Cyprus found their stride in recent years, reaching the final with various genres, from rock to pop. This year, they look to Andromache to bring a more ethnic led track to the Eurovision stage – something we haven’t seen from Cyprus in many years. How will audiences react to this change of pace for Cyprus?
Anita
Song and Vocals
After a number of years following a similar formula at Eurovision, Cyprus is breaking free and sending a more ethnic track to Eurovision. It was always going to be a difficult task to break free from that formula, however it is nice to see Cyprus bring something more authentic to the stage.
Unsurprisingly, Alex P leads the charge again with songwriting, however I found it interesting to see how many songwriters actually worked on this song. While this song certainly has traditional Greek elements, it almost feels watered down with production. In that sense, you can see that many people had their input into this song.
I am very curious to see this song performed live. As a studio version, this feels over-produced, but should Andromache really sound like this live, it might give more depth to the song. The mix of languages is interesting, and perhaps a strategic choice given the nation has not qualified with a Greek language song in the last three attempts. The English lyrics almost sound as if they should be part of an energetic pop track, but yet ended up in a more tender track. I much prefer the Greek lyrics, as they suit the instrumentals of the song.
Performance and Act
I hope that the nation can capture the ethereal nature of Andromache and her vocal style. I would make an educated guess to say that Andromache will wear white – this is definitely a white dress type of song.
It will be interesting to see the staging, as this is not the type of song that can handle fast paced cameras, and I don’t know if it can handle dancers either. This is in that middle ground of potentially being too dull if she is on stage alone, but too dynamic if there is too much happening on stage.
Conclusions
This track is very middle of the road, but should Andromache sing in this style live, it may stand out as unique in the field. I will be very curious to see how they choose to stage this entry, and I think it could be make or break for Cyprus. I couldn’t predict this either way at this stage.
Rating
6.5/10
Dennis
Song and Vocals
Cyprus has one of the few true ethnic songs in the field of 2022. It’s not the most original or the best in this genre we have ever heard at Eurovision, but given it’s the only one, that might help it to stand out. And from the live clips I’ve looked up with other songs by this singer, I think she is also capable of pulling off a comfortable live performance.
Performance and Act
In terms of staging I think Cyprus will also come up with something that makes it stand out from the rest of the pack. Given the ethnic aspect, this song lends itself well for an act with melting ice and props we have seen in the past for similar entries.
Conclusions
Yes, Cyprus has an entry in a genre that is common at Eurovision, but in 2022 it is unique in its kind. That alone does not make it a qualifier and I have doubts whether it is strong enough to attract enough points when the voting begins. To me it is a borderline qualifier at this point.
Rating
5/10
Team Scores
Steef: 6/10
Erik: 7/10
Josh: 6.5/10
Heath: 6/10
Kaitlin: 6/10
Selim: 7/10
Morena: 7.5/10
Average Score: 6.4/10
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