Greece in the Eurovision Song Contest 2008
Encyclopedia
Greece entered the Eurovision Song Contest 2008
with the song "Secret Combination
", written by Konstantinos Pantzis with lyrics by Poseidonas Giannopoulos. The song was performed by Kalomoira, an American singer of Greek descent who had previously won a Greek talent show. In February 2008, as part of the selection process organized by the Greek national broadcaster Ellinikí Radiofonía Tileórasi
(ERT), three competing artists—Chrispa
, Kostas Martakis
, and Kalomoira—performed their prospective entries live during a televised broadcast watched by nearly two million viewers. "Secret Combination" was selected to represent Greece at the Eurovision Song Contest
by a combination of a public televote and panel of judges.
Following a promotional tour of many European cities, "Secret Combination" came first in the first of the Eurovision semi-finals at Belgrade in May, and was seen as a possible competition winner. In Greece's twenty-ninth Eurovision appearance
on May 24, "Secret Combination" initially led the voting with full marks from six countries. However, the song ultimately finished third, behind Russia and Ukraine. Greece had previously won the competition in 2005.
After the show, the song went on to chart in several European countries, reaching number one
in Greece and Cyprus. Kalomoira, citing differences with her record label, briefly moved to the United States before returning to Greece in January 2009; she regards her Eurovision performance as a pivotal moment in her career, and stated in an interview that her desire was for the people of Greece to be proud of her performance, regardless of the competition's outcome.
with the song "My Number One
" performed by Elena Paparizou
, and being placed third twice: in 2001 with the song "Die for You" performed by the duo Antique
and in 2004 with "Shake It
" performed by Sakis Rouvas
. Following the introduction of semi-finals for the 2004 contest
, Greece has had a top ten placing each year. Greece's least successful result was in 1998 when it placed twentieth with the song "Mia Krifi Evesthisia
" by Thalassa
, receiving only twelve points in total, all from Cyprus.
The Greek national broadcaster, Ellinikí Radiofonía Tileórasi
(ERT) broadcasts the event in Greece each year and organizes the selection process for its entry. From 2004 to 2006, ERT had selected high-profile artists internally and set up national finals to choose the song, while in 2007
it held a televised national final to choose both the song and performer. For the 2008 Eurovision Song Contest, ERT decided again to hold a televised national final after failing to secure a big name artist: ERT officials had approached Elli Kokkinou
to represent Greece, but she declined the offer as she was pregnant.
, and Chrispa
; all of them young performers and mainly new to the Greek music scene. Greek singers Martakis and Chrispa, though young and fairly new, had album releases at the time of the contest. Kostas Martakis had emerged from the reality talent show Dream Show in 2006, releasing the album Anatropi (Reversal) in 2007 which reached #9 in the Greek chart. Chrispa started her musical career in 2003 and had released four studio albums. Kalomoira, born in the United States
but of Greek descent, had gained popularity in Greece after winning the Greek talent show Fame Story
in 2004. Before her Eurovision appearance, she had released three studio albums, the first of which was certified gold.
The participants' songs had to be submitted to ERT by January 25, 2008 in order to be accepted. On February 3, 2008, Kalomoira and Kostas Martakis' songs for the national final were leaked via the internet, three days before ERT set release date before a press conference on February 6, 2008. At the February 6 press conference at the Athens Hilton Hotel, ERT officially revealed the songs to the media and public as well as more details about the national final. The national final would take place on February 27, 2008 at the Athinon Arena with the winner being chosen via 60% Televoting
/SMS Messaging and 40% internal jury.
Chrispa
's record label, Minos EMI
, chose a song composed by Marios Psimopoulos with lyrics by Antonis Papas. Antonis Papas had previously written lyrics for Elina Konstantopoulou
's "Pia Prosefhi
" in 1995 and Antique
's Die for You in 2001
which both represented Greece
. The provisional title of the song was "SOS for Love", but it was later changed to "A Chance to Love
". The song has an ethnic style, described as a "Dance Oriental", with lyrics in both Greek
and English.
Kostas Martakis
and his record label, Sony BMG Greece, chose "Always and Forever", a song by Dimitris Kontopoulos
with lyrics by Vicky Gerothodorou. Kontopoulos is known for his dance pop songs and had previously submitted songs to past national finals including "Welcome To The Party" for Anna Vissi
in 2006. The song was originally presented at the ERT press conference in its original form as a pop song with a rock feel to it, but for the national final he sang a dance version of it.
Kalomoira, and her record company Heaven Music
, had several submissions, from which they chose "Secret Combination", an upbeat R&B song composed by Konstantinos Pantzis with lyrics by Poseidonas Giannopoulos. Though the song had an American production style, it did contain some Greek musical elements, such as the use of a darbuka (Greek hand drum) with a western rhythm. Giannopoulos also wrote lyrics for "Comme Ci, Comme Ça
" (Cyprus
's Eurovision song in 2007), while Pantzis has written over 300 songs, some of which have been featured on over 17 platinum and 25 gold certified albums.
at the Athinon Arena on a stage that was slightly bigger than the previous year's. Kalomoira, Kostas Martakis, and Chrispa each sang their chosen song live; the winner was selected via 60% Televoting/SMS Messaging and 40% internal jury. The president of the jury, which included Christos Dantis
, ERT executive Johnny Kalimeris, Mr. Gontakas and Mr. Andrikakis (representatives from ERT's TV and Radio divisions), was singer Mimis Plessas
. The show was hosted by the two Maggira sisters
, known also as actresses and comedy singers in Greece. As in the previous year's show, additional entertainment by participants from other countries in the Eurovision Song Contest was featured. The international participants included Rebeka Dremelj
from Slovenia
, Nico & Vlad Miriţă
from Romania
, Elnur Hüseynov
and Samir Javadzadeh
from Azerbaijan
, and Evdokia Kadi
from Cyprus
. Sarbel
, Greece's 2007 entrant, also performed his entry "Yassou Maria
" as well as the previously unheard single "Eho Trelathi". The national final was streamed live on New Hellenic Television (NET)
, ERT World, and the official websites of ERT and the Eurovision Song Contest. The whole show had a Las Vegas show girl theme.
Despite a few small faults in the program, the production ran more smoothly than in 2007
. It lasted about two and a half hours and ERT's broadcast topped the programs aired on February 27 by 45.9% according to AGB Hellas; it is estimated that 1.9 million viewers watched the show. Kalomoira was the overall winner, coming first in the televoting, and second in the jury vote.
Before her appearance at the contest, Kalomoira went on a promotional tour, singing "Secret Combination" in several Eurovision countries. The first stop was Azerbaijan on March 22, 2008, where she made guest appearances on many major television and radio programs; staying until March 26. On March 27, Kalomoira arrived in Romania for a three day stay, where she again appeared on television and gave interviews. After a brief break, she traveled to Turkey, arriving on April 10, where she posed for pictures, gave interviews to the local media, and went shopping through the Grand Bazaar
along with Turkish media. She also met with Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople
, who wished her success and presented her with a medallion. By April 17, Kalomoira had reached Bosnia and Herzegovina; in addition to hosting a show on PINK TV, she appeared on television shows, gave many interviews, and met with Elvir Laković Laka and his sister Mirella, Bosnia and Herzegovina's entrants in the contest. Kalomoira then went to Belgrade, Serbia, where she was a guest star on a morning television show, performed "Secret Combination" live on Radio Television of Serbia
, and had an interview with FOX TV. She spent one day in Belgrade and returned to Greece to conclude her tour.
, it had to compete in a semi-final for the first time since 2004 because of new rules put into effect by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU)
. In previous years, countries that received a top 10 placing were automatically granted a spot in the next year's final with out having to compete in a semi-final, but for 2008, the EBU changed the automatic qualification regulations so that all countries except the "Big 4" (France, Germany, Spain, and the United Kingdom) and host country, would have to pass through one of two semi-finals. The EBU split up countries with a friendly voting history into separate semi-finals, to give a better chance for other countries to win. Greece and Cyprus had often been accused of favoring each other, with each awarding the other the maximum number of points (twelve) at the previous contest
. On January 28, 2008, the EBU held a special draw which determined that Greece would be in Semi-final 1 held on May 20, 2008 in Belgrade
, Serbia
; Cyprus was subsequently placed in the second semi-final.
The Maggira Sisters were the commentators for both the semi-final and final while Alexis Kostalas was the Greek jury spokesperson.
Kalomoira presented "Secret Combination" nineteenth (last) in the first semi-final on May 20, 2008. In March 2008, Konstantinos Pantzis, the composer, announced that there would be a few tweaks to the song for its appearance at Eurovision. The changes included a new beat to the introduction and a few changes to the chorus. ERT announced that this new version would be presented to the EBU as the official version of the song.
The stage show included new choreography, as well as Victoria Halkiti and Nektarios Georgiadis as backing vocalists. Kalomoira started off the show sitting on a diamond sequenced bench held up by her dancers. She then got down and started a dance routine with complex choreography. There was also a large purple book on stage that opened up as a heart shaped pop-up book
that Kalomoira stepped out of when she sang the lyrics "an open book". In time with the book opening, Kalomoira removed her pink dress revealing a pink and silver mini-dress underneath. Toward the middle of the song during the break
, the cameras cut to Kalomoira who was doing a provocative dance; shaking her whole body. At the end of the song, she was slightly lifted up by her dancers. The background image on stage was a skyline
of buildings that moved with glowing lights. She wore clothes exclusively by JLO
and managed to finish in first place out of nineteen countries, receiving 156 points.
During a press conference in Athens after the final, Kalomoira said that "it was an honor... to represent Greece in this contest" and thanked Greece because they supported her from the first moment she said she would compete. However, she reported later that she had returned to the United States because she felt mistreated by her record label and was not paid for several arrangements she had made with Heaven during her stay in Belgrade and had to pay for many things herself. In an interview with Downtown Magazine, Kalomoira's father stated that she was treated "like dirt" by Heaven Music and that she may or may not continue her singing career, but that it was up to her. In response, Makis Pounetzis, the new CEO of Heaven Music, claimed that he was "surprised" by Kalomoira's remarks and couldn't offer an explanation, though he did say that her contract would be honored should she choose to go back and sing again. Kalomoira returned to Greece in January 2009, and in an interview with Eleni Menegaki
, she said that her Eurovision participation was the biggest thing that she has done in her career, and that it was also one of the most personal events in her life that will always be remembered with good memories. When asked if she expected to do so well in the competition, she stated that she had always wanted to do well, but above all she wanted the Greek people to be proud of the performance regardless of how well it did. In the same interview, host Eleni Menegaki stated that many, including herself, viewed Eurovision as a defining point in Kalomoira's career to date: her mature professional performance distanced her from the innocent little girl image associated with her participation in Fame Story
.
Eurovision Song Contest 2008
The Eurovision Song Contest 2008 was the 53rd edition of the Contest. It was hosted in Belgrade, Serbia after Marija Šerifović won the 2007 Contest in Helsinki, Finland. This year was the first contest to have two semi-finals which were held on 20 and 22 May, and the final held on 24 May 2008...
with the song "Secret Combination
Secret Combination (song)
"Secret Combination" is a song and CD single by Greek singer Kalomira. It was Greece's entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 2008 and the first single released from Kalomira's fourth studio album titled Secret Combination the Album. It earned third place in the Eurovision final, finishing behind...
", written by Konstantinos Pantzis with lyrics by Poseidonas Giannopoulos. The song was performed by Kalomoira, an American singer of Greek descent who had previously won a Greek talent show. In February 2008, as part of the selection process organized by the Greek national broadcaster Ellinikí Radiofonía Tileórasi
Elliniki Radiofonia Tileorasi
The Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation is the Greek state-owned public radio and television broadcasting corporation. It is a member of EBU.Since 70's ERT is part of the Eurovision Song Contest, organized by EBU...
(ERT), three competing artists—Chrispa
Chrispa
-Early life:Chrispa was born Chrisanthi-Pagona Pitropoulou in Athens, Greece on December 7, 1982. At the age of five, she moved to Pireus, Greece where she began to experiment with music and dance. Originally, she had no dream to become a singer and loved ballet...
, Kostas Martakis
Kostas Martakis
Konstantinos "Kostas" Martakis is a Greek singer, who rose to fame after appearing on Greek talent show Dream Show aired by Alpha TV in 2006. Following his participation, he went on to release three studio albums and also participated in the Greek national final for the Eurovision Song Contest 2008...
, and Kalomoira—performed their prospective entries live during a televised broadcast watched by nearly two million viewers. "Secret Combination" was selected to represent Greece at the Eurovision Song Contest
Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual competition held among active member countries of the European Broadcasting Union .Each member country submits a song to be performed on live television and then casts votes for the other countries' songs to determine the most popular song in the competition...
by a combination of a public televote and panel of judges.
Following a promotional tour of many European cities, "Secret Combination" came first in the first of the Eurovision semi-finals at Belgrade in May, and was seen as a possible competition winner. In Greece's twenty-ninth Eurovision appearance
Greece in the Eurovision Song Contest
Greece has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 32 times since 1974, with the exception of 1975, 1982, 1984, 1986, 1999 and 2000. Greece won for the first time in 2005 with "My Number One" song by Elena Paparizou. Following the introduction of a semi-final round for the 2004 contest, Greece...
on May 24, "Secret Combination" initially led the voting with full marks from six countries. However, the song ultimately finished third, behind Russia and Ukraine. Greece had previously won the competition in 2005.
After the show, the song went on to chart in several European countries, reaching number one
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
in Greece and Cyprus. Kalomoira, citing differences with her record label, briefly moved to the United States before returning to Greece in January 2009; she regards her Eurovision performance as a pivotal moment in her career, and stated in an interview that her desire was for the people of Greece to be proud of her performance, regardless of the competition's outcome.
Background
Prior to the 2008 Contest, Greece had participated in the Eurovision Song Contest twenty-eight times since its first entry in 1974, winning it in 2005Eurovision Song Contest 2005
The Eurovision Song Contest 2005 was the 50th Eurovision Song Contest, which was held at the Palace of Sports, Kiev, Ukraine. The winner was Greece's My Number One, written by Christos Dantis and Natalia Germanou and performed by Swedish-born Greek singer Elena Paparizou, who scored 230 points,...
with the song "My Number One
My Number One
As Greece had finished the 2004 Eurovision Song Contest in third place, the song was pre-qualified for the final in 2005. Thus, it was performed nineteenth on the night, following Croatia's Boris Novković and Lado with "Vukovi umiru sami" and preceding Russia's Natalia Podolskaya with "Nobody Hurt...
" performed by Elena Paparizou
Elena Paparizou
Eleni "Elena" Paparizou , usually referred to abroad as Helena Paparizou, is a Greek-Swedish singer and occasional songwriter, who was born and raised in Sweden by Greek parents. She began her career there in 1999 as a member of the duo Antique, while she also worked briefly as a model for a...
, and being placed third twice: in 2001 with the song "Die for You" performed by the duo Antique
Antique (duo)
Antique was a Greek singing duo consisting of Elena Paparizou and Nikos Panagiotidis originating from Sweden which combined Greek popular music and lyrics with a Nordic dance pop beat. Both Paparizou and Panagiotidis were born and raised in Sweden by Greek parents...
and in 2004 with "Shake It
Shake It (Sakis Rouvas song)
"Shake It" is an English language song by Greek singer Sakis Rouvas and was the Greek entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 2004. The song is an up-tempo number, with Rouvas telling his lover that "I would trade my life for a night with you" and asking the lover to "shake it" for him...
" performed by Sakis Rouvas
Sakis Rouvas
Anastasios "Sakis" Rouvas II , often referred to mononymously as Sakis, is a Greek musician, television and film artist, businessman, and former pole vaulter who is one of the most successful and influential entertainers of all time in Greece and Cyprus...
. Following the introduction of semi-finals for the 2004 contest
Eurovision Song Contest 2004
The Eurovision Song Contest 2004, was the 49th Contest and it was held in the Abdi İpekçi Arena in Istanbul, Turkey. This was the first occasion in which the contest was held in Turkey after they had won the competition in 2003 with Sertab Erener singing "Everyway That I Can"...
, Greece has had a top ten placing each year. Greece's least successful result was in 1998 when it placed twentieth with the song "Mia Krifi Evesthisia
Mia Krifi Evesthisia
Mia Krifi Evesthisia was the Greek entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1998, performed in Greek by Thalassa....
" by Thalassa
Thalassa
Thalassa may refer to:* Thalassa , a primordial Greek sea goddess* Thalassa , a moon of the planet Neptune* Thalassa, a fictional planet in Arthur C...
, receiving only twelve points in total, all from Cyprus.
The Greek national broadcaster, Ellinikí Radiofonía Tileórasi
Elliniki Radiofonia Tileorasi
The Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation is the Greek state-owned public radio and television broadcasting corporation. It is a member of EBU.Since 70's ERT is part of the Eurovision Song Contest, organized by EBU...
(ERT) broadcasts the event in Greece each year and organizes the selection process for its entry. From 2004 to 2006, ERT had selected high-profile artists internally and set up national finals to choose the song, while in 2007
Greece in the Eurovision Song Contest 2007
Greece and Ellinikí Radiofonía Tileórasi chose to hold a national final this year after efforts to find a big name artist for an internal selection failed. The artists involved were Sarbel, Christos Dantis, and Tamta. The national final took place February 28, 2007, and was called "Eurovision...
it held a televised national final to choose both the song and performer. For the 2008 Eurovision Song Contest, ERT decided again to hold a televised national final after failing to secure a big name artist: ERT officials had approached Elli Kokkinou
Elli Kokkinou
Elli Kokkinou is a Greek singer who was born in Athens, Greece. Kokkinou is among the most popular singers in Greece today. She has performed together with Greek music stars such as Anna Vissi, Glykeria, Paschalis Terzis, Sakis Rouvas, Tolis Voskopoulos, Thanos Petrelis, Natassa Theodoridou,...
to represent Greece, but she declined the offer as she was pregnant.
Selection procedure
On December 17, 2007, ERT officially announced the three participants for the Greek national final: Kalomoira, Kostas MartakisKostas Martakis
Konstantinos "Kostas" Martakis is a Greek singer, who rose to fame after appearing on Greek talent show Dream Show aired by Alpha TV in 2006. Following his participation, he went on to release three studio albums and also participated in the Greek national final for the Eurovision Song Contest 2008...
, and Chrispa
Chrispa
-Early life:Chrispa was born Chrisanthi-Pagona Pitropoulou in Athens, Greece on December 7, 1982. At the age of five, she moved to Pireus, Greece where she began to experiment with music and dance. Originally, she had no dream to become a singer and loved ballet...
; all of them young performers and mainly new to the Greek music scene. Greek singers Martakis and Chrispa, though young and fairly new, had album releases at the time of the contest. Kostas Martakis had emerged from the reality talent show Dream Show in 2006, releasing the album Anatropi (Reversal) in 2007 which reached #9 in the Greek chart. Chrispa started her musical career in 2003 and had released four studio albums. Kalomoira, born in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
but of Greek descent, had gained popularity in Greece after winning the Greek talent show Fame Story
Fame Story
Fame Story was a Greek reality TV show that was a licensed version of Endemol's Star Academy on the ANT1 network. It has been one of the most successful Greek TV shows over the last years. The contestants gave a weekly performance in a 2½–3 hour episode in which the contestants were judged...
in 2004. Before her Eurovision appearance, she had released three studio albums, the first of which was certified gold.
The participants' songs had to be submitted to ERT by January 25, 2008 in order to be accepted. On February 3, 2008, Kalomoira and Kostas Martakis' songs for the national final were leaked via the internet, three days before ERT set release date before a press conference on February 6, 2008. At the February 6 press conference at the Athens Hilton Hotel, ERT officially revealed the songs to the media and public as well as more details about the national final. The national final would take place on February 27, 2008 at the Athinon Arena with the winner being chosen via 60% Televoting
Televoting
Televoting, telephone voting or phone voting is a method of decision making and opinion polling conducted by telephone. Televoting can also extend to voting by SMS text message via a mobile cell phone.- Broadcast contest televoting :...
/SMS Messaging and 40% internal jury.
"A Chance to Love"
Chrispa
Chrispa
-Early life:Chrispa was born Chrisanthi-Pagona Pitropoulou in Athens, Greece on December 7, 1982. At the age of five, she moved to Pireus, Greece where she began to experiment with music and dance. Originally, she had no dream to become a singer and loved ballet...
's record label, Minos EMI
Minos EMI
Minos EMI is the domestic trade name of EMI Music Greece, a record company in Greece. It is the Greek record label division of the British-based, multinational EMI Group....
, chose a song composed by Marios Psimopoulos with lyrics by Antonis Papas. Antonis Papas had previously written lyrics for Elina Konstantopoulou
Elina Konstantopoulou
Maria-Elpida Konstantopoulou is a Greek singer, probably best known for representing Greece in the Eurovision Song Contest 1995.-Biography:...
's "Pia Prosefhi
Pia Prosefhi
"Pia Prosefhi" was the Greek entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1995, performed in Greek by Elina Konstantopoulou....
" in 1995 and Antique
Antique (duo)
Antique was a Greek singing duo consisting of Elena Paparizou and Nikos Panagiotidis originating from Sweden which combined Greek popular music and lyrics with a Nordic dance pop beat. Both Paparizou and Panagiotidis were born and raised in Sweden by Greek parents...
's Die for You in 2001
Greece in the Eurovision Song Contest 2001
Greece and Ellinikí Radiofonía Tileórasi chose to host a National Selection with the winner being chosen by televoting and an "expert" jury . Antique was chosen with "Die for You" and placed 3rd at Eurovision.-National final:...
which both represented Greece
Greece in the Eurovision Song Contest
Greece has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 32 times since 1974, with the exception of 1975, 1982, 1984, 1986, 1999 and 2000. Greece won for the first time in 2005 with "My Number One" song by Elena Paparizou. Following the introduction of a semi-final round for the 2004 contest, Greece...
. The provisional title of the song was "SOS for Love", but it was later changed to "A Chance to Love
A Chance to Love
"A Chance to Love" is a song and CD single by Greek singer Chrispa. It was Chrispa's entry in a race to be the Greek representative for the Eurovision Song Contest 2008.-About:...
". The song has an ethnic style, described as a "Dance Oriental", with lyrics in both Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
and English.
"Always and Forever"
Kostas Martakis
Kostas Martakis
Konstantinos "Kostas" Martakis is a Greek singer, who rose to fame after appearing on Greek talent show Dream Show aired by Alpha TV in 2006. Following his participation, he went on to release three studio albums and also participated in the Greek national final for the Eurovision Song Contest 2008...
and his record label, Sony BMG Greece, chose "Always and Forever", a song by Dimitris Kontopoulos
Dimitris Kontopoulos
Dimitris Kontopoulos is one of the most famous Greek music composers known for his dance-pop music.-Personal life:Dimitris Kontopoulos was born in Athens, Greece on November 9, 1971...
with lyrics by Vicky Gerothodorou. Kontopoulos is known for his dance pop songs and had previously submitted songs to past national finals including "Welcome To The Party" for Anna Vissi
Anna Vissi
Anna Vissi , known as Anna Vishy in Cypriot Greek, is a Greek-Cypriot recording artist and actress...
in 2006. The song was originally presented at the ERT press conference in its original form as a pop song with a rock feel to it, but for the national final he sang a dance version of it.
"Secret Combination"
Kalomoira, and her record company Heaven Music
Heaven Music
Heaven Music is an independent record label in Athens, Greece, founded in 2001 by ANT1 Group. It is known for signing new and young artists.-Overview:...
, had several submissions, from which they chose "Secret Combination", an upbeat R&B song composed by Konstantinos Pantzis with lyrics by Poseidonas Giannopoulos. Though the song had an American production style, it did contain some Greek musical elements, such as the use of a darbuka (Greek hand drum) with a western rhythm. Giannopoulos also wrote lyrics for "Comme Ci, Comme Ça
Comme Ci, Comme Ça
"Comme Ci, Comme Ça" was the Cypriot entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 2007, performed in French by Evridiki. The song was composed by Dimitris Korgialas and written by Poseidonas Giannopoulos...
" (Cyprus
Cyprus in the Eurovision Song Contest 2007
Cyprus and Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation chose Evridiki as the Eurovision Song Contest 2007 participant using an internal selection. The composer of the song is Dimitris Korgialas, with Posidonas Giannopoulos as the lyricist. The song is an Electro-pop dance song titled "Comme Ci, Comme Ça",...
's Eurovision song in 2007), while Pantzis has written over 300 songs, some of which have been featured on over 17 platinum and 25 gold certified albums.
Result
The national final took place on February 27, 2008 at 10PM CETCentral European Time
Central European Time , used in most parts of the European Union, is a standard time that is 1 hour ahead of Coordinated Universal Time . The time offset from UTC can be written as +01:00...
at the Athinon Arena on a stage that was slightly bigger than the previous year's. Kalomoira, Kostas Martakis, and Chrispa each sang their chosen song live; the winner was selected via 60% Televoting/SMS Messaging and 40% internal jury. The president of the jury, which included Christos Dantis
Christos Dantis
Christos Dantis , is a Greek singer, songwriter, and musician best known for his hits such as "To Palio Mou Palto" and "Ena Tragoudi Akoma" and later for composing and co-writing the song "My Number One" for Elena Paparizou, winning the Eurovision Song Contest 2005 for Greece.- Early music career...
, ERT executive Johnny Kalimeris, Mr. Gontakas and Mr. Andrikakis (representatives from ERT's TV and Radio divisions), was singer Mimis Plessas
Mimis Plessas
Mimis Plessas is one of the most significant modern Greek composers. He was born in Athens. In 1952 he started composing music and since then he has written music for over 100 Greek movies, Greek radio, theatre and TV...
. The show was hosted by the two Maggira sisters
Maggira Sisters
Betty and Mathildi Maggira also known as "The Maggira sisters" are two Greek television presenters, and a comedy act. They are known for hosting the Greek Eurovision Song Contest selections and also being the commentators at the Eurovision Song Contest for ERT, the Greek network broadcasting the...
, known also as actresses and comedy singers in Greece. As in the previous year's show, additional entertainment by participants from other countries in the Eurovision Song Contest was featured. The international participants included Rebeka Dremelj
Rebeka Dremelj
Rebeka Dremelj is a singer, model, fashion designer, actress and TV presenter...
from Slovenia
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
, Nico & Vlad Miriţă
Nico (Romanian singer)
Nicoleta Matei, known by her stage name Nico, is a Romanian singer. She represented Romania along with Vlad in the Eurovision Song Contest 2008.-Musical career:Nico started singing since she was a child...
from Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
, Elnur Hüseynov
Elnur Hüseynov
Elnur Hüseynov is an Azerbaijani pop singer.He was selected as Azerbaijan's representative to perform at the Eurovision Song Contest 2008....
and Samir Javadzadeh
Samir Javadzadeh
Samir Javadzadeh is an Azerbaijani pop singer. He was selected as the Azerbaijani representative to perform at the Eurovision Song Contest 2008....
from Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...
, and Evdokia Kadi
Evdokia Kadi
Evdokia Kadi is a Greek Cypriot singer who represented Cyprus at the Eurovision Song Contest 2008, with the song "Femme Fatale". She was eliminated in the second semi-final on May 22 and therefore did not make it to the final.She started her singing career in 2001 at the University of Cyprus...
from Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
. Sarbel
Sarbel
Sarbel Michael known professionally as Sarbel, is a Greek Cypriot pop singer of partial Cypriot and Lebanese ancestry. He is well known in Cyprus, Greece and parts of the Arab world for his debut single, "Se pira sovara", and his subsequent albums Parakseno sinesthima, Sahara and Kati san esena...
, Greece's 2007 entrant, also performed his entry "Yassou Maria
Yassou Maria
Yassou Maria is the song that was sung by Sarbel, who represented Greece in the Eurovision Song Contest 2007. It was released as a CD single on March 7, 2007. The title track is composed by Alex Papakonstantinou and Marcus Englöf with lyrics by "Mack"...
" as well as the previously unheard single "Eho Trelathi". The national final was streamed live on New Hellenic Television (NET)
New Hellenic Television
New Hellenic Television , branded as NET, is the second television network of the Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation , the public broadcaster of Greece. It is mainly a news and information channel that broadcasts daily newscasts with national and international news, documentaries, talkshows, current...
, ERT World, and the official websites of ERT and the Eurovision Song Contest. The whole show had a Las Vegas show girl theme.
Despite a few small faults in the program, the production ran more smoothly than in 2007
Greece in the Eurovision Song Contest 2007
Greece and Ellinikí Radiofonía Tileórasi chose to hold a national final this year after efforts to find a big name artist for an internal selection failed. The artists involved were Sarbel, Christos Dantis, and Tamta. The national final took place February 28, 2007, and was called "Eurovision...
. It lasted about two and a half hours and ERT's broadcast topped the programs aired on February 27 by 45.9% according to AGB Hellas; it is estimated that 1.9 million viewers watched the show. Kalomoira was the overall winner, coming first in the televoting, and second in the jury vote.
| Draw | Singer | Song | Composer - Lyricist | Percentage | Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chrispa Chrispa -Early life:Chrispa was born Chrisanthi-Pagona Pitropoulou in Athens, Greece on December 7, 1982. At the age of five, she moved to Pireus, Greece where she began to experiment with music and dance. Originally, she had no dream to become a singer and loved ballet... |
"A Chance to Love A Chance to Love "A Chance to Love" is a song and CD single by Greek singer Chrispa. It was Chrispa's entry in a race to be the Greek representative for the Eurovision Song Contest 2008.-About:... " |
Marios Psimopoulos - Antonis Papas | 15.9% | 3 |
| 2 | Kostas Martakis Kostas Martakis Konstantinos "Kostas" Martakis is a Greek singer, who rose to fame after appearing on Greek talent show Dream Show aired by Alpha TV in 2006. Following his participation, he went on to release three studio albums and also participated in the Greek national final for the Eurovision Song Contest 2008... |
"Always and Forever" | Dimitris Kontopoulos Dimitris Kontopoulos Dimitris Kontopoulos is one of the most famous Greek music composers known for his dance-pop music.-Personal life:Dimitris Kontopoulos was born in Athens, Greece on November 9, 1971... - Vicky Gerothodorou |
33.8% | 2 |
| 3 | Kalomoira | "Secret Combination Secret Combination (song) "Secret Combination" is a song and CD single by Greek singer Kalomira. It was Greece's entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 2008 and the first single released from Kalomira's fourth studio album titled Secret Combination the Album. It earned third place in the Eurovision final, finishing behind... " |
Konstantinos Pantzis - Poseidonas Giannopoulou | 50.3% | 1 |
Promotion
To promote "Secret Combination", a music video was officially released on March 14, 2008. It was shown exclusively on NET, but was available internationally through ERT World. The director was Kostas Kapetanidis, who had also directed the video of Helena Paparizou's 2005 winning entry.Before her appearance at the contest, Kalomoira went on a promotional tour, singing "Secret Combination" in several Eurovision countries. The first stop was Azerbaijan on March 22, 2008, where she made guest appearances on many major television and radio programs; staying until March 26. On March 27, Kalomoira arrived in Romania for a three day stay, where she again appeared on television and gave interviews. After a brief break, she traveled to Turkey, arriving on April 10, where she posed for pictures, gave interviews to the local media, and went shopping through the Grand Bazaar
Grand Bazaar, Istanbul
The Grand Bazaar in Istanbul is one of the largest and oldest covered markets in the world, with more than 58 covered streets and over 4,000 shops which attract between 250,000 and half a million visitors daily.- History :...
along with Turkish media. She also met with Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople
Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I is the Archbishop of Constantinople, New Rome and Ecumenical Patriarch, and thus "first among equals" in the Eastern Orthodox Communion, since 2 November 1991...
, who wished her success and presented her with a medallion. By April 17, Kalomoira had reached Bosnia and Herzegovina; in addition to hosting a show on PINK TV, she appeared on television shows, gave many interviews, and met with Elvir Laković Laka and his sister Mirella, Bosnia and Herzegovina's entrants in the contest. Kalomoira then went to Belgrade, Serbia, where she was a guest star on a morning television show, performed "Secret Combination" live on Radio Television of Serbia
Radio Television of Serbia
Radio Television of Serbia or Serbian Broadcasting Corporation is the public broadcaster in Serbia. It broadcasts and produces a variety of news, drama, and sports programming through radio, television and the Internet. RTS is, since July 2001, a member of the European Broadcasting Union. RTS is...
, and had an interview with FOX TV. She spent one day in Belgrade and returned to Greece to conclude her tour.
At Eurovision
Although Greece had been granted a spot in the 2008 final because of its seventh place finish at the Eurovision Song Contest 2007Eurovision Song Contest 2007
The Eurovision Song Contest 2007 was the 52nd edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It was won by first-time appearance as an independent country Serbia and was held at the Hartwall Areena in Helsinki, Finland from 10 May to 12 May. The host broadcaster was YLE.Finland earned the right to host...
, it had to compete in a semi-final for the first time since 2004 because of new rules put into effect by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU)
European Broadcasting Union
The European Broadcasting Union is a confederation of 74 broadcasting organisations from 56 countries, and 49 associate broadcasters from a further 25...
. In previous years, countries that received a top 10 placing were automatically granted a spot in the next year's final with out having to compete in a semi-final, but for 2008, the EBU changed the automatic qualification regulations so that all countries except the "Big 4" (France, Germany, Spain, and the United Kingdom) and host country, would have to pass through one of two semi-finals. The EBU split up countries with a friendly voting history into separate semi-finals, to give a better chance for other countries to win. Greece and Cyprus had often been accused of favoring each other, with each awarding the other the maximum number of points (twelve) at the previous contest
Eurovision Song Contest 2007
The Eurovision Song Contest 2007 was the 52nd edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It was won by first-time appearance as an independent country Serbia and was held at the Hartwall Areena in Helsinki, Finland from 10 May to 12 May. The host broadcaster was YLE.Finland earned the right to host...
. On January 28, 2008, the EBU held a special draw which determined that Greece would be in Semi-final 1 held on May 20, 2008 in Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
, Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
; Cyprus was subsequently placed in the second semi-final.
The Maggira Sisters were the commentators for both the semi-final and final while Alexis Kostalas was the Greek jury spokesperson.
Semi-final
The stage show included new choreography, as well as Victoria Halkiti and Nektarios Georgiadis as backing vocalists. Kalomoira started off the show sitting on a diamond sequenced bench held up by her dancers. She then got down and started a dance routine with complex choreography. There was also a large purple book on stage that opened up as a heart shaped pop-up book
Pop-up book
The term pop-up book is often applied to any three-dimensional or movable book, although properly the umbrella term movable book covers pop-ups, transformations, tunnel books, volvelles, flaps, pull-tabs, pop-outs, pull-downs, and more, each of which performs in a different manner...
that Kalomoira stepped out of when she sang the lyrics "an open book". In time with the book opening, Kalomoira removed her pink dress revealing a pink and silver mini-dress underneath. Toward the middle of the song during the break
Break (music)
In popular music, a break is an instrumental or percussion section or interlude during a song derived from or related to stop-time – being a "break" from the main parts of the song or piece....
, the cameras cut to Kalomoira who was doing a provocative dance; shaking her whole body. At the end of the song, she was slightly lifted up by her dancers. The background image on stage was a skyline
Skyline
A skyline is the overall or partial view of a city's tall buildings and structures consisting of many skyscrapers in front of the sky in the background. It can also be described as the artificial horizon that a city's overall structure creates. Skylines serve as a kind of fingerprint of a city, as...
of buildings that moved with glowing lights. She wore clothes exclusively by JLO
JLO by Jennifer Lopez
JLO by Jennifer Lopez is a lifestyle brand that incorporates every aspect of Jennifer Lopez's life. The line includes many different types of clothing for young and older women, including swimwear, fragrances, eyewear, jewelry, hats, gloves, and scarves, outerwear, handbags, lingerie, bed...
and managed to finish in first place out of nineteen countries, receiving 156 points.
Final
Kalomoira performed a repeat of her semi-final performance at the Eurovision Final on May 24, 2008. She was the twenty-first act out of twenty-five countries, after Azerbaijan and before Spain. Having led initially in the voting, Greece finished in third place behind Russia and Ukraine, receiving 218 points. Greece received 12 points, the maximum number of points a country can give to another country, from six countries. The broadcast received 93% ratings and was watched by over six million people in Greece.After Eurovision
"Secret Combination" became a successful hit throughout Europe, peaking at number one in Greece and Cyprus and charting in a number of other countries.During a press conference in Athens after the final, Kalomoira said that "it was an honor... to represent Greece in this contest" and thanked Greece because they supported her from the first moment she said she would compete. However, she reported later that she had returned to the United States because she felt mistreated by her record label and was not paid for several arrangements she had made with Heaven during her stay in Belgrade and had to pay for many things herself. In an interview with Downtown Magazine, Kalomoira's father stated that she was treated "like dirt" by Heaven Music and that she may or may not continue her singing career, but that it was up to her. In response, Makis Pounetzis, the new CEO of Heaven Music, claimed that he was "surprised" by Kalomoira's remarks and couldn't offer an explanation, though he did say that her contract would be honored should she choose to go back and sing again. Kalomoira returned to Greece in January 2009, and in an interview with Eleni Menegaki
Eleni Menegaki
Eleni Menegaki is a Greek film, television and stage actress and talk show presenter. In 2010, Forbes ranked Menegaki as the second most powerful and influential celebrity in Greece and top-ranked female.- 1...
, she said that her Eurovision participation was the biggest thing that she has done in her career, and that it was also one of the most personal events in her life that will always be remembered with good memories. When asked if she expected to do so well in the competition, she stated that she had always wanted to do well, but above all she wanted the Greek people to be proud of the performance regardless of how well it did. In the same interview, host Eleni Menegaki stated that many, including herself, viewed Eurovision as a defining point in Kalomoira's career to date: her mature professional performance distanced her from the innocent little girl image associated with her participation in Fame Story
Fame Story
Fame Story was a Greek reality TV show that was a licensed version of Endemol's Star Academy on the ANT1 network. It has been one of the most successful Greek TV shows over the last years. The contestants gave a weekly performance in a 2½–3 hour episode in which the contestants were judged...
.