The Pontian-style rap song representing Greece in the Eurovision semifinals failed miserably in the competition’s first semi final which was hosted in Stockholm on Tuesday.
The Thessaloniki-based outfit Argo who were directly appointed by ERT’s management gave justice to the thousands of Eurovision fans betting against them.Bosnia & Herzergovina, Estonia, Montenegro, Croatia, Moldova and Finland were also disqualified.
For Greece, however, it is the first time a song fails to advance to the finals this year.The Hellenic song, entitled “Utopian Land” fused rap with the traditional Pontian lyra.
The narration revolved around the country’s financial hardships and the refugees crisis.
Utopian Land, started getting negative reviews since its selection with fans calling the lyrics “poor” and the music “unimaginative”.
Sweden, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom get automatic qualification into the final round since they are founding members of the contest while all other European nations must qualify in a semifinal round. Azerbaijan, Russia, The Netherlands, Hungary, Croatia, Austria, Armenia, the Czech Republic, Cyprus and Malta have all qualified for the grand final of this year’s Eurovision Song Contest.
The second semi final takes place on Thursday, while the 18 acts who made it to the final, will be vying for a place in the European spectacular.
Meanwhile, Australia’s favourite Dami Im will have a strong contender to go up against, Russia’s Sergey Lazarev, who with his song You Are the Only One, wowed the professional juries and audiences alike.
Dami Im told Fairfax Media she was “calm but in a competitive state of mind, keen to bring the Eurovision crown to Australia.”
“I want to do well, I want to make Australia proud. I know the most important thing for me is to perform well on the night,” she said.
“If I do well in the performance it’s up to the viewers whether I win. All I can do is do my best.”
Now that Greece is out of the equation, Stockholm has suggested London and Paris as potential co-hosts in case Australia wins.
The show’s grand finale, hosted by Måns Zelmerlöw and Petra Mede will be broadcast live from the Globe Arena in Stockholm on Saturday night.