Although Cyprus was one of the first nations to announce their singer for the 2011 ESC, they only released their song and promotional video just yesterday. Christos Mylordos, a native of Nicosia, will sing "San Aggelos S'agapisa (I Loved You Like an Angel)":
So, we've got an ethno-rock-ballad from the Cypriots with a video that could have been ripped from a Colombian telenovela! This one was a bit tough to catch onto at first, partially because it has no real definable chorus, and partially because...well...it's in Greek. But as I trolled through YouTube videos trying to find a high-quality version to post on the site, I got to re-listen to the song a handful of times, and it's actually been growing on me! Christos is a newcomer to the Cypriot music scene, having recently won a nationally-televised music show. His winning performance on the program was of a song in English, which left many ESC fans underwhelmed. Fortunately, the powers that be (whether that was the network, the record company, or Apollo himself) have him singing in Greek (the first Cypriot entry since 2008 to be in the language).
All in all, this is a well-constructed, albeit dramatic song, that everything but the kitchen sink has been thrown into. However, "San Aggelos S'agapisa" is a lot stronger than I think people were expecting from Cyprus, and depending on the staging, this might end up being a shock qualifier. From this perspective, though, things might be a bit tough for Mr. Mylordos. Although Cyprus made it to the Finals last year with "Life Looks Better in Springtime", singer John Lilygreen was actually Welsh...if Christos makes it out of the Semis, he'll be the first Cypriot-born performer to do so since 2005, and no singer from the nation has qualified for the Final while singing in Greek. Stacking the deck even more harshly against Christos is the fact that constant ally Greece is performing in the first Semi, while Cyprus is in the second. This one could go either way, folks...
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
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You know what bugs me about this? I am lost for words. I have no opinion! I hate when I have no perceptive opinions! I hope this does not make it to the Final without me having formed my opinion. I prefer Finals where I have an opinion on everything.
ReplyDelete-Finland
Well, fortunately, you have about two and a half months to make up your mind on this one...it took me about five listens to get it in my head, which might be a drawback. Finland isn't even voting in this semifinal, either! It might be a completely moot point...
ReplyDeleteI have an opinion now! You can delete my comment back from the first of March, as well as this one, as well as maybe your own comment! Are you ready for this?
ReplyDelete-Finland
There are beautiful parts to this, but I find it lacking in cohesion. If the song were longer than three minutes, that might help us discover who this song is as a song. As it is, I feel it will be a tough sell to a pan-European audience, and Christos does not strike me as a performer that exudes stage presence.
ReplyDelete-Finland