While speculation has hit overdrive as more and more artists announce their intention to represent their country at Eurovision in 2020, one artist in particular has expressed a strong interest – backed up with a proven track record and strong musical connections to boot.
Greek singer Vangelis Kakouriotis, who has long been touted to grace the Eurovision stage, has recently expressed his interest in entering the contest, and will take it with both hands should be he asked:
“I would be interested, yes and if the opportunity arises I will take it. It’s a great event worth participating in. When the time comes, me and my co-workers will have faith in the song that the project will produce. I want it to be worth it!”
The 23 year old former boy-band member is a major triple threat as a singer, musician and songwriter. And much like other Eurovision alumni, he is currently signed to Panik Records, who currently represents Ivi Adamou (Cyprus 2012), Demy (Greece 2017) and Eleni Foureira (Cyprus 2018).
Following recent history, he would be expected to represent either Greece or Cyprus, who often has been represented by Greek singers.
Fluent in both English and Greek, Vangelis’s most recent track, “Stenoxoria Mou”, serves major heat, grit and your typical boyband moves. He’s definitely stage ready and could give your typical Eurovision heart throbs a run for their money.
Adding fuel to the fire, Vangelis has taken the initiation ritual that many Greek and Cypriot representatives before him have taken. He recently has performed at the Greek MAD VMA Awards, alongside Swiss star Luca Hänni. Together, they performed a Greek/English duet of Luca’s Eurovision track, “She Got Me (Pósa xérei)”.
After this performance, we’re wondering if the Greek broadcaster will now have him on their wish list.
There’s history of future Greek and Cyprus Eurovision stars making duets at the MAD VMAs. Last year Tamta performed alongside Mikolas Josef, while Demy duetted with Poli Genova in 2016.
What do you think? Would you like to see Vangelis Kakouriotis at Eurovision 2020? Tell us your thoughts below!
Greeks that say Cyprus is Greece have skipped to much school i think
You speak about an issue you have no clue about. Keep you comments on the same style, by throwing shade to greece and dont mess with things you have no idea.
p.s any news from uncle bjorkman? rumor has it that he wont be messing up eurovision next year
You have issues with Greece darling, did a Greek boy break your heart? Cause your mean spirit can’t be explained otherwise
best comeback Greece can make <3
With the new goverment in place i think he is a contender to represent Greece however i am afraid that cyprus is waiting to “steal” a greek artist for the third time in a row…
Cyprus isn’t a San Marino that needs foreign acts parachuted in (and even San Marino have used San Marinese acts for at least five occasions). There are tons of Cypriots who would make fabulous representatives in ESC being denied a chance. I think Eleni being able to represent Cyprus was fine because ERT didn’t select her out of pure racism (her Albanian heritage being seen as controversial unfortunately) and she had a decade long ambition to do Eurovision, but using the exact same formula with Tamta (and I’m not just talking about the songs, but also the fact that she… Read more »
Yall none Greeks really love putting in your negative comment on Cyprus’s representation. Greece and Cyprus have the SAME music industry, same record labels, and have the same celebrities. Also, Greece has sent several Cypriot acts to Eurovision before. Greece and Cyprus share their artists/celebrities, it’s the same thing. Cyprus isn’t stealing anything, their just taking advantage of Greece’s negligibility in the contest in recent years.
There is also a huge overlap between the UK (particularly its Celtic countries- Wales, Scotland, N. Ireland as well as Cornwall) and Ireland, likewise between the Flemish portion of Belgium and The Netherlands, and religion is the only major difference between Serbia, Croatia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina. It isn’t a problem if it happens once in a while, and if a Greek act wins a Cypriot national final, that’s different. What I find problematic is enlisting a Greek star with little connection to Cyprus beyond being famous there over Cypriot musicians who would kill to represent their country at… Read more »
do you have the same problem with Cypriots representing Greece because there were plenty of those too.
No he doesn’t. It’s the logic that always favors the bigger than the smaller. If you are a smaller nation doing something like that translates to some sort of cheating in their head. Especially if it pays off. It pisses them off.
Anna Vissi (twice)1980/2006
Loukas Yiorkas 2011
Sarbel 2007
Eleftheria 2012
Anna Maria Kyriacou 2015
All of them are Cypriots that represented
Greece. One could suggest that they were stolen by Greece when they shouldn’t have. Now tables have turned in a way and some people don’t like it because they care about cypriot musicians who would kill to represent their country.
Who are these musicians? Can you name a couple that are signed to a label? That have an actual career?
He’s probably the option the Greek broadcaster has in mind for 2020, but I just hope sending him does not mean some kind of “Fuego 3.0 or She got me (bis)”. Greece made an effort this year with Better Love to send something different, something that represented another trend to their style in the contest. Despite its result, I would prefer Greece to follow this path and explore new rhythms rather than coming back to the last decade.
The greek broadcaster is in limbo at the moment. The people who will take the eurovision project will be decided later this month and start working in September. So right now there is no one to bother thinking about eurovision cause nobody knows if they will have a job come September. And Panik knows that.
You get downvoted and I really don’t understand why since you are absolutely right. As a Greek, I would much rather have an experimental/alternative song to represent us next year than an ethno-pop banger or just pop banger, it would just help us get rid of that stupid eurovision stereotype. (that we always have to send something ethnic and light-hearted to do well)
Vangelis Kakouriotis , Cyprus 2020 please
idk he looks like just another faceless act, we’ve had enough like him lately
So, we got our Greek-Greek guy, a Dutch-Greek gal, and an Armenian-Greek gal. Cyprus and Greece can do rock-paper-scissors for two of them and whichever one is the odd one out gets to go for San Marino. (Unless it’s Athena Manoukian, who could probably also get Armenia interested. I don’t think Stefania would be thought about for the Netherlands, though.)
ok, but why the UK flag in the video?
The Union Jack (the symbol on the UK flag) has become an iconic part of rock music iconography so it’s a homage to that I guess
a huge greek flag would be more iconic
I’ve heard of his boy band Boys With Noise. Good luck to him.
oui pour la chypre et on prend nikos ganos pour la grece
Good luck to him if he gets there, but someone remind him that the black and white photoshoots don’t get any more votes, as Chingiz can testify.
According to wiwibloggs, 30 singers will represent Greece next year. I wonder how they will overcome the “up to 6 people” rule
And the best thing is that Greece haven’t even confirmed for 2020 yet 😀
It seems like they’ll have to be sending Genealogy style 6-member groups for the next 5 years.
OK but for real: Genealogy was a really cool idea that was let down by the fact that the singers had zero chemistry onstage and a lousy song. If you ACTUALLY tried doing that with another country and their diaspora and did something new with it, you could do something amazing! Look how many people are being rumored for Greece that are actually Greek diaspora from around the world (Leea Nano and Kalomira have also come up at different points, a Greek-Australian and Greek-American). Do the same thing! Vangelis would rep for Greece itself, Kalomira would rep for Greeks in… Read more »
That was pretty much the joke, but this is a nice line-up you’ve got there. For African-Greek member, I suggest Alkistis Protopsalti, born in Egypt, as a sort of “Esma Redzepova” of the group. Yet a banger for a supergroup brings back the painful memories of “Camina” from OT 2017, so maybe they should stick to ballads 🙂
You think? Don’t know why it’s getting downvotes, it seems like a good idea to me. And that would be terrific! And perhaps, but I don’t think Camina was ever meant to be seriously considered for Eurovision (just kinda nice to have them all doing one song together). The artists we’ve mentioned all seem to lend themselves well to a good dance song (especially Kalomira and Vangelis), unless they’ve also got the voices for a ballad. But when’s the last time the Greeks sent a ballad that made a serious dent in the scoreboard? “Everything”? Borderline “Watch My Dance”? Unless… Read more »
Is it even a question? Despite the poor results Greece has got lately with songs fully or partially in Greek I think it’s an exceptionally melodic language and a very nice one to listen, as many both Greek and Cypriot entries prooved in the past. But you might also wanna mix Greek with English a la Watch My Dance (though maybe without the crappy rap parts) which wouldn’t hurt the ethnic feel of the song and make it easier to connect with the viewer and convey song’s message. And to be fair, the last time a Greek upbeat song (or… Read more »
Greek is a very pretty language, and my favorite Greek entries usually are entirely in Greek or partially. However, Greece (and, to a degree, Cyprus) get credit for being one of the few countries that can do songs in English while still staying true to an authentically ethnic sound. Turkey and Armenia were 50/50 on that but they could also do it well here and there (“Qele Qele,” “Everyway That I Can,” “Apricot Stone,” etc). Israel’s also gotten pretty good at it lately, if “Toy” and “Golden Boy” are any proof.
Am I the only one who was distracted by his naked torso pic while reading the article?
Well, I’m not a big Greek pop fan, and I guess his participation would mean Luca Hanni 2.0, but when more alternative entries (’16, ’18, ’19) seem not to give them the much wanted success, maybe it’d be the right way to go back to the top. Still, not a sure one, as we’ve seen with the Cypriot televote result this year. Time will tell.
2016 was not alternative. It was a huge ethnopop mess (noone even remembers that entry, tbh) sang in English & Pontiac rap, that even us Greeks could not understand what they were singing…
*Old Fangirl Mode On*
He looks nice, and hot (I’m giving you that one), but I think he lacks that special spark Sakis had back on his day, well, he still has, I mean…
*Old Fangirl Mode Off*
I think Greece is actually trying to go back to the saddle, and the little spike on mainstream-ish pop success on this last couple of years, with Eleni and Luca, may have given them hopes they may be able to go back to the Golden Age of Ethnopop back to the early 00s.