Cyprus 2018: Talent show to be used as national selection process

The Cypriot broadcaster, CyBC, is in final preparations now to announce how they will select their representative in the upcoming Eurovision Song Contest in Lisbon.
As previously announced, Cyprus will internally select the songwriter to compose the Cypriot entry, while a Talent Show will be held to choose the representative for Eurovision 2018, which Lisbon will host.

Who will be the composer?

It is strongly rumoured that Alex Papaconstantinou is the selected composer, though CyBC is yet to officially confirm the name.
Alex Papaconstantinou is a Swedish songwriter and music producer of Greek origin. He has worked with a number of artists including Antique, Elena Paparizou, Arash, Anna Vissi and Sarbel. In 2011, Papaconstantinou adopted the production pseudonym Alex P and started collaborating with record producer RedOne, co-writing and co-producing the Enrique Iglesias hit song “I Like How It Feels”. He has since joined RedOne’s production and the ‘2101 songs’ writing team, as well as co-wrote and co-produced the Khaled album “C’est la vie”.
Alex also, together with Arash, co-wrote the Azeri entry “Always” in Eurovision 2009 achieving a 3rd place in Moscow.

The selection method

This is not the first time Cyprus is using a Talent show as selection method for Eurovision; similarly, they used a Talent show called “Eurovision Song Project” in 2015.
INFE Greece is reporting that there will be several phases in the contest. They describe it as a “marathon selection” in which Cyprus have invited new artists to compete.

Who will be responsible for the staging?

Responsible for the staging presentation will once again be choreographer and director Haris Savvas who had also staged this year’s entry “Gravity”.
Cyprus will select their winner by combining a public vote and a professional jury. The jury will, among others, consist of the selected composer himself but also by Christer Björkman.
This will be the second time that Mr Björkman is part of the national final jury in Cyprus. He participated as a jury member in the Eurovision Song Project semifinals in 2015.
Christer Björkman knows the contest very well since after 2002, he has held the post of supervisor of Melodifestivalen. He was also the show producer of Eurovision Song Contest 2013 in Malmö! Furthermore, he had a prominent role as Contest Producer in the organisation of the Eurovision Song Contest 2016 held in Stockholm.
As a result of Björkman’s and Papaconstantinou’s successes in Eurovision, it seems like CyBC is setting the bar high for a successful entry.

Cyprus in Eurovision
This will be Cyprus’ 35th entry to the contest after having first debuted in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1981. Cyprus best placing so far has been 5th, which they achieved in 1982, 1997 and 2004.
Hovig represented Cyprus in Eurovision this year with his Gravity achieving a 21st place in the final.
Watch Hovig perform Gravity here:

Are you happy with the selection method?
What do you think of the composer Alex Papaconstantinou, and would you like to see him involved in Eurovision?
What do you think of Cyprus in Eurovision?
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