What does Cyprus need in Eurovision? The answer could simply be “a good song”. But how does one define such a thing and in which way would Cyprus select it to ensure success?
Cyprus is known for not having the best results in the last few years and that could be due to various reasons. When the semi-finals were introduced Cyprus’ luck began to shift and there were far fewer of the better results that Cyprus had earlier experienced . Specifically, since 2004 Cyprus has only qualified four times. However, in the early years, the country’s results included seven top 10 placings, with the best results to date to date being 5th in 1982 and 1997.
The best solution for the country might seem to be a national selection. Most of the Cypriot entries have been selected through a national selection, in fact more than half of the country’s top 10 entries had been selected through a national selection. Nevertheless, those entries participated mostly in the early years making it a possible reason for the (short) success of the country. However, it doesn’t only depend on the selection process. For instance, Melodifestivalen, the Swedish national selection, has been a success in selecting the Swedish entries mostly because the selection included songs well-written by professional songwriters. In order to have a successful national selection, Cyprus will probably have to fit in with the musical standards of today’s Europe.
As for where this “modern European song” song could come from, well anywhere I suppose. I believe Singers like Nikki Ponte (Greek selection 2011) or Ioanna Protopapa (Cypriot selection 2015) would make excellent choices. As for the songwriter, potential names include Giorgos Theofanous who has previously written several Cypriot Eurovision entries such as “Gimme” by One (2002) or Phoebus who is known for writing hit songs for singers in Greece and Cyprus including Despina Vandi, Sakis Rouvas and Mando. However perhaps the ideal singer is yet to be found? New artists emerge on the scene all the time and perhaps one of them can bring Cyprus their first victory?
Can the Cypriot national selection of this year help Cyprus bring a better result than the country’s recent good result in 2004?
