Greek-Australian singer Andrew Lambrou, who represented Cyprus in this year’s Eurovision contest, shared the dramatic moments he experienced in Israel when the war erupted during an interview on the popular Alpha TV show ‘Super Katerina’ on Wednesday, October 18.
“I was invited by OGAE to Israel to present my new single. At 6.30 in the morning, the sirens went off. I thought it was an ambulance,” Lambrou said.
“I was so tired that I went back to sleep. When I checked my phone, I saw numerous missed calls from the organisers who asked if I knew what was happening. I said no, and they informed me that Israel was under attack, the war sirens had sounded, and we needed to go to the shelters. Eventually, I chose to stay at the (safer) hotel.”
Explaining how the situation kept escalating as the Hamas attacks were unfolding the Greek-Cypriot Australian feared he might never return home.
“I was worried that my flight would be canceled. That was my biggest fear at that moment; otherwise, I would have been stranded there.”
“There were soldiers at the checkpoints and on the way to the airport. I was more relaxed, thinking that everything was over. Suddenly, sirens rang out, and everyone was running in panic, shouting and crying. I was very scared, I felt like a 5-year-old boy who had lost his parents in a vast space. I was afraid that something would happen when we were in the air. I prayed, crossed myself, and finally returned home safely,” Lambrou added about the experience that changed his outlook on life for ever.
The young signer went on to share deep connections that he made in terms of what really matters in life and the importance of being close to friends and family.
“Something changed inside me; I used to plan what I would do tomorrow down to the details, and I had a schedule, but now I feel that these things don’t matter. I will return to Australia. I haven’t seen my family for three months. Some time ago, I lost my grandmother to cancer, and I knew that it would happen. She had advised me to come to Greece because people here support me. I’ve had different experiences that made me appreciate love and what is important in life,” Andrew Lambrou concluded.
