Greece: 25 acts and 40 songs to be assessed in a two phase selection process

Greece: 25 acts and 40 songs to be assessed in a two phase selection process
Friday, 15 October 2021

  • The Greek national broadcaster, ERT, has received 40 songs from 25 acts which all will be assessed by a special committee in a two phase selection prosess. 

    Following the open call for songs by ERT which ended on October 10, a total of 40 songs by 25 acts came in the broadcaster's headquarters. Now ERT's committee will assess the submission in order to select the entry that will represent Greece at the 66th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. 

    However, the selection process will consist of two stages. Namely, during the first stage the committee will shortlist a small number of entries (3-4)  out of the total 40 songs that have been submitted. In the second stage ERT will contact the acts behind the selected songs in order to have talks  with them regarding the rest aspects of participation, as ERT's open call for submissions included the plans for the promoton and presentation of each entry. 

    Once ERT has all the pieces of the puzzle for each entry in place it will choose which act and song will defend the Greek colors in Turin next May. 

     

    Greece in Eurovision

    Greece made its first participation in the contest  in 1974 with Marinela. Since then the country has won one time the competition, in 2005 with Helena Paparizou and her entry  My number one. Since 2004 and up to 2013 the country was one of the most successful countires in the contest, having achieved 9 times a top ten placing. In 2016 it experienced its first non qualifying results since the semi final were introduced, with Argo in Stockholm.

    In 2019 ERT opted for an internal selection and selected Katerina Duska to represent the country with her entry Better Love, which eventually finished 21st in Tel Aviv.

    In 2020 Stefania was internally selected to represent Greece in Eurovision 2020 with her song 'Supergi!rl'. Unfortunately the contest was cancelled due to the covid-19 pandemic depriving the young talented act from her journey to Rotterdam. 

    Nevertheless, ERT continued with Stefania for the 2021 edition in Rotterdam where the young act competed in the second semi final with her song  'Last Dance' and after qualifying to the final achieved to finish in 10th place bringing Greece back in the top 10 for the first time since 2013.  

     

    News Source: Eurovoix 

    Image: EBU / THOMAS HANSES