Greece in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017

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Eurovision Song Contest 2017
Country Greece
National selection
Selection processArtist: Internal selection
Song: Ellinikós Telikós 2017
Selection date(s)Artist: 13 January 2017
Song: 6 March 2017
Selected entrantDemy
Selected song"This Is Love"
Selected songwriter(s)
Finals performance
Semi-final resultQualified (10th, 115 points)
Final result19th, 77 points
Greece in the Eurovision Song Contest
◄2016 • 2017 • 2018►

Greece participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 with the song "This Is Love" written by Dimitris Kontopoulos, Romy Papadea and John Ballard. The song was performed by Demy, who was internally selected by the Greek broadcaster Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation (ERT) to represent Greece at the 2017 contest in Kyiv, Ukraine. Demy was announced at the Greek representative on 13 January 2017, while a national final was held in order to select the song. Three songs competed in the national final on 6 March 2017 where a combination of international jury voting and public voting eventually selected "This Is Love" as the winning song.

Greece was drawn to compete in the first semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest which took place on 9 May 2017. Performing during the show in position 10, "This Is Love" was announced among the top 10 entries of the first semi-final and therefore qualified to compete in the final on 13 May. It was later revealed that Greece placed tenth out of the 18 participating countries in the semi-final with 115 points. In the final, Greece performed in position 15 and placed nineteenth out of the 26 participating countries, scoring 77 points.

Background[]

Main article: Greece in the Eurovision Song Contest

Prior to the 2017 contest, Greece had participated in the Eurovision Song Contest thirty-seven times since their debut in 1974.[1] The nation has won the contest on one occasion in 2005 with the song "My Number One" performed by Helena Paparizou. Following the introduction of semi-finals for the 2004, Greece has managed to thus far qualify to the final with each of their entries. Between 2004 and 2011, the nation achieved eight consecutive top ten placements in the final. To this point, Greece in 2016 with Argo's "Utopian Land" failed to qualify from the semi-finals for the first time ever, being absent from the final for the first time since 2000. This was Greece's worst result at the contest.

The Greek national broadcaster, Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation (ERT), broadcasts the event within Greece and organises the selection process for the nation's entry. ERT had been in charge of Greece's participation in the contest since their debut in 1974 until 2013 when the broadcaster was shutdown by a government directive and replaced with the interim Dimosia Tileorasi (DT) and then later by the New Hellenic Radio, Internet and Television (NERIT) broadcaster.[2][3] Following the January 2015 Greek legislative election, a draft proposal was initiated to reinstate ERT as the public Greek broadcaster. On 28 April 2015, the draft was approved and signed into law by the Hellenic Parliament, resulting in the renaming of NERIT to ERT; ERT began broadcasting once again on 11 June 2015.[4][5] ERT confirmed their intentions to participate at the 2017 Eurovision Song Contest on 7 October 2016.[6] The Greek broadcaster has used various methods to select the Greek entry in the past, such as internal selections and televised national finals to choose the performer, song or both to compete at Eurovision. For the first time since 2004, the Greek artist and song in 2016 was selected via an internal selection.

Before Eurovision[]

Artist selection[]

The Greek broadcaster Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation (ERT) selected their act internally and confirmed Demy as the Greek representative for the 2017 contest on 13 January 2017.[7][8] It was also revealed that a national final would be used to select her song.[9]

Ellinikós Telikós 2017[]

Three songs were selected to participate in the national final. Music videos for the competing songs were filmed in Greece and in Odessa, Ukraine, and were presented during the national final on 6 March 2017. The show, held at ERT's studio in Athens and hosted by Elena Bouzala and Antonis Loudaros, was televised on ERT1, ERT HD and ERT World as well as streamed online via the ERT website ert.gr.[10][11] The winning song, "This Is Love", was selected by a combination of public voting (70%) and international jury voting (30%). Public voting was conducted through telephone or SMS, while the international jury consisted of members of Greek diaspora communities from nine European cities. In addition to the presentation of the competing songs, the interval act featured guest performances by 2017 Cypriot Eurovision entrant Hovig and 2017 Moldovan Eurovision entrant SunStroke Project.[12] The national final received a market share of 7%.[13]

Final – 6 March 2017
Draw Song Songwriter(s) Jury
(30%) 		Televote
(70%) 		Total Place
1 "Angels" Dimitris Kontopoulos, Romy Papadea 0% 12% 8.4% 3
2 "This Is Love" Dimitris Kontopoulos, Romy Papadea, John Ballard 89% 70% 75.7% 1
3 "When the Morning Comes Around" Dimitris Kontopoulos, John Ballard 11% 18% 15.9% 2

At Eurovision[]

Demy during a press meet and greet

According to Eurovision rules, all nations with the exceptions of the host country and the "Big Five" (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom) are required to qualify from one of two semi-finals in order to compete for the final; the top ten countries from each semi-final progress to the final. The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) split up the competing countries into six different pots based on voting patterns from previous contests, with countries with favourable voting histories put into the same pot.[14] On 31 January 2017, a special allocation draw was held which placed each country into one of the two semi-finals, as well as which half of the show they would perform in. Greece was placed into the first semi-final, to be held on 9 May 2017, and was scheduled to perform in the second half of the show.[15]

Once all the competing songs for the 2017 contest had been released, the running order for the semi-finals was decided by the shows' producers rather than through another draw, so that similar songs were not placed next to each other. Greece was set to perform in position 10, following the entry from Portugal and before the entry from Poland.[16]

The two semi-finals and the final will be televised in Greece on ERT1, ERT HD and ERT World as well as broadcast via radio on ERA 2 and Voice of Greece with commentary by Maria Kozakou and Giorgos Kapoutzidis.[17] The Greek spokesperson, who announced the top 12-point score awarded by the Greek jury during the final, was Constantinos Christoforou, who previously represented Cyprus at the Eurovision Song Contest as a solo artist in 1996 and 2005 as well as in 2002 as part of the boy band One.

Semi-final[]

Demy during a rehearsal before the first semi-final

Demy took part in technical rehearsals on 30 April and 4 May, followed by dress rehearsals on 8 and 9 May. This included the jury show on 8 May where the professional juries of each country watched and voted on the competing entries.

The Greek performance featured Demy wearing a soft gold dress and performing together on stage with two dancers in nude-coloured shorts playing with water. The stage presentation featured Demy standing on a leveled podium and a hologram screen which appeared in front of the singer during the performance with the LED screens projecting a dark blue background with white and gold raindrops.[18][19] The performance was choreographed by Fokas Evangelinos.[20] Demy was joined by three off-stage backing vocalists: Erasmia Markidi, Evgenia Liakou and Paris Paraskevadis Planets. The two dancers that performed with Demy on stage were Iasonas Mandilas and Marcus Giakoumoglou.[21]

At the end of the show, Greece was announced as having finished in the top 10 and subsequently qualifying for the grand final. It was later revealed that Greece placed tenth in the semi-final, receiving a total of 115 points: 54 points from the televoting and 61 points from the juries.[22]

Final[]

Shortly after the second semi-final, a winners' press conference was held for the ten qualifying countries. As part of this press conference, the qualifying artists took part in a draw to determine which half of the grand final they would subsequently participate in. This draw was done in the reverse order the countries appeared in the semi-final running order. Greece was drawn to compete in the second half. Following this draw, the shows' producers decided upon the running order of the final, as they had done for the semi-finals. Greece was subsequently placed to perform in position 15, following the entry from Australia and before the entry from Spain.

Demy once again took part in dress rehearsals on 12 and 13 May before the final, including the jury final where the professional juries cast their final votes before the live show. Demy performed a repeat of her semi-final performance during the final on 13 May. Greece placed nineteenth in the final, scoring 77 points: 29 points from the televoting and 48 points from the juries.

Voting[]

Voting during the three shows involved each country awarding two sets of points from 1-8, 10 and 12: one from their professional jury and the other from televoting. Each nation's jury consisted of five music industry professionals who are citizens of the country they represent, with their names published before the contest to ensure transparency. This jury judged each entry based on: vocal capacity; the stage performance; the song's composition and originality; and the overall impression by the act. In addition, no member of a national jury was permitted to be related in any way to any of the competing acts in such a way that they cannot vote impartially and independently. The individual rankings of each jury member as well as the nation's televoting results were released shortly after the grand final.

Below is a breakdown of points awarded to Greece and awarded by Greece in the first semi-final and grand final of the contest, and the breakdown of the jury voting and televoting conducted during the two shows:

Points awarded to Greece[]

Points awarded by Greece[]

Detailed voting results[]

The following members comprised the Greek jury:[25]

  • Vicky Gerotheodorou (jury chairperson) – lyricist
  • Xenia Ghali – composer and producer
  •  [es] – radio producer
  • Akis Anastasiadis – music producer
  • Aris Petrakis – performer
Detailed voting results from Greece (Semi-final 1)[23]
Draw Country Jury Televote
X. Ghali V. Gerothodorou D. Ouggarezos A. Anastadiadis A. Petrakis Average Rank Points Rank Points
01  Sweden 1 1 12 16 12 9 2 8 3
02  Georgia 8 9 8 6 9 7 4 5 6
03  Australia 9 5 11 11 11 11 13
04  Albania 6 3 5 4 5 2 10 6 5
05  Belgium 17 11 14 2 2 10 1 7 4
06  Montenegro 5 6 6 3 6 4 7 16
07  Finland 14 10 10 8 13 13 10 1
08  Azerbaijan 2 4 4 7 7 3 8 11
09  Portugal 11 14 1 12 1 6 5 2 10
10  Greece
11  Poland 10 15 13 9 10 14 9 2
12  Moldova 12 8 7 5 8 8 3 4 7
13  Iceland 15 17 16 17 17 17 14
14  Czech Republic 13 13 17 14 15 15 17
15  Cyprus 3 7 2 15 4 5 6 1 12
16  Armenia 7 2 3 1 3 1 12 3 8
17  Slovenia 16 16 15 13 16 16 12
18  Latvia 4 12 9 10 14 12 15
Detailed voting results from Greece (Final)[24]
Draw Country Jury Televote
X. Ghali V. Gerothodorou D. Ouggarezos A. Anastadiadis A. Petrakis Average Rank Points Rank Points
01  Israel 18 21 20 25 19 24 16
02  Poland 17 22 22 19 20 22 14
03  Belarus 12 11 8 11 7 8 3 25
04  Austria 16 16 15 10 9 14 20
05  Armenia 9 7 9 2 3 3 8 9 2
06  Netherlands 25 25 3 18 23 19 18
07  Moldova 7 8 6 4 6 4 7 5 6
08  Hungary 23 14 21 17 21 21 11
09  Italy 11 1 13 9 14 7 4 4 7
10  Denmark 22 19 23 7 13 18 19
11  Portugal 8 15 2 16 1 6 5 3 8
12  Azerbaijan 3 4 4 3 5 2 10 17
13  Croatia 21 13 12 12 25 17 13
14  Australia 19 10 19 6 12 15 15
15  Greece
16  Spain 20 17 17 24 22 23 24
17  Norway 14 18 18 21 10 16 21
18  United Kingdom 10 2 10 14 15 10 1 12
19  Cyprus 1 6 1 8 2 1 12 1 12
20  Romania 6 9 5 5 8 5 6 10 1
21  Germany 24 24 25 22 24 25 23
22  Ukraine 15 20 24 20 17 20 22
23  Belgium 13 12 11 13 4 12 6 5
24  Sweden 4 3 14 15 16 11 8 3
25  Bulgaria 5 5 7 23 11 9 2 2 10
26  France 2 23 16 1 18 13 7 4

References[]

  1. ^ "Greece | Country profile | Eurovision Song Contest". Eurovision.tv. Retrieved 18 January 2016.
  2. ^ Savaricas, Nathalie (11 July 2013). "Greece's state-run TV service resumes with a blast from the past". independent.co.uk. The Independent. Retrieved 18 January 2016.
  3. ^ "Greece's replacement public broadcaster launched". dw.com. Deutsche Welle. 4 May 2014. Retrieved 18 January 2016.
  4. ^ Maltezou, Renee (28 April 2015). "In symbolic move, Greece to reopen shuttered state broadcaster". reuters.com. Reuters. Retrieved 18 January 2016.
  5. ^ "Greece's state broadcaster ERT back on air after two years". bbc.com. BBC News. 11 June 2015. Retrieved 18 January 2016.
  6. ^ Jiandani, Sanjay (Sergio) (7 October 2016). "Greece: ERT confirms participation in Eurovision 2017". Esctoday. Retrieved 4 November 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  7. ^ "Greece 2017: Demy confirms bidding for Kyiv". Oikotimes.com. 21 December 2016. Retrieved 4 March 2017.
  8. ^ "How is 2017 shaping up so far?". eurovision.tv. 24 January 2017. Retrieved 4 November 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  9. ^ Vasileiadis, George (13 January 2017). "Drama ended: Demy will represent Greece at Eurovision 2017". Wiwibloggs. Retrieved 4 November 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  10. ^ Agadellis, Stratos (24 February 2017). "Greece: Demy meets with the Mayor of Odessa in Ukraine". Esctoday. Retrieved 4 November 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  11. ^ Jiandani, Sanjay (Sergio) (6 March 2017). "Watch now: Greece decides Demy's song for Kyiv!". Esctoday.
  12. ^ "Demy to represent Greece with 'This Is Love' in Kyiv". eurovision.tv. 7 March 2017. Retrieved 4 November 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  13. ^ Argyriou, Giannis (7 March 2017). "Η τηλεθέαση του ελληνικού τελικού". INFE Greece (in Greek). Retrieved 4 November 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  14. ^ Jordan, Paul (25 January 2017). "Semi-Final Allocation draw to take place in Kyiv". eurovision.tv. Retrieved 25 January 2017.
  15. ^ Jordan, Paul (31 January 2017). "Results of the Semi-Final Allocation Draw". eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union. Retrieved 31 January 2017.
  16. ^ Jordan, Paul (31 March 2017). "Semi-Final running order for Eurovision 2017 revealed". eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union. Retrieved 12 April 2017.
  17. ^ "Eurovision 2017: Η επίσημη παρουσίαση της ελληνικής συμμετοχής από την ΕΡΤ" [The official presentation of the Greek participation by ERT] (in Greek). 26 January 2017. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
  18. ^ Cobb, Ryan (1 May 2017). "Day 2: Demy completes first rehearsal for Greece – REVIEW". escXtra. Retrieved 4 November 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  19. ^ Cobb, Ryan (4 May 2017). "Day 5: Demy completes second rehearsal for Greece – PREDICTION & REVIEW". escXtra. Retrieved 4 November 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  20. ^ Jordan, Paul (1 May 2017). "Greece's Demy: "When the time comes, there will only be excitement"". eurovision.tv. Retrieved 4 November 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  21. ^ "Greece". Six on Stage. Retrieved 4 November 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  22. ^ "First Semi-Final of Kyiv 2017". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 8 May 2021. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
  23. ^ a b c "Results of the First Semi-Final of Kyiv 2017". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 12 May 2021. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  24. ^ a b c "Results of the Grand Final of Kyiv 2017". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 12 May 2021. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  25. ^ Jordan, Paul (29 April 2017). "Who will be the expert jurors for Eurovision 2017?". eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union. Retrieved 3 May 2017.
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