Five acts made it to the final of Greece’s internal selection for Eurovision 2022. But now there’s just one woman left standing. Amanda Tenfjord will represent Greece at the Eurovision Song Contest in Torino.
The 24-year-old, who is studying to be a doctor, won the highly competitive selection process over Good Job Nicky, Ilias Kozas, Joanna Drigo and LOU IS. Stefania, the country’s Eurovision 2021 singer, made the announcement on Wednesday afternoon on ERT.
Amanda — real name Amanda Georgiadis — is half Norwegian and half Greek. She mixes modern pop, folk, electronic and ambient in magical ways, delivering something distinctly polished with Nordic flair. You can hear that clearly on her debut EP First Impression, which showcases her raw talent in a beautiful way.
Until recently she was more focused on her medical studies than music.
Her web site explains a bit more: “While studying medicine, she continued to write music and enter music contests, and it was for fun that she decided to sign up for a showcase festival in Trondheim, where she caught the eye of a record label and, just like that, she was signed.”
Fans of the 2020 Netflix series Spinning Out may recognise her song “Troubled Water.” It showcases Amanda’s glorious voice, which can carry feelings like self-doubt and vulnerability just as well as hope and joy. It was the perfect fit for a show about a figure skating Olympic hopeful struggling to balance love, family and fragile mental health.
Amanda’s most-streamed song on Spotify is “Then I Fell In Love”, which has racked up more than 1.5 million views.
The stripped-back number demonstrates how Amanda can dazzle and wow without screaming or searching for a Mariah moment.
The song tells the story of a woman unexpectedly falling for someone and being unable to extricate herself from it all. The fragility in her voice fits the emotions perfectly. When she sings “I can’t get out” you just want to give her your hand and pull.
Amanda dropped her latest single on November 12. “Promises” is a collaboration with fellow Norwegian singer-songwriter Thomas Dybdahl. It shows her ongoing evolution as an artist. Here she plays with more electronic sounds and goes for something decidedly contemporary.
Which song from Amanda’s discography most lights your fire? Do you hope she’ll perform a modern Scandi-noir ballad? Or would you prefer something up beat and in your face? Let us know in the comments box below!
She seems cool.
This could go two ways:
1) She brings something indifferent in the vein of Belgium 2018 that makes no impact
2) She brings a special, quality track that juries will love and ends up in the top 5
Good luck Michelle Gomez!!!
Yeah, she does look like a young version of Michelle Gomez. She’s just missing striking make up and a purple Mary Poppins costume
This seems like a reattempt at the Katerine Duska strategy rather than the Stefania one, given that the former and Amanda have a more artsy sound while Stefania’s was more commercial. Regarding the diaspora strategy, what made Stefania a good example of it being relatively successful (the country got their best result in 8 years and returned to the top 10) was that unlike someone like Gianna, Katerine or even Helena back in the day is that she’s actually famous in The Netherlands, and was representing one of her countries in the other. A similar strategy here won’t pan out… Read more »
Famous isn’t the word, most Dutch people above the age of 20 only heard about Stefania when they heard she was going to represent Greece. The same thing will probably happen in Norway, and she’ll no doubt get some sympathy votes. They still have to like the song, of course.
All of you criticising Greece for not sending a song written by Greeks. I wonder what you would have said if we had sent a song written by Kontopoulos who happens to be a Greek. Just be honest and say you wanted Good job nicky to represent Greece and that you feel sad we didn’t send him instead. Please leave the gender and diaspora conspiracies out of the table and just support him when he comes back with an even better song in the future.
I wouldn’t want Nicky or anyone other newbie to be internally selected, he is just someone with a famous father who has been around for 12 months. I would like a proper national final with many genres and not just indie-pop in english. ERT’s obsession since 2018 that the greek entry should sound like something from Belgium or Australia is tiresome indeed. We have many genres we can showcase to the world. I also don’t like the fact that the public broadcaster is snubbing local talent at a time when they are really struggling and need the support. Amanda could… Read more »
It likely all comes down to money, among others. I can only assume that after the fiasco of that botched national final in 2018, ERT doesn’t have the best of relationships with record labels right now so their pool of acts interested is small.
With quick glimpse on a headline photo, I thought they picked Lorde!
Choosing a member of the Greek diaspora to represent Greece in Eurovision for the third time in a row might be an attempt to get the diaspora to support the country at Eurovision but I might it’ll fall flat because the Greek diaspora for whatever reason seems to have forgotten about the contest. Obviously Greece in recent years hasn’t sent great songs to the contest but even when they do send great songs the Greek diaspora hasn’t supported it either. Greece last year had a strong entry with Stefania’s Last Dance and yet that didn’t do particularly well in the… Read more »
How is 10th in the televote not a “particularly well” result?
Stefania only got 79 points in the televote, which is pretty low irrespective of ordinal ranking.
it’s fourth time in a row , Gianna Terzi is also from US
Everyone complaining about Azerbaijan and the songs that were written by foreigns, while countries such as Greece have had performers from Canada, The Netherlands, Sweden and Norway? Sigh, maybe some day people will start blaming this type of countries that serve no originality.
And what if they were from Sweden, Netherlands etc? They were Greek. Even if they were not, why is that your business?
I mean who knows GJN? Yes his parents are very famous but he joined the music industry quite recently. I think if he was selected, everyone would say “oh yes Greece is sending a Damiano wannabe” so let’s be supportive, Amanda seems cute and has really nice music taste. What scares me more is that Fokas will direct AGAIN the staging… scary!
I really struggle to see what is her artistic identity. She would be a great The Voice contestant, there is no x factor which MANY greek artists have. I hope she has a good song cause she needs it.
I’ll wait until her song is released so I can make a proper judgment. I want to keep an open mind about this. If it’s a great song, then Greece is in a good position, if it’s not, I don’t know what to say about that.
I would expect after listening to a small snippet that her song style will be Amelie soundtrack type 🙂
Her sound kind of wouldn’t be out of place on an Olivia Rodrigo album… But I like that. I’m excited!
I like her sound. It seems Eurovision is getting more into indie and rock.
A tiny (but promising) snippet of the song https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1Mrs4fs0XE
I really dig the instrumentation.
Listening some of her old songs I feel she doesn’t have something that differentiates her from others in the same genre like Katerine Duska. I am gonna wait to hear the song but I feel GJN has a uniqueness that is needed in the contest. Maybe next year
I would say one good thing about Amanda is that she has released songs around 3 minutes before, so sticking to the time limit won’t be a challenge. It’ll also be a different sound from Greece but I hope she’s in charge of the songwriting.
Thankfully, she has already written the song herself
Good. I don’t understand why broadcasters select singer-songwriters but force them to sing a predetermined song.
It reminds me of last year’s strategy, but Amanda has a different music style from Stefania.
I believe Greece will qualify again and who knows, they may get another top 10 result.
I really like what I’ve listened from her. When the shortlist was announced (or rumoured?), I remember commenting that I thought both Amanda and Good Job Nicky sounded like great choices. I understand some people preferred him (if I had to chose without knowing their songs, he would have my vote too for having a more original style) or don’t like the fact Greece has been represented by people that are not famous there, but we don’t even know the songs, maybe she had the best one. Don’t blame the artist for HoD’s decisions.
I was surprised she was chosen over GJN but I’m not mad, I understand that she’s foreign to the local scene but I trust she’ll manage and become a worthy contestant for Greece
Gratulerer Hellas! Og lykke til Amanda! Amazing choice. Greece has such a big diaspora and a lot of talent. Hope the song is good, though. Let’s wait and see. 🙂
Strange decision especially since nobody knows her in Greece. If it worked once with Stefania doesn’t mean it will happen again.
And what has to do Estefania and Amanda, they still s totally different s
The only similarity they have is that they were raised abroad, musically they’re different
I hope her song is amazing, but I’m sick and tired of our broadcastrer’s obsession with diaspora girls. I wish Good Job Nicky represents Greece sometime soon
To be fair at this point it appears Cyprus is taking up the Greek nationals…
Welp, that’s a diaspora girl who brought your sole victory.
I think the difference is that Helena’s music is very much influenced by Greek music, and she’s more famous in Greece and Cyprus than in Sweden (not that she’s unknown in Sweden, but she’s one of Greece’s biggest pop stars and was probably ESC’s biggest post contest success story of the 21st century until Maneskin).
In contrast Stefania for instance has built her career largely in The Netherlands.
Elena was actually and still is very popular in Sweden. Why wouldn’t she, she is born here after all. Don’t forget she was in Antique which was fomed in Gothenburg.
Nothing against Amanda. Actually I think she has the potential. A very talented young local male could be nice for a change though. Ofc in theory, since we haven’t heard the songs.
About Helena, she was already super popular in Greece since 2001. She was also based here
as a Norwegian I actually think this is such a cool artist for Eurovision. Seen her live and she is actually really good live. Go and listen to her ballad «kill the lonely», thats an amazing song by her that I think would’ve done it well in ESC
I agree: Justice for Ilias Kozas !
Can someone explain why ERT sends only females singers ? I see some kind of sexism again men.
Given that the fandom generally prefers female pop divas over every other type of singer, and the fact that Greece just tends to do better with women rather than men, it’s easy to see why.
Your comment alone is proof that you need to do more research, yikes
Come on Greece! Your industry and background musical culture is amazing! You have Nana Mouskouri, Dennis Roussos, Vangelis, Yanni and you prefer to send anybody with scandivanian (so used in Eurovision) sounds to Eurovision. Your quality and way of production is well-known in the world and you don’t take chance of it. What a pity!
Would you prefer for Greece to send all those zombies you’re mentioning or are you stuck in the 70s?
Yes. Lets drag out all these great names and put them on a rotating roster. When it isn’t their turn they can recover in the nursing home.
Meh, she doesn’t do anything for me, maybe the song will change my mind.
She sounds boring and whiny…
She was my favourite one but i never thought she would make it because of Evangelia and Good Job Nicky , i am so happy for her!
Her work must be very good because they selected her from a very strong selection and strong rivals.
Good luck in Torino dear Amanda !
she seems promising but i would’ve rathered good job nicky 🙁 he has eurovision winner vibes, i hope he’s selected some time soon. maybe for cyprus this year since they almost always make better choices than the the greek broadcaster
Though I thought for a moment he’d be the chosen one, you have to accept the fact that him not being chosen by ERT doesn’t mean it was a bad choice
I thought that they would have chosen Good Job Nicky. I’m impressed that Amanda will represent Greece this year. I knew some of her songs before the announcement and i really appreciate her as an artist. In Sweden this kind of music is really popular and probably she will recieve some points (especially from Norway that is the country she lives in) but i dont know if it will work in general in esc. Let’s wait for the song to be revealed!
the way greece has been saying NO to local talents lately… we’ll see what this girl cooks up, i wonder what led them to not choose good job nicky who seemed to be the big favorite
His father is a huge name and the president of ERT is godfather to Nicky’s nephew… The only way they could have legitimised that would have been through a national final, but it is clear they want to have total control and as little to do with the local music industry as possible…
i wonder if ert will leave her artistic freedom so that she can write her song faithful to her style, or if they’ll set up some songwriting camp for her
She already has a song. You couldn’t submit to ERT if you didn’t have one
Could work. Sounds cool with a Nordic polished flair to the songs. True she might be unknown but she atleast has a sound of her own and knows waht she wants, as opposed to Stefania who still looks for a sound(not that it is a bad thing).
Good luck!
There is not much musical difference between Good Job Nicky and Amanda, they both play in the same “international indie-pop” field. I guess they didn’t want to choose him, lest they be accused of favouring someone whose father is a very big name here…It is unfortunate that ERT deprives struggling local artists of yet another opportunity to showcase their work, through a national final for example. Since they don’t want to organise a final and can’t internally select a local name because they will face accusations of favouritism by everyone else, they go for unknown diaspora girls that Fokas can… Read more »
I thought this was Lorde lol
Katerina Duska, Stefania, now Amanda, why ERT chooses singers unknown to Greek audience?
Because most of the famous ones are trash
You want Josephine to represent them??
I don’t even know who is Josephine. Just because an artist is famous in your country doesn’t mean all of Europe has to know about him/her.
Isn’t Josephine rumoured for Cyprus?
Gianna Terzi also is from US
Hi that is not true. She is greek and was famous before ESC. In fact her father, Paschalis Terzis, is a very famous and popular singer in Greece. She only spent a few years in the US, tryin to make it there.
?? she is not,she just moved there for work for couple of years!
ERT does not care how the song does domestically. The only objective is for the song to appeal to eurovision jurys and televoting audiences. It was mentioned on tv that’s the reason they don’t want record labels promoting the song since record labels have an expectation of domestic sales.
good job nicky was by far the best and most genuine choice for Greece! Too bad he hasn’t been selected! Amanda is giving me Katrine Duska vibes, a bit boring, lifeless and predictable entry, but let’s listen to the song first! Also, what’s wrong with male Greek representatives? The last time being in 2014!
I have noticed that we haven’t had a male singer for Greece in a long while, But let’s wait and see.
She is in no way a bad choice and I like ‘Troubled Water’, but Amanda Tenfjord certainly isn’t the unique act Good Job Nicky would have been.
I was Surprised Amanda was picked over good job Nicky, But I Have no judgment on the matter until her song is out.
Yep. She still might turn some heads with her song.
wtf?
I think it’s a cool choice. Just like with Stefania you have to wonder what her connection really is with Greece, she seems as Norwegian as Stefania is Dutch. But her music is quite good.
stefania has a fun and likeable personality that was liked by Greeks, let alone she speaks better Greek than Amanda
Serious question: why are you so opposed to this lady? I think she’ll do your country proud, I for one think she’s a way cooler choice than Stefania, who is an artist without identity. Amanda will probably sing her own song rather than something written and produced by people she only met on Zoom.
Eurovision is a contest between people representing their respective countries. Of course there’s nationalism involved. If she feels Greek, more power to her! But Greece seems to be looking all over the place for people with some Greek heritage.
Okay, I guess I’ll have to tell my cousin, who is half Greek half Swedish, that according to some people on the internet she isn’t Greek but has ‘some Greek heritage’.
So if the Netherlands were to send Birdy (who is of Dutch descent and has the most Dutch-sounding real name ever) to Eurovision, you’d think that was perfectly normal?
Sure, if Birdy wanted to represent Netherlands in Eurovision it’d be perfectly normal in my book. Would you find it also strange if Eleni Foureira decided one day to represent Albania? What you don’t understand is that Amanda applied for the Greek national selection herself and she wasn’t pressured or forced by ERT. She wanted to represent Greece on her own free will, that must mean something. And as a person who has many relatives that were born abroad, I can safely tell you that they feel equal love for both countries. My half Finnish cousin is living in Greece… Read more »
Way to misrepresent what I said, I’m not saying any of these things. It’s you who seems to think in black and white, either you’re completely on board with countries sending any artist they like from wherever they like, or you’re a xenophobe. She could live in Vladivostok, for all I care, but as a Greek artist from Greece I’d be kind of pissed that apparently I’m not even considered.
I didn’t misrepresent anything, it was you who said that Amanda is someone with some Greek heritage (like she has a Greek grandparent or something), disregarding the fact that she’s half Greek and was born in Greece. I’m not on board with ERT sending a complete foreigner but Amanda isn’t a complete foreigner. She falls into that grey spectrum I talked about, she comes from two worlds and one of these worlds is Greece. Greek artists from Greece were considered. They didn’t just randomly choose Amanda like they did with Stefania. They invited artists to submit their songs and ideas,… Read more »
Ok, I’ll tell my gf who’s half Mexican half Greek that she’s not Greek but “has some Greek heritage,” according to some rando on the internet
I was not familiar with Amanda before she was rumoured to be representing us. At first glance it may seem like ERT are going down the same road they followed in 2021 by opting for a young girl singing a pop tune, but as far as I can see Amanda’s style is different from Stefania’s albeit still belonging to the pop sphere. As a result I am carefully optimistic!! Good luck Amanda and I am waiting for a creative, out of the box and artsy kinda entry!
I thought Good job Nicky had this in the bag, but I’ll keep an open mind for Amanda Once her song drops. Hopefully it’s A decent follow-up to last dance and not a disappointment.
As a greek i am so excited! Amandas voice and style are so unique, I always supported her from the start (alongside with Good job nicky). Cant wait to see my country in the final twice in a row(and why not be in the top10)!
I imagine the Eurofans would have had a complete meltdown if ERT chose someone other than Amanda or Good Job Nicky.
Maybe not a meltdown but most likely they would’ve felt jarred if LOU IS was chosen
Let’s see how Greece will do this year. Will Stefania’s last top 10 finish begin a new era for the once powerhouse Greece? Amanda seems a legit choice and I’m sure that given the power status of Good Job Nicky as Giannis Parios’ son (Parios being one of the most celebrated Greek singers) she really has something great to offer. Good luck Greece! Isn’t it great that we’re getting started for the new contest? ???
ERT apparently followed the same path by choosing a foreign singer with Greek parents but Amanda does not have the career, the charisma and the stage presence of Stefania. Curious about the song…
That’s not bad. Celine Dion wasn’t that experienced when she competed, neither were Lena (2010) or most of ESC winners
I’m sorry, the career of Stefania? Amanda Tenfjord appears to be a more established artist than Stefania was. And she has developed her own sound, something that Stefania didn’t have (still doesn’t).
appears? Who knows her in Norway? she has 5k followers and a few appearances on live shows. Thats far from established
Once again, Eurovision Song Contest isn’t for established singers. So, I really can’t see your point of argument.
You Don’t have to be an established singer to compete at Eurovision. Duncan Lawrence was practically an unknown before he was selected to represent the Netherlands in 2019 and he ended up winning.
its not about fame. Its about stage presence and being able to stand in front of millions of viewers. Greece sent Yianna Terzi few years ago. Do i need to say more?
Stefania was famous among Dutch teenagers on Instagram, that’s true. But not for her music.
Yeah. She got 10 points from the public and zero from the juries. (Tell me about that). Stefania was certainly a great performer! I still can’t sew why the original comment tends to compare Amanda and Stefania though.
I dont compare them. One has stage charisma and the other doesnt. Guess who
You haven’t seen her yet. Wait before getting bitter
you know she has (some) videos on YouTube. She aint Celine Dion 2.0
One could argue that you have a personal interest by saying so many things against Amanda. Wow!
lol its called dialogue. If you have no arguments thats your problem
she has several songs with over a million streams which is something
yes that is very easy in Scnadinavian countries Spotify is used there much
Actually, I knew Amanda Tenfjord. She already got some minor radio airplay in Germany. Something that couldn’t be said about Stefania or generally 90 % of all ESC performers lately.
Stefania has charisma and stage presence? Where?