There are three types of Eurovision entries: the ones that come expecting to win (and have probably spent squillions), the ones that are there for the artistic (pronounced kitsch) element, and the ones that want to showcase their country.
For Greece’s 2014 entry, Freaky Fortune doesn’t really fit the mould.
The dance duo have created a pretty solid and catchy tune, representative of Greece’s pop/dance fascination, but I predict it won’t make it into the top spot. Top ten maybe.
It’s not that kitsch, although a trampoline reveal at the song’s climax might raise eyebrows on that judgment.
It has three young, quite handsome men leading the pack, Freaky Fortune’s Nicolas Raptakis and producer Theofilos Pouzbouris and a collaborating rapper, Riskykidd, aka Greek Englishman Shane Schuller, that will get some of the viewership fanning themselves.
The music should appeal to everyone but it does sound safe.
It’s got Balkan trumpets, a non-confronting hip-hop break and a strong dance heart that will have a lot of people dancing and cheering.
It’s a good contender to get Greece past the semi-finals, but not enough to get them into the top three.
Greece wants the glory of a good finish but not the responsibility of hosting. The cost of hosting the legendary song competition can bankrupt a small county, and for cashpoor Greece, it’s a burden it definitely doesn’t want on its shoulders.
Greece does want its name out there, and the song contest is the best platform to spruik a country in a new light without making it look touristy or tacky.
Earlier this week, betting odds had Greece placed to finish at number 12 in the final.
Greece’s participation in the Eurovision Song Contest goes back to 1974 when it first participated in the then 18-year-old competition. It’s participated 34 times since then, and in the last fifteen years has seen a sort of renaissance in ability, song choice and global sensitivities.
Since the introduction of the semi-finals in 2004, Greece has never missed out on being voted to the finals and have been in the top ten of the competition every year since then except for 2012. They won the competition in 2005 with Elena Paparizou’s My Number One and have been in the top three position four times since they started competing in 1974.
Greece is notorious for being politically motivated with its points, giving 12 points to its best friend Cyprus and vice versa, but sadly it won’t have the luxury of doing that again this year.
Cyprus declined to enter the competition, citing financial issues with their national broadcaster in televising the event and sending a participant.
Greece in fact was also within a knife’s edge of pulling out of the competition when its own national broadcaster ERT was pulled off the air last year. ERT hasn’t come back, and the caretaker channel in its place hasn’t been accepted by the Eurovision committee as an official broadcaster.
As much as the song competition is about unity and ‘good’ music, the political aspect of Eurovision is something that rears its head every year despite the desperate attempts of the organising committee.
This year the ongoing issue of the annexation of Crimea is hampering preparations for the voting system for Ukraine and Russia.
SBS Eurovision aficionado Kyriakos Gold says confusion still remains on where votes from the region will go.
“Crimea is in between Russia and Ukraine, it’s now supposed to have joined the Soviet nation. So the votes that come out of Crimea, they’re still not sure how to count them – are they Russian votes or Ukrainian votes?” he tells Neos Kosmos. “It’s real politics here.”
It might come down to which country the carrier for the phone vote is connecting with. So if it’s a Russian carrier it will go to Russia, or if it’s a Ukrainian carrier, to Ukraine. Most in the Crimea region will still be connected to a Ukrainian provider, meaning most will be voting under Ukraine’s name.
The crisis might also sway voters even before they hear the songs, where many might boycott voting to punish the political actions of a country.
At the moment, the Ukranian song Tick Tock by Maria Yaremchuk is polling extremely well, with many predicting a top five finish.
Top place will probably become a battle between Sweden and Armenia, with the odds favouring Armenia’s entry, Aram MP3.
A celebrity in his own right in Armenia, Aram Mp3’s song Not Alone has been the most watched video on the 2014 Eurovision Youtube playlist and is one of the most dynamic songs on the list.
In English (already a tick from the judges who always tend to favour more globally approachable songs), the song starts as a ballad, brings in powerful strings but then progresses to a dubstep beat at the climax.
The country has never won the contest since it first entered in 2006 but has always ranked quite highly, matching Greece’s top ten finish record.
Catching up for the top spot favourite is Sweden’s Sanna Nielsen’s Undo that actually has quite a similar feel to Armenia’s entry.
It starts as more of a ballad and builds into a powerful finish with a classic Eurovision key change.
Amazingly, Nielsen beat Greece’s Eurovision winner Helena Paparizou in the Swedish song selection this year to represent the country. Paparizou was born in Sweden to Greek parents and still has many fans in her home town.
The quintessential kitsch entry that has grabbed headlines this song contest comes from Austria’s entry, Conchita Wurst (aka Tom Neuwirth).
Neuwirth’s alter ego blasts onto the stage dressed in drag but still sporting a striking black beard, proceeding to sing one of the most powerful ballads of the competition.
Conchita Wurst has become a symbol for tolerance and artistic freedom in Austria and has brought the conservative competition into the modern age.
Joining the troop of the weird and wonderful is finalists France, whose song Moustache is about a man who already has everything, but who still wants a moustache. You can’t help but smile.
The French haven’t really taken the song competition seriously, much like their ‘Big 5’ compatriots. The five major sponsors of the show – the UK, France, Spain, Italy and Germany – get automatic inclusion in the final, and that always seems to bring out pretty poor performances.
Turkey cited the power of the Big 5 as one of the reasons they declined to enter the competition this year.
When countries have the luxury of excluding themselves from the competition, and yet one of the biggest supporters of Eurovision outside Europe is left out of the competition altogether, it must be a hard pill to swallow.
Australian fans have had to support the competition from afar for decades, but this year it’s a little different.
The competition is finally noticing our support, and have invited Aussie songstress Jessica Mauboy to sing in the second semi-final interval.
In Australia, the following is quite unique. About three million people tune in for the laughs, while others use it to get patriotic.
Greek Australians are some of the noisiest fans, loving the chance to support the motherland while taking in the European familiarity of the other countries.
Getting noticed and being asked to participate in the semi-final is a positive step to giving Australia more say in the contest, but giving Australia a place in the contest still divides Aussie fans.
SBS’s Kyriakos Gold believes there’s no point in having an Australian entry.
“I don’t get the participation argument,” he says.
“I think it’s great that we’re part of the product, but I want Eurovision to stay as Eurovision.
“I like it as a local competition for that region, though I would like a global scale competition.”
More than 125 million people tune in to the live broadcast every year, making Eurovision the most watched non-sporting event in the world.
Big stars like Celine Dion, ABBA and Julio Iglesias can say that Eurovision directly launched their international careers, while thousands of others have received national fame thanks to the competition.
Bad performances have also wreaked havoc on many already established singers and bands. All Eurovision contestants must sing live, and for some, the pressure has been too much.
Russia’s popular yet gimmicky girl duo Tatu suffered on stage when they screamed Ne Ver Ne Boisia.
37 countries are competing in the 2014 Eurovision Song Contest, with Greece competing in the second semi-final.
The Eurovision final will be broadcast on SBS 1 for Australian audiences at 7.30 pm on Sunday, while the second semi-final – where Greece will find out its finals fate – is screening tonight at 7.30 pm. SBS also have a dedicated radio station called SBS Eurovision that broadcasts all finals and features daily news updates and past songs.