Bit by bit we are coming to know the full details of Cyprus’ entry for Eurovision 2020 – and on February 11 we got one step closer, as Sandro dropped the name of his competing song via his Instagram Stories.
Sandro’s Eurovision song title is “Running”
Without further ado, we can officially reveal that the song representing Cyprus will be titled “Running”. On top of that, the Greek-German singer treated us to the single’s official artwork, which you can see below.
The sleek and minimalist cover appears to depict a dark hallway or corridor with different doors. These could be escapes or exits from one’s problems — or even something more sinister. If you just glance at it, you may think it’s an abstract image that depicts vertical lines, with the illusion of shattered glass and a tear in the bottom-right. The dark colour scheme, as well as the visual representations of breaking, hint that Sandro’s Eurovision entry may be about feeling broken within – and “Running” to escape your problems.
This coincides with what Sandro told us about his entry’s sincere and heartfelt nature when we met up with him this December:
“It will be something that comes straight from the heart. I’m a very emotional guy and I have a story to tell. I want to help people out.”
“I think music is also about helping each other and I write music for people that feel sad, that feel alone, abandoned. I wrote a song that is about that very thing — that not everything in this life is always good or about happiness. Our song has a strong message. I write music that is real and that comes from a very true and genuine place.”
Sandro’s collaboration with Australian artist Alfie Arcuri
This also comes after the recent news from the Cypriot broadcaster, CYBC, that Sandro has teamed up with Australian singer, artist and composer Alfie Arcuri in the songwriting process. They first teased that collab by sharing a short film and single by Alfie called “If Only They Knew”. It explored the struggles of young LGBTQ people.
Given Arcuri’s musical style, this collaboration would fit Sandro’s description that the song will feel like “Shawn Mendes kisses James Arthur kisses Lewis Capaldi”.
Or, that kissing may be meant even more literally, and “Running” may follow the same theme of LGBTQ struggles as seen in the short film. Who knows?!
In addition to information on the song itself, Cyprus has also revealed that their artistic director for 2020 will be Austrian Marvin Dietmann, who was responsible for the staging of – among others – Conchita Wurst’s winning entry, “Rise Like a Phoenix”.
Whilst there is still no official date for the release of Cyprus’ Eurovision 2020 entry, as time counts down towards the deadline for final Eurovision submissions, we can assume that we can’t be kept waiting too much longer to hear “Running”. And the way things are shaping up, we’re expecting qua-li-tay.
What do you think? Are you excited to hear “Running”? Could Cyprus finally be on their way to their first ever Eurovision win? Leave your comments in the box below!
I have a bad feeling this is going nowhere. agree with the comments below sexuality shouldnt matter gay or straight,but this gay hijacking of eurovision is getting boring and tedious,gay or straight shouldnt matter cant we just stop the mass hysteria and get back to a song contest!
Yasss king give us more boppy gay-pandering song. Get that 100+ points and more Eastern European countries left ESC
“…reveals Eurovision 2020 song title and official artwork”
Now “revealing official artwork” of a song becomes a big issue! Probably his odds shifted by 0.01% and the general public should be very interested in that too!
Good luck to Cyprus but is anyone in that team from Cyprus? So far, everyone involved (directly at least) is non Cypriot. Of course, I applaud that people can be successful and work internationally etc but considering is a country contest maybe ESC should impose some form of a minimum number of people that should be from the actual local country.
I think it’s a great strategy to associate your act with as many countries as possible because of the free publicity and potential votes. And i don’t think EBU will introduce a rule to minimize foreign involvement because that sounds like it will be against the spirit of the contest.
The EBU will most probably not do it, but the Cypriot broadcaster should not choose just on the criterion that the whole team is foreigners in order to be appreciated by the juries. Televoters vote for diversity, they voted for a portuguese song to win in 2017, and if it was just televoting Italy would have won in 2015 a song in Italian written by Italians and sang by Italians, and ranks almost always top places by televoters despite not being very ‘international’ entries, but the so called 5 experts of each country ‘juries’ looklook that they always go Swedish… Read more »
In the last few years, Cyprus presents something completely foreign and fake as the Cypriot entry. From the singers to the songwriters, to the choreographer, all the back up singers and all dancers were all living in other countries and were not Cypriots, and songs that are not in the language of Cyprus or the musical genre of Cyprus. Also this year, the Cypriot broadcaster internally picked a singer from a German reality that had some Greek roots but barely speaks any Greek and he admitted that he has just now visited Cyprus for the first time, after being asked… Read more »
Couldn’t they be a bit more original with the title?? Hope it’s not some cliche, unoriginal, been there done that kind of song…
why does everybody say “hungary left the chat” ? i dont get it
They had a song called Running in ESC 2014, which is definitely ironic right now because they ran away from Eurovision (leaving the chat).
oh thanks for the response and the info! why did Hungary leave? sad to see countries leaving 🙁
A show can be LGBT-friendly without being actually turned into a pride event (and many LGBT people on this forum agree that ESC has crossed the line between the two).
Something stupid i bet. Everyone knows ESC in Israel were 200% more gay then the average so i cant blame Hungary for leaving. pictures of men kissing all the time in the audience and the presenter talking about men all the time withoout shirts. Its just bad propaganda tv for me. maybe the worst ESC show ever actually.
I understand that and i respect that to. It was just TO much for me. No hate. Just to much. If you compare to the year before in Portugal it was just over the top. It was like i was watching a pride parade and not ESC in Israel. I know many gays love over the top gay pride parades. But i want to watch ESC only.
hmmm well now you know Johan exactly how gay people (like myself) feel in undoubtly a very straight world…. not just for a day or a couple hours of a music contest… but all the time and most of our lives.
So Im sorry I fail to sympathize with you Johan….
Johan i’m going to come to your house with all my gay friends and we’re going to make out in your front lawn
exactly what i meant. why you dont do that on pride? i dont know why you want to do that in ESC. Donthat make sense to you?
I am Cypriot and not happy with the choice to send him. He doesn’t represnt us and no one asked us. If the government wants to take place to Eurovision thats great but at least send something representative fun and ffs ask the people! Just few corrupted old man at RIK chose this guy propably cause he knew someone and got connections clearly. He might be half Greek but he doesnt even speak greek well which i dont mind but what I mind is the fact that he never visited Cyprus except few months ago when they invited him for… Read more »
Feel sorry for you. 🙁
I feel sorry cause since 2004 I was watching Eurovision and knew that Cyprus never had a chance but after 2018 I felt that finally Europe noticed us the broadcaste just choose Greek established artists like tamta and there were rumors for more this year. In Greece Cyprus has a reputation that it has good singers and its true but the broadcaster just “buys” ready solutions sine fuego. Not even a single song was sent to the broadcaster by the public .. they dont give chances and europe thinks we are a country with no music scene which all singers… Read more »
same case with Stefania. It was decided a long ago that she would go and they didnt even consider other applications just because the dream team (and a lot of money) are behind her
Quite honestly I dont mind about Stefania. Cause Greece might did an internal selection but at least o think.is a smart choice cause she is already quite familiar with eurovision she is young fresh and why not. She is also Greek proud to be greek and speaks great greek even though she was born in the Netherlands. And duska was greek as well i mean at least Ert is trying. I heard on TV today that Celia Krethariothi she is a famous well established fashion desgner which is appearing on vogue she will take care of her look. In case… Read more »
I think the formula: We send a cute boy/man so will the rest of Europe vote for us more is over. If he dont have a great song and can sing he will not get my vote.
Btw, Romanian singer has been anounced! Her name is Roxen
Pop girly incoming! Finally, I am excited to hear her song!
He is beautiful I must say.
I wouldn’t be surprised if it is Hovig x Duncan Lawrence. Something mid-tempo potentially.
I am smelling a cliche ballad probably with an lgbt/antibullying theme
…Why can’t they just release the song? I hate when countries tease like this…
So true!
But this year, there are at least some countries that will release their entries in February, like France and Belgium in the upcoming days.
Last year was a complete disaster, with almost all internally chosen entries being released in the last week before the deadline.
RIP Hungary
Till they wake up next year!!!
*Knocks on wood*
“And I keep on running away…” are some of the lyrics for the song..
Unfortunately Cyprus will flop and will not qualify this years,such a tough semi,maybe they should try to send sth more cypriot…fed up with taking everything ready done from abroad…authenticity please
Oh another “XX won’t qualify for the final” comment, what’s new?
Yeah yea all the cypriots downvote me haha…isn’t it true that there is nothing cypriot in your entry every year?Come ooon……,admit the truth and don’t downvote lool
Look you haven’t even heard most of the songs yet how can you say if a semifinal is strong or not. Also you can’t say Cyprus are gonna flop, again you haven’t heard the song yet
I agree so much with you Matt. Being Cypriot i feel sorry that Europe never gets to see our culture since our corrupted and lazy broadband just buys establish artists from Greece and random guys who had connections obviously…no one knows him . No offense for him good luck but he will fail and Cyprus will be lost and forgotten again.
Matt you are right, the Cypriot broadcaster presents every year now songs that have nothing to do with Cyprus. The Cypriot broadcaster goes shopping at Ikea Sweden and buys factory songs, and then asks singers from other countries to sing them and maybe imitate Beyonce or Shakira or JLo so that they qualify to final. In 2018 , despite all the favouritism by the Swedish producer, given last spot to perform in semi final and penultimate in final and all the hype created, the Cypriot entry still didnt get 1st place because it was not authentic, whereas Israel was. Although… Read more »
You can run but you can’t hideeeee (?)
Is Sandro gay?
We WISH hahah
WE WISH :'(
Hopefully not
First semi is already looking brutal, just judging by the talent behind the entries. We won’t know anything until we hear the songs, of course, but even by that margin everyone’s been serving quality so far.
True the only one we can rule out is Belarus. Don’t think Macedonia, Slovenia and Croatia will make it as well. Ireland don’t have any idea about them, everyone else seems like a qualifier (Lithuania should send Monique, otherwise they are gone as well)
If Lithuania sends The Roop then they are safe. I’m not sure a generic song like “Human” can bring Lithuania back to the final
Belarus I’d definitely rule out no matter who they pick. The others I wouldn’t rule out so soon. North Macedonia are redoubling their efforts after Tamara’s good result gave them the kick in the butt they needed, Slovenia has an intriguing crop of songs that I wouldn’t overlook, and we don’t know what Croatia’s songs sound like yet. Ireland sounds unique and Lithuania could probably qualify with the Roop (everyone acts like the juries would hate them, but that feels like the exact kind of song the juries would save).
And remember, having powerhouses in a semi isn’t always a guarantee they’re going to make it. Putting Azerbaijan, Greece, Finland, and Ireland in the same semi and having the latter two make it over the former two isn’t something anyone would’ve predicted a few years ago.
Yeah, we could easily have a crash of the titans scenario where some of the big players don’t make it to the final.
Friendly reminder that the Russian broadcaster this year is the one who chunked it with Julia Samoylova. They’ve gotta work their way back up. (But who am I kidding: if Azerbaijan, Belarus, Cyprus, Germany, Israel, Italy, Lithuania, and Ukraine, whose televotes all dig Russia, vote for them, they’re gonna go through probably. Unless they really really suck.)
But also Sergei Lazarev, polina gagarina, Dina garipova etc. I’m convinced that Julia samoylova was a one off
Both of Sergey Lazarev’s entries were the other Russian channel. Gagarina and Garipova were, in fact, Channel 1, so we know what they’re capable of at their best. (Methinks we have a power ballad in our future…)
TOP 10 for Cyprus this year
Good luck Cyprus
Good luck!
We don’t compete but twelve points for the title from Hungary 😀
She keeps on running running running from this crazy li- whoops wrong song.
I thought the same thing!
I just thought of that too