GREECE
Greek singer Stefania on Thursday night qualified for the Eurovision Song Contest Final with her song ‘Last Dance‘.
18-year-old Stefania Liberakakis had taken to the Ahoy Arena in Rotterdam. She was born in Utrecht in the Netherlands to Greek parents from Sofiko Evrou in Greece.
‘Last Dance’ is a 80s slight retro-uptempo catchy song, current and mainstream. The Eurovision-friendly hit which has entered London Greek Radio playlists.
It a progressive well-built song, atmospheric and up-tempo on top of swirling hooks. Stefania dramatically drips over a cocktail of bass lines, scintillating strings and a “Ooh oh oh” refrain drives the up-beat vibes.
LGR’s Tony Neophytou said, “Last Dance is a really pretty song, very melodic. It is catchy and very captivating as a Eurovision song requires”.
The Eurovision veteran Dimitris Kontopoulos and music production ARCADE, composed and produced the tune, with lyrics by Sharon Vaughn. Teaming up with creative director Fokas Evangelinos has certainly proved fruitful, and with his reputation as the innovative stage creator, Greece has an ace up their sleeve.
The hi-tech wizardry and green screen performance: the digital invisible dancers which look really cool. At one point Stefania climbs invisible stairs against a futouristic city landscape.
The four dancers, Giorgos Papadopoulos, Marcos Giakoumoglou, Nikos Koukakis and Kostas Pavlopoulos.
It is very slick and visually arresting, and unique than anything else in this year’s Eurovision line-up.
Mr Neophytou’s view, “Stefania’s teen pop looks, talent and telegenic, likeable, approachable personality, are good assets to this pop-package. The wink to the camera was a sweet touch”.
Of the 17 competing countries, Greece was one of the 10 that gained enough votes from professional juries and the public to advance to Saturday night’s sing-off.
Stefania sang fourth in the running order and gave a strong performance of the dance number.
The announcement of the 10 qualifying songs was a nail-biter, with Greece ninth to be announced.
This is the eleventh time that Greece has qualified for a Eurovision since 2008.
Bookmakers and fan polls had predicted that Greece would make it through this highly competitive semi-final.
Greek fashion designer Vrettos Vrettakos, fits Stefania into a violet glitter outfit, she’s got real teen pop star looks. The team consists too, of Giannis Mourikis, as the set designer. George Segredakis, who’s designed the costumes of the dancers. Asterman Company, who’s undertook the creation of graphics.
In 2016, Stefania represented The Netherlands at Junior Eurovision in Malta, as part of the three-piece girl group Kisses. Their upbeat song ‘Kisses and Dancin’ placed eighth in the contest.
Amongst the other qualifiers was Switzerland’s Gjon’s Tears ‘Tout L’univers’ ballad number. The Icelandic song ’10 Years’ also qualified and is now sixth favourite to go the distance and win on Saturday.
The other qualifying songs were from San Marino, Moldova, Albania, Serbia, Finland, Portugal and Bulgaria.
Greece are at slot number #10, in the final. Meanwhile, Cyprus’ singer Elena Tsagrinou with ‘El Diablo’ has the honour of opening the night, slot #1. Elsewhere, UK’s James Newman with ‘Embers’ in the running order of 26 at slot number #9.
London Greek Radio wishes Stefania and Greece the best of luck in the Eurovision.
* Pic: Stefania celebrates after securing a place in the final in Rotterdam, in the second semi-final for the Eurovision Song Contest.
Article written by Tony Neophytou
Tonight Greece compete in the Second Semi-Final of Eurovision which airs at 8pm BST.
18-year-old Stefania Liberakakis takes to the Ahoy Arena in Rotterdam in her country of birth. She was born in Utrecht in the Netherlands to Greek parents from Sofiko Evrou in Greece.
She is a fresh, very talented young lady and ‘Last Dance’ is a really good 80’s retro up-tempo song. The radio-friendly hit, current, mainstream, which has entered London Greek Radio playlists.
It a progressive well-built song, atmospheric and up-tempo on top of swirling hooks. Stefania dramatically drips over a cocktail of bass lines, scintillating strings and a “Ooh oh oh” refrain drives the up-beat vibes. She is a very good vocalist and in rehearsals Stefania nails a big note at the end of this song.
She is likeable, amenable, telegenic, even gives a cheeky wink to camera, all in all, a lovely pop-package.
LGR’s Tony Neophytou said, “Last Dance is actually a pretty song, very melodic. It’s catchy and very captivating as a Eurovision song requires.”
The Eurovision veteran Dimitris Kontopoulos and music production ARCADE, composed and produced the tune, with lyrics by Sharon Vaughn. Teaming up with creative director Fokas Evangelinos has certainly proved fruitful, and with his reputation as the innovative stage creator, Greece has an ace up their sleeve.
The staging is immensely creative, with its hi-tech, green screen wizardry. The digital invisible dancers with hoodies or other bodily parts are fun elements, which look really cool. At one point Stefania climbs invisible steps, and there’s a bit Stefania and her dancers come together as song progresses.
It’s 80’s aesthetics with blues/purple neon and a city skyscraper, which works with the retro feel to this song.
The four dancers, confirmed as Giorgos Papadopoulos, Marcos Giakoumoglou, Nikos Koukakis and Kostas Pavlopoulos.
It is visually arresting, very different and unique than anything else in this year’s Eurovision line-up.
The Eurovision odds favouring Greece as 10th or so in winning outright, and 4th as a semi-final favourite to advance through to Saturday night.
It has been 8 years since Greece was a Top 10 in the finals, 2013’s, still-great ‘Alcohol is Free’. The team have pulled out all the stops to qualify and to conquer the left-side scoreboard.
In Mr Neophytou’s view, “The stage act is a very slick, professional, and the creativity is really good. It’s a catchy Eurovision song and enjoyable, let’s hope the public has the appetite to lap this up!”
Greek fashion designer Vrettos Vrettakos, fits Stefania into a violet glitter outfit, she’s got real teen pop star looks. The team consists too, of Giannis Mourikis, as the set designer. George Segredakis, who’s designed the costumes of the dancers. Asterman Company, who’s undertook the creation of graphics.
In 2016, Stefania represented The Netherlands at Junior Eurovision in Malta, as part of the three-piece girl group Kisses. Their upbeat song ‘Kisses and Dancin’ placed eighth in the contest.
The Top 10 qualifying countries are through to Saturday night’s sing-off.
Stefania performs in the running order of 17 at slot number #4.
London Greek Radio wishes Stefania and Greece the best of luck in the competition.
Article written by Tony Neophytou
Greece named 18-year-old Stefania Liberakakis as the 2021 Greek artist at the upcoming Eurovision Song Contest in Rotterdam in The Netherlands.
The Greek broadcaster ERT announced Stefania at Eurovision’s Second Semi-Final, at Rotterdam’s Ahoy Arena, this May. She was born in Utrecht in the Netherlands to Greek parents from Sofiko Evrou in Greece.
The re-selection of Stefania should mean her chance to shine following 2020’s cancelled contest, due to the Coronavirus pandemic. Stefania’s song ‘Superg!rl’ that edition hit the buffers with the lack of Eurovision last year.
‘Last Dance’ is an 80’s slight retro up-tempo pop song, with catchy hooks, and on trend with music now. The radio friendly hit, which has entered London Greek Radio playlists.
A timely song about new starts or beginnings which are echoed in the “This ain’t our last dance” choruses, which reflects renewed sense of optimism, amid post-lockdown.
It a progressive well-built song, which initially starts slow atmospheric and then up-tempo on top of swirling hooks. Stefania dramatically drips over a cocktail of bass lines, scintillating strings and a “Ooh oh oh” refrain drives the up-beat vibes.
It shows off Stefania’s vocal range and she is a sympathetic and likeable.
The Eurovision veteran Dimitris Kontopoulos and music production ARCADE, composed and produced the tune, with lyrics by Sharon Vaughn. Teaming up with creative director Fokas Evangelinos has certainly proved fruitful, and with his reputation as the innovative stage creator, Greece has an ace up their sleeve.
The hi-tech staging has a few tricks with green screen, visual effects, which look impressive. It’s 80’s aesthetics with blues/purple neon and compliments the song’s vibes. There’s a city sky-scraper, or landscape in the backdrop.
Stefania is a strong performance artist, gives a cheeky wink to the camera and interacts with the public. She wears a cool purple catsuit, thanks to top Greek fashion designer Vrettos Vrettakos. The staging with digital invisible dancers looks pretty cool. The four dancers confirmed, as Nikos Koukakis, Marcus Giakoumoglou, Kostas Pavlopoulos, Giorgos Papadopoulos. At one point Stefania climbs the invisible stairs, the whole package, looks effective and it’s a slick, polished performance.
LGR’s Tony Neophytou said, “Stefania’s sincerity, talent, and telegenic looks are positive assets. It’s undeniably Eurovision competitive and captivating. Catchy hooks and effective staging elevates it, let’s hope the public has the appetite to lap it up”.
A well-made, music video ‘Last Dance’ with its cinematic aesthetics looks good indeed. There are a lot of ideas from Greek mythology unlike anything else and is creating a futuristic other worldly, thanks to the filmmaker Kostas Karidas. Stefania is at cross-roads in Athens at night, it’s eerily quiet, we guess, its lockdown. She leaps off a roof-top and is flying with Pegasus the winged horse, she’s carried off to the imagined world and there meets Atlas a Titan holding up the ‘universe’. All around her are dancing figures glowing in white, it’s futuristic and a dream-state, which the plot requires.
Stefania performs in the running order of 17 at slot number 4.
In 2016, Stefania represented The Netherlands at Junior Eurovision in Malta, as part of the three-piece girl group Kisses. Their upbeat song ‘Kisses and Dancin’ placed eighth in the contest.
Greece compete in the Eurovision Second Semi-Final which airs on Thursday 20th May on BBC4. The final is broadcast on Saturday 22nd May, at 8pm BST on BBC1.
London Greek Radio wishes Stefania and Greece the best of luck in the competition.
Article written by Tony Neophytou
Along with the Royal Family and the world, everyone at London Greek Radio, (LGR), mourns the loss of His Royal Highness, The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, former Prince of Greece & Denmark.
Prince Philip – the Duke of Edinburgh – died at the age of 99 on 9th April 2021.
A statement from Buckingham Palace said: “It is with deep sorrow that Her Majesty The Queen has announced the death of her beloved husband, His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.
“His Royal Highness passed away peacefully this morning at Windsor Castle.”
Tributes have been pouring in from around the world.
The President of Cyprus, Nicos Anastasiades, said via Twitter, “It is with great sadness that I received the news of the passing of His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, a close friend of Cyprus. My deepest condolences and heartfelt sympathy to Her Majesty The Queen, the @RoyalFamily and the people of the UK for their loss.”
Greece’s President, Katerina Sakellaropoulou, tweeted, “The Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Philip, who was born in Corfu, served his country with devotion for many decades. I extend my warm condolences to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the members of the @RoyalFamily and the British people.”
Archbishop Nikitas of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Thyateira and Great Britain also expressed their condolences, sorrow and mourning to Her Majesty and the United Kingdom. The Archdiocese has directed its Christ-loving clergy and laity to pray for the repose of the soul of Prince Philip and His Eminence has announced a three-day state of official mourning in parishes of the Archdiocese, as a sign of respect.
Prince Philip of Greece was born on 10th June 1921 on the Greek island of Corfu. His birth certificate shows the date as 28th May 1921, as Greece had not then adopted the Gregorian calendar.
His father was Prince Andrew of Greece, a younger son of King George I of the Hellenes. His mother, Princess Alice of Battenberg, was the eldest child of Prince Louis of Battenberg and sister of Earl Mountbatten of Burma.
Even though Philip was born into the Greek aristocracy, (he was the grandson of the country’s King George I), his childhood was a far cry from the opulence of the usual royal upbringing.
The king himself was shot dead in 1913 by a crazed anarchist with a loathing for the establishment. A proper political motive for the killing was ruled out at the time, with the assassin dismissed as just an intoxicated vagrant. Philip’s uncle took the crown as Constantine I, but his rule was to prove shockingly turbulent.
In 1922, Constantine I was forced from the throne by a military uprising, and the entire royal family came under threat. They were forced into exile on a British boat, with the infant Philip transported in an orange box. They went to France, beginning a life of travelling and uncertainty for the boy.
Prince Philip married Princess Elizabeth in 1947 in front of 2,000 guests at Westminster Abbey.
In 2017, Prince Philip and the Queen became the first British monarch and consort to reach their 70th wedding anniversary.
Together they had four children, eight grandchildren and ten great grandchildren.
LGR understands that Prince Philip will lie at rest in Windsor Castle in line with his wishes following his funeral, which will be at St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle.
Following a number of health scares in recent years, it is thought Prince Philip has had a lot of say in his funeral.
According to reports, Prince Philip wished for only family, friends and heads of state from Commonwealth countries to attend the funeral.
The College of Arms has confirmed that the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral will not be a state funeral and the public has been asked not to attempt to attend any of the funeral events due to the pandemic.
London Greek Radio (LGR) is deeply saddened on learning of this news and we join the Royal Family in mourning the loss of HRH, Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh.
1921 – 2021. May he rest in peace.
Article written by London Greek Radio
Greece named 18-year-old Stefania Liberakakis as the 2021 Greek artist at the upcoming Eurovision Song Contest in Rotterdam in The Netherlands.
The fledging young-artist would have a second shot at Eurovision, exactly a year later. Stefania with ‘Superg!rl’, a up-tempo ethnic banger, was due to represent the Greek nation, at 2020s’ cancelled contest. Unfortunately, the Coronavirus pandemic even took its toll, on our favourite music event.
The Greek broadcaster ERT announced Stefania at Eurovision’s second semi-final, at Rotterdam’s Ahoy Arena, this May. She was born in Utrecht in the Netherlands to Greek parents from Sofiko Evrou in Greece.
Stefania will perform ‘Last Dance’, 80’s inspired, modern, up-tempo dance number, and is said to have dynamic musical twists. The radio-friendly pop song with its 80’s feel, is current and on-trend with music now. There are said to be influences, from Dua Lupa’s ‘Physical’ rhythmical-wise in the choruses or refrain. The song progresses from slow-atmospheric, to up-tempo, and is believed to have a solid melodic chorus line. A tune written by the song-writing team, behind her previous entrant.
The Eurovision veteran Dimitris Kontopoulos and music production ARCADE, composed and produced the tune, with lyrics by Sharon Vaughn. The creative director Fokas Evangelinos will be responsible for the stage-performance, known in Eurovision circles, for his innovative staging, for many countries. The four male dancers, accompanying Stefania have been confirmed, as Nikos Koukakis, Marcus Giakoumoglou, Kostas Pavlopoulos, Giorgos Papadopoulos.
The lyrics have optimistic overtures, which suggest this won’t be the ‘Last Dance’, instead there will be infinite chances to “dance”, with affirmative life-choices and moments, amid a post-coronavirus pandemic world.
The music video which is filmed in Athens, at the Hilton Hotel and Jockey Club, among other Athenian places, and is said to have encapsulated the concept, that in every end there is a beginning. The filmmaker Kostas Karidas said his video is creating an imaginary, fantastical, dream-like narrative, with Stefania centred at the core of this action. There are special effects, and a sense of wonderment in the visuals, furthermore, Karidas underlined, the video will have no similarities, to the stage act or routine.
Eurovision fans will be waiting with feverish anticipation, for release of the Greek tune and the official music video, in March.
In 2016, Stefania represented The Netherlands at Junior Eurovision in Malta, as part of the three-piece girl group Kisses. Their upbeat song ‘Kisses and Dancin’ placed eighth in the contest.
Stefania came to fame in 2014, when she participated on The Voice Kids. After wowing judges with her audition performance of Alicia Keys’ ‘No One’, Stefania made it as far as the Battle round before being eliminated. She also sang as part of the Dutch children’s choir Kinderen voor Kinderen.
More recently, Stefania has worked on her solo pop career. In 2019, Stefania released ‘Turn Around’, a sophisticated contemporary pop track. Her debut single in 2018, ‘Stupid Reasons’ reached No1 in the Kids Top 20, a hit single, composed and written by J Joachim Vermeulen Windsant and Maarten ten Hove. She released the single ‘Wonder’ which was the soundtrack to the animation film ‘Wonder Park’.
Stefania has also been working on her pop career in Greece. She performed at the Mad VMA music awards [2019], as part of an all-girl cover of Daddy Yankee’s ‘Con calma’ along with Ilenia Williams and Konnie Metaxa.
As well as singing, Stefania also has an acting career. She has starred in the Dutch high school mockumentary Brugklas, the recent dystopian action film De club van lelijke kinderen (The club of ugly children) and made an appearance in the teen comedy 100% Coco New York.
Greece compete in the second Eurovision Semi-Final which airs on Thursday 20th May. The final will be broadcast on Saturday 22nd May, at 8pm BST on BBC1.
London Greek Radio wishes Stefania and Greece the best of luck in the competition.
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
Greece has confirmed that Stefania will be the nation’s representative at the upcoming Eurovision Song Contest in Rotterdam taking place later this year.
The 17-year-old Greek-Dutch singer Stefania Liberakakis will perform in the Eurovision Second Semi-Final at Rotterdam’s Ahoy Arena, this May. She was born in Utrecht in the Netherlands to Greek parents from Sofiko Evrou in Greece.
The Greek broadcaster ERT announced the artist and song-title ‘Superg!rl’ in an official statement this month. The ethnic up-tempo song, where Stefania sings about the adolescent youth, a self-empowerment song which draws on the innate strength each person possesses against which battling challenging situations, or issues.
Stefania had taken to Instagram thanked the Greek delegation and responded she was “proud” to be flying the Greek colours at the Eurovision, told music fans.
The Eurovision veteran Dimitris Kontopoulos and music production ARCADE, composed and produced the tune, co-written the lyrics with Sharon Vaughn. The Creative Director Fokas Evangelinos will be responsible for the stage show, well-known in Eurovision circles, for numerous impressive stage acts in the contest.
The songwriters confirmed a modern ethnic up-tempo dance-pop track for Greece, with Greek instruments. The producers describe a “radio-friendly current hit song” with immense potential, standing out amongst the competitors in the Eurovision’s line-up.
The Eurovision tune and the official video-clip whose filming was shot in Athens, will be released in March. We at London Greek Radio are super-excited to be premiering our Greek entry very soon…
The Greek Eurovision delegation which included head Dimitri Papadimitriou and spokesperson Maria Koufopoulou chosen the so-called ‘Dream Team’ earlier this year.
In 2016, Stefania represented The Netherlands at Junior Eurovision in Malta, as part of the three-piece girl group Kisses. Their upbeat song ‘Kisses and Dancin’ placed eighth in the contest.
Stefania came to fame in 2014, when she participated on The Voice Kids. After wowing judges with her audition performance of Alicia Keys’ ‘No One’, Stefania made it as far as the Battle round before being eliminated. She also sang as part of the Dutch children’s choir Kinderen voor Kinderen.
More recently, Stefania has worked on her solo pop career. Late last year, Stefania released ‘Turn Around’, a sophisticated contemporary pop track. Her debut single in 2018, ‘Stupid Reasons’ reached No1 in the Kids Top 20, a hit single, composed and written by J Joachim Vermeulen Windsant and Maarten ten Hove. In March last year she released the single ‘Wonder’ which was the soundtrack to the animation film ‘Wonder Park’.
Stefania has also been working on her pop career in Greece. Last summer, she performed at the Mad VMA music awards, as part of an all-girl cover of Daddy Yankee’s ‘Con calma’ along with Ilenia Williams and Konnie Metaxa.
As well as singing, Stefania also has an acting career. She has starred in the Dutch high school mockumentary Brugklas, the recent dystopian action film De club van lelijke kinderen (The club of ugly children) and made an appearance in the teen comedy 100% Coco New York.
The Eurovision Song Contest Semi-Finals are on 12th and 14th May, with the Grand Final on Saturday 16th May 2020.
Stefania will perform ‘Superg!rl’ in the Second Semi-Final on Thursday 14th May.
London Greek Radio wishes Stefania and Greece the best of luck in the Eurovision.
Article written by Tony Neophytou
London-born Cypriot Erika Soteri is through to the live semi-final on The Voice franchise in Greece.
The show which aired its first live episode last Friday showed Erika advancing to the semi-finals, after her performance of the song “Ain’t Nobody”.
Erika was supported by her mum and dad in the studio audience with a huge Erika Soteri banner.
Erika is one of the ace picks in Helena Paparizou’s Team and her parents are from Larnaca, Cyprus.
She advanced to the live shows after wowing her coach Helena Paparizou with a spectacular rendition of ‘Daddy Lessons’ during the ‘Battles’ round. This was the third phase of the contest where the four mentors Eleonora Zouganelli, Panos Mouzourakis, Helena Paparizou and Sakis Rouvas, put two of their own team members against each other. They then sing the same song at the same time in front of a studio audience before they each select one to advance.
During the blind auditions, Erika, who graduated with a First-Class Honours in the “ACM Guildford’s Musician Route Vocals Degree”, sang ‘Crazy’, making all four judges spin their chairs almost immediately.
On last month’s debut show, she only required one judge to “turn around” in order to make it through to the next stage of the competition, but Panos Mouzourakis, Sakis Rouvas, Eleonora Zouganelli, and Helena Paparizou all turned around!
Mr Rouvas ‘blocked’ Mr Mouzourakis during the voting process, which favoured the other judges’ odds.
The mentors pulled out all the stops. Helena with, ‘I Believe I Can Fly’ and Sakis, with ‘Amazing Grace’ sang acapella covers to woo Erika.
Helena in her reaction to Erika’s performance said, [Translated] “You stand on the stage like a star, you’re sparkling. You have an exceptional voice. I admire that female interpretation of ‘Crazy’ which I’ve never heard been done like that before. I need to answer with a heart, it’s not a simple heart, its fast-moving; it’s explosive!”
Helena was also quite emphatic to Erika, continuing, [Translated] “If you join my team, not only will you reach the final, we will win the final!”
Sakis Rouvas added, [Translated] “When I first heard you, your voice was impressive. Now that I’ve seen, I don’t want to lose you. It shows that you have a background of studied music, a calm maturity that exceeds your young age, and this shows in your personality. This will help you as you move forward. You can decide to choose the right team, which I hope will be mine.”
Eleonora Zouganelli said to Erika, [Translated] “You are very good, the truth is that your positive calmness was followed by your voice. You have a long journey whichever team you ultimately choose. I would like you to join my team.”
Writing on her Facebook page, Erika said, [Translated] “The words cannot express the feelings I have in that moment when I stood on the stage. I experienced a lot of nervousness and the opponent was very strong. I’d like to say a very big thank you from the bottom of my heart and soul for your support and love that you have shown me. I used to have a dream that I’d find myself in the place where I am now, in my career and in my life, and I wouldn’t be able to achieve it without the love of Helena Paparizou and her team. Thank you for voting!”
Tune in and vote for Erika every Friday at 8pm on Greek channel SKAI.
London Greek Radio wishes Erika the best of luck in the show.
Article written by Tony Neophytou
Canadian-Greek indie-pop artist Katerine Duska co-writes Greece’s entry, ‘Better Love’ with Greek-British musician Leon of Athens and Scottish songwriter David Sneddon.
Greek broadcaster ERT confirmed earlier this year that Ms Duska would fly the Greek flag at the Tel Aviv Expo for the upcoming Eurovision Song Contest in Israel.
Montreal-born singer-songwriter, Katerine, 29, has recorded the song in London with producer and friend Phil Cook.
Greek ERT TV bosses formed a working committee to choose the act for this year. Chairman Dimitris Papadimitriou labelled Katerine (translated), “A Greek artist and talent with immense quality and one that is strongly indicative of indie-pop music.”
‘Better Love’ features strong vocals and that trademark soulful rasp, with melodic hooks swirling beneath the orchestral drums. This is a very original choice in terms of a Greek Eurovision entry and it’s a song that is uplifting and anthemic.
The well-constructed tune is a very strong competitor this year with a catchy chorus and hooks, which excitingly build-up as the three-minute song captivates.
The songstress has a unique and distinctive voice and she doesn’t hold back in this year’s Eurovision line-up. Katerine provides a strong vocal hook on top of an anthemic chorus to ‘Better Love’ and the vocally-impressive singer excels in her performance.
The mid-tempo track is current indie-pop and radio-friendly; one that has already entered the London Greek Radio, (LGR), playlist.
The ‘Better Love’ which the song refers to is the eternal quest for a higher love, one which is deep, unconditional and unapologetic. The lyrics about love and empowerment most people and no doubt the listener can relate to it on some level.
Her soaring high-notes combined with strong melodic hooks give the tune that feel of a “competitive” package and a possible game-changer, as Greece embarks on a comeback to the Eurovision final, after a shock exit at the semi-finals last year.
LGR’s Tony Neophytou said, “I think that this is a great Eurovision competition song, one that is a sure-fire qualifier and potentially a Top 10 in the final.”
The music video relies on strong pop-art visuals with pink, light-colours. The creative woman behind this video is Efi Gousi and she manages the staging in Tel Aviv. Katerine Douska wears pink reinforcing the theme of purist romanticism and a “better love”. The video is a females-only cast looking very disciplined and artistic.
Katerine said that the staging is planned to compliment the “pop-art” atmospheric concept and she will be joined on stage by backing-vocalists Erasma Markides and Eleni Ponzantzidou along with dancers Dimitra Vlachou and Fania Grigoriou.
Ms Duska was raised in a Greek home listening to esteemed composers Mikis Theodorakis, Manos Hatzidakis and Mimis Plessas, spending countless hours as a young teen tuned into soul, pop and R&B. She has a background in classical music where she studied classical guitar and interpreting Arias and Lieder, venturing into ‘experimental song-writing’ influenced greatly by the indie-pop and Neo-soul genre.
Katerine studied law at the Kapodistrian University of Athens, only to realise that music was what she actually wanted to pursue professionally.
Katerine rose to indie stardom in 2014 with the hit, ‘One in a Million’ and her cover of the Arctic Monkeys, “Do I Wanna Know”, which has reached over a million views on YouTube.
Her 2015 debut album ‘Embodiment’ won critics over with the lead track “Fire Away”, featuring prominently in a Nescafe Canada advertising campaign.
Greece competes in the Eurovision first Semi-Final which airs on Tuesday 14th May at 8pm GMT.
She performs in the running order of 17 at slot number 16.
The Eurovision Song Contest Final is broadcast on Saturday 18th May at 8pm GMT.
For all of your Eurovision news on Greece, make sure you regularly check back to lgr.co.uk and tune into LGR to hear ‘Better Love’ this Eurovision season.
London Greek Radio wish Katerine and the Greek delegation the very best of luck in the competition.
Article written by Tony Neophytou
DODONI
London Greek Radio are delighted to welcome their newest sponsor to the LGR airwaves.
As of this Friday 19th May, iconic dairy brand DODONI will be sponsoring radio presenter Panagiotis Balalas during his Friday show, which airs every week between 6-8pm
DODONI S.A. was founded in 1963, counting 54 years of authentic tradition and history. The company based in Ioannina produces authentic, purely Greek dairy and cheese products, using 100% Greek cow’s, goat’s and sheep’s milk collected daily by an expanded network of 5,000 Greek producers, mainly active in the region of Epirus.
With more than 10,000 selling points in Greece and export activity in 43 countries, DODONI has 9 categories of dairy and cheese products and produces 80 distinct products. This truly authentic Greek brand is distinguished for its taste, quality and their 100% Greek identity.
Now DODONI will not only be known for their exceptional Feta cheese, but for their collaboration with our station to bring you the best Greek hits (as well as the best Greek cheeses).
We, Greeks, have many reasons to be proud of. One of them is our feta. A cheese so special and unique that has become famous all over the world.
If you are a fan of Feta (and frankly who isn’t) Dodoni explain why every cheese lover needs to give their brand of feta a try:
“DODONI feta, using exclusively 100% greek pasteurized goat’s and sheep’s milk, that arrives every day in our premises even from the most distant farms.
Dodoni Feta
DODONI feta, with its unique taste and nutrition value, has gained worldwide recognition for its high quality. That’s why it has won so many local and international awards, plus a place in tables around the world.”
For more information about DODONI and their products, visit their website dodoni.eu/en
If you love to cook with Feta, just as much as you love to eat it, then be sure to visit a special little corner of the DODONI website where they offer their unique cheese based recipes: Click here to visit their “brunch” section, which should be enough to whet the appetite and flare the creativity of any aspiring chefs.
Article written by London Greek Radio
