Jump to content

Greece in the Eurovision Song Contest 2014

This is a good article. Click here for more information.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Eurovision Song Contest 2014
Country Greece
National selection
Selection processEurosong 2014 – a MAD show
Selection date(s)11 March 2014
Selected artist(s)Freaky Fortune feat. RiskyKidd
Selected song"Rise Up"
Selected songwriter(s)
Finals performance
Semi-final resultQualified (7th, 74 points)
Final result20th, 35 points
Greece in the Eurovision Song Contest
◄2013 2014 2015►

Greece participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2014 with the song "Rise Up", written and performed by Freaky Fortune and featuring RiskyKidd. The Greek entry was selected through the four-participant national final, titled Eurosong 2014 – a MAD show, which was developed by interim Greek broadcaster Dimosia Tileorasi (DT) and organised and produced by the private music channel MAD TV.

To promote the entry, Freaky Fortune and RiskyKidd took part in events in Amsterdam and London and were interviewed by local media. Greece was drawn to compete in the second semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest, which took place on 8 May 2014. Performing during the show in position 13, "Rise Up" was announced among the top 10 entries of the second semi-final and therefore qualified to compete in the final. It was later revealed that Greece placed 7th out of the 18 participating countries in the semi-final with 74 points. At the final, held two days later, Greece performed in the 10th slot out of the 26 finalists and finished in 20th place with 35 points. This result matched Greece's 1998 entry as the nation's worst placement at the final of a contest.

Background

[edit]

Prior to the 2014 contest, Greece had participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 34 times since its first entry in 1974.[1] Prior to 2014, the nation had won the contest once, in 2005 with the song "My Number One" performed by Helena Paparizou, and placed third three times: in 2001 with the song "Die for You" performed by the duo Antique; in 2004 with "Shake It" performed by Sakis Rouvas; and in 2008 with "Secret Combination" performed by Kalomoira.[1] Greece had managed to qualify for the final every year since the introduction of semi-finals in 2004, and between 2004 and 2013, the nation achieved nine top ten placements.[1][2] Greece's least successful result was in 1998, when it placed 20th with the song "Mia krifi evaisthisia" by Thalassa, receiving only 12 points in total, all from Cyprus.[1][3]

Historically, the Greek national broadcaster and European Broadcasting Union (EBU) member, Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation (ERT), broadcast the event within Greece and organised the selection process for the nation's entry.[4][5][6] However, in August 2013, the Greek government shut down the radio and television services of ERT, leaving Greece's future contest participation in question.[7][8][9] The EBU allowed the nation to participate in the 2014 contest using the temporary channel Dimosia Tileorasi (DT), which applied for participation on 23 November 2013 and took on the task of organising the selection process for the nation's representative.[10][11] DT then partnered with the private music channel MAD TV to select the entry.[12][13] On 4 May 2014, two days prior to the contest's first semi-final, the new Greek public broadcaster, New Hellenic Radio, Internet and Television (NERIT), was launched.[14] Though not yet an Active Member of the EBU at the time, NERIT was allowed to bring Greece to the contest based on an exception granted by the EBU.[15]

Before Eurovision

[edit]

Eurosong 2014 – a MAD show

[edit]
The Eurosong 2014 logo.

Eurosong 2014 – a MAD show was the Greek national final developed by DT to select the Greek entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2014.[12] Organized and produced by private music channel MAD TV, the competition took place on 11 March 2014 at the Acro Music Hall in Athens and was hosted by Despina Vandi and Giorgos Kapoutzidis.[13] The show was televised on DT as well as online via the DT website hprt.gr and the official Eurovision Song Contest website eurovision.tv.[16] The national final simultaneously celebrated the 40th anniversary of the first Greek participation in the Eurovision Song Contest.[17][18]

Competing entries

[edit]

Four artists, all signed to the record label Panik Records or its imprint Platinum Records, were invited by DT to participate in the national final. The four acts (Crystallia, Freaky Fortune featuring RiskyKidd, Kostas Martakis, and Mark F. Angelo featuring Josephine) were announced on 11 February 2014.[19] Preview videos of the competing songs were presented on 5 March 2014 during a public news program on DT.[17][20]

Competing entries[17]
Artist Song Songwriter(s)
Crystallia "Petalouda stin Athina" (Πεταλούδα στην Αθήνα) Nikos Antypas, Aris Davarakis
Freaky Fortune feat. RiskyKidd "Rise Up" Nick Raptakis, Theofilos Pouzbouris, Shane Schuller
Kostas Martakis "Kanenas de me stamata" (Κανένας δε με σταματά) Elias Kozas
Mark F. Angelo feat. Josephine "Dancing Night" Aggelos Makris, Thomas Karlsson, Fast Lane, Josephine Wendel, Melina Makris

Final

[edit]

The final took place on 11 March 2014. The four songs competed and the winner, "Rise Up" performed by Freaky Fortune and featuring RiskyKidd, was selected by a 50-50 combination of public voting and jury voting. The jury consisted of the producer Dimitris Kontopoulos, the singer Elpida, the television producer and radio host Themis Georgantas, DT's Public Relations representative Areti Kalesaki, and MAD TV's Head of Public Relations Reggina Kouri.[21][22][23] The live performances for all four acts were directed by the choreographer Fokas Evangelinos.[24] The group Freaky Fortune consisted of Greeks Nikolas Raptakis and Theofilos Pouzbouris and the entry featured London-born rapper Shane Schuller, performing under the stage name RiskyKidd.[25]

In addition to the performances of the competing entries, the interval acts celebrated 40 years of Greece's participation in Eurovision, with performances by past representatives as duets with other Greek singers. The entrants from 1977, Paschalis Arvanitidis, Marianna Toli, Robert Williams, and Bessy Argyraki, were paired with Melisses, Elpida (1979) with Tamta, Sophia Vossou (1991) with Demy, Katy Garbi (1993) with Vegas, and Kalomira (2008) with Claydee.[21][23][24] Agathonas Iakovidis was also present and performed 2013's "Alcohol Is Free".[24]

Final – 11 March 2014[26]
Draw Artist Song Jury (%) Televote (%) Total (%) Place
1 Crystallia "Petalouda stin Athina" 12.35 9.72 22.07 3
2 Freaky Fortune feat. RiskyKidd "Rise Up" 14.51 22.33 36.83 1
3 Kostas Martakis "Kanenas de me stamata" 13.89 14.20 28.09 2
4 Mark F. Angelo feat. Josephine "Dancing Night" 9.26 3.75 13.01 4

Promotion

[edit]
Freaky Fortune and RiskyKidd at a meet and greet event in April 2014.
Freaky Fortune (right) and RiskyKidd (left) at a meet and greet event in April 2014.

To promote the entry, Freaky Fortune and Riskykidd appeared on 5 April 2014 in the sixth annual Eurovision in Concert series, an event held at the club Melkweg in Amsterdam, Netherlands, that was staged to serve as a preview party for the year's entries.[27][28] Later that month on 13 April, they attended and performed at the London Eurovision Party.[29] The group also sought to promote themselves through social media, and had created a medley of Eurovision songs from between 2004 and 2013 that was well-received.[30] An acoustic version of their entry, with the subtitle "Summer Nostalgia Mix", was also released.[31][32] The end of April saw the group meeting with Ukraine's 2014 entrant Mariya Yaremchuk in Athens where they met with the press together and were interviewed by Alpha TV.[33]

At Eurovision

[edit]
Freaky Fortune and RiskyKidd presenting themselves during the Eurovision Song Contest 2014.

The Eurovision Song Contest 2014 took place at B&W Hallerne in Copenhagen, Denmark. It consisted of two semi-finals held on 6 and 8 May, respectively, and the final on 10 May 2014.[34] According to the Eurovision rules, all participating countries, except the host nation and the "Big Five", consisting of France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK, were required to qualify from one of the two semi-finals to compete for the final; the top 10 countries from each semi-final would proceed to the final.[35] The EBU split up the competing countries into six different pots based on voting patterns from the previous nine contests.[36] On 20 January 2014, an allocation draw was held at Copenhagen City Hall that placed each country into one of the two semi-finals, with Greece being placed into the second half of the second semi-final, to take place on 8 May.[37][38]

Once all of the competing songs for the Eurovision Song Contest 2014 had been released, the running order for the semi-finals was decided by the producers of the event rather than through another draw.[39] On 24 March, the running order was published, with Greece assigned position 12, following Switzerland and preceding Slovenia.[39] Maria Kozakou and Giorgos Kapoutzidis provided commentary for the television broadcasts.[40] About 2.1 million people watched the final of the contest in Greece, which represented 55.7% of the viewing public. This marked an 11.2% decrease in market share compared to the previous year.[41]

Performances

[edit]
Freaky Fortune and Riskykidd at the second semi-final dress rehearsal.

Freaky Fortune and Riskykidd took part in technical rehearsals on 30 April and 3 May, followed by dress rehearsals on 7 and 8 May.[42] This included the jury final on 7 May, where the professional juries of each country, responsible for 50 percent of each country's vote, watched and voted on the competing entries.[43]

The Greek performance was choreographed by George Papadopoulos, who had previously danced in two prior Greek Eurovision acts himself (2009 and 2012).[32] The performance started with backing dancer Arthour Geremyan in white on a trampoline in the background with Raptakis and Pouzbouris and Riskykidd in the foreground, dressed in black with white shirts underneath. The background of the stage consisted of a large LED screen showing white and blue, representing the colors of Greece.[44][45][46] Towards the end of the song, both Raptakis and Riskykidd joined Geremyan on the trampoline and finished the song while jumping to the chorus line "Rise Up". In an interview following the semi-final, the act revealed that they spent two to three months rehearsing and practicing for the performance, trying to not lose their breath while jumping.[47][48]

At the end of the 8 May second semi-final, the performance had placed seventh with 74 points and Greece was announced as a qualifier to compete in the 10 May final, two days later.[49] During the winner's press conference for the qualifiers, Greece was allocated to compete in the first half of the final.[50] Following a repeat performance, "Rise Up" ultimately placed 20th with 35 points, which equaled Greece's worst-ever placing in the final of the contest.[1][51] Following the event, Freaky Fortune and RiskyKidd were interviewed by the press and spoke about their experience at the contest where they stated that they did not expect to place 20th.[52] They added that they expected something better based on the positive reception their entry had received leading up to the event.[53]

Voting

[edit]

Voting during the three shows involved each country awarded 1–8, 10, and 12 points as determined by a combination of 50% national jury and 50% televoting. Each nation's jury consisted of five music industry professionals who were citizens of the country they represented. This jury judged each entry based on vocal capacity; the stage performance; the song's composition and originality; and the overall impression by the act. In addition, no member of a national jury was permitted to be related in any way to any of the competing acts in such a way that they could not vote impartially and independently.[35] In the second semi-final, Greece placed seventh with 74 points, which included the top 12 points from Belarus.[54] In the final, Greece placed 20th with 35 points, with its highest points awarded being seven by Armenia. The nation awarded its 12 points to eventual contest winner Austria in both the second semi-final and final.[55] Andrianna Maggania was the Greek spokesperson who announced the country's voting results during the shows.[56] The tables below visualise a complete breakdown of points awarded to Greece in both the second semi-final and the final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2014, as well as by the country on both occasions.

Points awarded to Greece

[edit]

Points awarded by Greece

[edit]

Detailed voting results

[edit]

The following members comprised the Greek jury:[57]

  • Vasilios Apergis (jury chairperson) – music producer
  • Konstantinos Pantzoglou – radio music producer, journalist
  • Rodanthi Papadea – lyricist
  • Aggelos Makris (Mark F. Angelo) – music producer, composer
  • Maria Sinatsaki [el] – DJ, television presenter
Detailed voting results from Greece (Semi-final 2)[58]
Draw Country V. Apergis K. Pantzoglou R. Papadea M. Angelo M. Sinatsaki Jury Rank Televote Rank Combined Rank Points
01  Malta 7 7 9 5 10 7 12 11
02  Israel 9 2 1 2 7 3 9 5 6
03  Norway 4 1 3 1 1 1 10 4 7
04  Georgia 13 8 13 8 8 12 4 10 1
05  Poland 14 14 10 3 3 9 6 8 3
06  Austria 1 4 6 6 2 2 1 1 12
07  Lithuania 8 13 12 12 14 13 13 14
08  Finland 3 3 5 11 12 6 8 7 4
09  Ireland 5 11 7 4 11 8 7 9 2
10  Belarus 10 6 4 7 4 4 5 3 8
11  Macedonia 2 10 14 13 6 11 14 13
12   Switzerland 12 9 8 10 5 10 3 6 5
13  Greece
14  Slovenia 11 12 11 14 13 14 11 12
15  Romania 6 5 2 9 9 5 2 2 10
Detailed voting results from Greece (Final)[59]
Draw Country V. Apergis K. Pantzoglou R. Papadea M. Angelo M. Sinatsaki Jury Rank Televote Rank Combined Rank Points
01  Ukraine 16 3 5 4 5 5 10 6 5
02  Belarus 7 16 8 10 8 10 12 11
03  Azerbaijan 13 9 6 6 9 6 25 17
04  Iceland 4 10 7 14 22 11 20 15
05  Norway 9 6 3 2 1 4 14 8 3
06  Romania 21 14 18 24 13 18 9 13
07  Armenia 17 13 15 8 6 12 1 4 7
08  Montenegro 14 23 24 13 24 21 21 24
09  Poland 25 15 23 15 7 17 5 10 1
10  Greece
11  Austria 1 2 4 5 3 1 2 1 12
12  Germany 11 19 20 12 18 16 24 22
13  Sweden 19 8 16 17 10 14 6 9 2
14  France 22 17 19 16 19 20 19 21
15  Russia 10 5 2 1 2 3 3 2 10
16  Italy 23 25 22 22 21 25 17 23
17  Slovenia 20 24 17 23 15 22 23 25
18  Finland 2 7 9 11 16 7 16 12
19  Spain 24 20 21 18 23 23 11 18
20   Switzerland 6 12 13 19 14 13 4 7 4
21  Hungary 5 1 11 20 11 8 7 5 6
22  Malta 8 11 10 7 12 9 22 16
23  Denmark 15 22 12 25 17 19 18 19
24  Netherlands 3 4 1 3 4 2 8 3 8
25  San Marino 18 21 25 21 25 24 15 20
26  United Kingdom 12 18 14 9 20 15 13 14

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d e "Countries – Greece". European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Archived from the original on 22 April 2020. Retrieved 18 January 2016.
  2. ^ Hondal, Victor (23 May 2012). "Analysis of the first semifinal". ESCToday. Retrieved 5 February 2021.
  3. ^ "Results of the Final of Birmingham 1998". European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Archived from the original on 13 April 2021. Retrieved 13 September 2022.
  4. ^ Paravantes, Maria (11 June 2005). "Joy In Greece Over Eurovision Win". Billboard. Vol. 117, no. 24. p. 17. Retrieved 16 January 2009 – via Google Books.
  5. ^ Floras, Stella (11 June 2013). "Greece shuts down public broadcaster ERT". ESCToday. Retrieved 13 September 2022.
  6. ^ "Eurovision 2010: Οι 10 ελληνικές υποψηφιότητες" (in Greek). Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation (ERT). 18 December 2009. Archived from the original on 11 February 2010. Retrieved 18 December 2009.
  7. ^ Floras, Stella (11 June 2013). "Greece shuts down public broadcaster ERT". ESCToday. Retrieved 16 September 2013.
  8. ^ Savaricas, Nathalie (11 July 2013). "Greece's state-run TV service resumes with a blast from the past". The Independent. Retrieved 18 January 2016.
  9. ^ "Greece's replacement public broadcaster launched". Deutsche Welle. 4 May 2014. Retrieved 18 January 2016.
  10. ^ Jiandani, Sanjay (13 November 2013). "Eurovision 2014: Greece will most likely be in Copenhagen". ESCToday. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
  11. ^ Jiandani, Sanjay (23 November 2013). "Eurovision 2014: Greece applies for participation". ESCToday. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
  12. ^ a b Weaver, Jessica (4 March 2014). "Greece: National final song titles revealed". ESCToday. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
  13. ^ a b Jiandani, Sanjay (28 February 2014). "Greece: National final on 11 March". ESCToday. Retrieved 12 March 2014.
  14. ^ Vranis, Michalis (4 May 2014). "Greece: Welcome NERIT, new state broadcaster is now on air". ESCToday. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
  15. ^ Siim, Jarmo (4 December 2014). "Greece joins Eurovision 2015". Eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Retrieved 17 November 2023.
  16. ^ Weaver, Jessica (11 March 2014). "Watch now: Greece to select their entry". ESCToday. Retrieved 5 September 2022.
  17. ^ a b c Roxburgh, Gordon (5 March 2014). "[Update] Songs in Greek EuroSong revealed". European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Retrieved 12 March 2014.
  18. ^ "Το "Τρελό Πεπρωμένο" των Freaky Fortune και Riskykidd". Proto Thema (in Greek). 16 March 2014. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
  19. ^ Juhász, Ervin (11 February 2014). "Greece: National final in March". escXtra.com. Retrieved 12 March 2014.
  20. ^ Xifaras, Billy (11 February 2014). "It's Official: Here Are The Four Eurovision Hopefuls In Greece". Wiwibloggs. Retrieved 11 February 2014.
  21. ^ a b Roxburgh, Gordon (11 March 2014). "Watch the Greek EuroSong tonight". European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Retrieved 12 March 2014.
  22. ^ Fisher, Luke (11 March 2014). "Greece: Jury for tonight's show". escXtra.com. Retrieved 12 March 2014.
  23. ^ a b "Freaky Fortune feat. Risky Kidd for Greece". European Broadcasting Union (EBU). 11 March 2014. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
  24. ^ a b c "Αυτά είναι τα υποψήφια τραγούδια για τη Eurovision (video)" (in Greek). Dimosia Tileorasi (DT). 5 March 2014. Archived from the original on 8 March 2014. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
  25. ^ "Freaky Fortune feat. RiskyKidd". European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Retrieved 10 July 2023.
  26. ^ Melvan, Mario (15 March 2014). "Greece: MAD publishes split jury-televote results". Wiwibloggs. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
  27. ^ Granger, Anthony (5 April 2014). "Tonight: Eurovision in Concert". Eurovoix. Archived from the original on 4 February 2021. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  28. ^ Oitmann, Pierre (31 January 2014). "Meidengroep Frizzle Sizzle terug voor eenmalig optreden" (in Dutch). DPG Media. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  29. ^ Adams, William Lee (16 April 2014). "WATCH: Freaky Fortune sing live at the London Eurovision Party". Wiwibloggs. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
  30. ^ Jiandani, Sanjay (16 April 2014). "Greece: Interview with Freaky Fortune & RiskyKidd". ESCToday. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
  31. ^ Lewis, Pete (19 April 2014). "Greece: Acoustic version of Rise up released". ESCToday. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
  32. ^ a b Xifaras, Billy (18 April 2014). "Freaky Fortune and Riskykidd reveal summer remix of Rise Up". Wiwibloggs. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
  33. ^ "Mariya Yaremchuk: 'I was always crazy about Eurovision'". European Broadcasting Union (EBU). 25 April 2014. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
  34. ^ "Eurovision Song Contest–Copenhagen 2014". European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Archived from the original on 18 May 2019. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  35. ^ a b "Rules of the 59th Eurovision Song Contest" (PDF). European Broadcasting Union (EBU). 20 September 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 September 2013. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
  36. ^ Siim, Jarmo (17 January 2014). "Slovenia joins Eurovision 2014, Semi-Final Allocation Draw on Monday". European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Archived from the original on 13 February 2014. Retrieved 25 November 2014.
  37. ^ "Allocation Draw results: Who's in which Semi-Final?". European Broadcasting Union (EBU). 20 January 2014. Archived from the original on 23 August 2019. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  38. ^ Stewart, Alex (23 January 2014). "Eurovision: Countdown to Copenhagen 2014 begins". ESCToday. Archived from the original on 4 February 2021. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
  39. ^ a b Siim, Jarmo (24 March 2014). "Running order for Eurovision Semi-Finals decided". European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Retrieved 1 February 2014.
  40. ^ Fotopoulos, Akis (12 February 2020). "Eurovision 2020: Καπουτζίδης – Κοζάκου ξανά στον σχολιασμό". Ethnos (in Greek). Retrieved 10 July 2023.
  41. ^ London, Stephane (15 May 2014). "Copenhagen 2014: First viewing figures revealed". ESCToday. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
  42. ^ Lewis, Pete (4 April 2014). "Eurovision 2014: rehearsal schedules released". ESCToday. pp. 1–8. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
  43. ^ Roxburgh, Gordon (7 May 2014). "Now the juries decide on the second Semi-Final". European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Archived from the original on 9 April 2015. Retrieved 25 November 2014.
  44. ^ "EΤΣΙ θα εμφανιστούν Freaky Fortune και Riskykidd στην Eurovision!" (in Greek). Star Channel. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
  45. ^ "Time for the Greeks to Rise Up in the air". European Broadcasting Union (EBU). 30 April 2014. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
  46. ^ Granger, Anthony (30 April 2014). "Greece: 'Rise Up' On A Trampoline". Eurovoix. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
  47. ^ "Risking their fortunes with a trampoline". European Broadcasting Union (EBU). 3 May 2014. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
  48. ^ "ΑΠΟΚΑΛΥΨΗ: εδώ και... δύο μήνες κάνουν τραμπολίνο Freaky Fortune και Riskykidd" (in Greek). Star Channel. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
  49. ^ "Second Semi-Final of Copenhagen 2014". European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Archived from the original on 4 May 2021. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
  50. ^ Brey, Marco (8 May 2014). "Second Semi-Final: The Winners' Press Conference". European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Retrieved 8 May 2014.
  51. ^ "Grand Final of Copenhagen 2014". European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Archived from the original on 4 May 2021. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
  52. ^ "Freaky Fortune και Riskykidd: Σε ποιον απ΄ όλους την έπεσαν οι Πολωνέζες στην Eurovision;" (in Greek). Star Channel. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
  53. ^ "Freaky Fortune – Riskykidd: «περιμέναμε κάτι πολύ διαφορετικό»" (in Greek). Star Channel. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
  54. ^ a b c "Results of the Second Semi-Final of Copenhagen 2014". European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Archived from the original on 4 May 2021. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
  55. ^ a b c "Results of the Grand Final of Copenhagen 2014". European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Archived from the original on 4 May 2021. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
  56. ^ Roxburgh, Gordon (10 May 2014). "'Good evening Copenhagen' – Voting order revealed". European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Archived from the original on 13 May 2014.
  57. ^ "Eurovision Song Contest Copenhagen 2014 Jury Members" (PDF). European Broadcasting Union (EBU). 7 May 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 June 2016. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
  58. ^ "Full Split Results | Second Semi-Final of Copenhagen 2014". European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Archived from the original on 14 May 2014. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
  59. ^ "Full Split Results | Grand Final of Copenhagen 2014". European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Archived from the original on 13 May 2014. Retrieved 4 May 2021.