Tamta knows how to deliver a surprise. And she did it repeatedly today during her first rehearsal, which was high-impact and pacey — and most definitely didn’t disappoint.

The Georgian-born queen appears in a high-fashion pleather look: her black pleather boots snaked all the way up her thighs, leading to a translucent bustier hidden beneath a black pleather jacket. Literally standing on point, she pops and drops and oozes sex appeal with every flick of the arm.

Portraying a woman in total control of herself, it’s more than fitting that she has four male backing dancers who clearly have her love on replay. Wearing bowler hats, they’re urban cowboys who perform a modern taken on country line dancing mated with something more street. It’s hard to explain, but perhaps it’s Outlaw in ‘Em meets Fuego.

At one point the men rip off Tamta’s jacket and she turns the stage into a runway all her own.

Tamta — “Replay”: Reaction

Cyprus: First rehearsal at Eurovision 2019

Cyprus: First press conference 2019

Video coming soon…

Read all of our Eurovision rehearsal reviews

Read all of our Cyprus Eurovision news here

Photos & Footage: Courtesy EBU & KAN

90 Comments
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KarWorld
KarWorld
4 years ago

Let me think…. NO. Basic, already seen, generic, the RIP off … off… Generic boring song… But she is great and has a great voice.

Purple Mask
Purple Mask
4 years ago

I hope I’m not the only one who finds this choreography to be a bit too “adult” for the very first ESC 2019 entry. “Fuego” had more taste than this, and much better dancing. Could Cyprus be in trouble here?

Burger
Burger
4 years ago
Reply to  Purple Mask

Like Xandee in 2004?

Purple Mask
Purple Mask
4 years ago
Reply to  Burger

Haha, yes! Owh the days when a bit of grinding and spanking was a bit too much. 😀 I miss being young. 22nd place in the final – ouch. Indeed a bad sign for Cyprus 2019.

Suzy
Suzy
4 years ago

Get rid of those hats it doesn’t fit with your song it doesn’t matter that sasha is doing it you must have your own opinion please get rid of them please.

bastian
bastian
4 years ago

Nothing wrong with the staging but that dress..wtf, seriously? so tacky!!!

Its me
Its me
4 years ago

Sorry Cyprus but the staging is boring and i expected so much more from Cyprus.

Tonton Fée
Tonton Fée
4 years ago

Very disappointed ;(

Johnno
Johnno
4 years ago

It’s just a bit boring. Feel like I’ve heard this same song many times now. Says nothing about cyprus either.

Bella
Bella
4 years ago
Reply to  Johnno

That’s because (1) it’s just a generic pop song, and (2) it’s produced/staged by Swedes and performed by a Greek/Georgian singer. There’s literally nothing Cypriot in this act.

Henrikh Mugosa
Henrikh Mugosa
4 years ago
Reply to  Johnno

Fuego or La La Love. It could have gone either way. It went the La La Love way. Sadly! 🙁

Eurovisionfan
Eurovisionfan
4 years ago

Am I the only one who thinks that the backing dancers used Gromee’s (Poland 2018) hats and clothes for their outfits? the chains and rings

Thomas
Thomas
4 years ago
Reply to  Eurovisionfan

The hat also reminds me of this years Swiss entry 😀

raw
raw
4 years ago

i listened this song for the first time.. and it’s exactly like their last year’s entry? also not keen about this so called “sexy” costume.

Jo.
Jo.
4 years ago

Interesting, the EBU don’t want anybody to spoil the performances, but their clip is showing the guys ripping off her jacket…

YES21
YES21
4 years ago
Reply to  Jo.

If you think “ripping” off the jacket is such a wow moment, you need to go on YT and look for some world class performances

Stian F
Stian F
4 years ago

And the Barbara Dex award goes to… CYPRUS!!! At least they will win something because that outfit is horrible!!!! The likeliness that Cyprus is the fan favorite to fail to qualify is getting bigger every day.

Chris
Chris
4 years ago

I’m sorry, where’s the similarity to the fuego performance everyone in the comments section keeps moaning about?

Bella
Bella
4 years ago
Reply to  Chris

I don’t see people “moaning”, just sharing their opinion about the song (like you just did). If you personally don’t see any similarity and enjoy the song, then just keep doing your thing and don’t pay attention to the comments. 😉

funker30
funker30
4 years ago
Reply to  Bella

as opposed to Hungary 2019 who is not similar to Hungary 2017. I guess Joci should have come back sounding more like Britney Spears because apparently “similar” is a fatal flaw to eurovisionistas

Alex
Alex
4 years ago

Vocals are very good, Tamta is a good singer but the sound from a camera inside the arena dopesn’t do justice and you all know it. I will be waiting for TV camera work but so far it doesn’t look as impressive as last year. Maybe there are tricks that we will see only on TV? I don’t get why they chose this BDSM-inspired outfit, i’d rather see her with a classy outfit or more youthful like Belarus. Is it the final one? All in all, i trust the Cypriot team. My only concern is that Belarus will be a… Read more »

Bella
Bella
4 years ago

Even visually, it’s the exact same thing as last year + vocals were underwhelming.

Andy
Andy
4 years ago
Reply to  Bella

How on earth is visually as last year. 4 male dancers, black/white colours and outfits and certainly less dancing from the singer than Eleni. I feel like people are sitting in front of two monitors one with this year’s performance and one with last year’s trying to find similarities on every second. And besides, both were prepared from Baptiste that has a specific style.

Bella
Bella
4 years ago
Reply to  Andy

I’m certainly not “trying to find similarities on every second”, because the similarities slap you in the face without even looking for them (also I’m not a big fan of either song, so I’m certainly not going to put myself through several listens). Same generic pop song, same “wannabe Beyoncé” walk, similar choreography. And both songs have nothing Cypriot about them: written/produced/staged by Swedes, performed by Greek singers.

Nothing fundamentally bad about it, but I personally don’t like it when countries achieve one single good result and then send a rip off the next year. And it never works anyway.

funker30
funker30
4 years ago
Reply to  Bella

Cyprus 2007 – sent something completely different and fan favourite – annihilated in the SF
Cyprus 2008 – sent something authentically Cypriot – annihilated in the SF
Cyprus 2016 – sent something completely different non-generic non-pop – annihilated in the Final

Seems like all you “authentic” non-generic people like to complain a lot but only vote for generic pop songs so sh** the hell up now

Loin dici
4 years ago

I expected more. Good enough.

All Wei
All Wei
4 years ago

great 1st run by Tamta for Cyprus. The vocals were somewhat underwhelming, but they have time fixing this. She looked gorgeous in that leather S&M harnas. She easily could be one of the dancers for Hatari!! Good job Cyprus!! sure qualifier

Chriss
Chriss
4 years ago

Oh her outfit reminds me of this, her hair of that, come on you guys! She is doing her best and at the end of the day how original can you be with a pop song? And we’ve seen so many pop songs in eurovision over the years.
I’m sure she will be great on May 14 and no matter what the final result you’ll be hearing her all summer long!

Doris
Doris
4 years ago

Song is fuego 2.0 and staging is Marie N 2.0

Someone
Someone
4 years ago
Reply to  Doris

And you are stupid 3.0 sorry 🙂

Miguel
Miguel
4 years ago

Her outfit reminds me of Evridiki in 2007
Hope she has better luck, though
Go Cyprus.

btw, the stage seems small, doesn’t it?

Best from Spain

Loin dici
4 years ago
Reply to  Miguel

The surface floor area looks small but that LED screen wall does the trick of making it very, very big.

Miguel
Miguel
4 years ago
Reply to  Loin dici

It reminds me a lot of Helsinki 2007

TheRainFromAbove
TheRainFromAbove
4 years ago

Cringy!

ESCFan2009
ESCFan2009
4 years ago

Oh and I forgot: Replay Slay! 😉 😛 😀

bartosz
bartosz
4 years ago

I am disappointed. I mean I’ve never actually liked the song, but trying to be as objective as I can – the vocals were far from perfect. Staging looks not as interesting as I hoped (maybe the whole performance in TV would look better). And these outfits… Possibly a Barbara Dec candidate…
It will definitely advance to the final but as for now I don’t see it anywhere near Top 10

Anna
Anna
4 years ago
Reply to  bartosz

ofcourse will be top 5 for sure !!!

David F
David F
4 years ago

Looks like a strong first rehearsal and staging that fits the song. Looking forward to seeing more.

Eurovision fan since 2014
Eurovision fan since 2014
4 years ago

I see a wave of negative comments right there. Gee, people relax, this was just first rehearsal, they are going to fix vocals, sounds, choreo, staging, camera angles etc. When it comes to cheap, outdated tricks from early ’90, what are you expecting to see in a contest that lasts about 65 years and features more than 1000 songs and performances, where artists stand/sit/dance/do acrobatics/have a giant dress/have a hamster wheel/make holograms/churn butter/play in the pool/, what else do you propose? Go on make splits, ride an elephant, launch from a cannon? I thought this was song contest after all,… Read more »

Escfan
Escfan
4 years ago

Well I will be the minority that loves this
Oh and guys this is literally like 30 seconds with no camera angles and changes will most probably be made between now and semi 1.

If you guys think Cyprus’ rehearsal was bad then Finland’s was terrible. Czech Republic’s staging looks nice but there were some awkward movements and the vocals weren’t great. Poland is nothing great but nothing bad either

Henry
Henry
4 years ago

Come, on everybody, give the girl a break! It’s only her first rehearsal, clothes can still be changed and ofcourse she and her dancers are not 100% performing now because it’s only a first rehearsal. It will look much, much better at 14 May.

Davide23
Davide23
4 years ago

I mean it’s a decent song, but nothing special. Regarding staging, so boring and predictable!

Davide23
Davide23
4 years ago
Reply to  Davide23

Lee Adam .. I respect your work but quote “Tamta knows how to deliver a surprise”, can you please tell me what surprise you’re talking about?

Héctor
Héctor
4 years ago

That staging does nothing for me, I still don’t like. “Fuego” made an impact, but I don’t really see that in “Replay”. I wouldn’t be surprised if it flops tbh.

Peter
Peter
4 years ago

My thoughts: VERY DISAPPOINTED!This is really cheap!The jacket trick is reaaallyyy old fashioned,Sakis Rouvas did that in 2004!Her hair are awful,the clothes are not classy at all…it seems like they tried to copy Maruv with all these leather boots and accessories…..The dancers look like the stole Luca Hanni’s hats and copied the whole style…..the vocals are bad and shes sounds like screaming!No energy,no dance,very dark and the whole thing is too static!It is.a pity for Tamta……Cyprus is.the New Bulgaria…disaster

NickC
NickC
4 years ago

Odds slightly improved. I think the initial reaction is top 10 for sure, maybe top 5, not a winner.

Otis
Otis
4 years ago
Reply to  NickC

where did you see improvement? hahahah she has only red marks 😛

Héctor
Héctor
4 years ago
Reply to  Otis

This.

NickC
NickC
4 years ago
Reply to  Otis

I think it improved slightly initially and then fell.

Doris
Doris
4 years ago
Reply to  NickC

Lol, odds are drifting and soon will reach Malta/Greece level

Jo.
Jo.
4 years ago

looks kinda 2007ish

Anna
Anna
4 years ago

Very Good 1st r. overall. Pretty good vocals (back vocals need improvement). Like the colors combo and dancing concept. We’ve to wait in order to see how it looks on screen. Good Luck Tamta.

ps- Eleni’s performance was on of the most energetic ever in esc. There is no need to compare Eleni…with every uptempo dancing song. Tamta is Tamta and Eleni is Eleni.

Nikki
Nikki
4 years ago

I love TAMTA but there’s something lacking. I can’t specify what, but other performances by her are somehow fuller.

And on other side, let’s be honest, drag queens are going to have a field day with those boots.

Davide23
Davide23
4 years ago
Reply to  Nikki

I’ll tell you whats lacking .. ORIGINALITY!!!

Anna
Anna
4 years ago
Reply to  Davide23

Is this a competition of originality ?

Alalala
Alalala
4 years ago
Reply to  Davide23

I dont think originality is the most important factor in making a song great. The Netherlands is far from being original but it still delivers. I believe it’s the staging that makes.it less appealing along with those hideous hats.

ESCFan2009
ESCFan2009
4 years ago

I love the dressing trick and Tamta’s outfit is fabulous! Much more urban than Eleni, if you want the comparison so hard!

Colin
Colin
4 years ago
Reply to  ESCFan2009

Well, Replay is an “urban” version of Fuego, so it fits the narrative. I think this will do very well in what’s intended to do – be sexy and entertaining.

Talentina Monetta
Talentina Monetta
4 years ago

You can tell that this was staged by SJB. Her stagings are getting very predictable.

Isa
Isa
4 years ago

I personally don’t see anything wrong with repeating choreography as long as it’s entertaining and fits with the song. Everybody “replays” their ideas, styles, etc… – choreographers, book writers, composers, gymnasts, etc, etc..

Doris
Doris
4 years ago

Slay ?? lol, horrible vocals.

Ima
Ima
4 years ago

The loose clothing on the male dancers doesn’t help !! They need to have right fitting clothes or no clothes

Cesar's salad
Cesar's salad
4 years ago

Looks boring and basic and very 2002

kadju
kadju
4 years ago

Sorry but is disturbing to watch this, knowing she was a child bride.

The mad professor
The mad professor
4 years ago
Reply to  kadju

She was forced into marriage at the age of 14 and had her daughter a few months later

Escf
Escf
4 years ago

Wtf?!

kadju
kadju
4 years ago
Reply to  kadju

She grew up in Georgia, and you will find Georgians being very defensive, and I understand them, because this is not something that defines the whole country, just some villages, where not even police dares to go to. Tradition says that young people should marry soon, so they be “pure”. Also tradition says that the family of the bride must pay for the wedding, but if the bride is kidnapped, the family of the groom must pay for the wedding, because he brought shame to the bride. This is why, family of the bride likes those kidnappings, because that way… Read more »

Isa
Isa
4 years ago
Reply to  kadju

I’m sorry, but you are not making any sense.

nej
nej
4 years ago
Reply to  kadju

Can we please stop bringing this up? It starts becoming victim blaming…Shame.

Sabrina
Sabrina
4 years ago

Tamta looks great, but I really don’t get what they’re trying to do with the dancers’ outfits. I also think the whole “dancers stripping down the vocalist” routine is quite unimpressive. It seems professional, it probably will look good with the camera cuts, but my first impression is that this will be more slick than engaging. Which obviously doesn’t help if we compare it to “Fuego”.

Ezal
Ezal
4 years ago

I cringed reading this article lol

Skiwalko
Skiwalko
4 years ago

So far it looks like a hot mess, this staging needs A LOT of polishing, it’s too dark and looks just weird. But there’s some potential, it’s the first rehearsal after all.

Kobe
Kobe
4 years ago

Tamta isn’t Eleni Foureira :S

Andy
Andy
4 years ago
Reply to  Kobe

Tamta never was Eleni. Yes, she is a pop singer but her performances are different to Eleni’s. I don’t like this staging myself but I am getting a bit fed up with “Tamta is not Eleni” comments. In that case, Cyprus should never send a female pop singer again cause nobody is/will be like Eleni.

Kris
Kris
4 years ago

Yeah , I was a bit confused by the reactions on YouTube cause the clothes seem to not fit the vibe of the song. And the dance moves are non existent cause obviously am comparing this to Fuego’s staging and this doesn’t really stack up. This may finish outside the Top 3 in the semi but will qualify for sure.

Laura
Laura
4 years ago

Esc should be a contest about songs, it is Eurovision SONG contest, but now it’s really more show, theatre… i’d like to see a performance more basic (in general, not only cyprus) because it seems more important clothes, scenographies, dancers than the vocals, the music, and how the singer delivers its song without all these stuffs

Roelof Meesters
Roelof Meesters
4 years ago
Reply to  Laura

It’s a tv-show, you gotta want something to look at. And besides, the song is still very important in ESC, but the performance and live vocals seal the deal. The artists also care about the spotify streams and the record sales, meaning that a good song is always important, but you can make it better with a good performance. But I do see what you’re saying: some entries over the past couple of years have relied solely on a good performance.

Chris Mo
Chris Mo
4 years ago
Reply to  Laura

Eurovision is a broadcasting event. It was since day one. You can add all the capital letters in the world to emphasize the word “song” but that won’t change that. It is probably not the right program for you. Try the Grammies. Oh, wait. Again, a broadcasting event

Ezal
Ezal
4 years ago
Reply to  Chris Mo

It is also euroVISION

Chris Mo
Chris Mo
4 years ago
Reply to  Ezal

thank you!

Berco
Berco
4 years ago

Okay this is under my expectations…

Andy
Andy
4 years ago

I’ve known Tamta to be very fashionable with bright colours and outfits that are statements (look what she wore in the press conference) so I am a bit disappointed with the outfit and all the darkness. I am not surprised though as this is what Baptiste does. First impression styling wise is a mix of Maruv with Luca’s hats. Of course the majority of the viewers won’t know about Maruv’s performance so all good probably. Disclaimer: This opinion is obvs based on the pics and the short clip. Maybe the actual staging comes across much better on the screen and… Read more »

Serena00
Serena00
4 years ago

A lot of praise for her on youtube. Am I the only one who don’t get it?

Hmm
Hmm
4 years ago

I don’t know I have mixed reactions. This was in my top 4 after Malta, Italy and Netherlands but now I don’t know if it deserves to be up there. I am not sure if her vocals were weak or just the quality of sound of the video so not going to judge about that. But the staging (especially lighting) does seem a bit dull though.

Also, the dressing removal reminds me of Latvia’s 2002 performance.

Roelof Meesters
Roelof Meesters
4 years ago

She will qualify for sure but Idk how this will do in the final. I don’t see this in the top 5 as the staging is quite basic.