Greece didn’t have a very successful 2016 Eurovision campaign did they? It was the first time they failed to qualify for the Grand Final since the introduction of the semi finals. Sad as they definitely tried something new with Argo.
It has been reported that Greece will go back to a national final selection for their 2017 representative. The president of Greek broadcaster ERT, Dionisis Tsaknis, has revealed that no private broadcaster such as MAD TV (who organised the national final Eurosong in 2014 and 2015) will be used to host the national final this time.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8-zmrhyL2I
Speaking to music website, “mikrofwno.gr” the Head of press and communications for ERT has said:
“In ten days, we’ll have a full image of what we are going to do. We’re in the process of contacting many artists that have shown interest. We only decided that we are going to participate twenty days ago. So in the next days we will also decide how our act will be selected. There’ll probably be some candidates and a national selection show, as has happened for years.”
A spokesperson from the press office of ERT has also mentioned that the previous rumours of such artists like Demy, Eleni Foureira and duo Dimitris Kontopoulos – Fokas Evangelinos are just that – rumours, “the boundary between the desire and reality is huge”.
It has already been reported that former Greek winner, Helena Papariziou is interested in representing Greece again at Eurovision, and a return in 2017 will mark 12 years since she won the contest, also in Kyiv, Ukraine. Whether she would be involved in a Greek national selection remains to be seen, of course she is well rehearsed in national finals, last appearing in Sweden’s Melodifestivalen in 2014 with song “Survivor” where she finished 4th.
The last time that Greece held a national final, was in 2015 when they picked Maria Elena Kyriakou to go to Vienna with song “One Last Breathe”, and in a sea of ballads in the Austrian capital, failed to impress in the Grand Final finishing 19th with just 25 points, not even Cyprus, despite it being Maria Elena’s birth country, were as impressed as usual giving it only 8 points. Cue big gasps from the audience when Cyprus finally gave their 12 points to someone else, this time it was Italy.
In 2016, Greece were represented by Greek band, Argo (previously known as Europond) with song “Utopian Land”, which finished 16th with 44 points failing to qualify for the Grand Final – a first time for Greece.
Who would you like to see in a national final for Greece? Let us know in the comments below.