ERT and RIK, are already thinking ahead for their next representatives, while some decisions have already been made. Let’s see in detail what we know so far.

Cyprus: All Together for…Eurovision!

A few days ago, we wrote about the rumors that the planned for the fall of 2022 show All Together Now of Greek broadcaster Alpha TV, will be used to find the representative of Cyprus for Eurovision 2023. Today, the biggest newspaper of Cyprus, Fileleftheros, published an article on this as well as OGAE Greece, which usually has inside information from the Cypriot public broadcaster. These articles can be seen as a confirmation that Cyprus will choose its representative through All Together Now, produced by BarkingWell Media and in cooperation with Panik Records. It seems that Nikos Koklonis will be the host of the show which is set to premiere in mid-October and be aired every Saturday night on both Alpha TV and RIK, while among the panel of 100 there will be singers, vocal coaches and eurofans. The song will be chosen at a later stage.

Greece: ERT aims for another top10 result

During September there will be official announcements from ERT on the selection process for 2023. After placing 8th in the Grand final and 6th from the juries, which is the best ranking for a Greek entry by the juries since 1992, ERT aims to be for the third time in a row in the top 10, something that is proven to be difficult the recent years since only Greece, Ukraine and Italy have managed to be in the top10 two consecutive times.

ERT will most probably follow the same procedure as the last two years, launching an open invitation for artists to submit a proposal for Eurovision 2023, (including the song, a record label, production team etc.) while a jury of music professionals will decide who will represent Greece next year.

Decisions on the details for the selection process for Eurovision 2023 will be taken after the announcement of the new CEO of ERT, which is not expected before the end of the summer.

Stay tuned on eurovisionfun.com and on our social media platforms, where we post our proposals for the next representative of Greece. Maybe among them, the successor of Amanda Georgiadis Tenfjord has already -or will- be mentioned!

 

Who do you think should represent Greece and Cyprus next year? Tell us in the comments!