Cyprus in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020

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Eurovision Song Contest 2020
CountryFlag of Cyprus.svg  Cyprus
National selection
Selection processInternal selection
Selection date(s)Artist: 29 November 2019
Song: 11 February 2020
Selected entrant Sandro
Selected song"Running"
Selected songwriter(s)
Finals performance
Final resultContest cancelled
Cyprus in the Eurovision Song Contest
◄2019 •2020• 2021►

Cyprus planned to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020, which was to be held in Rotterdam, Netherlands. Greek-American-German singer Sandro was selected by the Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation (CyBC) to represent the country with the song "Running", written by Sandro, Alfie Arcuri, Sebastian Rickards, Octavian Rasinariu, and Teo DK. To promote the entry, a music video was released and Sandro appeared at Sweden's selection pre-party to perform it live. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the contest was cancelled in mid-March.

Contents

Background

Prior to the 2020 contest, Cyprus had participated in the Eurovision Song Contest thirty-six times since the island country made its debut in the 1981 contest. [1] Its best placing was at the 2018 contest where Eleni Foureira placed second with " Fuego ". Before that, Cyprus's best result was fifth, which it achieved three times: in the 1982 competition with the song " Mono i agapi " performed by Anna Vissi, in the 1997 edition with " Mana mou " performed by Hara and Andreas Constantinou, and the 2004 contest with "Stronger Every Minute" performed by Lisa Andreas. Cyprus' least successful result was in the 1986 contest when it placed last with the song " Tora zo " by Elpida, receiving only four points in total. However, its worst finish in terms of points received was when it placed second to last in the 1999 contest with " Tha 'nai erotas " by Marlain Angelidou, receiving only two points. [2] After returning to the contest in 2015 following their one-year absence from the 2014 edition due to the 2012–13 Cypriot financial crisis and the broadcaster's budget restrictions, [3] Cyprus has qualified for the final of all the contests in which it has participated. [2]

The Cypriot national broadcaster, CyBC, broadcasts the contest within Cyprus and organises the selection process for the nation's entry. Cyprus has used various methods to select its entry in the past, such as internal selections and televised national finals to choose the performer, song or both to compete at Eurovision. In 2015, the broadcaster organised the national final Eurovision Song Project, which featured 54 songs competing in a nine-week-long process resulting in the selection of the Cypriot entry through the combination of public televoting and the votes from an expert jury. Since 2016, however, the broadcaster has opted to select the entry internally without input from the public. [4] In July 2019, CyBC confirmed their intention to take part in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020, [5] and by September it was known that they would once again pursue an internal selection. [4]

Before Eurovision

Internal selection

As part of the selection process, CyBC reportedly received over 120 submissions for consideration. [6] [7] Unlike the previous two years where Greek Swedish producer Alex Papaconstantinou penned a track and helped select a singer to perform it, the broadcaster was open to submissions of both artist and song and would select the entrant based on song choice with input from those in the local music industry. [6] On 29 November, Sandro was confirmed as the Cypriot entrant for the 2020 contest by CyBC. [8] Born in Germany to a Greek mother and American father, he participated in season 8 of The Voice of Germany (the German version of The Voice ). [9] [10] Sandro had also reportedly been in conversations with broadcaster Norddeutscher Rundfunk as a potential representative for Germany. [6] Prior to Sandro's selection, it was reported that Ivi Adamou (Cyprus's 2012 entrant) and Ian Stratis (season 5 Your Face Sounds Familiar winner) were also considered. [9] [11] [12]

"Running" was revealed as the name of the selected song for Sandro on 11 February 2020 through a post on Instagram. [13] "Running" was written by Sandro and Australian singer, writer, and composer Alfie Arcuri with a team also consisting of Sebastian Rickards, Octavian Rasinariu, and Teo DK. [10] [14] Sandro described the song as "something that comes straight from the heart". [13] The song and its music video premiered on 6 March 2020 during CyBC's show Happy Hour. [15] Robyn Gallagher of Wiwibloggs described it as a "deep-house style electro-pop song, with solid beats underscoring Sandro's vocals". [15]

Promotion

To promote the entry, a music video directed by Alexandros Kostelidis was released at the time of the song's premiere, on 6 March 2020. [15] It was shown during CyBC's Happy Hour show and also became available on record label Panik's YouTube channel. [14] Later that day, Sandro performed "Running" live for the first time at Melfest WKND 20, a pre-party in Stockholm that took place the night before Melodifestivalen 2020 , the selection process for Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest. [16]

At Eurovision

The Eurovision Song Contest 2020 was originally scheduled to take place at Rotterdam Ahoy in Rotterdam, Netherlands, and consist of two semi-finals on 12 and 14 May, followed by a final on 16 May 2020. [17] According to Eurovision rules, each country, except the host nation and the "Big Five" (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom), would have been required to qualify from one of two semi-finals to compete for the final; the top ten countries from each semi-final would have progressed to the final. [18] [19] [20] On 28 January 2020, the allocation draw was held, placing Cyprus into the second half of the first semi-final. [21] Marvin Dietmann was announced as the artistic director for the entry, responsible for Sandro's stage performance. [22] However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe, the contest was cancelled on 18 March 2020. [23] [24] The EBU announced soon after that entries intended for 2020 would not be eligible for the following year, though each broadcaster would be able to send either their 2020 representative or a new one. [25] On 1 June, CyBC announced through its social media accounts that Sandro would not return for the 2021 contest. [26]

Alternative song contests

Some of the broadcasters scheduled to take part in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 organised alternative competitions. Austria's ORF aired Der kleine Song Contest in April 2020, which saw every entry being assigned to one of three semi-finals. A jury consisting of ten singers that had represented Austria at Eurovision before was hired to rank each song; the best-placed in each semi-final advanced to the final round. [27] In the first semi-final on 14 April, Cyprus placed tenth in a field of fourteen participants, achieving 50 points. [28] Cyprus' song also participated in Sveriges Television's Sveriges 12:a in May, [29] though it was eliminated in the qualifying round. [30]

Related Research Articles

Cyprus participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 with the song "Why Angels Cry" written by Peter Yiannakis and performed by Annet Artani. The Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation (CyBC) organised the national final A Song for Europe to select the Cypriot entry for the 2006 contest, which took place in Athens, Greece. The selection event saw 20 candidate entries compete over two semi-finals, leading to a 10-participant final round on 22 February 2006. Despite the event experiencing controversy due to a perceived lack of transparency, the results were upheld.

Cyprus participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2005 with the song "Ela Ela " written and performed by Constantinos Christoforou, who was selected by the Cypriot broadcaster Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation (CyBC) in November 2004 to represent Cyprus at the 2005 contest in Kyiv, Ukraine. CyBC organised a national final on 1 February 2005 in order to select the Cypriot song. The national final featured four songs and resulted in the selection of "Ela Ela" as the winning song.

Cyprus participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2007 with the song "Comme ci, comme ça" written by Dimitris Korgialas and Poseidonas Yiannopoulos. The song was performed by Evridiki, who was selected by the Cypriot broadcaster Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation (CyBC) in January 2007 to represent Cyprus at the 2007 contest in Helsinki, Finland. Evridiki had previously represented Cyprus in the Eurovision Song Contest 1992 and 1994 where she both placed 11th. The Cypriot song, "Comme ci, comme ça", was presented to the public on 23 February 2007 during the special show Cyprus 12 Points, Chypre 12 Points. This was the first time that Cyprus was represented with a song performed entirely in the French language at the Eurovision Song Contest.

Cyprus participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2008 with the song "Femme Fatale" written by Nikos Evagelou and Vangelis Evangelou. The song was performed by Evdokia Kadi. The Cypriot broadcaster Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation (CyBC) organised the national final A Song for Europe in order to select the Cypriot entry for the 2008 contest in Belgrade, Serbia. The national final featured ten entries, resulting in the selection of Kadi with "Femme Fatale" at the final on 12 January 2008.

Cyprus participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2009 with the song "Firefly" written by Nikolas Metaxas. The song was performed by Christina Metaxa. The Cypriot broadcaster Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation (CyBC) organised a national final in order to select the Cypriot entry for the 2009 contest in Moscow, Russia. The national final featured 10 entries, resulting in the selection of Christina Metaxa with "Firefly" at the final on 7 February 2010.

Cyprus participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2010 with the song "Life Looks Better in Spring" written by Nasos Lambrianides and Melis Konstantinou. The song was performed by Jon Lilygreen and the Islanders. The Cypriot broadcaster Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation (CyBC) organised the national final Eurovision 2010: Epilogi tis kypriakis symmetochis in order to select the Cypriot entry for the 2010 contest in Oslo, Norway. The national final featured nine entries, resulting in the selection of Lilygreen and the Islanders with "Life Looks Better in Spring" at the final in February 2010.

Cyprus participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2011 with the song "San aggelos s'agapisa" written by Andreas Anastasiou and Michalis Antoniou. The song was performed by Christos Mylordos. The Cypriot broadcaster Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation (CyBC) organised the talent show Performance in order to select the Cypriot artist for the 2011 contest in Düsseldorf, Germany. The talent show featured 39 contestants and resulted in the selection of Christos Mylordos as the winning artist at the final on 10 September 2010, where nine contestants remained. The Cypriot song, "San aggelos s'agapisa", was presented to the public on 20 January 2011.

Cyprus participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2012 with the song "La La Love" written by Alex Papaconstantinou, Björn Djupström, Alexandra Zakka and Viktor Svensson. The song was performed by Ivi Adamou, who was selected by the Cypriot broadcaster Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation (CyBC) in August 2011 to represent Cyprus at the 2012 contest in Baku, Azerbaijan. CyBC organised the national final A Song for Ivi on 25 January 2012 to select the Cypriot song. The national final featured three songs and resulted in the selection of "La La Love" as the winning song.

Cyprus participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2013 with the song "An me thimasai" written by Andreas Giorgallis and Zenon Zindilis. The song was performed by Despina Olympiou, who was selected by the Cypriot broadcaster Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation (CyBC) in February 2013 to represent Cyprus at the 2013 contest in Malmö, Sweden. The Cypriot song, "An me thimasai", was presented to the public on 14 February 2013.

Cyprus participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2015 with the song "One Thing I Should Have Done" written by Mike Connaris and Giannis Karagiannis and performed by Karagiannis. The Cypriot broadcaster Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation (CyBC) returned to the Eurovision Song Contest after a one-year absence following their withdrawal in 2014 due to financial and budget restrictions, and organised the national final Eurovision Song Project in order to select the Cypriot entry for the 2015 contest in Vienna, Austria. The national final featured 54 entries competing in a nine-week-long process, resulting in the selection of Karagiannis with "One Thing I Should Have Done" at the final on 1 February 2015, where six entries remained.

Cyprus participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 with the song "Gravity" written by Thomas G:son. The song was performed by Hovig, who was selected by the Cypriot broadcaster Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation (CyBC) in October 2016 to represent Cyprus at the 2017 contest in Kyiv, Ukraine. The Cypriot song, "Gravity", was presented to the public on 1 March 2017.

Cyprus participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2018 with the song "Fuego" written by Alex Papaconstantinou, Gerlado Sandell, Viktor Svensson, Anderz Wrethov and Didrick. The song was performed by Greek singer Eleni Foureira.

Albania was scheduled to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, with the song "Fall from the Sky" performed by Arilena Ara. Its selected entry was chosen through the national selection competition Festivali i Këngës organised by Radio Televizioni Shqiptar (RTSH) in December 2019. To this point, the nation had participated in the Eurovision Song Contest sixteen times since its first entry in 2004. In March 2020, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) announced the contest's cancellation due to the pandemic of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and its rapid spread across Europe.

Israel participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2021 in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, having internally selected Eden Alene as their representative. She was due to compete in the 2020 contest with "Feker Libi" before the event's cancellation. Her entry for 2021, "Set Me Free", was chosen during the national selection competition HaShir Shelanu L'Eurovizion organised by the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Running (Sandro song)</span> 2020 song by Sandro Nicolas

"Running" is a song recorded by Greek-German singer Sandro. Released on 7 March 2020, the song was written by Sandro, Alfie Arcuri, Sebastian Rickards, Octavian Rasinariu, and Teo DK. It was planned to represent Cyprus in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, after being selected by the national broadcaster Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation. However, the contest was later cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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.

Cyprus participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2021 in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. The Cypriot broadcaster Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation (CyBC) internally selected Elena Tsagrinou as its representative with the song "El Diablo". "El Diablo" was written and composed by Thomas Stengaard, Laurell Barker, Oxa, and Jimmy Thörnfeldt. Cyprus performed 8th in the first semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2021, held on 18 May 2021, and placed 6th, receiving 170 points. The entry qualified for the final held four days later, where the nation placed 16th with 94 points.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">El Diablo (Elena Tsagrinou song)</span> 2021 song by Elena Tsagrinou

"El Diablo" is a song recorded by Greek singer Elena Tsagrinou, released as a single on 28 February 2021 for her album with the same name. It was written and composed by Jimmy "Joker" Thörnfeldt, Laurell Barker, Oxa and Thomas Stengaard. The song represented Cyprus in the Eurovision Song Contest 2021 in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, after being internally selected by the Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation (CyBC).

Cyprus participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 in Liverpool, United Kingdom, having internally selected Andrew Lambrou to represent the country with the song "Break a Broken Heart".

Cyprus is set to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 in Malmö, Sweden. The Cypriot national broadcaster Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation (CyBC) originally intended to select its entrant through the fifth season of the reality show Fame Story, produced in collaboration with the Greek channel Star. However, this plan was later cancelled after the Greek national broadcaster ERT raised objections to the Cypriot selection process being aired in Greece by another broadcaster, and CyBC ultimately reverted to an internal selection for its entrant, which was later revealed to be Silia Kapsis.

References

  1. ↑ Gallagher, Robyn (3 August 2017). "Cyprus: Broadcaster reportedly will internally select songwriter for 2018". Wiwibloggs. Archived from the original on 24 October 2018. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
  2. 1 2 "Cyprus Country Profile: Eurovision Song Contest". Eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 6 September 2018. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
  3. ↑ Psyllides, George (3 October 2013). "CyBC pulls out of 2014 Eurovision song contest". Cyprus Mail . Archived from the original on 24 October 2018. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
  4. 1 2 Granger, Anthony (7 September 2019). "Cyprus: CyBC to Begin Discussions Regarding Eurovision 2020 Representative in Mid-September". Eurovoix. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
  5. ↑ Jiandani, Sanjay (15 July 2019). "Cyprus: CyBC confirms participation in Eurovision 2020". ESCToday. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
  6. 1 2 3 Gallagher, Robyn (18 November 2019). "Cyprus: Broadcaster CyBC reportedly receives 120 song submissions for Eurovision 2020". Wiwibloggs . Retrieved 17 April 2020.
  7. ↑ "Sandro Nicolas to represent Cyprus at Eurovision 2020". Parikiaki. 1 December 2019. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
  8. ↑ Gallagher, Robyn (29 November 2019). "Confirmed at last! Sandro will represent Cyprus at Eurovision 2020". Wiwibloggs . Retrieved 17 April 2020.
  9. 1 2 "Eurovision 2020: Ο Ελληνοαμερικανός που θα εκπροσωπήσει την Κύπρο!" (in Greek). Star Channel. 22 December 2019. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
  10. 1 2 "Rotterdam 2020 – Participants – Sandro". European Broadcasting Union . Retrieved 17 April 2020.
  11. ↑ "Cyprus: CyBC has reportedly selected Sandro Nicolas for Eurovision 2020, with three songs shortlisted". Wiwibloggs. 21 November 2019. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
  12. ↑ Agadellis, Stratos (23 November 2019). "Cyprus: Has CyBC internally chosen Sandro Nicolas for Rotterdam?". ESCToday. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
  13. 1 2 ""Running"! Sandro reveals Eurovision 2020 song title and official artwork". wiwibloggs.com . 11 February 2020. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
  14. 1 2 Jiandani, Sanjay (6 March 2020). "Cyprus: Sandro releases his Eurovision entry 'Running'". ESCToday. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
  15. 1 2 3 Gallagher, Robyn (6 March 2020). "LISTEN: "I don't wanna fall again" – Sandro releases Cyprus' Eurovision 2020 song "Running"". Wiwibloggs . Retrieved 17 April 2020.
  16. ↑ Muldoon, Padraig (16 January 2020). "Sweden: Melfest WKND returns for 2020…Cyprus' Sandro is the first confirmed act". Wiwibloggs . Retrieved 17 April 2020.
  17. ↑ "Eurovision Song Contest Rotterdam 2020". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 6 March 2020. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
  18. ↑ "Rules – Eurovision Song Contest". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 20 June 2017. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
  19. ↑ "Eurovision Song Contest 2020 – First Semi-Final". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 28 January 2020. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
  20. ↑ "Eurovision Song Contest 2020 – Second Semi-Final". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 28 January 2020. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
  21. ↑ Groot, Evert (28 January 2020). "Which country performs in which Eurovision 2020 Semi-Final". eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
  22. ↑ Vautrey, Jonathan (3 February 2020). "Cyprus: Marvin Dietmann – Conchita Wurst's artistic director – will stage Sandro's Eurovision 2020 entry". Wiwibloggs . Retrieved 17 April 2020.
  23. ↑ "Ματαιώθηκε από την EBU η διεξαγωγή της Eurovision 2020". ert.gr (in Greek). Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation. 10 April 2020. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
  24. ↑ "Eurovision 2020 in Rotterdam is cancelled". European Broadcasting Union. 18 March 2020. Archived from the original on 18 March 2020. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
  25. ↑ "Intention to honour Eurovision 2020 songs and artists". European Broadcasting Union. 20 March 2020. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
  26. ↑ Muldoon, Padraig (1 June 2020). "Eurovision 2021: CyBC confirms that Sandro will not represent Cyprus again" . Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  27. ↑ "Mr. Song Contest proudly presents – Der kleine Song Contest am 14., 16. und 18. April in ORF 1" (in German). ORF. Archived from the original on 28 October 2020. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  28. ↑ "Iceland Wins Der kleine Song Contest Semi-Final One". Eurovoix. 14 April 2020. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
  29. ↑ Dahlander, Gustav (3 April 2020). "Klart för Eurovision-vecka i SVT" (in Swedish). Sveriges Television. Archived from the original on 19 August 2020. Retrieved 4 April 2020.
  30. ↑ Ek, Torbjörn (11 May 2020). "De röstades vidare i svenska Eurovision-tävlingen" (in Swedish). Aftonbladet . Retrieved 2 June 2020.
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