Greece in the Eurovision Song Contest 2010
Encyclopedia
Greece, in the Eurovision Song Contest 2010, selected the song "Opa" sung by Giorgos Alkaios
& Friends as their entry, by a national selection on 12 March 2010.
After an open call to record labels to submit proposals, Greece's national broadcaster Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation (ERT) announced on 18 December 2009 the ten participants that would compete in the selection process. Despina Ricci dropped out of the final in January, while Katerine Avgoustakis was disqualified on 9 February, followed by Eleftheria Eleftheriou on 25 February, bringing the total number of entries to seven. The songs that each singer and ERT picked were first heard by the public through ERT's website on 26 February and presented through a televised show on 5 March 2010.
thirty times since its first entry in 1974, winning it in 2005
with the song "My Number One
" performed by Elena Paparizou
, and having placed third three times: in 2001 with the song "Die for You" performed by the duo Antique
; in 2004 with "Shake It
" performed by Sakis Rouvas
; and the 2008 entry "Secret Combination
" performed by Kalomoira. Following the introduction of semi-finals for the 2004 contest
, Greece has had a top ten placing each year. The least successful result was in 1998 when with the song "Mia Krifi Evesthisia
" by Thalassa
placing twentieth, receiving only twelve points in total, all from Cyprus.
The Greek national broadcaster, ERT, hosts the event in Greece each year and organizes the selection process for its entry. From 2004 to 2006, ERT had selected high-profile artists internally and set up national finals to choose the song, while in 2007
and 2008
it held a televised national final to choose both the song and performer. In 2009, ERT was able to once again secure a high-profile artist and planned a national final to choose the song. For the 2010 Eurovision Song Contest, ERT decided to hold a ten (eventually seven) performer national final to choose the song to represent them.
After an open call to record labels to submit proposals, ERT officially announced on 18 December 2009 the ten participants for the Greek national final. The majority of the announced performers are newcomers in the Greek music scene, while the music styles and genres of the announced performers varies compared to previous years.
On 12 January 2010, Despina Ricci announced her withdrawal from the national final citing a busy schedule; her spot was not filled leaving nine participants for the final. A month later on 8 February after the song titles were revealed, it was found that a remix of Katerine Avgoustakis
' song "Enjoy the Day" had been available for viewing on the video hosting website YouTube
since 5 November 2009. As it was a violation of ERT's national final rules to have any part of a candidate's song made available to the public before the 5 March presentation, Avgoustakis and her song were disqualified, leaving eight participants in the final. Later on 25 February 2010, Eleftheria Eleftheriou was disqualified as well, after her song "Tables Are Turning" was leaked onto the internet, bringing the total number of participants down to seven.
and ERT World and was hosted by Dimitra Agkriotou and Despina Fagkra.
& The Islanders performing their song "Life Looks Better in Spring
", Bulgarian entrant Miroslav Kostadinov
performing his song "Angel si ti
" and disqualified participant Katerine Avgoustakis
performing a piano ballad version of her song "Treat Me Like Lady" as well as her former entry "Enjoy the Day". The winner was decided through televoting and jury, each weighted equally. 2010's jury was made up of five music industry professionals: Mimis Plessas, director and lyricist Anthony Andrikakis, conductor Andreas Pylarinos, journalist Christiana Stamatelou, and producer and songwriter Poseidon Yannopoulos. The winner was Giorgos Alkaios
& Friends with the song "Opa". The placings of the other participants were not revealed. On 15 March 2010, ERT reveled the jury and televoting results of the top three songs. Songs were awarded points as they would in the Eurovision Song Contest. As the top three songs were all tied in points, the public vote prevailed with Giorgos Alkaios winning.
, and came 8th with 140 points.
Giorgos Alkaios
Giorgos Alkaios is a Greek recording artist. His career began in 1989 after appearing on a Greek reality show. Following a brief period of stage acting, Alkaios dedicated himself to music. His first single, "Ti Ti", made him popular in Greece. His distinctive musical style fuses Greek and Oriental...
& Friends as their entry, by a national selection on 12 March 2010.
After an open call to record labels to submit proposals, Greece's national broadcaster Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation (ERT) announced on 18 December 2009 the ten participants that would compete in the selection process. Despina Ricci dropped out of the final in January, while Katerine Avgoustakis was disqualified on 9 February, followed by Eleftheria Eleftheriou on 25 February, bringing the total number of entries to seven. The songs that each singer and ERT picked were first heard by the public through ERT's website on 26 February and presented through a televised show on 5 March 2010.
Background
Prior to the 2010 Contest, Greece had participated in the Eurovision Song ContestEurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual competition held among active member countries of the European Broadcasting Union .Each member country submits a song to be performed on live television and then casts votes for the other countries' songs to determine the most popular song in the competition...
thirty times since its first entry in 1974, winning it in 2005
Eurovision Song Contest 2005
The Eurovision Song Contest 2005 was the 50th Eurovision Song Contest, which was held at the Palace of Sports, Kiev, Ukraine. The winner was Greece's My Number One, written by Christos Dantis and Natalia Germanou and performed by Swedish-born Greek singer Elena Paparizou, who scored 230 points,...
with the song "My Number One
My Number One
As Greece had finished the 2004 Eurovision Song Contest in third place, the song was pre-qualified for the final in 2005. Thus, it was performed nineteenth on the night, following Croatia's Boris Novković and Lado with "Vukovi umiru sami" and preceding Russia's Natalia Podolskaya with "Nobody Hurt...
" performed by Elena Paparizou
Elena Paparizou
Eleni "Elena" Paparizou , usually referred to abroad as Helena Paparizou, is a Greek-Swedish singer and occasional songwriter, who was born and raised in Sweden by Greek parents. She began her career there in 1999 as a member of the duo Antique, while she also worked briefly as a model for a...
, and having placed third three times: in 2001 with the song "Die for You" performed by the duo Antique
Antique (duo)
Antique was a Greek singing duo consisting of Elena Paparizou and Nikos Panagiotidis originating from Sweden which combined Greek popular music and lyrics with a Nordic dance pop beat. Both Paparizou and Panagiotidis were born and raised in Sweden by Greek parents...
; in 2004 with "Shake It
Shake It (Sakis Rouvas song)
"Shake It" is an English language song by Greek singer Sakis Rouvas and was the Greek entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 2004. The song is an up-tempo number, with Rouvas telling his lover that "I would trade my life for a night with you" and asking the lover to "shake it" for him...
" performed by Sakis Rouvas
Sakis Rouvas
Anastasios "Sakis" Rouvas II , often referred to mononymously as Sakis, is a Greek musician, television and film artist, businessman, and former pole vaulter who is one of the most successful and influential entertainers of all time in Greece and Cyprus...
; and the 2008 entry "Secret Combination
Secret Combination (song)
"Secret Combination" is a song and CD single by Greek singer Kalomira. It was Greece's entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 2008 and the first single released from Kalomira's fourth studio album titled Secret Combination the Album. It earned third place in the Eurovision final, finishing behind...
" performed by Kalomoira. Following the introduction of semi-finals for the 2004 contest
Eurovision Song Contest 2004
The Eurovision Song Contest 2004, was the 49th Contest and it was held in the Abdi İpekçi Arena in Istanbul, Turkey. This was the first occasion in which the contest was held in Turkey after they had won the competition in 2003 with Sertab Erener singing "Everyway That I Can"...
, Greece has had a top ten placing each year. The least successful result was in 1998 when with the song "Mia Krifi Evesthisia
Mia Krifi Evesthisia
Mia Krifi Evesthisia was the Greek entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1998, performed in Greek by Thalassa....
" by Thalassa
Thalassa
Thalassa may refer to:* Thalassa , a primordial Greek sea goddess* Thalassa , a moon of the planet Neptune* Thalassa, a fictional planet in Arthur C...
placing twentieth, receiving only twelve points in total, all from Cyprus.
The Greek national broadcaster, ERT, hosts the event in Greece each year and organizes the selection process for its entry. From 2004 to 2006, ERT had selected high-profile artists internally and set up national finals to choose the song, while in 2007
Greece in the Eurovision Song Contest 2007
Greece and Ellinikí Radiofonía Tileórasi chose to hold a national final this year after efforts to find a big name artist for an internal selection failed. The artists involved were Sarbel, Christos Dantis, and Tamta. The national final took place February 28, 2007, and was called "Eurovision...
and 2008
Greece in the Eurovision Song Contest 2008
Greece entered the Eurovision Song Contest 2008 with the song "Secret Combination", written by Konstantinos Pantzis with lyrics by Poseidonas Giannopoulos. The song was performed by Kalomoira, an American singer of Greek descent who had previously won a Greek talent show...
it held a televised national final to choose both the song and performer. In 2009, ERT was able to once again secure a high-profile artist and planned a national final to choose the song. For the 2010 Eurovision Song Contest, ERT decided to hold a ten (eventually seven) performer national final to choose the song to represent them.
Selection procedure
On 12 January it was decided that the national final would be pushed back from February to 10 March 2010. By late January, ERT once again chose to move the date of the final, this time to Friday 12 March because they felt that Fridays were good days for television ratings. The participating songs were scheduled to be revealed the week before the final on 5 March during a two-hour televised program as opposed to the press conference used in previous years. The artistic direction of the national final was headed by Fokas Evangelinos and the final took place in a large television studio instead of the nightclubs of past finals. The winning act was chosen via 50% televoting and 50% jury voting.Participants
On 12 January 2010, Despina Ricci announced her withdrawal from the national final citing a busy schedule; her spot was not filled leaving nine participants for the final. A month later on 8 February after the song titles were revealed, it was found that a remix of Katerine Avgoustakis
Katerine Avgoustakis
Katerine Avgoustakis is a Flemish solo singer and winner of the 2005 Star Academy show in Belgium.-Early life:...
' song "Enjoy the Day" had been available for viewing on the video hosting website YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
since 5 November 2009. As it was a violation of ERT's national final rules to have any part of a candidate's song made available to the public before the 5 March presentation, Avgoustakis and her song were disqualified, leaving eight participants in the final. Later on 25 February 2010, Eleftheria Eleftheriou was disqualified as well, after her song "Tables Are Turning" was leaked onto the internet, bringing the total number of participants down to seven.
Songs
The songs of the national final were originally scheduled to be revealed during a 5 March presentation show, however, ERT in fear of having to disqualify more leaked songs, decided to post the seven songs on their website on 26 February. The 5 March presentation show was still broadcast the following week, with the public viewing each participant's song in the form of a video. It was broadcast on NETNew Hellenic Television
New Hellenic Television , branded as NET, is the second television network of the Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation , the public broadcaster of Greece. It is mainly a news and information channel that broadcasts daily newscasts with national and international news, documentaries, talkshows, current...
and ERT World and was hosted by Dimitra Agkriotou and Despina Fagkra.
Result
The national final took place on 12 March 2010 and was hosted by Rika Vaggiani and Jenny Balatsinou. Interval acts included Cypriot entrant Jon LilygreenJon Lilygreen
Jon Lilygreen is a Welsh singer, who along with the band The Islanders represented Cyprus in the Eurovision Song Contest 2010 in Oslo, Norway, with the song "Life Looks Better In Spring"....
& The Islanders performing their song "Life Looks Better in Spring
Life Looks Better in Spring
"Life Looks Better in Spring" is a song composed by Nasos Lambrianides and Melis Konstantinou. The song, produced by Jon Gregory and performed by Jon Lilygreen and The Islanders, represented Cyprus at the Eurovision Song Contest 2010, competing in the second semi-final on 27 May, and qualifying...
", Bulgarian entrant Miroslav Kostadinov
Miroslav Kostadinov
Miroslav Kostadinov born 10 March 1976 in Bulgaria is a singer and songwriter who represented Bulgaria in the Eurovision Song Contest 2010 with the song Angel si ti....
performing his song "Angel si ti
Angel si ti
"Angel si ti" is a song composed and performed by Miro , with lyrics by Mihail Mihailov, which represented Bulgaria at the Eurovision Song Contest 2010...
" and disqualified participant Katerine Avgoustakis
Katerine Avgoustakis
Katerine Avgoustakis is a Flemish solo singer and winner of the 2005 Star Academy show in Belgium.-Early life:...
performing a piano ballad version of her song "Treat Me Like Lady" as well as her former entry "Enjoy the Day". The winner was decided through televoting and jury, each weighted equally. 2010's jury was made up of five music industry professionals: Mimis Plessas, director and lyricist Anthony Andrikakis, conductor Andreas Pylarinos, journalist Christiana Stamatelou, and producer and songwriter Poseidon Yannopoulos. The winner was Giorgos Alkaios
Giorgos Alkaios
Giorgos Alkaios is a Greek recording artist. His career began in 1989 after appearing on a Greek reality show. Following a brief period of stage acting, Alkaios dedicated himself to music. His first single, "Ti Ti", made him popular in Greece. His distinctive musical style fuses Greek and Oriental...
& Friends with the song "Opa". The placings of the other participants were not revealed. On 15 March 2010, ERT reveled the jury and televoting results of the top three songs. Songs were awarded points as they would in the Eurovision Song Contest. As the top three songs were all tied in points, the public vote prevailed with Giorgos Alkaios winning.
| Draw | Artist | Song | English translation | Jury | Televote | Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Christos Hatzinasios | "Illusion" | - | - | - | - |
| 2 | Sunny Baltzi & Second Skin | "Game of Life" | - | - | - | - |
| 3 | Manos Pyrovolakis | "Kivotos tou Noe" | Noah's ark | 10 | 10 | 2 |
| 4 | Giorgos Alkaios Giorgos Alkaios Giorgos Alkaios is a Greek recording artist. His career began in 1989 after appearing on a Greek reality show. Following a brief period of stage acting, Alkaios dedicated himself to music. His first single, "Ti Ti", made him popular in Greece. His distinctive musical style fuses Greek and Oriental... & Friends |
"OPA"(ΟΠΑ) | - | 8 | 12 | 1 |
| 5 | Yorgos Karadimos | "Polemao" | I'm fighting | 12 | 8 | 3 |
| 6 | Melisses | "O Kinezos" | Chinese | - | - | - |
| |
Katerine Avgoustakis Katerine Avgoustakis is a Flemish solo singer and winner of the 2005 Star Academy show in Belgium.-Early life:... |
|
- | - | - | - |
| 7 | Émigré | "Touch me Deep Inside" | - | - | - | - |
| |
Eleftheria Eleftheriou Eleftheria Eleftheriou is a Greek-Cypriot singer who is famous for her participation in the second season of talent show The X Factor Greece.-Early life:... |
|
- | - | - | - |
Promotion
Due to financial constraints facing ERT, the winning entry will have a limited budget compared to past years, with ERT only paying for the music video and a very limited promotional tour.At Eurovision
Greece competed in the second half of the first semi-final of the contest on 25 May. It qualified for the finalEurovision Song Contest 2010
The Eurovision Song Contest 2010 was the 55th annual Eurovision Song Contest, broadcast from the Telenor Arena in Bærum, Greater Oslo, Norway. It was the third time Norway had hosted the contest, having previously done so in 1986 and 1996. The 2010 winner was Germany with Lena singing "Satellite",...
, and came 8th with 140 points.