Greece: Leon of Athens’ proposal for Eurovision 2023 in collaboration with Dream Team | EXCLUSIVE

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You were already informed – for months now – through Eurovsionfun that Leon of Athens is about to sumbit a proposal to ERT for Eurovision 2023. However, today we are going to reveal one more hint that will bring his candidacy at the center of attention even more.

According to our exclusive information, both the artist and people from the recording label COBALT, have come into contact with the very well known and successful team in the contest – Dream Team (Fokas Evangelinos, Ilias Kokotos, Dimitris Kontopoulos) – in order to take over the project together, if the proposal they submit to ERT gets selected.

This practically means that Fokas Evangelinos will take over the direction, Ilias Kokotos will be in charge of general management for the project and Dimitris Kontopoulos will most probably be involved in the final production of the song and be resposible for the sound engineering during rehearsals, just as it happened with Amanda earlier this year.

We remind you that the song Leon of Athens is going to submit has already been written during his stay in London at the end of August. It is expected to be at Leon’s usual style. So far, he hasn’t sumbitted his proposal to ERT, but this is going to happen in the following days until October 9th, the deadline for song submissions.

Dream Team has collaborated with COBALT last year too, because they would have taken over Good Job Nicky if he was selected by ERT. Last year, both MINOS and PANIK had adressed a similar suggestion to Dream Team for taking over their artists.

It remains to be seen how many proposals Dream Team is involved into in this year’s greek participation selection process.

Stay tuned in Eurovisionfun for all the latest news!

Eurovision 2023: National broadcaster participation window closing today!

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The national broadcasters from the countries having an active EBU membership, have a deadline until today (15/9), in order to confirm their participation in the 67th Eurovision Song Contest.

We might not know the city at United Kingdom that we are going to travel to for Eurovision 2023 yet, but today is the deadline for the national broadcasters-EBU members to confirm their participation in the contest.

Until October 11th, according to the rules, the possibility of withdrawal is provided without the imposition of a fine. From this date on, the broadcasters that applied for participating and are willing to withdraw, are going to face the imposition of a fine, which is varying, depending on the time of withdrawal (before or after the semi-finals draw etc.).

31 countries, with one way or another, have announced their will to participate in Eurovision 2023. Among them there’s Greece, and Cyprus too. Those countries are:

  • Albania
  • Australia
  • Austria
  • Belgium
  • Cyprus
  • Denmark
  • Estonia
  • Finland
  • France
  • Georgia
  • Germany
  • Greece
  • Iceland
  • Ireland
  • Israel
  • Italy
  • Latvia
  • Lithuania
  • Malta
  • Norway
  • Poland
  • Portugal
  • Romania
  • San Marino
  • Serbia
  • Spain
  • Sweden
  • Switzerland
  • The Netherlands
  • Ukraine
  • United Kingdom

The number from the countries above is expected to grow, because nine countries that participated in this year’s contest, haven’t clarified their intentions yet. Those are:

  • Armenia
  • Azerbaijan
  • Bulgaria
  • Croatia
  • Czech Republic
  • Moldova
  • Montenegro
  • North Macedonia
  • Slovenia

There’s always a chance, although slight, for a country to return or for another one to debut. The participating countries and their exact number will be confirmed through EBU’s official announcement. The respective announcement for Eurovision 2022 was made on October 20th.

 

Greece: Mike Connaris sent a submission to ERT for Eurovision 2023!

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Songwriter Mike Connaris is willing to return to Eurovision Song Contest, after representing Cyprus twice (2004 and 2015), managing to progress at the Grand Final both times.

Mike Connaris is testing his capabilities with Greece

We have mentioned before that a songwriter that represented Cyprus in the past was on his way working on a Greek Eurovision 2023 participation. Relying on our exclusive information, we are able to reveal that this songwriter is Mike Connaris and he has already submitted his song to ERT!

In 2015 John Karayiannis won the Cypriot national final with One Thing I Should Have Done, a song composed by Mike Connaris. Cyprus could progress to the Grand Final, but this time it was limited to the 22nd place.

Taking into account his love for Eurovision Song Contest and the fact that Cyprus is collaborating with Panik Records once again, he decided to test his capabilities this time with Greece, having already sent a submission to ERT.

With which performer he is collaborating for Eurovision 2023?

Mike Connaris in this song is collaborating with Cynthia Verazie. She may be remembered by many from her participation to ANT1’s Rising Star where she impressed both juries and the public with her vocal capabilities, despite her young age.

Cynthia was residing with her family to Limassol, but she is of Polish decent. In 2018 she moved to Norway, where she became known from her participation in The Voice of Norway. There, she managed to progress as far as the semi-final. Cynthia’s dream is to become an opera singer, hence her studies to this direction.

A ballad for Cynthia

The song Mike Connaris wrote for Cynthia could be nothing else than a ballad, taking into consideration that this is the genre he excels at. At our previous article we have already informed you that at this time of writing, more than ten songs have been submitted to ERT, one of those being the participation from Mike Connaris-Cynthia Verazie.

How does the collaboration of Mike Connaris and Cynthia appeal to you? Would you like to see them in Eurovision?

Greece: One month left for song submissions | More than 10 songs submitted already!

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There is one month left, for those interested in representing Greece in the Eurovision Song Contest 2023.

There are more artists interested in submitting songs, in comparison to other years, with more than 10 songs already submitted to ERT, the Greek public broadcaster, while at the same point of time during last year’s selection, no song had been submitted!

The interest for the Greek representation is increased!

The Greek public broadcaster expects at least double the amount of song that were submitted last year. The 43 songs for Eurovision 2022, are expected to look like a small number.

The above statement was made clear from early on, back in August 26 when ERT gave out the outline for song submission, for those interested in representing Greece in the 67th Eurovision Song Contest, and since then they get phone calls every day for extra information.

Last year, all artists waited until the last week of the submission deadline to send in their songs, but now more than 10 songs are submitted and there is still one month left. Thinking that as the deadline comes closer the number of submitted songs is increased, ERT’s Eurovision  team is positive that the songs that will be submitted until October 9, when the submission period is over, will be double the amount of last year’s songs.

But of course, the biggest names wait until the last days of the submission period to send their songs, wanting to use all possible time to have a more competitive proposal.

National Final rumors have once again started.

There are tons of fake news in the Greek media about Eurovision, regarding artist proposals from ERT but also, as it has become usual the last years, rumors about the songs taking part in a national final.

We don’t have any information on this as of now, but as common sense says, and also based on our experience on how ERT sees the contest, we are going to say what is written on previous articles.

Due to the political changes that will take place in Greece in the coming months due to elections, but mainly because when a selection process is successful it won’t change, the song and artist selection will once again be internal.

We are waiting one more month, as the next 30 days more and more artists will submit their songs to win the representation of Greece in the contest, with everything new being written in our page!

Last year Greece picked Amanda Georgiadi Tenfjord internally to represent them with the song “Die Together” and continued for yet another year the top 10 streak, ending up 8th with 215 points.

https://youtu.be/BWeT0nJpB3Y

So stay tuned on Eurovisionfun for all the news regarding the Greek participation at the Eurovision Song Contest 2023, in the United Kingdom!

Eurovision 2023: The new season has just started!

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For many, including us on Eurovisionfun, Eurovision never ends! However, September 1st is a special date. Any song that is released after that date is eligible to be chosen to take part in the next years contest. Therefore, any song from now on can be a potential Eurovision 2o23 entry!

What we know so far

After the landslide victory of Ukraine and Kalush Orchestra in Turin, EBU has already announced that due to the ongoing war since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the contest will be held in the United Kingdom instead, to ensure safety of everyone involved in the production.

During August, BBC announced a shortlist of seven cities that will compete to host the contest next year, while the deadline to submit the finalized bids is set for September 8th. BBC and EBU representatives will visit these cities to inspect the facilities and discuss with local authorities on the proposed bids.

Around late September/early October and after there is potentially a dialogue with the British government, BBC and EBU will announce the Eurovision 2023 hosting city.

The shortlisted cities are:

  • Birmingham
  • Glasgow
  • Leeds
  • Liverpool
  • Manchester
  • Newcastle
  • Sheffield

Betting odds are every year a topic of discussion within and outside the Eurovision fandom. As of the time of writing, the odds about which city will host Eurovision 2023 predict Glasgow as the hosting city, with 65% chances, indicating a one-horse race for the hosting of the contest next year.

Participating countries

As of now, 27 countries have officially or unofficially confirmed that they will take part in Eurovision 2023. These are:

  • Albania
  • Austria
  • Belgium
  • Cyprus
  • Denmark
  • Estonia
  • Finland
  • France
  • Georgia
  • Germany
  • Greece
  • Iceland
  • Israel
  • Italy
  • Latvia
  • Lithuania
  • Netherlands
  • Norway
  • Poland
  • Romania
  • San Marino
  • Serbia
  • Spain
  • Sweden
  • Switzerland
  • Ukraine
  • United Kingdom

Within the next months more countries are expected to confirm their participation, with the goal to have 40 countries as in 2022. Russia and Belarus are not eligible to take part in the contest, since their broadcasters are not EBU members anymore.

Certain countries have already announced that they will not take part in Eurovision 2023, with some of them extending their long-lasting absence from the contest. Andorra, Monaco, Luxemburg, Liechtenstein, Slovakia, Maroco and Hungary will not be present in the 67th Eurovision Song Contest, while Turkey and Bosnia-Herzegovina are yet to announce their plans but the chances to see them returning are low for various reasons.

Until March 14th the announcement of all the entries

It won’t be before March 14th until we know all competing artists and entries for 2023, since on that day is the meeting of the Head of Delegations where all entries will be officially submitted. However, Israel has already selected its artist and its Noa Kirel, a local superstar with many of her songs conquering the charts.

Albania and Ukraine will be the next to select their entries before the end of 2022, unless there is a surprise as with Czech Republic last year.

Join us on the road to Eurovision 2023!

Eurovisionfun will bring you Eurofun-tastic news throughout the season, while you should be ready for exclusives and surprises! Our 24/7 coverage in Greek and English includes articles, reactions, discussions and many more!

Don’t forget to follow us on our social media, we are always online and we love interacting with you! You can check us out on:

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Let the Eurovision 2023 season begin! Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun!

 

 

 

Greece: ERT started the submission of entries for Eurovision 2023 | The official announcement!

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Fully confirming Eurovisionfun’s report once again, that during August the machines of ERT were heating up and in the headquarters of the Greek state radio and television they were feverishly preparing for Eurovision 2023, a little while ago the announcement for the selection of the Greek participation was made.

For another year, as we had already informed you, the representative of Greece, as well as the song that will represent the Mediterranean country in May in the contest, will be selected through an internal process, through the submission of proposals.

Deadline and conditions for submitting entries

Until October 9th, those interested in representing Greece at the 67th Eurovision Song Contest should submit their entries to ERT.

A change compared to last year’s process is what we from Eurovisionfun had mentioned, that is, the songs that are submitted should not have been submitted in any other country, while they are still in the process. ERT’s announcement specifically stated:

In the context of ERT’s participation in the 67th Eurovision Song Contest, which will take place in May 2023 in the United Kingdom, the Hellenic Radio Television invites companies active in the production or distribution of recordings to submit proposals for our country’s participation, with a final deadline of Sunday, October 9, 2022.

Each proposal must be complete: i.e. include a performer or group with a maximum of six members, according to the regulations, and also one to three songs, which have not been released or performed to date either in Greece or abroad as in any way, in whole or in part. In the choice of participation, any artistic group supporting the performer and ideas (concept) for the promotion and presentation of the song will also be taken into account.

The proposals submitted in the context of the above call are addressed exclusively to ERT.

Until the completion of their evaluation, they may not have submitted simultaneously to a corresponding procedure of another participating broadcaster in the Eurovision Song Contest.

Submission of proposals to eurovision@ert.gr.

Possible candidates

Without of course they are the only ones who will send their proposals, already through Eurovisionfun you have been informed about several artists who have their proposals ready (or almost ready).

These are Vassilis Kourtis, Melissa Mantzoukis, Evangelia, Leon of Athens, Joanne and others, who in the coming days will submit their candidate songs to ERT.

Over time we will have the opportunity to reveal to you more details about their proposals, as well as the proposals of other artists who will also be submitted to ERT.

ERT’s hopes for another Top-10 placement

Much earlier than ERT has ever started its search, this year it starts the procedures for choosing Greece’s participation in Eurovision. Guided by its professionalism, but also a very hard-working team, with more experience and efficiency, ERT will travel to the United Kingdom to repeat what it knows well and to achieve why not something better than this year’s eighth place.

Having been fully confirmed for the last two years, we dare to take risks early again this year. In 2023, Greece will remain high!

Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun if you want to be fully informed about everything that is happening around the Greek participation in the 67th Eurovision Song Contest! The home of Eurovision in Greece is here!

 

 

Eurovision 2023: The first odds for next May’s winner!

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The next Eurovision season may officially begin in two weeks, but your favorite column is back to give you a first taste of the betting odds ahead of the 67th Eurovision Song Contest.

While you are on holiday and preparing for a “hot” Eurovision winter, the bookers are already busy, with the Eurovision 2023 winner section already being offered to some companies. So we take the opportunity and present you the first bets for the next contest.

Advantage: Ukraine

With the war in Ukraine not over and the EBU making the decision that the next contest will not be held on the territory of the winner of Eurovision 2022, there are not a few who believe that Ukraine starts as the absolute favorite to win the 67th version of our favorite contest.

It is noteworthy that for the first time in history the winner of the next contest has been played at odds below 5-6 since August, nine months before the Eurovision. From this alone we understand that there are not a few who rushed to bet their money on the Ukrainian back-to-back win. The Ukrainian victory is played at odds between 2.84 and 3.25.

Second favourite, behind Ukraine, is Italy. The last host and 2021 winner, which is also the most successful country of the competition in recent years, could not be missing from the highest positions of the bookies, who, based on the long tradition of Sanremo, believe that Italians can well claim their fourth victory.

The same more or less applies to the third Sweden which is played at almost the same odds as Italy, with the Scandinavians wanting to get the coveted seventh victory and equal the record of the “Queen of Eurovision”, Ireland. Italy and Sweden return ten times the bet of those who bet on them.

The UK and Spain are in fourth and fifth place respectively according to the bookers, with both European powerhouses cashing in on second and third place in Turin. The success of Sam Ryder and Chanel has sparked interest in Eurovision in two countries that love the contest, but have not had particularly successful results in recent years.

With this renewed interest in the contest, and with the contest taking place on British soil giving the Brits a chance to throw a huge party to accompany the UK’s sixth win, the bookers are tipping a British win at odds between 8 and 13, while the corresponding Spanish one between 15 and 16.5.

Top 10

Behind the United Kingdom and Spain is another Big 5 country, France, which could not continue on the path of success this year in Turin, after Barbara Pravi’s second place in 2021 in Rotterdam, as it was ranked only 25th. Nevertheless, the bookers place France in 6th place at odds of between 17 and 19.

The remaining four positions in the top ten are filled by countries, which do not belong to the Big 5, but betting companies consider that they start from a more advantageous position compared to their competitors. Seventh is Norway, which is a not inconsiderable size for the competition and annually holds one of the most difficult national finals, the Melodi Grand Prix. The Nordic country is played at odds between 15 and 19.5.

Eighth is Switzerland, who have been one of the fastest growing powers in the competition from 2019 onwards. The Swiss victory is found at odds of 21 in three different companies.

The recovery of Greece‘s momentum in the Eurovision Song Contest is confirmed by the ninth place given by the bookers to the possibility of a second victory for the Mediterranean country.

Being one of only three countries that count consecutive placements within the top ten, Greece is considered if nothing else to be a highly reckonable size by the betting companies, who recognize the positive results of the 2021-2022 biennium and the change of approach by ERT within the current decade. Greece is played at odds between 17 and 23, being in one company in seventh place.

The top ten is completed by Australia, with the bookers – surprisingly – showing confidence in the distant Oceanian country, at the same time that the European viewers “turned their backs” once again on Australia’s participation, giving just two points to Sheldon Riley. An Australian win returns 24 times the bet.

Do you think Ukraine can make it back-to-back and become the first country since Ireland in the early 90s to achieve back-to-back wins in our beloved contest?

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

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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.

 

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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!

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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”!

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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”.

 

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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!