It’s Eurovision week and Tuesday night sees both Cyprus and Greece compete in the first semi-final, with Greece performing 14th in the running order and Cyprus, 19th.
Greece’s Yianna Terzi, will be singing ‘Oniro Mou‘, (My Dream), and Cyprus’s Eleni Foureira, will perform ‘Fuego‘, (Fire), in Lisbon’s Altice Arena on Tuesday 8th May, live on BBC Four at 8 pm BST.
Yianna’s catchy atmospheric song, which she sings in Greek is an imagined dialogue between ‘motherland’ and its Greek people; a beautiful, haunting melody with an incredible Greek bridge, along with drums and clarinet riffs add to the song’s sound.
The music and lyrics were co-written by Yianna, along with Aris Kalimeris, Mixalis Papathanasiou, and Dimitris Stamatiou. It’s an intensely passionate, patriotic song that plays on ideas of self-belonging and loyalty.
The minimalist staging will focus on Yianna who we will see in a white outfit. It’s the look of a ‘Greek goddess’, alone on stage emphasising the song’s somewhat slightly introspective ‘soulful’, spiritual feel.
The act also comprises of four backing-vocalists (‘off-stage’); Giannis Lafis, Eugenia (Nia) Balafa, Irini Psihrami and Viktoria Halkiti. Yianna was born in Thessaloniki and is the daughter of legendary Greek singer Paschalis Terzis.
Five songs later, and we’ll see Cyprus’s entry by Eleni Foureia – last in the running order, considered by many as one of the preferred positions in the competition. ‘Fuego’ is an up-tempo number with very useful clarinet riffs adding a feel of ethnicity to this catchy Cypriot tune.
Cyprus (as of this morning, 8th May), are odds-on favourites to win the Eurovision Final on Saturday 12th May, which would make it the nation’s first ever victory.
In our opinion, the track is a brilliant, slick performance which compliments Eleni’s assets as a charismatic singer. It was penned by composer Alex Papaconstantinou, or Alex P, a Greek-Swedish producer, well-known in Eurovision circles. He collaborates on the tune with Geraldo Sandell, Viktor Svensson, Anderz Wrethov and Didrick.
The First Eurovision Semi-Final airs on Tuesday 8th May, at 8pm on BBC 4. The UK will be tele-voting in the semi-heat.
The points will be determined with 50% already sown-up by the jury dress-rehearsal on Monday night; the other 50% by tele-voting during the live Tuesday evening contest.
The Eurovision Final takes place on Saturday 12th May, on BBC One.
London Greek Radio wishes Yianna Terzi and Eleni Foureira the very best of luck in the competition.
