Silia Kapsis is set to embark on one of the biggest moments of her nascent career as she represents Cyprus at Eurovision 2024 in less than a month’s time, all the while continuing her final year of study as a high school student.
Kapsis, a 17-year-old artist from Sydney, has had a meteoric rise in her short time working in entertainment, having already performed as an actor, dancer and released her own songs, with the greatest accomplishment yet being to represent Cyprus at this year’s Eurovision.
This mighty achievement no doubt came as a massive surprise for many, though there was one person in her life who predicted this would happen.
“I would watch Eurovision with my yiayia and pappou as a kid and I would stand by the tv and sing along, pretending that I was one of the performers,” Kapsis told Neos Kosmos.
“My yiayia would say ‘one day you will be on that stage performing’. Well, what do you know, I am here now, ready to take on the world’s largest stage.”
The Instagram message that began her Eurovision journey
The talented artist explained this opportunity came about quite suddenly after she followed Greek composer Dimitris Kontopoulos on Instagram last year, who then followed her back and messaged her asking if he could talk with her mother.
“Dimitris and his executive producer, Ilias Kokotos, spoke with my mum exploring the possibility of me representing Greece or Cyprus at the Eurovision Song Contest,” she said.
“That year, in June 2023, we were also scheduled to go to Greece, so it made sense to meet up with Dimitris and have a studio session and it all just started from there.”
It was announced a few months later that she was the official Cypriot entrant for Eurovision 2024, having been informed herself a few days prior to it being publicly announced, fulfilling a dream of hers to perform at the famous event she watched with her family as a child.
“The Eurovision slogan is ‘United by Music’ and to me that is exactly how I see it. It is a celebration of music, entertainment and culture,” said Kapsis, who has roots from Larnaca (her father) and Thessaloniki (her mother).
“It is a means of expressing my musical and performance talents to the world and a means of uniting Europe and countries beyond. Finally, it is a means of representing beautiful Cyprus and wanting to make not only Cyprus proud, but Greece and Australia too.”
The singer stated that the Eurovision experience has significantly boosted her connection with her Cypriot roots, particularly after filming the music video for her song ‘Liar’ in the country this past February.
“The last time I had visited Cyprus was when I was a baby and so when I arrived in Cyprus, it was quite an emotional feeling for me. It felt good to be there.”
She admitted that she was not afforded the chance to truly enjoy the country due to her packed schedule of interviews and filming, but her general opinion of the locals was very positive.
“I must say that the Cypriot people are so welcoming, generous and hospitable, especially my Cypriot Eurovision team, they are simply amazing. I call them my Cypriot Eurovision family.”
Kapsis is hoping to impress with the song ‘Liar’, written by Dimitris Kontopoulos and Elke Tiel, which is about the different forms of oppression and influences that social media can have on young people, sexuality and body shaming.
“The song is about how people are stuck in a fake world and the attempt to break free from all the stereotypes that confine them. The song brings the truth while leaving behind all the fakeness,” she said while remarking that she is “very proud” of the final product.
The Greek Cypriot Australian expressed her hope that the platform of Eurovision will help elevate her to the next step of her career while also serving as an inspiration for fellow youngsters to achieve their own goals and dreams.
“What I would hope for is that I leave a lasting impact on audiences all over the world. I want to feel that I have given it my all and that I have made everyone proud, including myself,” she said.
From energetic toddler to teenage star
Kapsis elaborated on how her interest in music and dancing started essentially from birth, remarking how she would perform for hours even as a toddler using a toy microphone and piano and imitating Whitney Houston.
“My mum could see that I loved the performing arts and so she took me to dance, singing and acting classes. I was just four-years-old and from then on it became a part of my life,” the artist said.
She has had extensive training to develop her skills with artists both in Australia and USA, currently attending Village Nation Performing Arts College in Sydney (her performing arts school).
This training has helped her put her foot in the door of the singing, dancing and acting fields.
This includes four released songs in addition to ‘Liar’, dancing practice in Los Angeles, as well as working on various projects for Nickelodeon (e.g. Nick News) and serving as the lead in the short film ‘Pearly Gates’.
“I absolutely love performing, it is my safe place, it makes me happy and it is my opportunity to express myself,” she said while admitting that there is a particular adrenaline rush that comes from live performances on stage.
Kapsis did stress that working in the entertainment industry comes with its difficulties, with rejection being a particular challenge that deters many from pursuing a career in this field.
“You just have to push through, keep going, keep training, keep working hard, keep believing and never give up because eventually a yes will come along,” she said.
Juggling HSC with a rising career
Kapsis is of a rare breed of young people forced to balance the final years of their secondary education with their professional careers, something she admitted can be a struggle.
“It is not easy because I am doing my HSC, but I am managing and so far I am happy with my results,” the singer said.
“The good thing is that I am doing online schooling at Sydney Distance Education, which is luckily affording me the flexibility to balance my education with my current demanding Eurovision schedule.”
The rising artist explained that she is appreciative of how this Eurovision opportunity has helped raise her profile among the Hellenic community of Australia along with Cyprus and Greece, instilling a great deal of joy in her as she now aims to make them all proud.
“I definitely feel the love and support from the Hellenic community in Australia and I thank them from the bottom of my heart.”
