Greece: Gianna Terzi – Oneiro mou

Shi: Anyone who’s known me for longer than five seconds knows I have an unhealthy relationship with Greece and Greek music. Among other things, this obsession means I know way too many things about their local music scene, which puts me in a different position to most fans when reacting to their ESC entries.

Normally my problem is that, despite the amazing depth of their music scene, Greece’s ESC entries tend to represent absolutely nothing. This year they pose the opposite problem for me. For years I wished Greece would send a song from my favorite genre (entexno, in case you care – it literally means “art music”). Now that they finally have done, the awkward truth is it’s just not the best example of the genre. “Oneiro mou” is pleasant enough, but it lacks both peaks and hooks.

Gianna is also a question mark, having lived away from Greece for many years and not having done much in terms of live singing – indeed, as far as I know, she hasn’t performed this type of music before. But there’s nothing like this song in the 2018 line-up. The Greeks have a long list of countries that will relate to this style, and it should also stand out for viewers elsewhere who want to get a real taste of other cultures.

Felix: Greece! Finally. I’ve often had harsh words for their entries in recent years, but this one is my favourite Greek Eurovision entry since 1996 (“Emis forame to himona anixiatika“), with the exception of 2003 and 2006. Nineties Greece with a modern touch? I like. Should do well.

Martin: It does tick its own box, although I wonder if Armenia could overshadow it for voters looking for “dark, brooding and a bit ethnic”. I’m also very curious as to how they’ll handle those heavily processed vocals live. But yes: stage this with plenty of blue and white drama and it should do fine.

video and title image source: eurovision.tv