Greece in the Eurovision Song Contest 2011
Encyclopedia
Greece took part in the Eurovision Song Contest 2011
, held between 10 and 14 May 2011, placing seventh. On 2 March 2011, as part of the selection process organized by the Greek national broadcaster Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation (ERT), six competing acts—Antigoni Psihrami, Kokkina Halia, Loukas Giorkas
, Nikki Ponte
, Trimitonio, and Valanto Trifonos
—performed their prospective entries live during a televised event. "Watch My Dance
" was selected to represent Greece at the Eurovision Song Contest by a combination of a public televote and panel of judges. At the contest, it placed first in the first semi-final and seventh in the final marking Greece's eighth top ten placing in as many years.
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 in 2008 with "Secret Combination
" performed by Kalomoira. Following the introduction of semi-finals for the 2004 contest
, Greece has had a top ten placing each year. Its least successful result was in 1998 when it placed twentieth with the song "Mia Krifi Evesthisia
" by Thalassa
, receiving only twelve points in total, all from Cyprus.
The Greek national broadcaster, Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation (ERT), is in charge of Greece's participation each year, including 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, although reverted back to a national final format for 2010. For the 2011 Eurovision Song Contest, ERT decided to hold a six-performer national final to choose the song to represent them. Compared to previous years, both ERT and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism have towed down efforts for 2011.
, Nikki Ponte, Trimitonio, and Valanto Trifonos
. All acts announced were relatively new to the Greek music scene and all came from the popular Greek talent shows Greek Idol
and The X Factor
The decision to choose young up-and-coming acts was partially made by the broadcaster to appeal to a younger audience, while also giving the emerging acts a chance to further their careers through their participation in the contest.
Shortly after ERT announced the six acts, criticism surrounding the selection procedure arose from multiple parties. Music acts and record labels accused the broadcaster of not publishing any rules, regulations, or a deadline concerning the selection procedure, and criticized the lack of transparency from the publicly funded broadcaster. Singers Giannis Savidakis, Theoharis Ioanidis, Sofia Berntson
featuring Apollon,, rapper Bo, and bands Nomisma, and Zante Dilemma featuring Emily Greenslade were amongst the acts that spoke out against ERT. Their respective record labels also put out press releases expressing their complaints, with ERT remaining silent on the issues. Record labels also questioned the legality of ERT's decisions.
Giannis Savidakis, who represented Cyprus
in the Eurovision Song Contest 1989
, and Theoharis Ioanidis, an actor who made his singing debut on Mega Channel
's celebrity reality singing contest Just the Two of Us in 2010, were two of the most vocal acts to speak out. Both were on ERT’s initial shortlist, with them having self-confirmed their bids days prior through the media, although both were ultimately cut. Savidakis criticized ERT's open call, stating that the broadcaster was vague in its criteria for a prospective entry and questioned why ERT did not give him a reason for his cut. Ioanidis also criticized ERT's decision, with Ioanidis' manager, Ilias Psinakis—who also managed pop-stars and former national final participants Sakis Rouvas
and Kostas Martakis
in the past—stating his belief that the public should be the ones to decide who is right to fill the role. Psinakis also claimed that Stefanos Korkolis
was to be the author of Ioanidis' prospective entry, while he blamed politics for playing a role in the rejection, as he is a member of rival political party Popular Orthodox Rally
(LAOS). On 15 January 2011, LAOS MP
Georgios Anatolakis
brought up the issue in the Hellenic Parliament
, asking the Minister of Culture Pavlos Geroulanos, who helps oversee ERT, for clarifications on Ioanidis' and Savidakis' rejections.
On 27 January, 2011, ERT issued an official press release standing by their selection process, and addressed complaints from rejected artists and labels. ERT stated that they chose to work with major labels only, and thus rejected bids from various minor labels, while they only wished to include young up and coming artists in the selection process. Furthermore, they stated that they only chose acts that are primarily professional singers. In response to the press release by ERT, Theoharis Ioanidis, Nomisma, and Bo threatened legal action against ERT. Nomisma stated they planned to sue ERT and ask to block the national final from happening, as well as financial compensation.
on 15 February 2011, showcasing the full selected songs to the public. On 14 February 2011, the eve of the official song presentation, news website Newsit.gr leaked all six songs onto the web. The same website was responsible for leaks the year prior; contrary to procedures followed by ERT in previous years to disqualify leaked songs, the broadcaster has stated that none of the songs would be disqualified.
The band Kokkina Halia chose the song "Come With Me", written by the band, with lyrics by the band and Andreas Galanopoulos. The song is performed in English, and is uptempo with a pop rock
and retro style. Kokkina Halia emerged from the first season
of Greek reality singing competition The X Factor
in 2008, and later signed to Sony Music Greece
, eventually releasing the album Hartaetos (Kite) in 2009.
Valanto Trifonos
chose the song "Time is Now", with music and lyrics by Johan Ramström
, Patrik Magnusson
, and Martti Vuorinen.. Vuorinen had previously written Hanna Pakarinen
's "Leave Me Alone
" which represented Finland
in 2007
. The song is a ballad
performed in English. Trifonos emerged from the first season
of Greek Idol
in 2010, winning the competition and a recording contract with Sony Music Greece, and sequentially releasing a digital download
of the winner's single "Sti Dipla Thesi" (In the next seat).
The band Trimitonio chose the song "Hamogela" (Smile), written by Eurovision veteran Nikos Terzis with lyrics by Vagelis Kostantinidis. Terzis is best known for his multiple entries in the contest, most notably Antique
's "Die for You
" in 2001
, and Sakis Rouvas
' "Shake It
" in 2004
, which both represented Greece
achieving 3rd place. The song is performed in Greek, and is pop
in style. Trimitonio emerged from first season of the X Factor in 2008, later singing to record label 7, and sequentially releasing the CD-single "Markadoros" (Marker) as well as a self-titled album in 2010.
Antigoni Psihrami chose the song "It's All Greek To Me!", written by Apostolos Psihramis with lyrics by Dimitris S. and Gerard James Borg
. Borg is best known for his association with the contest for Malta
, having penned five entries. The song is performed in English, and is pop-dance in style with ethnic
elements. Psihrami emerged from the first season
of the reality talent show Greek Idol
in 2010, and soon after signed with record label Minos EMI
.
"Watch My Dance
Loukas Giorkas
chose the song "Watch My Dance
" featuring Stereo Mike
, written by Giannis Christodoulopoulos with lyrics by Eleana Vrahali. The song is performed in English and Greek, and features a fusion
of hip hop
and contemporary laïkó styles. Giorkas also emerged from the first season of The X Factor in 2008, winning the competition and a contract with Sony Music Greece, and sequentially releasing the EP Mazi (together) in 2009, which was certified
gold. He later switched labels to Minos EMI.
Nikki Ponte
chose the song "I Don't Wanna Dance", with music and lyrics by Jonas Saeed and Pia Sjöberg. The song is performed in English, and is dance-pop
in style. Ponte emerged during the third season
of The X Factor in 2010, and was still participating in the talent competition at the time of ERT's announcement. She secured a contract with Sony Music Greece for her participation in the national final.
), and as in past years was broadcast on New Hellenic Television
(NET) in Greece, worldwide on ERT World, as well as on the official websites of ERT and the Eurovision Song Contest. The show also featured performances by Cyprus'
Christos Mylordos
, Malta's
Glen Vella
, and Bulgaria's
Poli Genova
amongst others. As in past years, the winning song was selected using a combination of televoting and jury voting at a 50/50 split. The jury consisted of radio producer and head of ERA2 Marina Lahana, who served as head of jury, radio producer Mihalis Tasousopoulos, conductor Andreas Pilarinos, songwriter Giorgos Parianos, and actress Bessy Malfa. The running order used for the songs was announced on 9 February 2011, and came after a draw by ERT and the record labels involved.
In comparison to past national finals, the program was criticized by journalists as one of ERT's worst productions in years, partially faulted by a low budget. Amongst the issues criticized were Lena Aroni’s poor hosting skills, the lighting and camera work, and also the exclusion of a live audience. It lasted about two hours, and ERT's broadcast came ninth overall on 2 March, with 17.4% share according to ABG Nielsen Hellas; it is estimated that around 836 thousand viewers watched the show. The broadcast makes it ERT's lowest watched national final in over ten years. Loukas Giorkas feat. Stereo Mike was the overall winner of the night.
, Germany
, in the second half of the first semi-final of the contest on 10 May 2011. Greece competed in the 19th place at the first semi-final, and qualified for the final, acquiring the 1st place. In the final, they ended up 7th, which is their eighth consecutive top-10 place since the introduction of the semi-finals in 2004.
Eurovision Song Contest 2011
The Eurovision Song Contest 2011 was the 56th annual Eurovision Song Contest and was won by Eldar & Nigar performing "Running Scared" for Azerbaijan. The event took place in the Esprit Arena in Düsseldorf, Germany, following Germany's win in the previous year...
, held between 10 and 14 May 2011, placing seventh. On 2 March 2011, as part of the selection process organized by the Greek national broadcaster Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation (ERT), six competing acts—Antigoni Psihrami, Kokkina Halia, Loukas Giorkas
Loukas Giorkas
Loukas Giorkas , is a Cypriot singer and the winner of the first season of the Greek version of the television talent series The X Factor. In September 2009 he released his first EP album, Mazi, which attained gold status. He studies Biology at the University of Patras...
, Nikki Ponte
Nikki Ponte
Nikki Ponte , is a Canadian-Greek Cypriot singer who rose to fame in Greece and Cyprus through her participation in the third season of Greece's version of the singing competition The X Factor, in which she placed third...
, Trimitonio, and Valanto Trifonos
Valanto Trifonos
Valanto Trifonos , also commonly spelled as Valando Tryfonos, is a Greek–Cypriot singer who rose to fame after winning the first season of talent show Greek Idol in 2010. She subsequently released the digital single "Sti Dipla Thesi"...
—performed their prospective entries live during a televised event. "Watch My Dance
Watch My Dance
"Watch My Dance" is a song by Cypriot singer Loukas Giorkas featuring Stereo Mike. It has represented Greece in the Eurovision Song Contest 2011. A snippet of the song was released by broadcaster Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation on 9 February 2011 along with the other candidate songs from the...
" was selected to represent Greece at the Eurovision Song Contest by a combination of a public televote and panel of judges. At the contest, it placed first in the first semi-final and seventh in the final marking Greece's eighth top ten placing in as many years.
Background
Prior to the 2011 contest, Greece had participated in the Eurovision Song Contest thirty-one times since its first entry in 1974, winning it in 2005Eurovision 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 in 2008 with "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. Its least successful result was in 1998 when it placed twentieth 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 (band)
Thalassa represented Greece in the Eurovision Song Contest 1998. They performed the song "Mia Krifi Evesthisia".-History:Musician Yiannis Valvis and singer Dionisia Karoki formed the group expressly for the Eurovision Song Contest. After the national final, many artists complained that the victory...
, receiving only twelve points in total, all from Cyprus.
The Greek national broadcaster, Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation (ERT), is in charge of Greece's participation each year, including 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, although reverted back to a national final format for 2010. For the 2011 Eurovision Song Contest, ERT decided to hold a six-performer national final to choose the song to represent them. Compared to previous years, both ERT and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism have towed down efforts for 2011.
Selection procedure
Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation (ERT) initially explored taking a completely different approach for the 2011 contest, also looking to take a more low key and modest approach to their participation in the contest in comparison to previous years when the contest was viewed as a national event. The new board of members at ERT quickly realized that time was not sufficient, and thus turned to the more traditional selection method of co-operating with record labels. ERT also explored the option of selecting an act internally, as it had done in previous years, but was unable to secure a major act. After an open call to record labels to submit proposals, on 11 January 2011, ERT officially announced the six candidates for the Greek national final: Antigoni Psihrami, Kokkina Halia, Loukas GiorkasLoukas Giorkas
Loukas Giorkas , is a Cypriot singer and the winner of the first season of the Greek version of the television talent series The X Factor. In September 2009 he released his first EP album, Mazi, which attained gold status. He studies Biology at the University of Patras...
, Nikki Ponte, Trimitonio, and Valanto Trifonos
Valanto Trifonos
Valanto Trifonos , also commonly spelled as Valando Tryfonos, is a Greek–Cypriot singer who rose to fame after winning the first season of talent show Greek Idol in 2010. She subsequently released the digital single "Sti Dipla Thesi"...
. All acts announced were relatively new to the Greek music scene and all came from the popular Greek talent shows Greek Idol
Greek Idol
Greek Idol is a reality television competition to find new solo singing talent. Part of the Idol franchise, it is based on the British show Pop Idol created by Simon Fuller. The first season of the show debut on March 5, 2010 on Alpha TV. The second season is scheduled to premiere on 19 February 2011...
and The X Factor
The X Factor (Greece)
The X Factor is the Greek version of The X Factor, a show originating in the United Kingdom. It is a television music talent show contested by aspiring pop singers drawn from public auditions....
The decision to choose young up-and-coming acts was partially made by the broadcaster to appeal to a younger audience, while also giving the emerging acts a chance to further their careers through their participation in the contest.
Shortly after ERT announced the six acts, criticism surrounding the selection procedure arose from multiple parties. Music acts and record labels accused the broadcaster of not publishing any rules, regulations, or a deadline concerning the selection procedure, and criticized the lack of transparency from the publicly funded broadcaster. Singers Giannis Savidakis, Theoharis Ioanidis, Sofia Berntson
Sofia (Swedish singer)
Sofia Berntson , known professionally as Sofia is a Swedish singer who often sings in Greek...
featuring Apollon,, rapper Bo, and bands Nomisma, and Zante Dilemma featuring Emily Greenslade were amongst the acts that spoke out against ERT. Their respective record labels also put out press releases expressing their complaints, with ERT remaining silent on the issues. Record labels also questioned the legality of ERT's decisions.
Giannis Savidakis, who represented Cyprus
Cyprus in the Eurovision Song Contest
Cyprus made its debut in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1981. Cyprus' best result, fifth place, has been achieved on three occasions: in 1982 with Anna Vissi, 1997 with Hara & Andreas Constantinou, and 2004 with Lisa Andreas....
in the Eurovision Song Contest 1989
Eurovision Song Contest 1989
The Eurovision Song Contest 1989 was the 34th Eurovision Song Contest and was held on 6 May 1989 in Lausanne, Switzerland. Switzerland gained the hosting rights after Celine Dion's victory in Dublin the previous year. The presenters were Lolita Morena and Jacques Deschenaux. Riva was the winner of...
, and Theoharis Ioanidis, an actor who made his singing debut on Mega Channel
Mega Channel
Mega Channel, also known as Mega TV or just Mega, is a major television network in Greece. Teletypos S.A. was founded in 1989 under the name Teletypos Television Programmes S.A...
's celebrity reality singing contest Just the Two of Us in 2010, were two of the most vocal acts to speak out. Both were on ERT’s initial shortlist, with them having self-confirmed their bids days prior through the media, although both were ultimately cut. Savidakis criticized ERT's open call, stating that the broadcaster was vague in its criteria for a prospective entry and questioned why ERT did not give him a reason for his cut. Ioanidis also criticized ERT's decision, with Ioanidis' manager, Ilias Psinakis—who also managed pop-stars and former national final participants 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 Kostas Martakis
Kostas Martakis
Konstantinos "Kostas" Martakis is a Greek singer, who rose to fame after appearing on Greek talent show Dream Show aired by Alpha TV in 2006. Following his participation, he went on to release three studio albums and also participated in the Greek national final for the Eurovision Song Contest 2008...
in the past—stating his belief that the public should be the ones to decide who is right to fill the role. Psinakis also claimed that Stefanos Korkolis
Stefanos Korkolis
Stefanos Korkolis is a Greek composer and pianist. He was born in Athens and grew up in Patissia. He is a nephew of renowned Greek composer Mimis Plessas....
was to be the author of Ioanidis' prospective entry, while he blamed politics for playing a role in the rejection, as he is a member of rival political party Popular Orthodox Rally
Popular Orthodox Rally
The Popular Orthodox Rally or The People's Orthodox Rally , often abbreviated to ΛΑ.Ο.Σ as a pun on the Greek word for people, is a Greek party. According to its political program LA.O.S...
(LAOS). On 15 January 2011, LAOS MP
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
Georgios Anatolakis
Georgios Anatolakis
Georgios Anatolakis was a Greek football central defender, who last played for Atromitos in the Greek Super League. He is well known in Greece for his strength, passion and persistence. A strong aerial challenger, he also advances on set pieces to find himself scoring on several occasions...
brought up the issue in the Hellenic Parliament
Hellenic Parliament
The Hellenic Parliament , also the Parliament of the Hellenes, is the Parliament of Greece, located in the Parliament House , overlooking Syntagma Square in Athens, Greece....
, asking the Minister of Culture Pavlos Geroulanos, who helps oversee ERT, for clarifications on Ioanidis' and Savidakis' rejections.
On 27 January, 2011, ERT issued an official press release standing by their selection process, and addressed complaints from rejected artists and labels. ERT stated that they chose to work with major labels only, and thus rejected bids from various minor labels, while they only wished to include young up and coming artists in the selection process. Furthermore, they stated that they only chose acts that are primarily professional singers. In response to the press release by ERT, Theoharis Ioanidis, Nomisma, and Bo threatened legal action against ERT. Nomisma stated they planned to sue ERT and ask to block the national final from happening, as well as financial compensation.
Songs
Chosen acts and their labels had until 4 February 2011 to submit their songs to ERT for the Greek national final. On 9 February 2011, ERT aired one minute samples of each song on their radio station Deftero 103.7 (ERA2), and also announced the running order for the final. A special show hosted by Lena Aroni aired on ERT network 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...
on 15 February 2011, showcasing the full selected songs to the public. On 14 February 2011, the eve of the official song presentation, news website Newsit.gr leaked all six songs onto the web. The same website was responsible for leaks the year prior; contrary to procedures followed by ERT in previous years to disqualify leaked songs, the broadcaster has stated that none of the songs would be disqualified.
"Come With Me"
The band Kokkina Halia chose the song "Come With Me", written by the band, with lyrics by the band and Andreas Galanopoulos. The song is performed in English, and is uptempo with a pop rock
Pop rock
Pop rock is a music genre which mixes a catchy pop style and light lyrics in its guitar-based rock songs. There are varying definitions of the term, ranging from a slower and mellower form of rock music to a subgenre of pop music...
and retro style. Kokkina Halia emerged from the first season
The X Factor (Greece series 1)
The first series of the music talent show The X Factor Greece began airing on ANT1 on 04 October 2008 and was won by Loukas Giorkas of Larnaca, Cyprus on 30 January 2009. The show was presented by Sakis Rouvas. It was also broadcast abroad via ANT1's international stations.-Auditions:Public...
of Greek reality singing competition The X Factor
The X Factor (Greece)
The X Factor is the Greek version of The X Factor, a show originating in the United Kingdom. It is a television music talent show contested by aspiring pop singers drawn from public auditions....
in 2008, and later signed to Sony Music Greece
Sony Music Entertainment
Sony Music Entertainment ' is the second-largest global recorded music company of the "big four" record companies and is controlled by Sony Corporation of America, the United States subsidiary of Japan's Sony Corporation....
, eventually releasing the album Hartaetos (Kite) in 2009.
"The Time is Now"
Valanto Trifonos
Valanto Trifonos
Valanto Trifonos , also commonly spelled as Valando Tryfonos, is a Greek–Cypriot singer who rose to fame after winning the first season of talent show Greek Idol in 2010. She subsequently released the digital single "Sti Dipla Thesi"...
chose the song "Time is Now", with music and lyrics by Johan Ramström
Johan Ramström
Johan Ramström, born in Kalmar, Sweden on 17 December 1975, is a Swedish songwriter.Johan Ramström was a member of Popshop, a Swedish pop band founded in Kalmar in 1998 with members Cornelia Cassidy as lead singer, Patrik Magnusson , Micael Olofsson , Jonas Hermansson and Johan Ramstrom...
, Patrik Magnusson
Patrik Magnusson
Patrik Magnusson, born Öland, Sweden on 17 March 1970) is a Swedish songwriter.Patrik Magnusson was a member of Popshop, a Swedish pop band founded in Kalmar in 1998 with members Cornelia Cassidy as lead singer, Johan Ramström , Micael Olofsson , Jonas Hermansson and Johan Ramstrom...
, and Martti Vuorinen.. Vuorinen had previously written Hanna Pakarinen
Hanna Pakarinen
Hanna Helena Pakarinen is a Finnish pop and pop-rock singer who rose to fame as the winner of the first series of the Finnish singing competition Idols in 2004...
's "Leave Me Alone
Leave Me Alone (Hanna Pakarinen song)
"Leave Me Alone" is a song by Finnish singer Hanna Pakarinen. The song was released as a single from her third album Lovers."Leave Me Alone" was Finnish entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 2007. The song was directly qualified for the Final of Eurovision Song Contest in Finland on the 12th of May...
" which represented Finland
Finland in the Eurovision Song Contest
Finland first entered the Eurovision Song Contest in 1961, and has participated a total of 45 times. Finland won the contest for the first time in 2006 with Lordi's "Hard Rock Hallelujah"...
in 2007
Finland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2007
At the Eurovision Song Contest 2006, Finland chose their entry through Euroviisut 2007. Finland will be acting as host of the Eurovision contest for the first time, after Lordi won in 2006. The winning artist was Hanna Pakarinen, who represented Finland with her song Leave Me Alone...
. The song is a ballad
Ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of British and Irish popular poetry and song from the later medieval period until the 19th century and used extensively across Europe and later the Americas, Australia and North Africa. Many...
performed in English. Trifonos emerged from the first season
Greek Idol (season 1)
-Hosts:A number of Greek entertainers had been rumored as potential hosts of the show, haven't gone through screen tests. On January 19, 2010, Alpha TV announced that actress Anta Livitsanou will host the show...
of Greek Idol
Greek Idol
Greek Idol is a reality television competition to find new solo singing talent. Part of the Idol franchise, it is based on the British show Pop Idol created by Simon Fuller. The first season of the show debut on March 5, 2010 on Alpha TV. The second season is scheduled to premiere on 19 February 2011...
in 2010, winning the competition and a recording contract with Sony Music Greece, and sequentially releasing a digital download
Music download
A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment...
of the winner's single "Sti Dipla Thesi" (In the next seat).
"Hamogela"
The band Trimitonio chose the song "Hamogela" (Smile), written by Eurovision veteran Nikos Terzis with lyrics by Vagelis Kostantinidis. Terzis is best known for his multiple entries in the contest, most notably 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...
's "Die for You
(I Would) Die For You
" Die for You" is a song released by Antique. It was the Greek entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 2001, performed in Greek and English by Antique, a duo consisting of Elena Paparizou and Nikos Panagiotidis, both born and raised in Sweden by Greek parents...
" in 2001
Greece in the Eurovision Song Contest 2001
Greece and Ellinikí Radiofonía Tileórasi chose to host a National Selection with the winner being chosen by televoting and an "expert" jury . Antique was chosen with "Die for You" and placed 3rd at Eurovision.-National final:...
, and 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...
' "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...
" in 2004
Greece in the Eurovision Song Contest 2004
Greece and Ellinikí Radiofonía Tileórasi originally chose to host a National Selection, but then decided on an Internal Selection. Sakis Rouvas was chosen with "Shake It" and placed 3rd at Eurovision.-National final:...
, which both represented Greece
Greece in the Eurovision Song Contest
Greece has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 32 times since 1974, with the exception of 1975, 1982, 1984, 1986, 1999 and 2000. Greece won for the first time in 2005 with "My Number One" song by Elena Paparizou. Following the introduction of a semi-final round for the 2004 contest, Greece...
achieving 3rd place. The song is performed in Greek, and is pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
in style. Trimitonio emerged from first season of the X Factor in 2008, later singing to record label 7, and sequentially releasing the CD-single "Markadoros" (Marker) as well as a self-titled album in 2010.
"It's All Greek To Me!"
Antigoni Psihrami chose the song "It's All Greek To Me!", written by Apostolos Psihramis with lyrics by Dimitris S. and Gerard James Borg
Gerard James Borg
Gerard James Borg is one of Malta's most successful song writers and concept creators for the last decades. Borg has penned five of the Maltese entries for the annual Eurovision Song Contest with Philip Vella, besides several Eurovision national final entries....
. Borg is best known for his association with the contest for Malta
Malta in the Eurovision Song Contest
Malta has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest since 1971. At first the island state sent songs in its native language, Maltese, but it failed to rank highly, and withdrew after the 1975 contest. Since its return in 1991, however, it has achieved eight top ten placings in a row, including...
, having penned five entries. The song is performed in English, and is pop-dance in style with ethnic
Traditional music
Traditional music is the term increasingly used for folk music that is not contemporary folk music. More on this is at the terminology section of the World music article...
elements. Psihrami emerged from the first season
Greek Idol (season 1)
-Hosts:A number of Greek entertainers had been rumored as potential hosts of the show, haven't gone through screen tests. On January 19, 2010, Alpha TV announced that actress Anta Livitsanou will host the show...
of the reality talent show Greek Idol
Greek Idol
Greek Idol is a reality television competition to find new solo singing talent. Part of the Idol franchise, it is based on the British show Pop Idol created by Simon Fuller. The first season of the show debut on March 5, 2010 on Alpha TV. The second season is scheduled to premiere on 19 February 2011...
in 2010, and soon after signed with record label Minos EMI
Minos EMI
Minos EMI is the domestic trade name of EMI Music Greece, a record company in Greece. It is the Greek record label division of the British-based, multinational EMI Group....
.
"Watch My DanceWatch My Dance"Watch My Dance" is a song by Cypriot singer Loukas Giorkas featuring Stereo Mike. It has represented Greece in the Eurovision Song Contest 2011. A snippet of the song was released by broadcaster Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation on 9 February 2011 along with the other candidate songs from the...
"
Loukas Giorkas
Loukas Giorkas
Loukas Giorkas , is a Cypriot singer and the winner of the first season of the Greek version of the television talent series The X Factor. In September 2009 he released his first EP album, Mazi, which attained gold status. He studies Biology at the University of Patras...
chose the song "Watch My Dance
Watch My Dance
"Watch My Dance" is a song by Cypriot singer Loukas Giorkas featuring Stereo Mike. It has represented Greece in the Eurovision Song Contest 2011. A snippet of the song was released by broadcaster Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation on 9 February 2011 along with the other candidate songs from the...
" featuring Stereo Mike
Stereo Mike
Mihalis Exarhos , known professionally by his stage name Stereo Mike, is a Greek hip hop artist. He is the first MTV EMA Award winner in the "Best Greek Act" category...
, written by Giannis Christodoulopoulos with lyrics by Eleana Vrahali. The song is performed in English and Greek, and features a fusion
Fusion (music)
A fusion genre is music that combines two or more styles. For example, rock and roll originally developed as a fusion of blues, gospel and country music. The main characteristics of fusion genres are variations in tempo, rhythm, i a sometimes the use of long musical "journeys" that can be divided...
of hip hop
Hip hop
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
and contemporary laïkó styles. Giorkas also emerged from the first season of The X Factor in 2008, winning the competition and a contract with Sony Music Greece, and sequentially releasing the EP Mazi (together) in 2009, which was certified
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
gold. He later switched labels to Minos EMI.
"I Don't Wanna Dance"
Nikki Ponte
Nikki Ponte
Nikki Ponte , is a Canadian-Greek Cypriot singer who rose to fame in Greece and Cyprus through her participation in the third season of Greece's version of the singing competition The X Factor, in which she placed third...
chose the song "I Don't Wanna Dance", with music and lyrics by Jonas Saeed and Pia Sjöberg. The song is performed in English, and is dance-pop
Dance-pop
Dance-pop is dance-oriented pop music that originated in the early 1980s. Developing from post-disco, it is generally up-tempo music intended for clubs with the intention of being danceable or merely dancey...
in style. Ponte emerged during the third season
The X Factor (Greece series 3)
The X Factor Greece is an Greek television reality music competition, based on the original series in the UK, to find new singing talent. The winner of which receives a recording contract with Sony Music EntertainmentSony Music Greece is Haris Antoniou. The third series began airing on ANT1 on 1...
of The X Factor in 2010, and was still participating in the talent competition at the time of ERT's announcement. She secured a contract with Sony Music Greece for her participation in the national final.
Result
ERT held a national final on 2 March at its studio in Athens, with Lena Aroni hosting the show. The show kicked off at 22:00 (EETEastern European Time
Eastern European Time is one of the names of UTC+02:00 time zone, 2 hours ahead of Coordinated Universal Time. It is used in some European countries that also use Eastern European Summer Time as a summer daylight saving time.- Usage :...
), and as in past years was broadcast on New Hellenic Television
New 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...
(NET) in Greece, worldwide on ERT World, as well as on the official websites of ERT and the Eurovision Song Contest. The show also featured performances by Cyprus'
Cyprus in the Eurovision Song Contest 2011
Cyprus participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2011 in Düsseldorf, Germany. The winner of the talent show Performance, broadcasted by the Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation , was the Cypriot entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2011, which was decided on 10 September 2010.-Performance:CyBC...
Christos Mylordos
Christos Mylordos
Christos Mylordos is a Greek-Cypriot singer. He was born in Nicosia on 30 April 1991.-Eurovision Song Contest 2011:On 10 September 2010, Mylordos won the singing competition of the talent show Performance and, as a result, represented Cyprus at the Eurovision Song Contest 2011 in Germany, with the...
, Malta's
Malta in the Eurovision Song Contest 2011
Malta participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2011 in Düsseldorf, Germany, selecting their entry through the national selection Malta Eurosong 2011, organised by Maltese broadcaster Public Broadcasting Services .-Changes in Selection:...
Glen Vella
Glen Vella
Glen Vella is a Maltese singer. He started his singing career at the age of 13. He studied both practical and theory in voice and piano. He is certificated in voice coaching from the Victoria Music and Arts Collage London...
, and Bulgaria's
Bulgaria in the Eurovision Song Contest 2011
Bulgaria participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2011 in Düsseldorf, Germany. Bulgaria selected their entry through a televised national final, organised by Bulgarian broadcaster Bulgarian National Television...
Poli Genova
Poli Genova
Poli Genova is a singer that represented her nation in the Eurovision Song Contest 2011 in Germany. Genova performed her entry "Na inat" in the second semifinal.-Biography:...
amongst others. As in past years, the winning song was selected using a combination of televoting and jury voting at a 50/50 split. The jury consisted of radio producer and head of ERA2 Marina Lahana, who served as head of jury, radio producer Mihalis Tasousopoulos, conductor Andreas Pilarinos, songwriter Giorgos Parianos, and actress Bessy Malfa. The running order used for the songs was announced on 9 February 2011, and came after a draw by ERT and the record labels involved.
In comparison to past national finals, the program was criticized by journalists as one of ERT's worst productions in years, partially faulted by a low budget. Amongst the issues criticized were Lena Aroni’s poor hosting skills, the lighting and camera work, and also the exclusion of a live audience. It lasted about two hours, and ERT's broadcast came ninth overall on 2 March, with 17.4% share according to ABG Nielsen Hellas; it is estimated that around 836 thousand viewers watched the show. The broadcast makes it ERT's lowest watched national final in over ten years. Loukas Giorkas feat. Stereo Mike was the overall winner of the night.
| Draw | Artist | Song | English translation | Songwriter(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kokkina Halia | "Come With Me" | - | Kokkina Halia, Andreas Galanopoulos |
| 2 | Valanto Trifonos Valanto Trifonos Valanto Trifonos , also commonly spelled as Valando Tryfonos, is a Greek–Cypriot singer who rose to fame after winning the first season of talent show Greek Idol in 2010. She subsequently released the digital single "Sti Dipla Thesi"... |
"The Time is Now" | - | Johan Ramström, Patrik Magnusson, Martti Vuorinen |
| 3 | Trimitonio | "Hamogela" (Χαμογέλα) | Smile | Nikos Terzis, Vaggelis Konstantinidis |
| 4 | Antigoni Psihrami | "It's All Greek To Me!" | - | Apostolos Psihramis, Dimitris S., Gerard James Borg Gerard James Borg Gerard James Borg is one of Malta's most successful song writers and concept creators for the last decades. Borg has penned five of the Maltese entries for the annual Eurovision Song Contest with Philip Vella, besides several Eurovision national final entries.... |
| 5 | Loukas Giorkas Loukas Giorkas Loukas Giorkas , is a Cypriot singer and the winner of the first season of the Greek version of the television talent series The X Factor. In September 2009 he released his first EP album, Mazi, which attained gold status. He studies Biology at the University of Patras... feat. Stereo Mike Stereo Mike Mihalis Exarhos , known professionally by his stage name Stereo Mike, is a Greek hip hop artist. He is the first MTV EMA Award winner in the "Best Greek Act" category... |
"Watch My Dance Watch My Dance "Watch My Dance" is a song by Cypriot singer Loukas Giorkas featuring Stereo Mike. It has represented Greece in the Eurovision Song Contest 2011. A snippet of the song was released by broadcaster Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation on 9 February 2011 along with the other candidate songs from the... " |
- | Giannis Christodoulopoulos, Eleana Vrahali |
| 6 | Nikki Ponte Nikki Ponte Nikki Ponte , is a Canadian-Greek Cypriot singer who rose to fame in Greece and Cyprus through her participation in the third season of Greece's version of the singing competition The X Factor, in which she placed third... |
"I Don't Wanna Dance" | - | Jonas Saeed, Pia Sjöberg |
At Eurovision
Greece performed in the 2011 Eurovision Song Contest in DüsseldorfDüsseldorf
Düsseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and centre of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.Düsseldorf is an important international business and financial centre and renowned for its fashion and trade fairs. Located centrally within the European Megalopolis, the...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, in the second half of the first semi-final of the contest on 10 May 2011. Greece competed in the 19th place at the first semi-final, and qualified for the final, acquiring the 1st place. In the final, they ended up 7th, which is their eighth consecutive top-10 place since the introduction of the semi-finals in 2004.