The wait is over! After much speculation, ERT has confirmed that the rumours are indeed true – Stefania will represent Greece in Rotterdam. This comes after speculation that the Junior Eurovision alum had been selected before Christmas and had put a number of songs forward to the broadcaster months ago. The selected song is called “SUPERG!RL”.
Initially, Greek broadcaster ERT had announced plans to select their act for Eurovision 2020 “before the holidays”. Despite no public announcement, it was here that speculation around Stefania began. Then, more details of the internal selection process of the song, including an expert jury, were revealed. It was here where it was reported that the three songs Stefania had submitted were: “a pop mid tempo”, “dance reggae” and an “ethnic pop banger”. Shortly after, it was announced that the artist would be confirmed ‘late January or early February’. In classic Eurovision pre-season fashion, this was later confirmed to be early February, and here we are now…
In a official press release by ERT, having announced the news on the evening news, the song title was confirmed to be “SUPERG!RL“. A release date for the song has not been confirmed, but the team behind it have been. The song was produced by Dimitris Kontopoulos & Arcade, who also wrote the song alongside Sharon Vaughn.
Stefania: From Junior Eurovision to Eurovision
Stefania Liberakakis, known under the mononym Stefania, was born in Utrecht, the Netherlands in 2002 to a Greek family. Aged just 17, she already has quite the record. Five years ago, she made it to Team Marco Borsato on The Voice Kids. A few years later, she flew the Dutch flag at the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2016 as part of Kisses. The group finished in eighth place with 174 points.
In 2018, Stefania dropped her first solo single, “Stupid Reasons”. Joachim Vermeulen and Maarten ten Hove wrote the song for the then sixteen year old singer. The official video has over a million views on YouTube. It has not gone unnoticed in Greece, where ERT and MAD saw Stefania’s rising popularity with a lot of joy. She was even invited to perform “Con Calma” alongside Konnie Metaxa and Ilenia Williams during the MAD VMA 2019 awards. Her latest single, “Turn Around”, was released in November.
An experienced team
According to OGAE Greece, the youngster will not go to Eurovision without an experienced team. It seems well-known Eurovision veteran Dimitris Kontopoulos will write her a true pop banger. Kontopoulos has been responsible for many Eurovision songs, such as “Scream”, “This Is Our Night” and “Shady Lady”.
Alongisde Kontopoulos, the staging could well be in the hands of Fokas Evangelinos. He is no stranger to the Eurovision Song Contest either. The stage director has a thing for boxes, having directed “Shady Lady”, “Hold Me” and “La Venda” before. His biggest success dates back to 2005, when he directed Greece’s only winner “My Number One” by Helena Paparizou.
The team will be responsible for trying to bring Greece back to their glory days of the Eurovision Song Contest. The country reigned throughout the early 2000s, but their last top ten result dates back to 2013. Their best result since then is a nineteenth place, achieved by Demy. That makes their recent best result on par with that of San Marino at the bottom of the leaderboard. ERT will be hoping to turn their fortunes around by picking a young, aspiring musician for Rotterdam.
Greece in Eurovision Song Contest
Previously, Greece had been one of the most successful and consistent countries at the contest. Between 2001 and 2013, Greece achieved ten top-ten results. These include third-place finishes for Antique (2001), Sakis Rouvas (2004) and Kalomira (2008). Of course, Greece’s Helena Paparizou won the contest in 2005 with “My Number One”.
However, Greece’s success at the contest has been inconsistent in the past couple of years. Over the past five years, the country has failed to qualify to the final twice (2016 and 2018). Their non-qualification in 2016 marked the first time the country had failed to reach the final in the history of its participation since the introduction of the semi-finals format.
Katerine Duska brought the country back to the final this year when the contest was hosted in Tel Aviv. She finished 5th in her semi final, and went on to finish in 21st place with 74 points in the Grand Final
Katerine Duska brought the country back to the final this year when the contest was hosted in Tel Aviv. She finished 5th in her semi final, and went on to finish in 21st place with 74 points in the Grand Final.
Are you happy with ERT’s choice? What kind of song would you like to hear from Stefania? Be sure to stay updated by following @ESCXTRA on Twitter, @escxtra on Instagram and liking our Facebook page for the latest updates! Also, be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel to see our reactions to the news in the run up to Rotterdam!
