The Eurovision 2020 slogan #OpenUp celebrates The Netherlands’ progressive values and its long history of welcoming the world to its shores. Rotterdam — among the world’s busiest ports — has played a central role in building those bridges. It was a gateway for Dutch explorers, but also the port of call for people arriving in Europe, often for the very first time. So it’s fitting, and somehow touching, that Greece decided to send Stefania — a Dutch singer of Greek descent — to sing at the Eurovision Song Contest in The Netherlands.
Stefania, who previously represented the Dutchies at Junior Eurovision, would have flown the flag of Greece — her mother’s country of birth. She’d have represented her Greek roots, but she would have been singing at home in the Netherlands — a powerful combination that would stir hearts and plenty of applause. The 17-year-old was set to sing “Superg!rl“, a song that encourages “teenagers to believe in themselves and go after their dreams.”
Thankfully she’ll have the chance to fulfil her Eurovision dream at Eurovision 2021 — Greece confirmed her for the gig immediately after ESC was cancelled.
Scroll down for the”Supergirl” lyrics
Greece in Eurovision 2020: Stefania “Superg!rl”
Stefania is a Dutch-born singer and actor, with Greek ancestry. She’d been on our radar since July as a potential act for Eurovision 2020. Stefania rose to fame in 2014, when she participated in the Dutch version of The Voice Kids. After wowing judges with her audition performance of Alicia Keys’ “No One”, she made it as far as the Battle round before being eliminated. She also sang as part of the Dutch children’s choir Kinderen voor Kinderen. In 2016, Stefania represented The Netherlands at Junior Eurovision in Malta, as part of the three-piece girl group Kisses. Their upbeat song “Kisses and Dancin’” placed eighth in the contest.
More recently, Stefania has turned her efforts to her solo pop career. Stefania recently released “Turn Around”, a sophisticated contemporary pop track. Stefania has also been working on her pop career in Greece. Last year, she performed at the Mad VMA music awards, as part of an all-girl cover of Daddy Yankee’s “Con calma”. The video of the performance has clocked up over 2.5 million views, inspiring comments from fans wanting Stefania for Eurovision.
What do the “Supergirl” lyrics mean?
The official announcement of the song spells out the meaning rather clearly: “‘Superg!rl'” narrates Stefania’s own story since, as a young woman, she has had to find the power to combine her obligations as a student with her dream of singing.”
“We came up with a story with surrealistic elements,” says music video producer Kostas Karydas. “We followed a young woman who finds the strength to embrace her special abilities in a society that perceives her as an outcast. It is a journey to explore her inner strength.”
The “SUPERG!RL” music video brings that story to life. Filmed in four different locations around Athens, it shows Stefania to be a young woman who uses her talents for good — seeking to help those in need and to bring joy to her classmates — first in secret, but later with an openness and confidence that we can all learn from.
The video starts with Stefania cast as a supernatural being — floating above her bed and brushing her teeth and curling her hair using the powers of telepathy. She knows what’s inside of her, even if she has to shut if off when Mom comes knocking on the bathroom door. As she sings: “I got the power, climb up the tower, save all humanity on zero hour.”
A queen with a good heart, she exacts revenge on bullies harassing a classmate and saves another student from slipping on a Fyffes banana peel in the hallway. When the crowds begin to swarm — a reality Stefania understands all too well — she evacuates to contemplate her situation. Her self-contemplation coincides with the discovery of love, and she and her aforementioned classmate share secrets on a park bench. Stefania learns that the greatest power may well be love — and she pleads with her pal to open his heart: “Na-na-nothing can stop me, no-nobody can hold me down, standing in the light, it’s a new world, let me be your supergirl.”
She ultimately presses on — perseverance is a superpower in all of us — and heads to the dance studio where she continues to work and werk it out. During the bridge she spots a helpless kitty cat in distress and unleashes her power to fly above her peers and save it. Sometimes you have to reveal your gifts publicly in order to do what is right.
“SUPERGIRL” lyrics – Stefania (Greece ESC 2020)
Written and composed by: Dimitris Kontopolous / Sharon Vaughn / Gabriel Russell / Pavlos Manolis
Keep the phone booth, don’t need a super car
No x-ray vision to show them who we are
I got the power, climb up the tower
Save all humanity on zero hour
Na-na-nothing can stop me, no-nobody can hold me down
Standing in the light, it’s a new world, let me be your supergirl
Na-na-nothing can stop me, no-nobody can hold us down
Fighting in the dark over true love, let me be your supergirl
I’m your supergirl
Fighting from the heart
I’m your supergirl, supergirl, unana
In this crazy world, crazy world, unana
I’m your supergirl, supergirl, unana
Fighting from the heart, from the heart, unana
There’s no wonder it takes a woman
To be a hero more than a human
To overflow your heart with electricity
Find through the shadows your true identity
Na-na-nothing can stop me, no-nobody can hold me down
Standing in the light, it’s a new world, let me be your supergirl
Na-na-nothing can stop me, no-nobody can hold us down
Fighting in the dark over true love, let me be your supergirl
I’m your supergirl
Fighting from the heart
I’m your supergirl, supergirl, unana
In this crazy world, crazy world, unana
I’m your supergirl, supergirl, unana
Fighting from the heart, from the heart, unana
Fly, give me a signal and I’ll fly
On a supersonic high
Like a hero in the sky
I will stand by your side
I’m your supergirl, supergirl, unana
In this crazy world, crazy world, unana
I’m your supergirl, supergirl, unana
Fighting from the heart
I’m your supergirl, supergirl, unana
In this crazy world, crazy world, unana
I’m your supergirl, supergirl, unana
Fighting from the heart
I’m your supergirl
Do Stefania’s lyrics speak to you? Do you think the message of the song comes through clearly? Sound off in the comments below.
This song + the video are like a CW show, which is weirdly fitting. It would be a great JESC song, but I enjoy it even in the context of the big ESC. It’s cute.
@WilliamLeeAdams both her parents are Greek, not only her mother.