CYPRUS
On July 20, 1974 at 5:30am, Turkish troops landed on the Republic of Cyprus’ coast five miles off Kyrenia. Since that day, nothing on the island has ever been the same.
Every year since, on the anniversary of the invasion, sirens have blared out over the Republic, recalling the moment Turkish troops invaded.
In 1974, approximately 40,000 Turkish troops under the command of Lieutenant Nurettin Ersin implemented their invasion plan, code-named ‘Attila’, illegally invading the island in violation of the UN Security Council Charter.
Turkey still illegally occupies 37 per cent of Cyprus’ territory.
Turkish troops invaded Cyprus on July 20, 1974, five days after the legal government of the late Archbishop Makarios III was toppled by a military coup, engineered by the military junta then ruling Greece. Two unproductive conferences in Geneva followed; the first between Britain, Greece and Turkey and the second with the additional attendance of Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot representatives. Three weeks after the ceasefire of July 22, and despite the fact that talks were still being held and just as an agreement seemed about to be reached, the Turkish army mounted a second full-scale offensive. As a result, Turkey increased its hold to include the booming tourist resort of Famagusta in the east and the rich citrus-growing area of Morphou in the west.
All in all, almost 37% of the territory of the Republic of Cyprus came under Turkish military occupation. Nearly one-third of the population, some 200,000 Greek Cypriots, were forcibly uprooted from their homes and properties, thousands were killed during the hostilities, over 1,000 persons were listed as missing while thousands of Greek Cypriots and Maronites remained enclaved.
Numerous UN resolutions have demanded respect to the independence, unity and territorial integrity of Cyprus, the return of the displaced to their homes, and the withdrawal of foreign troops from the island, but all resolutions have been ignored by Turkey.
47 years on from the most tragic page in the Republic of Cyprus’ history, at 5:30am the war sirens rang around the island once more.
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A young 16-year-old British Cypriot singer representing Cyprus in the Eurovision Song Contest 2004 took to the stage in Konstantinopouli.
Lisa Andreas from Gillingham, Kent, was the Cyprus act on May 12th 2004. 17 years later and in June 2021, ‘Stronger Every Minute’ is released globally for the first time. It will feature an extended mix and the never heard English/Greek version, which Lisa sang only once at one of the rehearsals in Istanbul.
Mike Connaris, a London-Cypriot producer and composer wrote the song, at his Mcasso Music studios in Soho, in London’s West End.
“I’m excited that Stronger Every Minute will be available on all streaming platforms and will give all the people that voted, and all the people that watched the performance, a chance to hit play and travel back to this time whenever they want.” Lisa Andreas told London Greek Radio.
This year was the very first Eurovision Song Contest semi-final, and Lisa was one of 22 contestants competing for just 10 places in the Final, held in the magnificent Abdi İpekçi Arena.
What can be revealed now, on the morning of the semi-final, Lisa had awoken with a sore throat and was in great discomfort. It was going to be a challenge for her to hit the highest notes of the song, so together with her producer, Mike Connaris, they hastily arranged a rehearsal in the hotel to change the melody of certain parts of the song.
The semi-final went well, but with 9 countries already announced as proceeding to the Final, there was only one envelope left to open. The tension in the green room was unbearable, but when “CYPRUS” was announced as the last of the 10, the Cyprus delegation went wild. Being announced 10th, meant that Cyprus took the last available spot of 21st in the Final, and Lisa went on to achieve 5th position, with Cyprus also receiving the Marcel Bezençon Award for composition, the first year this category had been introduced.
“My time at the Eurovision was truly magical. It’s difficult to encapsulate the entire experience into words. When I think of that time, it’s like a huge Eurovision bubble. I think back through meeting Mike and hearing Stronger Every Minute for the first time and recording the song (with hopes of being selected). I think of the months of preparation that came before and to the competition in Cyprus. I remember crying and being overwhelmed and shocked that I had been chosen by the entire country to represent them. My mum heard them say it first and I didn’t believe her! It was such an honour; a proud and humbling experience. I remember how proud my family and friends were and that is something that will always stay with me. There are so many stories- that we still tell – immense joy and many pivotal moments from that time that shaped who I am as a person and as a performer.”
“Everyone should attend the Eurovision Song Contest at least once in their life. You have to attend the Eurovision to really understand how wonderful it is. How much love there is. Love that is just pouring out everywhere. It affects the whole place. There is a buzz of excitement in the air that you can feel the moment you arrive and it just doesn’t stop until you leave. To have all of these people attending for their love of music and for the fun of it all, is wonderful. I made many special connections with people because of Eurovision.”
“There is a level of happiness and inexplicable comradery among the artists that is a reflection of how music itself makes you feel. It doesn’t feel like a competition at all.”
“Everyone was just thrilled to be there and be experiencing this ‘once in a lifetime’ music event together. It was like one huge music family. I feel incredibly grateful to have experienced that with artists from across the world and with my parents by my side too.”
The ‘Stronger Every Minute’ EP will be released through Mcasso Digital on June 4th, 2021 across all streaming platforms including Spotify, iTunes & Amazon.
Article written by London Greek Radio, Mcasso Music
Cyprus’ singer Elena Tsagrinou on Tuesday night qualified for the Eurovision Song Contest Final with her song ‘El Diablo’.
The entry is penned by producer Jimmy “Joker” Thornfeldt, a Swedish Grammy-Award winner. He collaborates on the tune with Laurell Barker, Oxa, and Thomas Stengaard.
It is a radio-friendly hit, current and mainstream, which has entered London Greek Radio playlists.
The fun number stirs with a hidden message, she’s in a toxic relationship with a “bad boy” or even “aliti” in Greek. She somehow escapes the wrong’un by the end of this song.
The refrain that would even make a Yorkshire terrier twerk on demand sinks in, you realise ‘El Diablo’ is just as catchy and addictive as anything on the Eurovision line-up this year.
LGR’s Tony Neophytou’s said, “The Cypriot song is really catchy and is instantaneous which a Eurovision song requires.”
Of the 16 competing countries, Cyprus was one of the 10 that gained enough votes from professional juries and the public to advance to Saturday night’s sing-off.
Elena sang eighth in the running order and gave a strong performance of the catchy up-tempo bop. Elena’s dynamic singing and dancing act, with her four female dancers Chali Jennings, Liolia Kerogli, Paraskevi Karataidou and Mariia Sharafetdinova.
It is a very slick stage show, with features like a great mirror-effect and extremely punchy red colours, even fire-lit flames.
Mr Neophytou’s view, “Elena’s energetic performance and a likeable demeanour helps sell this song. It is very slick and well-done. I think it might get a pretty decent result, potentially Top 10 finish, a result Cypriots would be proud of.”
Elena seems a lovely person and likeable and approachable which helps sell the song.
She finishes with a sideways knowing glance to camera, which is a sweet touch.
Cyprus will be staged with the help of Austrian artistic director Marvin Dietmann who helped Austria to a Eurovision triumph in 2014 with their song ‘Rise Like a Phoenix’.
The announcement of the 10 qualifying songs was a nail-biter, with Cyprus seventh to be announced.
This is the sixth time that Cyprus has qualified for a Eurovision since 2015.
Bookmakers and fan polls had predicted that Cyprus would make it through this highly competitive semi-final.
Amongst the other qualifiers was Malta’s Destiny up-tempo fun number with ‘Je Me Casse’. The Ukrainian song ‘Shum’ also qualified and is now fourth favourite to go the distance and win on Saturday.
The other qualifying songs were from Lithuania, Russia, Sweden, Norway, Belgium, Israel, Azerbaijan.
Elena began her music career in 2008 as the lead soloist of the Greek band OtherView, before pursuing a solo career after she left them in 2018.
Elena is signed to Panik Records one of Greece’s biggest music labels in Greece, and Cyprus, releasing many hits which are much-loved modern hits heard on the LGR air-waves.
It’s now full steam ahead for Team Cyprus towards Saturday night, and beyond that… to stick-to-it’s winning formulae in 2022!
London Greek Radio wishes Elena and Cyprus the best of luck in the Eurovision.
*Pic: Elena Tsagrinou celebrates after securing a place in the final in Rotterdam, in the first semi-final for the Eurovision Song Contest. Her female dancers and head of the Cypriot delegation Evi Papamichael in the green room.
Article written by Tony Neophytou
It‘s that Eurovision time of year. Tonight Cyprus compete in the First Semi-Final for Eurovision, which airs at 8pm BST.
26-year-old Greek singer Elena Tsagrinou takes to the Ahoy Arena in Rotterdam in slot #8 out of 16 countries.
‘El Diablo‘ is an up-tempo, dance-pop song, current and mainstream. It is a radio-friendly hit, which has entered London Greek Radio playlists.
The entry is penned by producer Jimmy “Joker” Thornfeldt, a Swedish Grammy-Award winner. He collaborates on the tune with Laurell Barker, Oxa, and Thomas Stengaard.
The refrain that would even make a Yorkshire terrier twerk on demand sinks in, you realise ‘El Diablo’ is just as catchy and addictive as anything on the Eurovision line-up this year.
LGR’s Tony Neophytou’s said, “The Cypriot song is really catchy and is instantaneous which a Eurovision song requires.”
Elena Tsagrinou found time aside from rehearsals and told London Greek Radio, “The people behind the Cypriot team are exceptional and professional individuals. Panik records label every step has assisted me in this entire process. I instantly thought this was a strong song and felt it was exactly competitive enough, which a Eurovision song requires [translated].”
We are told there is a deeper meaning about someone who’s fallen in love with a “bad boy” or even “aliti” in Greek. CyBC in a statement said the song describes an abusive relationship and what it means to be a victim of this abuse. “The song represents the age-old battle between good and evil and it speaks of a problematic relationship between a man and woman who suffers from Stockholm Syndrome – the psychological condition when a victim of abuse identifies and bonds with their abuser – who seeks help to get out and the truth always shines.”
The Eurovision odds have favoured Cyprus’ entry as 5th most likely winner in this year’s Eurovision line-up. The entry moreover is a Semi-Final favourite with Malta, Ukraine and Lithuania, and no doubt Cypriot avid fans are cock-a-hoop at knowing the island’s entry is so well-received at this pre-contest stage.
Last night jurors already cast their votes in a dress-rehearsal, meaning half-of-all-votes have been allocated, it’s up to the public to have their say now.
Elena Tsagrinou, is telegenic, star-of-the-stage performance, seductive, and sultry which suits the song. Elena seems a lovely person and likeable and approachable which are good assets, to this whole package.
The Athenian songstress is a pop-package as a strong performance artist and vocalist. Stylist-to-the-stars Celia Kritharioti has fitted Elena into a sparkly silver-outfit. Elena has four female dancers Chali Jennings [choreographer], Liolia Kerogli, Paraskevi Karataidou and Mariia Sharafetdinova. Her dancers are in red cat-suits against a fiery red backdrop which suits the song.
It’s a very slick and professional stage show for Cyprus’ up-tempo fun song. The precise staging makes good a mirror prop, which is basically mirroring dancers and Elena which is a cool effect. She finishes with a sideways knowing glance to camera, which is a sweet touch.
Cyprus will be staged with the help of Austrian artistic director Marvin Dietmann who helped Austria to a Eurovision triumph in 2014 with their song ‘Rise Like a Phoenix’.
Mr Neophytou’s view, “Elena’s energetic performance and a likeable demeanour help this song. It is very slick and well-done. It is a decent song and I think the result will be pretty decent, potentially a Top 10 finish, a result Cypriots would be proud of.”
Cyprus is defending a qualification streak since 2015, without a pause. The Cypriot delegation will be quietly optimistic about their qualifying chances for a sixth year.
LGR’s ‘Eurovision guru’ spelt it out, “The chances at qualification are pretty good and in a semi-final with competition in this genre. The catchier Cypriot song and elevated staging helps to sell it, let’s hope the public reciprocates with a few votes its way.”
Elena began her music career in 2008 as the lead soloist of the Greek band OtherView, before pursuing a solo career after she left them in 2018.
CyBc bosses have stuck to the successful formulae, of internally picking artist and song-package. Elena is signed to Panik Records one of Greece’s biggest music labels in Greece, and Cyprus, releasing many hits which are much-loved modern hits heard on the LGR air-waves.
Elena performs in the running order of 16 at slot number 8.
The Top 10 qualifying countries are through to the Final on Saturday 22nd May, on BBC One.
London Greek Radio wishes Elena and Cyprus the best of luck in the Eurovision.
Article written by Tony Neophytou
After weeks of teasing the world with only the title ‘El Diablo’, the Cyprus Eurovision entry by Elena Tsagrinou has finally been released.
We were promised an up-tempo track which would be catchy and Elena has certainly lived up that script, releasing her official contest song for ‘El Diablo’ weeks ago.
Cypriot broadcaster CyBC confirmed that Greek star Elena Tsagrinou would fly the flag at the Eurovision Song Contest in The Netherlands in November last year. The 26-year-old Athenian songstress will perform in the Eurovision’s First Semi-Final, at Rotterdam’s Ahoy Arena this May.
The entry is penned by producer Jimmy “Joker” Thornfeldt, a Swedish Grammy-Award winner. He collaborates on the tune with Laurell Barker, Oxa, and Thomas Stengaard.
The up-tempo pop-dance feels current and mainstream. The radio friendly hit, which has entered London Greek Radio playlists. It is a competitive song, which no doubt is helping with its hopes and chances of qualifying and on the left-side scoreboard.
The talented songwriters have said that Spanish title ‘El Diablo’ [“Devil”], is a metaphor, which refer to a ‘bad boy’ in this context or even “aliti” in Greek.
LGR’s Tony Neophytou’s said, “Cyprus have a really catchy song with a useful hook and is instantaneous which a Eurovision song requires. The track starts with the chorus straight away, enhancing the immediate and instant nature of this song.”
The song is about a woman crying out for help after falling in love with a ‘bad boy’ known as ‘El Diablo’ and coming to identify with and bond with her abuser.
Elena playfully purrs with whisper-like prayer asking for help “Mamacita tell me what to do…” in the pre-choruses.
The children’s nursery chant in the middle eight sounds eerily scary and is a touch of fun.
CyBC in a statement said the song describes an abusive relationship and what it means to be a victim of this abuse. “The song represents the age-old battle between good and evil and it speaks of a problematic relationship between a man and woman who suffers from Stockholm Syndrome – the psychological condition when a victim of abuse identifies and bonds with their abuser – who seeks help to get out and the truth always shines.”
Cyprus will be staged with the help of Austrian artistic director Marvin Dietmann who helped Austria to a Eurovision triumph in 2014 with their song ‘Rise Like a Phoenix’.
The involvement of the Austrian creative highlights the Cypriot ambition to impress at this competition.
Elena Tsagrinou said, “My professional team is working extremely hard, with strict disciplined five-hour rehearsals every day for a while. My mindset feels like that of an athlete that is training for something huge, like this contest [translated].”
Mr Neophytou’s view, “Cyprus chances at qualifying are good and in a semi-final with competition in this genre. The catchier Cypriot song, and elevated staging helps to sell it, let’s hope the song qualifies.”
The Cypriot delegation will be quietly optimistic about their qualifying chances for a sixth year. The best ever runners-up result with Eleni Foureira’s ‘Fuego’ in 2018.
Elena is the star of the official music video with her dancing solo which suggests a complete package as a performance singer and stage artist. Her sassiness and seductive gazes are a nice, subtle touch, which the song requires. She is likeable, attractive, and telegenic which helps sell the song. Elena’s joined by her fellow male dancers as song climaxes, hoisted mid-air on the dancer’s shoulders.
Elena began her music career in 2008 as the lead soloist of the Greek band OtherView, before pursuing a solo career after she left them in 2018.
Cypriot chiefs have stuck to the successful formulae, of internally picking artist and song-package. Elena is signed to Panik Records one of Greece’s biggest music labels in Greece, and Cyprus, releasing many top hits from Cypriot and Greek artists which are everyday hits on the LGR air-waves.
Elena performs in the running order of 16 at slot number 8.
Cyprus competes in the First Eurovision Semi-Final which airs on Tuesday 18th May on BBC Four. The Top 10 qualifying counties through to the Final on Saturday 22nd May, on BBC One.
London Greek Radio wishes Elena and Cyprus the best of luck in the Eurovision.
Article written by Tony Neophytou
Cyprus confirmed Greek singer Elena Tsagrinou will be the nation’s representative at the Eurovision Song Contest 2021, in Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
The Cypriot broadcaster CyBc announced the artist and song-title ‘El Diablo‘ in an official statement in November.
The 26-year-old Athens-born singer will perform in the Eurovision’s first Semi-Final, at Rotterdam’s Ahoy Arena this May. The song is up-tempo, and is said to be a current radio-friendly hit and Eurovision “competitive” enough. The scenario, Elena seems to have fallen in love with someone as bad as ‘El Diablo’ (Spanish, for ‘The Devil’).
The official song and music video will be released very soon. The choreographer Chali Jennings will be responsible for, Elena and her dancers routine in long-anticipated release of the Eurovision video.
Elena takes over from Sandro Nicholas, [his song ‘Running’] last year’s Cypriot titleholder, [he was unfortunate not to sing it], at the cancelled Eurovision Song Contest.
The song-writing team composed of Jimmy Thornfeldt, Swedish songwriter, the Canadian songwriter and Eurovision regular Laurell Barker, behind ‘You Got Me’ by Luca Hanni, which came fourth in 2019, Brazilian-born songwriter Oxa, and Thomas Stengaard, penning the 2013 Eurovision winner ‘Only Teardrops’ by Emmelie De Forest.
Cypriot bosses have stuck to the winning formula of choosing artist and song internally. Cyprus have a 100% qualification record in five years which is impressive and one that Elena Tsagrinou is hoping to emulate their successes. The 2018’s runners-up with Eleni Foureira’s ‘Fuego’, plus five qualifiers between 2015 and 2019, Cyprus have upped their game in the music event for sure.
Cypriot chiefs felt that the songstress was right for this year’s contest as the upbeat song compliments Elena as a vocalist and performance-stage artist.
Head of the Cypriot Delegation in Eurovision Evi Papamichael helped define the criteria for their selection. “In recent years we have been collaborating with major record companies of the region. Greece and Cyprus are, as you know, a single record and music market.” Papamichael explained, confirming that Cyprus music is almost intertwined with Greece’s record labels, and world-class vibrant music industry.
Elena is signed to Panik Records, record label whose former Eurovision predecessors have included Ivi Adamou, Demy, Eleni Foureira and Anna Vissi.
The female soloist has been in the music industry since she was 14, where she reached the semi-finals of Greece Has Talent.
After five years with the band OtherView, Elena went solo in 2018 and has presented shows like The Voice of Greece, Just the 2 of US and K-POP Stars.
Last summer she released Latin-Reggaeton-fused ‘Amore’, the exotic tune also made it to our airplay charts. Her debut hit ‘Pame Ap’ Tin Archi’ launched a young-fledging solo career. The hits included ‘Paradeisos’, ‘Logia’, and duets; with Mike ‘Pare Me Agkalia’, feat, with Oge ‘San Lava’, ‘Tsai me Lemoni’ with Dakis and last December, Elena and DJ Kas covered dance track ‘Be My Lover’.
Elena performed at concerts in Cyprus and Greece, alongside artists such as Konstantinos Argiros and Melisses. Her music videos have accumulated millions of views on youtube, and entrusted Elena as one of the most exciting up-and-coming artists, in Greek music.
Cyprus will be staged with the help of artistic director Marvin Dietmann who helped Austria to a Eurovision triumph in 2014 with their song ‘Rise Like a Phoenix’. The involvement of the Austrian creative highlights the Cypriot ambition to impress at this competition.
Cyprus competes in the First Eurovision Semi-Final which airs on Tuesday 18th May, on BBC Four. The Top 10 qualifying nations have progression to the Final on Saturday 22nd May, on BBC One.
London Greek Radio wishes Elena and Cyprus the best of luck in the Eurovision.
Article written by Tony Neophytou
In essence, tonight was supposed to be Eurovision night but our favourite song contest, like other events around the globe, has been postponed.
Instead, we’ll be watching “Eurovision: Europe Shine A Light”, a non-competitive replacement “song contest” which honours the 41 countries which would have competed to win the 2020 Eurovision crown.
Hosted by Chantel Janzen, Edsilia Rombleyand and Jan Smit, who would have fronted the ‘regular’ Eurovision from the Ahoy Arena of Rotterdam in The Netherlands, it promises to be just as spectaculous!
Eleni Foureira, whose ‘Fuego’ tune came second for Cyprus in the 2018 Eurovision, returns with a virtual performance in the “Eurovision Heroes” segment of the show.
Other returning artists, alongside the current “Class of Eurovision” have a virtual sing-song [from their countries] to thank essential frontline workers battling Coronavirus daily.
In a time before “social distancing” and “staying at home”, there was often occasion for Cyprus and Greece to come up with their Eurovision trump-cards.
Cypriot broadcaster CyBC internally selected Sandro Nicholas [real name Alessandro Rütten] to fly the island’s flag.
The entry ‘Running‘ is a deep, house-style inspired electronic-pop song and is dark and dramatic. The lyrics have a deeper meaning about mental health issues and depression and is very relevant now, as this once taboo-issue is ever-more discussed openly, with its impact on males in particular.
The 23-year-old German-Greek singer-songwriter, worked for months to find the right song and he co-wrote it with Greek producer Teo Arkitekt, Australian singer-songwriter Alfie Arcuri, Sebastian Rickards, and Octavian Rasinariu.
CyBC told LGR, “Having gone through depression himself, Sandro’s performance underlines the tunnel of darkness that we must keep on running through in difficulties or catastrophes but also of the strength needed to stand tall and not fall.”
The video is dark and moody with Sandro appearing as a solitary figure.
As the song choruses on about ‘running’ progressively, it comes to a visual-climax in a hopeful and optimistic way, with shades of light on the screen.
For Greece, 17-year-old Stefania Liberakakis stood out as the nation’s candidate this year. She was born in The Netherlands to Greek parents from Greece.
‘Superg!rl‘ is an up-tempo, pop-dance track with ethnic beats that are really catchy. The song has already entered the radio-friendly playlists of London Greek Radio for several months.
The song’s lyrics are about social adolescent empowerment and young people attaining their goals, as well as trusting their super-innate-strength to achieve their ambition.
Unfortunately, Eurovision fans won’t have the chance to see the Greek ‘Superg!rl’ on stage, however, there will be news about the singer’s Eurovision adventure.
The broadcaster confirmed Stefania would be Greece’s Eurovision 2021 Song Contest act, with a new Eurovision tune up her sleeve especially composed for next year. The details of the entry are not yet known, although we think it might include the current team of creative songwriting talent.
Eurovision veteran, Dimitris Kontopoulos and Arcade comprising of Pavlos Manolis, Diveno and Gabriel Russel composed and produced ‘Superg!rl’. The lyrics are co-written with Swedish songwriter Sharon Vaughn.
The music video was filmed in Athens which included the Fokas Evangelinos dance school of performing arts.
Mr Evangelinos who has staged some of the biggest and effective performances in Eurovision for Greece, Russia and Azerbaijan, has confirmed his involvement in the Greek song next year.
To top off the night, all 41 acts will come together, from their separate locations across Europe, for a rendition of the United Kingdom’s 1997 winner ‘Love Shine a Light’ by Katrina and the Waves.
Watch Cyprus and Greece Eurovision videos here: lgr.co.uk/videos
Article written by Tony Neophytou
A whole host of Cypriot artists have united to create a music video especially for the island during the coronavirus pandemic.
The video was made in response to the Cyprus Government’s lockdown measures which were vigorously enforced for several weeks.
“Ego Tha’ Me Edo”, which translated into English is “I’ll be here” is a sweet melodic number which was filmed at artists homes as the country stayed home to reduce the spread of the virus.
Stalo Georgiou, a former Music Director at Manor Hill Greek School in Barnet, who now lives in Paphos, composed the music. Theodoulos Koullapi wrote the lyrics and filmmaker Charalampos Charalampous was responsible for the editing.
The four-minute video includes Konstantina, Cypriot traditional singer Michalis Hadjimichael and former winner of the 2011 LGR Music Awards, Iphigenia Loucaides.
The other artists involved are Andri Karantwni, Vasiliki Hadjiadamou, Efthivoulos Theocharous, Christina Tselepou, Demetris Souroullas, Christos Rialas, Demetra Xatzi, Stella Stylianou, Kalypso Dimitriou, Elena Polydorou, Fani Anastasiou.
Stalo Georgiou, the organiser of the video, told LGR that she became involved because she was particularly concerned about the morale of Cypriot citizens who were staying at home.
She added that the video was important creatively as a vehicle to boost morale and put in place a positive mental-mind-set at these uncertain times.
Stalo said: [Translated] “The concept envisaged was to creatively seek a positive message of love and optimism. The other intention was to honour the essential workers battling on the frontline to defeat the coronavirus epidemic. The song’s lyrics underlined that we are here for each other in lockdown, also crucially to stand together afterwards when this is eventually over.”
Watch it here at our videos section: lgr.co.uk/videos
Article written by Tony Neophytou
It’s been reported this week that 287 UK Cypriots have died in relation to Coronavirus.
The weekly Parikiaki newspaper which has continued to print it’s circulation during the pandemic have been providing regular updates. The latest figures were published as of 29th April 2020, however it is not known whether the deceased have died directly from Coronavirus or whether they had tested positive for the virus, but died of other causes.
The newspaper has contacted hospitals, churches, funeral directors, Turkish Cypriot media and community, plus requests for their weekly death announcements, and confirmed 287 UK Cypriots have died, with 51 deaths of UK Cypriots in the past week.
According to Parikiaki’s calculations the deceased are as follows:-
UK Greek Cypriots – 170, which includes a married couple and two brothers
UK Turkish Cypriots – 90
UK Maronite Cypriot – 1
All of the above are from the London area with 8 additional UK Greek-Cypriot deaths and 1 Turkish-Cypriot in Birmingham, 3 (from the same family) in Weston-super-Mare, 1 in Southend, 1 in Luton, 1 in Cheltenham, 1 in Lowestoft, 1 in Derby, 1 in Cambridge, 1 Greek-Cypriot and 1 Maronite-Cypriot in Liverpool, 1 in Glasgow, 1 in Newport, 1 in Leeds and 3 Turkish-Cypriots outside of London (awaiting details).
With 233,829 deaths worldwide, the above total of 287 UK Cypriot deaths equates to 0.12% of deaths globally and 1.07% of deaths in the UK.
Cyprus currently has 850 cases of positive tests for Coronavirus with 15 deaths and so far, 148 have recovered from the disease, (just over 17%).
In Greece, of 2,591 cases, 140 people have died and 1,374 have recovered, (just over 53% so far).
Globally, from the 3,304,140 who have tested positive for the disease, 1,039,055 have recovered and 233,829 have died. [Just over 31% recovery rate so far and 7% spot-on who have died worldwide.]
London Greek Radio (LGR) expresses our sincere condolences to the families and friends of all those who have sadly died during the pandemic and continuing to work with various organisations to help and support our communities at this challenging time.
John Kyriakides, Chairman of LGR said, “The LGR family are working hard to keep listeners informed, entertained and updated during this unprecedented time. I am saddened to hear of so many deaths in our communities.”
Tony Jay, Managing Director for LGR added, “LGR will continue to promote cross-partnership initiatives to help our listeners and communities. Our work to communicate the help that is available is more important than ever because we all have a role to play in fighting this virus.”
London Greek Radio – working together with partners, businesses and organisations to support our communities.
#StayHome#SaveLives#StayTuned
Information credited and attributed to Parikiaki newspaper and www.worldometers.info
Figures correct at time of publication 01:15 on Friday 1st May 2020.
Article written by London Greek Radio
Cyprus has confirmed that Sandro Nicholas will be the island’s representative at the 2020 Eurovision Song Contest in Rotterdam taking place later this year.
The Cypriot broadcaster, CyBC, announced the news to excited Eurovision fans in an official statement towards the end of last year.
The 23-year-old German-Greek is an up-and-coming artist and a star of “The Voice Germany” from 2018. He managed to turn all four chairs with Shawn Mendes’ ‘In my blood’ where he reached the semi-finals.
Sandro Nicholas’ real name is Alessandro Rütten and he was born and bred in Germany, with an American father and a Greek mother from Zakynthos. He speaks Greek and travels to Greece frequently. He plays the drums and guitar and at the age of 15, started to write songs and formed his own rock-band.
Sandro has a soulful, pop and rocky-edged vocal and exudes a confident manner on stage.
As well as ‘The Voice’, Sandro was the American entrant at the New Wave Festival in Russia last summer. One of the judges was the Greek Eurovision hit-maker veteran, Dimitris Kontopoulos, who was said to have put in a word with the decision-makers in Cyprus for Eurovision.
Cypriot bosses have stuck to the format that has served them well in previous years by internal selection of the artist and song.
The formula has yielded fairly good results for Cyprus with Eleni Foureira’s spectacular 2nd place and Tamta scoring 13th in Tel Aviv last year.
Mr Nicholas will face the task to uphold Cyprus’ impressive qualification run, with five qualified entries in a row from 2015 to 2019.
Cyprus received 120 songs, all vying to compete as the island’s act for 2020 and have shortlisted the options to three songs. The exact details about the song will be released at a later date.
CyBC chose Mr Nicholas out of several artists, trusting the young and talented potential to resonate with the Eurovision voter.
Sandro is playing a constructive role in the creative song-writing to the entry, in order to find the killer-tune for this contest. Mr Nicholas has told media, he wants “an emotional song”, one that is a genuine, honest song.
In his interview to Cypriot media, Sandro said, “[I am] absolutely captivated. This country is probably one of the most beautiful countries I have ever been to. I’ve been to Zakynthos, Greece. I am Greek, but this place is magical and I’m so honoured and so pleased to be able to represent such an amazing country.”
He added, “It’s an honour for me, [to represent] for the Cypriot flag, and I want to do my very best. It’s fantastic, it’s a dream for me.”
The Eurovision Song Contest Semi-Finals are on 12th and 14th May, with the Grand Final on Saturday 16th May 2020.
London Greek Radio wishes Sandro and Cyprus the best of luck in Eurovision.
Article written by Tony Neophytou
