Armenia: Tamar Kaprelian joins forces with Elina, Elhaida, Maria-Elena and Stephanie!

Tamar Kaprelian from Genealogy has teamed up with Elina Born from Estonia, Elhaida Dani from Albania, Maria-Elena Kyriakou from Greece and Stephanie Topalian also from Armenia to collaborate on her new song. The Otherside was written by Tamar and Xandy Barry. It's an incredible piece. The video-clip is stunning. It's a story many of us can relate with. Their voices work wonderfully together.. Elhaida's part is my favourite though :-)What do you think? Listen below:

NuVidz: SEREBRO, Nargiz Zakirova, Elliphant, Tamta!

Summer is finally here (apparently) and SEREBRO's new song, Kiss, has the perfect summer vibe. I can imagine myself listening to this on a beach somewhere sipping Mojito.. Not their greatest effort but a cracking tune nethertheless. Staying in Russia, Nargiz Zakirova has released ТЫ-МОЯ НЕЖНОСТЬ. This tattooed beauty has to represent Russia in Eurovision! I adore her. Nargiz could easily win the contest I think, with the right song of course. Elliphant is a rather undiscovered talent it seems. I heard Love Me Badder on the radio a couple of weeks ago and was immediately hooked... Will she enter Melodifestivalen 2016? And finally, Tamta's new single! Unloved. She was supposed to enter the Greek national final however couldn't make up her mind as to what song to participate with, and subsequently Maria-Eleni Kyriakou took her place... The rest is history.

Vienna 2015: Semi final one rehearsed!

Is Polina our winner?

Unfortunately, this blogger isn't in Vienna although I have been paying close attention to the rehearsals. The 16 countries who will compete in the first semi final  have now all rehearsed and it seems Russia are the most popular. Polina looks stunning - the staging is amazing and damn, A Million Voices is a friggin' awesome song! I'm going to be so annoyed if she gets booed next week.....

Elhaida from Albania also rehearsed today and it's still looking like Albania might get their best placing ever. Georgia and Romania also look really promising. With regards to yesterday, I think Estonia and Armenia are looking the strongest. They'll both be in the final. Finland is so just bizarre and random that I'm actually liking it now. Are PKN going to make the final? Greece is also looking very strong - I just hope the song will be memorable enough... the overall reaction of Greece's rehearsal was very positive though.

Now everyone's talking about Trijntje's dress. My first reaction was huh? but hey, she looks gorgeous and she's confident in her own body - so that's all that matters. I'd take my hat of to her if I had one. The staging is apparently a bit random so there's some work to be done it seems... Why ay ay ay couldn't they keep it simple?

Belgium looked good but maybe there's too much happening? It might be messy. And I'm afraid Serbia won't be qualfirying. Maybe 15 years ago that song would've fared better. Or maybe not. So judging from the first rehearsals I think; Russia, Estonia and Georgia are the best. Georgia could be a dark horse. Love the eye!!! And maybe even Romania?! Voltaj were fab! The song has a message that'll touch a lot of people.  I hate to say it but Serbia really is looking awful.. Bojana is much better than the song. Hungary looks okay but the song? Me thinks viewers will fall asleep halfway through their performance. But we won't be failing asleep during Moldova! Whether you like Eduard's song or not, they're putting on one heck of a show! More to follow in the coming days....

Photos from Eurovision.tv

Greece: Listen to 'One Last Breath' in Greek!

Wow.. Maria-Eleni Kyriakou has released a Greek version of her Eurovision entry below. Fab! I wish she would sing this version in Vienna. Enjoy below :-)

REVIEWING THE CLASS OF 2015: GREECE!

Cypriot born and The Voice winner Maria-Eleni Kyriakou is representing Greece this year. Many reckon her song could put an end to Greece's 100% qualification record but what do we think?

Ana: Although she has an amazing voice, this is just one more beautiful woman singing one more ballad. Probably this won’t be enough to stand out. We hear this in Eurovision every year and it’s so classic and typical that it bores me. Anyway, if I’m objective I have to say that it isn't a bad song. 5/10

Ilkar: There are songs that you listen for three minutes and they are well sung, pretty and ok. Yet they move nothing in you, no emotion whatsover. They feel artificial and unoriginal. Not good nor bad. That leave you totally indifferent. A bit like eating at McDonalds. You fill your stomach for a moment but after awhile you don't even remember what you ate and was it good or bad. This song is like that. Where's the moussaka and tzatziki? 2.5/10

Jack: Greece's entry isn't among the favourites this year and I don't know why. Maria's vocals are incredible and it's a great song. Not amazing, but strong and the juries should love her. Like John says below, Greece are underrated this year... and I think that's a shame. I'm sure we'll see Greece in the final once again but then, who knows? A decent, honest effort and it would be a shame if she failed to qualify. 8/10

Jess: Maria has such a lovely voice and the song is so beautiful. Great job Greece! 7/10

John: Surprised by the underwhelming reaction to this year's Greek entry, I have liked and respected this song since first hearing it. Maria Elena has charm, presence, an emotive voice, a good song and just about every other ingredient that goes into making a winner. Somehow, I don't expect she will win but I would not be at all unhappy if she did! 8/10

OUR VERDICT - 30.5/50
OVERALL SCORE - 6.1/10

MARIA ELENA KIRIAKOU TO REPRESENT GREECE!

Maria-Eleni Kyriakou just won the Greek national. Awesome choice!!  It was a fantastic show. The biggest disappointment tonight was Shaya's vocals - they were not good at all so I'm not suprised she didn't win... Maria was amazing live though, and so was Thomai too. Do you think Greece picked the right song? Among the many guests, Helena Paparizou was there and performed her new song and Rise Like A Phoenix amazingly!

Giannis Karagiannis from Cyprus was there too...




Update - So Thomai Apergi & Legend came 2nd, Shaya 3rd, Barrice 4th and C:Real came last..

Review: Greece's 2015 national final!

Five songs will compete in the Greek national final tomorrow night so here's my review. The overall standard isn't great however I do love Shaya's song. It's fun, catchy and I hope she wins. My favourite for sure. I reckon she would stand out in Vienna - as we have so many mid-tempo ballads so far.. Another act that would stand out is Thomai Apergi & Legend. I know their song isn't to everyone's taste but I really like it. A winner? For some reason, I don't think so... Maria Elena Kiriakou won The Voice of Greece and she brings us a good old fashion power ballad. A strong contender for sure. I wish she was singing in Greek though.. I believe C:Real are very popular but I think their song won't be strong enough to win tomorrow. Barrice is my least favourite. His songs sounds dated and boring to me.. nothing exciting or interesting. If Greece sent him, it would be one of the weakest entries ever. So ideally I want Shaya however if I can't have her, then Maria Elena Kiriakou or Thomai Apergi & Legend would do nicely too. 

Phtograph - joinusoneurovision.blogspot.com

Greece: Participants revealed, final set for early March!

Five acts are in the running to represent Greece. The line-up for the national final has been revealed today and you can see who will participate below:

• Maria-Eleni Kyriakou
• Shaya
• C:Real
• Barrice
• Thomai Apergi & Legend

Maria-Eleni Kyriakou won the most recent edition of The Voice in Greece - and Thomai Apergi participated in the Greek selection a couple of years ago with this funky tune..

Songs to be revealed very soon - and the national final itself is set for the first week of March, an official date remains unknown.

Photograph - Gossip-tv

Greece: Eleni Foureira interested in Eurovision?

Eleni Foureira is considering entering the Greek national final, which is scheduled for late February apparnetly. Her record label has asked to compete and she's said:

We need to find the most appropriate song, finding the right setting, to make everything right and say “go”.

The 27 year-old came 2nd in Greece's national final back in 2010 with Manos Pyrovolakis. This was their song:

Introducing 2014: Greece!

The Greek national final was held on 11th March with four participants. The line-up was very strong... Crystallia was my favourite. A stunning ballad - and her live vocals were just amazing. A missed opportunity if you ask me. Anyway, Freaky Fortune feat. Riskykidd won with Rise Up. Which is not a bad choice. The song is energetic, fun and y'all can be sure everyone will be dancing to this in Copenhagen. It's much better than their entry last year anyway..

Freaky Fortune are a well known musical duo and Riskykidd is the rapper. I think Greece will probably make the top-ten in Copenhagen. And I would be happy to see Greece at the top of the leaderboard, it is really a great song. But there is one aspect of the song that I'm not too keen on and that's the rapping. But that's just personal opinion. Of-course some people love the rapping. A very respectable effort from Greece.

Greece: Freaky Fortune feat. Riskykidd are the winners!

Freaky Fortune feat. Riskykidd have won the Greek national final. I'm not disappointed as their song is incredibly catchy and fun! There were several interval/opening acts but it was to celebrate Greece's 40th anniversary. A number of popular Greek artists performed and it was really great. The show was brilliant and I'm satisfied with the outcome!

I'm pretty sure Greece will make the top ten this year... "Rise Up" is a bouncy number and I'm sure it'll get people moving in Copenhagen. My favourite was Crystallia, and her vocals were amazing, unlike Josephine's. #OUCH! If the Greek broadcaster publish the full results - I'll update this post. But for now.. RISE UP!

Greece: National final tonight!

The Greek entry will be chosen tonight. There are four acts in the running and one will indeed represent Greece in Copenhagen. My favourite is Crystallia and I also like Freaky Fortune feat. Riskykidd. Kostas Martakis seems to be very popular in Greece however I don't think his song is strong enough - it seems to be rather boring and it doesn't really go anywhere... Despina Vandi and Giorgos Kapoutzidis will host the event and it's expected to start at 20:00 CET. You can watch the show here.

• Freaky Fortune feat. Riskykidd – Rise up
• Mark Angelo feat. Josephine – Dancing night
• Krystallia – Petalouda stin Athina 
• Kostas Martakis – Kanenas de me stamata 

Greece: Listen to the songs here!

Four acts are in the running to represent Greece and you can listen to the competing entries here. A very nice line-up but nothing really stands out for me. The fan favourite appears to be Freaky Fortune but I prefer Krystallia.

These are the acts that will compete in next week's final:

• Kostas Martakis – Kanenas de me stamata (No one can stop me)
• Freaky Fortune feat. Riskykidd – Rise up
• Mark Angelo feat. Josephine – Dancing night
• Krystallia – Petalouda stin Athina (Butterfly in Athens

Greece: Four finalists announced, final in March!

Greece is the latest country to release their selection details. Four artists have been chosen to compete in the national final - which is due to be held on either 4th or 5th March. The official date and venue of the national final will be announced soon. 

These are that acts that hope to fly the Greek flag in Copenhagen:

• Freaky Fortune
• Josephine
• Crystallia
• Kostas Martakis

The songs are due to be released at the end of February.