The wait is finally over! Tamta’s “Replay” – one of the most anticipated internal selections of the year – is finally out…in full. Of course, this official release comes just over a week after the first two minutes of the demo version leaked. In response, CyBC released a 40-second snippet of the final version, alongside a clarifying statement.
Following CyBC’s unprecedented success with Eleni Foureira’s “Fuego”, they are sticking to mostly the same team this time around. The song was co-written once again by Alex P, and the staging for Replay will be created once again by Sacha Jean Baptiste. The whole creative team behind the Cypriot entry for Tel Aviv is set to be formed of Alex P, Teddy Sky, Viktor Svensson, Albin Nedler and Kristofer Fogelmark. Since these collaborators went on to create Cyprus’s best placed entry in its participation history last year, this could be seen as a wise move from the Cypriot broadcaster.
As with its predecessor, the song was premiered this evening as part of CyBC’s evening news show. Following the premier, the video was dropped on YouTube.
You can finally watch the official video below:
The song is also available to stream on Spotify and Apple Music.
Who is Tamta?
Tamta Goduadze was born in Tbilisi, Georgia. She moved to Greece at the age of 22, initially working alongside her mother as a housekeeper. In 2004, she auditioned for Super Idol (Greek version of Pop Idol) and eventually finished in second place. Since then, Tamta has had a successful career in both Greece and Georgia – releasing three studio albums, a Best Of and appearing as a judge on the X Factor in both countries.
Despite never participating at the main contest itself, Tamta is no stranger to Eurovision. In 2007, she entered the Greek national final with the song “With Love”, finishing in third place. Much like Eleni, Tamta had approached ERT on numerous occasions to represent Greece, but was turned down. Allegedly, CyBC had approached Tamta for Eurovision 2018, but she turned this offer down due to scheduling conflicts. If that wasn’t enough, Tamta was allegedly approached by both ERT and CyBC about Eurovision participation for the 2019 contest.
Now, she will finally have her chance to perform on the Eurovision stage! She will perform “Replay” in the first half of the first semi-final of Eurovision 2019 on the 14th of May.
Cyprus in the Eurovision Song Contest
Cyprus made their Eurovision Song Contest debut 37 years ago, back in 1981. The island nation has participated in every contest since, with the exception of 1988, 2001 and 2014. Prior to 2018, Cyprus’ best results had come in the form of three fifth place finishes. These came courtesy of Anna Vissi’s “Mono i agapi” in 1982, Hara & Andreas Constantinou’s “Mana mou” in 1997 and Lisa Andreas’ “Stronger Every Minute” in 2004.
While Cyprus secured seven top 11 finishes in the 1990s, the nation’s form dipped as the contest entered its semi-final era. Cyprus failed to qualify in six out of eight occasions between 2006 and 2013, withdrawing in 2014 for financial reasons.
However, since their return in 2015, the island has qualified for the grand final every single time. Prior to this run, Cyprus had never managed to qualify from a semi-final in two consecutive contests. Last year, Eleni Foureira sent this Cypriot momentum to a new peak with a record second-place finish. Cyprus may be the nation with the most Eurovision appearances yet to secure a victory, but perhaps that victory could be just around the corner?
What do you think of Replay? Will Cyprus be returning to the top 10 this year? Let us know! Be sure to stay updated by following @ESCXTRA on Twitter, @escxtra on Instagram and liking our Facebook page for the latest updates!
