The Eurovision Song Project — the Cypriot national final — takes place on February 1. So the Wiwi Jury is busy reviewing the competing songs (and enjoying souvlaki, hummus and other Mediterranean delights). Now it’s time to dig into Panagiotis Koufogiannis. His song “Without Your Love” and is currently leading our poll. Do we agree with our readers?

Deban: Yes, you know it’s a song, but your brain retains none of the melody. In a contest where entrants are constantly finding ways to turn up the volume, Panagiotis Koufogiannis may struggle to court voters. Yes, he brings a Maya Sar quality to the panel, backed by a mini-choir, but there’s a strong possibility that this may get swallowed in a sea of 40 entries (should it advance to Vienna). This silent storm approach needs more of a storm.

Score: 5.5/10

William: I love a sensitive man who shows vulnerability. Unfortuantely the sensitive man in question has brought a seriously dull song. He may survive without some chick’s love, but he ain’t gonna survive #eurovisioncy without the audience’s love. And trust me: he ain’t gonna get it. You can’t vote if you’re asleep….

Score: 5/10

Robyn: Aw, I just wanna give him a hug. He sounds so heartbroken when singing this tale of lost love. It’s not an especially compelling song, but Panagiotis makes the most of the song’s sentiments and gives a heartfelt performance.

Score: 5/10

Sami: First I have to say that it’s not half as good as Andre’s entry with the same name from 2006. But this one isn’t that bad actually. It’s super boring, but if you really stay awake these three minutes, I think you might say it wasn’t the worst three minutes of your life. It’s also quite touching and he looks great on the stage, even if he doesn’t hit all the notes in the live performance.

Score: 6/10

Kristín: Panagiotis might not be the strongest singer, but he gives his all in this performance, which kind of grabs my attention. I can’t say that the song does. It’s a little bland, and it bares too much of a resemblance to Lisa Andrea’s entry from 2004, and I was probably one of very few who thought that song was incredibly boring. My apologies to Panagiotis, but “yawn”.

Score: 5/10

Judit: Tears came to my eyes — it’s lovely and painful and my first thought was, “poor guy.” But something is missing. Maybe a melody? Nothing stuck in my head. Cyprus wants us to cry, but I may be crying for the wrong reasons.

Score 6.5/10

Billy: Christer would say that he is better than the song. And I agree. “Without Your Love” gets really slow some times. With some changes, though, and the addition of backing vocals, it could do well in Vienna. I firmly believe that Panagiotis is a talented young artist, and I encourage him to take part at Eurovision auditions in the future with a more powerful entry.

Score: 7.5

Patrick: I got goosebumps… and that’s a good sign. This is so beautiful! Panagiotis knows how to sing with emotion. Good singer with a strong song. “Without your Love” is a BIG ballad with the orchestra and amazing lyrics. The total package! If you think it’s boring, that’s your problem because this is a masterpiece! I’m impressed.

Score: 9/10

Wiwi Jury Verdict: 6.18/10

SEE THE COMPLETE WIWI JURY CYPRUS RANKINGS HERE.

FOLLOW ALL OF OUR CYPRUS EUROVISION NEWS HERE.

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Maria
Maria
9 years ago

Absolutely amazing ,breathetaking song!!Suberb!!

Gavin
Gavin
9 years ago

Ok, iv been loving ‘Stone in a river’ but in comparison to this I think its dated. This however this is different, love the instruments and I dot think his voice is bad at all and lots of time for tweeks from now till May.

Dem82
Dem82
9 years ago

This is an unfair critique.
The song is great and his performance is excellent, I can’t see why people don’t like him, yes he’s different but in a good way.

without your love and shine are the best in my opinion

ESCaddict
ESCaddict
9 years ago

At start of the song he has my sympathy but by the middle of the song he just sounds like a drama queen. No wonder he was dumped. I want to get away from him too.

Nikos
Nikos
9 years ago

Best choice for Cyprus!

SpirK
SpirK
9 years ago

For me he is a charismatic performer. He is excellent delivering the feeling and I have nothing bad to say about his voice. But, the song is a big cliche. It doesn’t for me, come out as dull but it loses some of it’s magic with lyrics like “I’ll be strong and I’ll survive”. Man, we have heard them too many times! Anyway, it’s a strong effort, and despite the song being mainstream, he delivers it to the very end.
Score: 8/10

camill
camill
9 years ago

Best <3

voteformusic
voteformusic
9 years ago

You have to seperate a bad voice from a special one!

martin
martin
9 years ago

his voice is like nails on a blackboard

Johnnyrapid
Johnnyrapid
9 years ago

Completely hate it! his voice is just a awful…trying too hard to make a good song,that just stands out as annoying ,awful,outdated.
i prefer the greek-french duet myself

Me...Lucy
9 years ago

I’m sorry for saying this but I can’t stand his voice. He can’t even hit the notes. The melody isn’t that bad,lyrics are “another cliché baby” and overall everything seems kinda amateurish.

Alex
Alex
9 years ago

The vocals aren’t as memorable on this song – they’re almost an afterthought and it sounds like a sung freeform monologue, but the instrumentals are just beautiful. This one’s my favorite, with “Stone in a River” in second.