Argo | |
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Background information | |
Origin | Thessaloniki, Greece |
Genres | Folk, Pontic Music, Balkan Music |
Years active | 2006 - present |
Members | Christina Lachana Maria Venetikidou Vladimiros Sofianidis Kostas Topouzis Ilias Kesidis Alekos Papadopoulos |
Argo is a Greek band that represented Greece in the Eurovision Song Contest 2016 in Stockholm, Sweden, [1] singing "Utopian Land". [2] [3] Their previous name was Europond but they changed it for their participation in the Eurovision Song Contest 2016. They performed "Utopian Land" on the first semi final of Eurovision on May 10, 2016 but failed to qualify to the May 14 final. This was the first time since the semi finals were introduced in 2004 that Greece had failed to reach the final.
The band has six members: Christina Lachana (Χριστίνα Λαχανά) (vocals), Maria Venetikidou (Μαρία Βενετικίδου) (backing vocals), Vladimiros Sofianidis (Βλαδίμηρος Σοφιανίδης) (vocals), Kostas Topouzis (Κώστας Τοπούζης) (Pontian lyra), Ilias Kesidis (Ηλίας Κεσίδης) (backing vocals, percussion) and Alekos Papadopoulos (Αλέκος Παπαδόπουλος) (davul). [4] [5] [6]
Greece has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 44 times since its debut in 1974, missing six contests in that time. The country won for the first and to date only time in 2005 with "My Number One" by Helena Paparizou. The Greek participant broadcaster in the contest is Elliniki Radiofonia Tileorasi (ERT). Greece has never finished last in the contest.
Cyprus has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 40 times since making its debut in 1981. The Cypriot participant broadcaster in the contest is the Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation (CyBC). Its first entry was "Monika" performed by the group Island, who finished sixth. The country's best result is a second-place finish with "Fuego" by Eleni Foureira in 2018. Cyprus holds the record for most editions competing in the contest without a single win to date.
Greece participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2015 with the song "One Last Breath", written by Efthivoulos Theocharous, Maria Elena Kyriakou, Vaggelis Konstantinidis and Evelina Tziora and performed by Kyriakou. The song was selected through the five-participant national final, Eurosong 2015 – NERIT & MAD show, developed by NERIT and organised and produced by the private music channel MAD TV.
Montenegro participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2016 with the song "The Real Thing" written by Srđan Sekulović Skansi, Maro Market and Luka Vojvodić. The song was performed by the band Highway, which were internally selected by the Montenegrin broadcaster Radio i televizija Crne Gore (RTCG) to represent the nation at the 2016 contest in Stockholm, Sweden. Highway was announced as the Montenegrin representative on 2 October 2015, while their song, "The Real Thing", was presented to the public in a television special titled U susret Eurosongu on 4 March 2016.
Greece participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2016 with the song "Utopian Land" written by Vladimiros Sofianidis and performed by the band Argo. The song was internally selected by the Greek broadcaster Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation (ERT) to represent Greece at the 2016 contest in Stockholm, Sweden. Argo were announced as the Greek representatives in February 2016, a month before their song "Utopian Land" was presented.
San Marino participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2016, held in Stockholm, Sweden. The Sammarinese national broadcaster Radiotelevisione della Repubblica di San Marino (SMRTV) internally selected Turkish singer Serhat with "I Didn't Know" to represent the nation in the contest. The song was written by Olcayto Ahmet Tuğsuz and Nektarios Tyrakis and was presented to the public on 9 March 2016 alongside its music video. While initially a ballad version had been selected, SMRTV subsequently opted to use the disco version of the song for the contest based on feedback from the public. To promote the entry, Serhat embarked on a promotional tour across Europe in the lead up the Eurovision Song Contest. San Marino performed eighth in the first semi-final, held on 10 May 2016, and placed 12th with 68 points, failing to qualify for the final.
"Utopian Land" is a 2016 song by Greek band Argo. The song represented Greece in the Eurovision Song Contest 2016 held in Stockholm, Sweden after being internally selected by Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation (ERT), Greece's broadcaster for the Eurovision Song Contest. The song would proceed to compete in that year's first semi-final, failing to qualify. The song scored 44 points, well enough for a 16th place position in the semi-final.
Greece participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 with the song "This Is Love" written by Dimitris Kontopoulos, Romy Papadea and John Ballard. The song was performed by Demy, who was internally selected by the Greek broadcaster Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation (ERT) to represent Greece at the 2017 contest in Kyiv, Ukraine. Demy was announced at the Greek representative on 13 January 2017, while a national final was held in order to select the song she would perform. Three songs competed in the national final on 6 March 2017 and a combination of international jury voting and public voting selected "This Is Love" as the winning song.
"World" is a song by Kosovo-Albanian singer and songwriter Lindita. It was issued as a single on 29 March 2017 by Radio Televizioni Shqiptar (RTSH) and Universal Music. The song was written by the singer herself together with Gerald Xhari, and composed by Klodian Qafoku. An English-language pop-rock ballad, it is lyrically a manifesto that discuss the challenges within a modern society simultaneously calling for rising up against wars and pleading for peace and love.
"Apollo" is an English-language song performed by Swiss band Timebelle. The song represented Switzerland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017. It was written by Elias Näslin, Nicolas Günthardt, and Alessandra Günthardt. The song was released as a digital download on 10 March 2017.
"Verona" is an English-language song performed by Estonian singers Koit Toome and Laura.
Greece participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2018 with the song "Oniro mou" written by Aris Kalimeris, Dimitris Stamatiou, Yianna Terzi and Mihalis Papathanasiou and performed by Terzi. A national final was scheduled to be held in order to select the Greek entry for the 2018 contest in Lisbon, Portugal. Five entries were to compete in the final on 22 February 2018 where public voting would exclusively select the winner, however "Oniro mou" performed by Terzi was announced as the Greek entry on 16 February 2018 following the disqualification of four out of the five national final entries.
Macedonia participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2018 with the song "Lost and Found" written by Bojan Trajkovski and Darko Dimitrov. The song was performed by the group Eye Cue, which were internally selected by the Macedonian broadcaster Macedonian Radio Television (MRT) to compete for Macedonia at the 2018 contest in Lisbon, Portugal. Eye Cue's appointment as the Macedonian representative was announced on 13 February 2018, while their song, "Lost and Found", was presented to the public on 11 March 2018.
"Mall" is a song composed and written by Albanian singer and songwriter Eugent Bushpepa. It was released as a single on 6 April 2018 by Radio Televizioni Shqiptar (RTSH) and Universal Music. The song has been described as an Albanian language 1980s-inspired classical folk rock ballad. In its love-themed lyrics, it captures the feeling of longing and also reflects both the deep loneliness and the burning desire of a reunion.
Greece participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2019 with the song "Better Love" written by Katerine Duska, Leon of Athens, David Sneddon and Phil Cook. The song was performed by Duska, who was internally selected by the Greek broadcaster Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation (ERT) to represent Greece at the 2019 contest in Tel Aviv, Israel. She was announced as the Greek representative on 14 February 2019, while her song "Better Love" was presented on 6 March 2019.
Greece planned to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020, which was scheduled to be held in Rotterdam, Netherlands. Greek-Dutch singer Stefania was internally selected by the Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation (ERT) with the song "Supergirl", written by Dimitris Kontopoulos, Sharon Vaughn, Pavlos Manolis, Anastasios Rammos, Diverno and Gabriel Russell. Due to the 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Europe, the contest was cancelled in mid-March. ERT has stated Stefania will instead represent Greece at the 2021 contest.
"What Love Is" is a song by Uku Suviste that was to represent Estonia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, before the cancellation of the event due to the Coronavirus Pandemic. It was written by Suviste and Sharon Vaughn. During the live performance at Eesti Laul, Uku was accompanied by five backing singers off-stage, Kaire Vilgats, Dagmar Oja, Kaarel Orumägi, Raimondo Laikre and Scott Murro.
Greece participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2021 in Rotterdam, Netherlands. Greek-Dutch singer Stefania was internally selected by the Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation (ERT) to represent the nation with the song "Last Dance", written by Dimitris Kontopoulos, Arcade, and Sharon Vaughn. Stefania was due to compete in the 2020 contest with "Supergirl" before that event's eventual cancellation. The visual content for the performance was created by Asterman, contributing to the staging and artistic direction of the performance.
Greece participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2022 in Turin, Italy. The Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation (ERT) internally selected Amanda Tenfjord to represent the nation with the song "Die Together", written by Tenfjord and Bjørn Helge Gammelsæter. Tenfjord was announced as the Greek representative on 15 December 2021, with her song later presented to the public on 10 March 2022.
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