Yesterday kicked off the Eurovision song contest in Rotterdam, which brought live performances back to the stage after a cancelled 2020 season.
The first semi-final saw Cyprus make its way through with Elena Tsagrinou and her song El Diablo.
The 26 year old soloist has been part of the music scene for quite some time, having previously been the lead singer of the Greek band OtherView.
Unfortunately Eurovision’s newest addition Australia did not make it through this year. Singer Montaigne is the first Australian entry to miss out on a grand final after five out of five successful appearances.
Cyprus qualified alongside Azerbaijan, Belgium, Israel, Lithuania, Malta, Norway, Russia, Sweden and Ukraine.
READ MORE: Stefania’s second Eurovision rehearsal keeps her up with favourites
Cyprus’ entry did not come without controversy, as the country’s influential Orthodox Church called for the song to be withdrawn calling it “blasphemous” for pertaining to “devil worship”, according to comments made to Reuters.
The Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation brushed off the criticism, explaining the song is about the battle between good and evil.
Greece is awaiting its turn, entering this year with 18-year-old Stefania singing Last Dance.
She is one of the youngest performers in the 2021 contest and grew up in this year’s host country.
You can watch her perform live for her spot in the grand final on SBS tomorrow morning at 5:00am AEST.