greece ERT

Last year Greece’s internal selection for Eurovision 2016 ended with the country’s first-ever elimination in the semi-finals.

Hoping to restore its Eurovision glory, Greece’s ERT hit the drawing board and decided to stage a national final for Eurovision 2017.

Now sources close to the broadcaster say that the show will likely take place in February.

Argo – “Utopian land” dress rehearsal

According to Makis Charalampopoulos —the vice president of Greek fan club INFE Greece — the broadcaster wants to raise audience numbers for Eurovision following last year’s flop. With no Greece in the final, many Greeks opted not to watch. The show will take place in late February, but details won’t be revealed until January.

Greece has traditionally held a national final with between three and six artists. In recent years, private station MAD TV collaborated in the production. As we previously reported, it’s unlikely they will participate this time around, meaning ERT will produce the show on its own for the first time since 2012.

Potential entrants

Mr. Charalampopoulos also explains that ERT is considering inviting music labels to send artists to the final — as it has done in the past. But there’s also the possibility that the broadcaster will ask artists of its own choosing directly.

Perhaps the biggest name currently rumoured to participate is Helena Paparizou. The country’s first Eurovision winner has said that she is keen to take up the gig for a third time. She sang at Melodifestivalen just three years ago, and successfully survived to the final. But now the diva wants to wave the Greek flag again!

Helena Paparizou – Melodifestivalen 2014 interview

Will Greece’s selection procedure take it back to the final? Share your feelings in the comment section below!

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CookyMonzta
CookyMonzta
7 years ago

OY! 🙁 They tease us with the possibility of selecting Demy, and then they decide to restore the competition.

I hope, at least, Demy is one of the entries. If Helena goes, her song had better be spectacular enough that no one dare change it. Considering how quickly the public soured on Ira Losco’s MESC winning song, forcing Malta to enter a new song (earning her 12th at ESC, 14 years after she last competed), we don’t want another mishap, 12 years after Helena’s last appearance on an ESC stage.

Purple Mask
Purple Mask
7 years ago

Am I the only music critic who liked last year’s Greece entry from Argo? More innovative music like that please. 🙂

Ern
Ern
7 years ago

@Adam — Oh, I don’t know. As Israel proved with “Golden Boy,” an enjoyable ethno/pop song never goes out of style if done well. It won’t become a big pop hit outside the Balkans, but it can be fun to watch on the Eurovision stage. Admittedly, “Shake It” and “My Number One” don’t hold-up too well if you listen to them today. Although, they’re not nearly as bad as “Yasou Maria,” which is outright painful to hear. However, I still think “My Secret Combination” and “Opa” hold-up well. In the case of “My Secret Combination,” I submit that it probably… Read more »

(J)ESC Fanatic
(J)ESC Fanatic
7 years ago

I just want my country to finally send a high-quality entry. Am I asking for much? QUALITY, HONEEEEYYY!

Polegend Godgarina
7 years ago

@ Adam – the most old fashioned songs of 2016, Russia’s and Poland’s, finished respectly 1st and 3rd in televote, so there wouldn’t be a problem with Greece sending something dated I guess!

Charles
Charles
7 years ago

@Ern: In other words you just want Greece to still being Greece post-2000 Eurovision-self … doing the same bs as usual … bringing in the music that makes it the joker of the whole thing the same way Israel did last year as Greece had the audacity to anger fans by bringing the b-word … the boring ballad that traumatizes fans and suffocates their inability to just listen to music … Well if they bring more free alcohol and secret combination and a bunch of yelling opas … then maybe Turkey will consider coming back .. to do the exact… Read more »

Charles
Charles
7 years ago

@fikri: More male Greek dancers yelling opa next to a bear or cub hunk all dressed in white … is that the stereotype you expect? Cause maybe next time they will yell opa all naked. Or maybe this time around the Greek ska players will be singing about free alcohol but wearing nothing under those kilts. So many options …. all the same crap.

ESC84
ESC84
7 years ago

Stan / Niko Vertis

Adam
Adam
7 years ago

I agree with Ern, but mostly for nostalgic reasons. Young me is dying for a classic mid-00s up tempo flamboyant ethnodance type of song from Greece reminiscent of Helena or Kalomira or Sakis.

But the rational me knows that most people would hate it and see it as “old fashioned” and it wouldnt do well.

Ern
Ern
7 years ago

A “good” Greek entry is long overdo.

Personally, I think they should go back to basics this year. Send a fun ethno-pop entry sung in English with a strong dance routine supporting it.

fikri
fikri
7 years ago

whichever way they choose to select their entrant, i expect no less than a stereotypical greek entry from greece.

Zuzu
Zuzu
7 years ago

She’s amazing,but she belongs to the past for me..she just cant keep it up

SpirK
SpirK
7 years ago

I don’t think that Helena is on the run as she is a judge on the voice and the blind auditions hadn’t even ended on the broadcast.

KennyESC
KennyESC
7 years ago

Select Helena internally again! :/