Today, Tamta completed her second rehearsal of “Replay”. Following her first rehearsal last week, the Greek-Georgian star topped our Daily Press Poll, despite audio issues in the transmission. Today, many in the press centre were alarmed to hear mixing issues in her first run-through. This was followed by reported disparities between the sound in the arena and in the press centre’s feed.
In light of these issues, the Cypriot broadcaster have issued a statement on their official Facebook page.
A technical sound issue arose whereby the balance between the microphones that was set during the in-ear rehearsal was not adhered to. The delegation submitted a request for a new in-ear and sound check which was granted and took place today at noon. The issues that arose were there and then corrected.
Announcement from CyBC, via Facebook
We spoke to Tamta following her rehearsal, and she acknowledged that she wasn’t happy with today’s run-through. We hope that the issues she was having have indeed been corrected. You can watch our interview below:
If you are seeking assurance of Tamta’s vocal capabilities, you can check out her excellent acoustic version of Replay, which she performed live on Radio 100 FM.
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 be opening the first semi-final of Eurovision 2019 on the 14th of May.
Cyprus at 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 Tamta’s rehearsal clips? 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! We’ll also be posting plenty of content on our YouTube in the run up to Tel Aviv!
