Ever since it was confirmed that Sandro would not be returning as the Cypriot artists for Eurovision 2021, rumours around CyBC’s selection have been rife. Today, the rumours were finally put to rest, when it was revealed that Elena Tsagkrinou has been selected to represent the island nation in Rotterdam!
Last night, it was announced that the Cypriot representative for Eurovision 2021 would be revealed today! The announcement from CyBC below:
Despite being a ‘fresh face’ for the Greek industry, Elena is signed to PANIK Records, and has hits to her name such as “Paratheisos”, “Amore” and “Loyia”. Notably, we had reported her expression of interest in Eurovision back in July.
About “El Diablo”
As was revealed yesterday, Elena was described as a “a fresh face of the music industry.” It was also hinted that the composer behind her entry was “a very big name” that would create excitement upon announcement.
We now know this was probably referring to Jimmy Joker, who has written songs for Pitbull, JLO, Nicki Minaj and countless other international stars. He is credited alongside Laurel Barker, who wrote three of the entries of Eurovision 2019 (Switzerland, the UK and Germany), and countless national final songs. They are joined on the songwriting team by Thomas Stengård and Oxa.
Although the exact details of the song are unknown, it has been expected for some time that the broadcaster were seeking an up tempo dance track. From the press release, it sounds like the song is about ‘falling in love with a bad boy’…promising!
Back in the summer, it was confirmed by Head of Delegation Evi Papamichael that the man who was meant to be in control of staging and presentation in 2020, Marvin Dietmann, will also be overseeing the 2021 staging. He was of course the stage director of Conchita Wurst’s winning performance for Austria in 2014 with the song “Rise Like A Phoenix”.
From this information, it’s clear that the delegation are vying for a strong result in Rotterdam next year! You can see our reaction to the announcement below:
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.
How do you feel about the news? Are you excited to hear ‘El Diablo’? 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! Also, be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel to see our reactions to the over the coming months.
