With the long-awaited Cypriot artist announcement due next month, the drama is far from over. In response to rumours circulating that a member of the so-called ‘Dream Team’ has been dissuading artists from representing Cyprus, a statement has been released via Eurovision Fun.
‘The Dream Team’ tends to consist of Dimitris Kontopoulos, Fokas Evangelinos and Philipp Kirkorov, among others. They have worked on iconic entries such as Ukraine’s “Shady Lady” (2008) and Russia’s “You’re The Only One” (2016).
Through a joint statement released by Eurovision Fun, they have denied the rumours.
We have been involved in the Eurovision Song Contest for 15 years and everyone knows that not only are we not competitive, but on the contrary, we have helped, completely non-profit, both the Greek and the Cypriot delegations in many cases. To claim that we contacted artists and asked them not to participate in the competition, apart from being childish, is also cunning, as it tries to create the impression of some kind of fear on our part, in order to strengthen a candidacy. One does not need this kind of cheap tricks, and it would be good not to use them, because as our people say: ‘lying has short legs.’
Joint statement from Dimitris Kontopoulos, Fokas Evangelinos and Philipp Kirkorov
The artist in question was not specified in the statement. However, according to Eurovision Fun, when contacted, the artist in question also denied the rumours. On the contrary, they claimed that in their last conversation with Dimitris Kontopoulos, he was encouraging their participation.
Artist announcement due next month
With the artist announcement due next month, there are still a number of artists in contention. As far as we know, conversations with artists and labels are ongoing.
We know for sure that 2021 will not see the return of 2018 runner-up Eleni Foureira, who declined the invitation. However, a return from another artist remains on the cards. Potential returnees who have been rumoured include Kalomira, Elias Kolas and Ivi Adamou.
However, there is also the possibility of us seeing a fresh face represent the island nation. A few weeks ago, it emerged that record label Minos EMI are putting forward Katerina Stikoudi and Irini Papadopoulou.
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” (1982), Hara & Andreas Constantinou’s “Mana you” (1997) and Lisa Andreas’ “Stronger Every Minute” (2004).
While Cyprus secured seven top 11 finishes in the 1990s, their form dipped during the semi-final era. Cyprus failed to qualify in six out of eight occasions between 2006 and 2013, withdrawing in 2014 for financial reasons.
In 2018, following a string of qualifications, Eleni Foureira brought them to second place for the first time with “Fuego”. The following year, Tamta brought them their fifth consecutive qualification with “Replay”.
In 2020, CyBC selected ‘Sandro’ to represent Cyprus at the Eurovision Song Contest, with the song “Running”. Sandro was set to perform 13th in semi-final one of the 2020 contest, which was ultimately cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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