On a local level, a music market is already extremely difficult to tap into but when moving beyond the borders within other nations, then it truly becomes an adventure with the hope that the right promotion and exposure will be enough. A panel of music professionals have been listening to the entries that will be competing in the first semi-final of this years' Eurovision Song Contest with all of the sixteen (16) rounded up yesterday. It's time to change the perspective and move onto the three nations who will be giving their votes within the first evening and the first of these is none other than the United Kingdom whose entry entitled Believe In Me presented by the BBC is co-written by Desmond Child, Lauren Christy, Christopher Braide will be performed by Bonnie Tyler.

Perhaps best known for the classic Jim Steinman songs Total Eclipse Of The Heart and Holding Out For A Hero, Bonnie Tyler has had number one albums on both sides of the Atlantic, has been nominated for three Grammys, won the Yamaha World Song Festival, and has sold over 20 million records in her career so far. She continues to tour and play live shows constantly, which she loves to do. Tyler now has a brand new album, titled Rocks And Honey, and her Eurovision entry, Believe In Me, comes from that new record. "What makes our entry special is that we have a beautiful song by world class songwriter, Desmond Child, that appeals to a wide variety of people across borders, age groups and other dividing lines. It brings people together and that is an essential part of the purpose of the Eurovision Song Contest.

In Malmö I want to do my very best for my country, and for our wonderful song, but I also want to take a full part in the competition and look forward to working with, and enjoying, the artists from all of the participating nations. I have found inspiration in the work of great singers such as Janis Joplin and Bruce Springsteen, but most of all from my mother who sang opera beautifully. I am inspired every day by my 40 year long marriage to Robert, who was a Team GB competitor at the 1972 Olympic Games. I want to thank my fans for their unwavering support and love and ask them to spread the word about Believe In Me to everyone that they know. An interesting fact about our entry is that Desmond Child partially wrote this song at the dinner table at his house in Nashville whilst we were all eating together.

The Eurovision Song Contest is compulsive watching for me and it has given music some truly great artists, such as the wonderful Abba, and continues to give a truly unique opportunity to songwriters and performers." For nearly four decades, songwriter and producer Desmond Child has reigned as one of music's most successful creative forces. His list of accolades include his induction into The Songwriters Hall Of Fame in 2008, Grammy awards, 70 Top 40 singles, and songs that have sold over 300 million albums worldwide. Child's career has been highlighted by a stunning array of diversity. His collaborations run the gamut... from Bon Jovi and Aerosmith to Ricky Martin,.. from Kiss to Kelly Clarkson...from Mickey Mouse to Kermit The Frog and from Cher to Alice Cooper.

Despite having worked for nearly forty years as a writer, producer, and artist, Child remains energised and enthusiastic... ready to create hits indefinitely. "I was born with a certain drive and sense of destiny that keeps me going," says Child. "Maybe it was because I was born poor; I wanted to win for the family. I still put a lot of energy in what I do. I try to really live life, so I have new experiences that I can write about." The United Kingdom has a remarkable history at the Eurovision Song Contest noting that they have managed to finish in the first runner-up slot for a record fifteen times apart from winning the competition on four occasions, the last time being in 1997 thanks to Katrina & The Waves with the song Love Shine a Light. Rekindling their flame for the Eurovision Song Contest, the BBC have decided to send none other than Bonnie Tyler in 2013.

Professional Critics Voice their Opinion

Rating: 67%

Magnus Kaxe: One of my 80's favorite artists is back! I have always admired Bonnie Tyler for her great and strong voice. My first impression - it's a lot of autotune on Bonnie's voice. Will she be able to perform live? So what about the song? It's a Westlife-ish ballad song with a lot of emotion, but it's boring. This wouldn't even been an album track by Westlife. I'm disappointed.

Lina Eriksson: It's hard not to love a song when it's sung by Bonnie Tyler. Love, the lyrics, the voice ... the song.

Matt Mercieca (Muxu): The UK seem to be making it a habit of sending a well known artist, It never seems to do the job, and I'm not sure Bonnie has the power to do this with this song, BUT!!!!! I personally really like the song, I love Bonnie's quirky voice, I really like the structure of the song, and it has a really nice vibe, I do think its a good /strong song, but don't think it will make a huge impact on the festival, I love the pre-chorus, the way she sings it, is something I would use in my own song.  Overall I really like it, I just don't believe it will do amazingly, its a good song for an album, maybe a third/final single off an album, but not to represent the UK in the Eurovision.

Source: eurovision.tv

Miriam Christine and Claudia Faniello are two of the most notable names in the local music industry and they owe part of their success to the Konkors Kanzunetta Indipendenza organised by Media.Link Communications. The competition has a lot of significance for the simple reason that all of the submitted entries have to be original and in Maltese, the national language of the country. In last years' edition organised under the hospice of Mark Azzopardi as Chairman, it was Deborah C and her entry Jekk Nużaw Moħħna composed by Mark Spiteri Lucas and penned by Joe Chircop which finished in the top spot. Rules and Regulations for the twenty-second edition were officially published yesterday.

During the course of the weekend, Karen DeBattista was announced by Spiteri Lucas Entertainment as the first finalist of this years' edition of the Konkors Kanzunetta Indipendenza having triumphed in the Passport 2 Indifest competition. Submissions at a fee of €50 will be received at Media.Link Communications on Friday, 17th May with the first phase of the competition behind closed doors taking place on Saturday, 18th May prior to the live phase scheduled for a week later on the 25th May. No acceptions regarding the dates will be made so the committee is being stern about the fact that those who submit need to make sure they are free on the available dates.

The committee of the Konkors Kanzunetta Indipendenza is also retaining the right of the tracks which qualify to the final of this years' competition. This is not usual practice noting that the rights are normally attributed to the songwriters who would have spent the money to record the track. In the past this was an issue in other local competitions and as a matter of fact had to be dropped from the clauses. For the second year running, we applaud Media.Link Communications for allowing live backing vocalists for whoever wishes to make use of them. Stay tuned to escflashmalta.com for all of the latest news with regards to this years' edition of the Konkors Kanzunetta Indipendenza.

Source: Official Facebook Page

Ukraine has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest ten times. Infact, their first entry goes back to 2003 with a 14th place finish for Oleksandr Ponomaryov. The country won in 2004 when famous singer Ruslana turned wild with her strong entry Wild Dances. Ukraine finished in joint 19th place in the 2005 contest, for which Kiev, was the host. Ukraine has a remarkable record in the contest. It has never been eliminated in the semifinals, and has therefore never missed a final. And they will probably make the finals this year too with the soundtrack song Gravity sang by the beautiful Zlata Ognevich.

The singer is busy preparing her final touches for the stage performance of the Avatarish song. Four backing vocals are expected to be on stage to sing along with her but the sixth member of the performance is yet to be unveil. One of the backing vocals is Cleveland Watkiss, a Jazz icon. He was the winner of the London Jazz Awards for Best Vocalist in 2010 and was voted Wire/Guardian Jazz Awards top vocalist for three uninterrupted years. The 3 minute stage show is directed by Maxim Litvinov a prominent Ukrainian director, who designs shows for the Ukrainian version of X-Factor and Ukraine’s Got Talent. The director wants to surprise the European spectators with a  show which Europe has never seen at the Eurovision stage before. Zlata Ognevich will sing her song Gravity in the First Semi Final on 14th May 2013. The atmospheric song was written by Mikhail Nekrasov, who was responsible for arranging Ruslana’s winning entry in 2004.

Lyrics to Gravity were written by Karen Kavaleryan, author of Ani Lorak’s Shady Lady and Dima Bilan’s Never Let You Go. The singer that Gravity says matches with the theme art of this year’s Eurovision. The intercultural sound of music in Gravity reflects the big idea of cultural variety behind Eurovision. In the meantime, the delegation has also decided to make the song available for people to download as a ringtone. 'People who support Ukraine in Eurovision want to listen to Gravity when they receive phone calls. They also want to let other fans know who they will vote for in the contest', explains Mikhail Nekrasov, Zlata’s producer. Currently, the Ukrainian entry is doing very well in the bettings. Gravity is in the 3rd place out of 39 countries. We wish Zlata a successful performance on the first semi final. Stay tuned to escflashmalta.com for all of the latest news.

Source: Press Release

Keep Me In Mind performed by Mike Spiteri and Let Me Fly sung by Debbie Scerri were both written by Maestro Ray Agius, one of the most accomplished songwriters in the present generation. Apart from penning the aforementioned tracks which represented the country at the Eurovision Song Contest achieving success within the top ten internationally, he has also written tracks such as Fejn Tħobb il-Qalb and Fjura fil-Kantina, both sung by Mike Spiteri. Original music has been put forward to Michael Vella Haber and Evelyn Saliba La Rosa, who in turns have been writing lyrics and creating a storyline, which is transcended to the audience in a television series entitled D.R.E.A.M.S which airs on Television Malta, the main organ of transmittion for the Public Broadcasting Services. escflashmalta.com has always been proud to support upcoming artists and this is one series which promotes the future of the local music industry. Rewind Productions in collaboration with Television Malta will be airing the twenteeth episode this evening.

Sue Busuttil (Ruth Sammut Casingena) was the main focus in the past episode noting that she had somewhat single handedly foiled the plot for her sister, Cynthia (Stephanie Attard Vella) and Edward (Manuel Cutajar). This unveiling might actually lead to the re-uniting of a couple in the form of Robert (Andre' Penza) and Gloria (Joanne Busuttil), The spotlight this week is mostly on the teenagers though especially for the simple reason that they seem to have been out of the loop apart from the storyline which features Karen (Lara Dimech) who has discovered that the man she believed was her father is actually not and therefore has to find out who her true father is. Nevertheless, in recent weeks, the stories surrounding the teen relationships have been very much exclusively breaking down and it seems that things have not taken a turn for the better where Brandon (Jean Pierre Cassar) and Antoinette (Annalise Psaila) are involved. There is hope though that the relationship could eventually improve with a certain aid being brought in, one in the form of the dynamic trio.

Jade (Rachel Genovese), Katia (Jade Cini) and Jasmine (Rachael Tedesco Triccas) are working hard to make sure that Tiffany (Kristen Camilleri) does not get away with breaking up the power couple of Brandon and Antoinette. On the other hand, going back to the first years, Chloe (Michela Dalli) and Lara (Petra Bugeja) join Amber (Celine Cushcieri) in the library where the latter ends up meeting with Philip Roger Triganza III (Damian Buhagiar). The tension between these two is just hilarious and therefore another encounter could very much get the people raring to go. The possibility of a brand new couple is also existent but nevertheless, a lot of work is required. Chloe and Lara might also be learning of this new found love and as a matter of fact, this is the reason why this relationship could ultimately go public. Tonight! Another scintillating episode of D.R.E.A.M.S awaits on Television Malta right after the evening news bulletin at around 20:45 CET. Remember that every part of the episode bears a lot of importance and thus it is vital that one sees it through.

Source: Rewind Productions

Matt Mercieca, Lina Eriksson and Magnus Kaxe represent different genres of music but all are part of the music industry and therefore bring in wealth of experience when analysing the songs competing in this years' Eurovision Song Contest and this is the main reason why the editorial board of escflashmalta.com sought to engage them in particular. All of the information is obtained from the official website of the international spectacle and indeed, pertaining to the running order as decided by the producers, Serbia will be performing in slot number sixteen (16) from the sixteen (16) entries which will be competing during the first semi-final. RTS, the broadcaster resposible for the participation of Serbia in the Eurovision Song Contest will be represented by the song Ljubav Je Svuda composed by Saša Milošević to the lyrics of Marina Tucaković with vocals provided by the trio known as Moje 3.

Three extraordinary vocal talents, Mirna, Nevena and Sara, are this year’s most successful participants of the talent show Prvi Glas Srbije (The First Voice of Serbia). Having gained popularity due to their exceptional performances, they decided to reunite and participate as a trio in the Serbian national final for the 2013 Eurovision Song Contest. Their victory has been a dream come true and has given them the opportunity to represent their country at this international event. Mirna (20) was born in the city of Subotica. She has been playing the violin, the piano and the guitar since a very young age. Mirna is adept at performing in all musical genres, from pop-rock to jazz to traditional Serbian music. As a huge Eurovision fan, she has always watched it with her family, and she promised her grandmother that one day she would participate in it. To her fans, she says: “Stay with us until the end and we will do our best to bring joy to the entire nation”.

Nevena (18) was born in Kosovska Mitrovica. She is a third year student at the Belgrade Music Academy. With her song Piši mi, she has already gained the third place in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2007 in Rotterdam. Over the years, she has participated in numerous festivals in the region. She says that Ljubav Je Svuda was especially written for the three of them and that it is about a girl who is in love, but cannot decide between the good and the bad sides of love, hence the title “Love is everywhere”. To her fans, she says: “I want my fans to be healthy, happy and smiling all the time, to enjoy music and I'll do my best to please them.” Sara (19) was born and raised in Rome. Although she is only 19 years old, she dominates the stage with her presence and movements. Sara displayed her talent for music and acting at a very early age. She is a second year student at the Faculty of Philology in Belgrade, but music is currently her most important goal. After her participation in Prvi Glas Srbije, she gained a large fan base in a short time. Sara finds her greatest inspiration in Beyonce.

Moje 3 were selected to represent Serbia in this years' edition of the Eurovision Song Contest following the return of a national selection process. Beosong had been stopped for a couple of years noting that the broadcaster wanted to cut back on costs and organise a number of small scale selections which involved only two/three artists with the focus being on the songwriter/s. This time round though things changed and Beosong marked it's return to the joy of the public in general noting that ratings were relatively high. The winning trio did not seem to have a lot of competition from the voting figures noting that when the top five were selected, they still managed to outnumber their first runner-up by a total of five thousand votes, despite the second runner-up being even further behind by around eighteen thousand votes in total. The song entitled Spas performed by Dušan Svilar was the closest to winning the selection after Moje 3 and the genre is very much in the vein of what Serbia is known to send to the competition.

Since debuting as an independent nation back in 2007, Serbia has never looked back and winning on their first outing was definitely a coup. Many had not considered the track Molitva by Marija Serifovic to be a winner although a good first result was definitely expected and truth be said, it is still one of the least successful winners in terms of commercial results. Nevertheless, they have maintained their success and qualification has always been assured apart from once when the jury had selected the tenth slot themselves and opted out of choosing Serbia despite Cipela by Marko Kon and Milaan had finished in tenth place. Last year Serbia finished in the second runner-up position as Zeljko Joksimovic took to the stage in a stunning rendition of the song Nija Ljubav Stvar. Serbia will be hoping to continue achieving success in the international spectacle and that a bit of Balkan pop would definitely not harm their chances.

Professional Critics Voice their Opinion

Rating: 60%

Magnus Kaxe: A strange combination of girls. All sing well and are good looking. The verse and pre-chorus is more interesting than than the chorus. Average.

Lina Eriksson: I get a feeling this song wouldn't work as well in english. Good singers in a typical ESC-song spiced just a tiny bit more modern. An ok song.

Matt Mercieca (Muxu): Ooh a girl group, I normally have a guilty pleasure for girl groups. the dance is a little tacky, and not together at all. They have good voices, and are all pretty good looking, i don't like what they are wearing. I do love how the chorus starts, but then its all goes a little down hill, i love until the singing up the scale, but then goes into a happier beat which i don't think makes sense. but I do like it. if they get there performance together, and dress up better, and do everything in synch, I think they should do ok.

Source: eurovision.tv

Ten artists competing with original songs took to the stage of the Azeri national final at the end of the preselection season back in March with Farid Mammadov and his entry Hold Me composed by Dimitris Kontopoulos to the lyrics of John Ballard and Ralph Charlie ultimately selected to take on the honour of representing the nation. A promotional tour has somewhat become essential for the country in recent years noting that appearances all over the continent have been very much planned. We are in an exclusive position to reveal that Farid Mammadov will be coming to Malta in a weeks' time for a recording of the programme Xarabank produced by Where's Everybody and hosted by Peppi Azzopardi. 

Azerbaijan and Malta have a somewhat special connection noting that Kurt Calleja and This Is The Night was very much well appreciated during last years' edition of the international spectacle. This has always augured well and in return the former country has also received the maximum points for three successive years. Farid Mammadov has already been to countries such as Greece and The Netherlands with Malta being just another stop, albeit an important one. Television Malta, the main organ of the Public Broadcasting Services will be using the most popular programme to showcase both Farid Mammadov and Gianluca in the days leading up to the their semi-final. The recording will be taking place within the next couple of days but the broadcaster is set for the 10th May 2013. Stay tuned to escflashmalta.com for all of the latest news about this years' edition of the Eurovision Song Contest whilst thanking Where's Everybody for providing us with this news item.

Source: Where's Everybody, escflashmalta.com

Since the re-introduction of the juries within the Eurovision Song Contest, music professionals have become an integral part of the final result and this has been noted in the commercial success of the winning entries in recent years. escflashmalta.com has engaged a panel of professionals to analyse this years' entries. All of the information is obtained from the official website of the international spectacle and indeed, pertaining to the running order as decided by the producers, Belgium will be performing in slot number fifteen (15) from the sixteen (16) entries which will be competing during the first semi-final. RTBF, the broadcaster resposible for the participation of Belgium in the Eurovision Song Contest will be represented by the song Love Kills co-written between Iain James and Jukka Immonen with vocals provided by Roberto Bellarosa.

Roberto Bellarosa is originally from Wanze, Walloon part of Belgium and his childhood was ruled by the number of football goals scored by the men in his family. At age 9, realising that Roberto would never become a sporting hero, his parents enrolled him at the Music Academy of Huy to study the rudiments of music theory. During singing lessons, his teacher was impressed with his voice and encouraged him to pursue his training at a higher level. Roberto followed this advice and took on singing lessons. After acquiring more technique, he enrolled himself in a few singing talent contests, and decided to participate at The Voice Belgique. Backstage, he used to claim that his singing is mainly aimed to convey emotions to the audience. His young age, his soft and fragile tone of voice, seduced an increasing audience who largely voted for him during the rounds. As the first winner of the Belgian edition of The Voice, Roberto benefited from a large exposure in the media. He then pursued his musical adventure and artistic career by touring with the Tour des Restos du Coeur Belge (including Patrick Fiori, Amel Bent, etc.) and by participating to The Voice tour. 

This was followed by the release of his first single Je Crois and his first album in September 2012, Ma Voie was written by Quentin Mosimann, an international artist and his former coach in The Voice. Initially announced as an album of classic French popular music, Ma Voie evolves along its tracks. It unfolds a subtle balance between pop and modern, reflecting this young 18 year old thoughts and questions about the mystery of mankind, love, and the world surrounding him. And dreams can really come true as it happened for Roberto when he was selected to represent Belgium at the Eurovision Song Contest. After submitting three songs during a radio contest, Love Kills was selected as the Belgian entry for that annual international prestigious event.  Roberto's musical inspiration came from new influences he met during his recent encounters and experiences, like for example his participation in the TV programme We Love Celine dedicated to Celine Dion, one of the most beautiful voices in Eurovision's history and for whom he performed the song Ce n’était qu’un Rêve. 

We are now in presence of a young man who has gained in confidence and who knows what he wants and firmly believes in his dream of becoming a recognised artist through his work and for his talent. The Eurovision Song Contest is offering him the opportunity to explore new horizons and opening him to a wide range of new experiences. It is in that context that he boarded on a plane for the very first time to travel to Helsinki for the final recording of Love Kills, and will be again traveling to Sweden to go to Malmo in May. Roberto also felt the greatest pleasure and pride when performing I Dreamed a Dream during the opening night of the movie Les Misérables in Brussels. He was able to convey to the press and the public present at this special occasion, his emotions and excitement of being able to realise his own dream and wishing everybody to pursue their own. This internal selection was quite important for Belgium who have been known to succeed in this manner. They will be hoping to reverse last years' disappointing result and return back to the final. The draw seems to be of great help but the live performance will definitely be make or break.

1986 is the year which Belgium will always remember having managed to finish at the top of the leaderboard with the song J'Aime La Vie performed by Sandra Kim. It is important to denote that the young performer had actually been thirteen (13) at the time and supposedly ineligible to perform but this came out several years later. Despite attempts by the first runner-up to change the result, it proved futile because at the end of the day, it was quite a clear choice. The fifty-fifth (55th) entry from Belgium will of course be Love Kills by Roberto Bellarosa and he will be trying to emulate the result achieved in 2010 when Tom Dice took to the stage with the track Me and My Guitar, winning the semi-final and finishing in sixth place. Since the introduction of the semi-final, that is the only time that the country got through to the final, being extremely close the following year in 2011 with the song With Love Baby performed by Witloof Bay finishing in eleventh place. The real surprise for Belgium was definitely when Kate Ryan failed to qualify with the song Je T'Adore despite being tipped for huge success across the continent.

Professional Critics Voice their Opinion

Rating: 67%

Magnus Kaxe: Modern Coldplay-ish song with electro-vibes. Simple with beautiful melody and lyrics. My only concern is Roberto's voice that sounds autotuned. I hope he can perform the song well on stage.

Lina Eriksson: I like this. Feels more modern than some of the other songs. To me, this is a good radio-song. The question is if it's enough hearing it one time for the voters to take it to their hearts? Either way I think we'll hear it on the radio this summer.

Matt Mercieca (Muxu): I like this one. The diction needs work, but I love the way the song builds up, and it has that current sound, the kind of stuff you hear on the radios, not very fond of the lyrics.

Source: eurovision.tv

SVT, the broadcaster responsible for hosting this years' edition of the Eurovision Song Contest are doing everything in their power in order to ensure that they will be remembered, as has been the case in the past where innovation has been key. Abba, winners of the 1974 international showcase were touted for a re-union earlier on in the season but plans were quickly shot down by the male members of the group, Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson who have reached a compromise to co-write a track which will serve as the anthem for the spectacle. Apart from the actual composition, world renowned dance artist, Aviici has taken care of the production and therefore, it will surely be a stunning piece of music.

The song which has been aptly entitled We Write The Story will be officially performed for the first time on the night of the final set for the 18th May where twenty-six (26) countries will be competing against each other to win this years' edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. Benny and Bjorn spoke to the official website of the Eurovision Song Contest about the track stating 'Martin Österdahl and Show Producer Christer Björkman presented us beautifully with SVT’s vision for the contest. This led us on to the assignment to collaborate with Avicii on a piece on mutual understanding and fellowship. It’s a lot of fun and very inspiring.'  Martin Österdahl spoke of his delight that the trio accepted and promised that it would surely be a great track for the people to enjoy during a night where tension will be running high. Stay tuned to escflashmalta.com for all of the latest news about the 2013 Eurovision Song Contest as soon as it becomes available.

Source: Eurovision.tv

Jekk Nużaw Moħħna, composed by Mark Spiteri Lucas to the lyrics of Joe Chircop with vocals provided by Deborah C was the winner of last years' edition of the Konkors Kanzunetta Indipendenza. Marilena Gauci was the first runner up with the song Bl-Ikbar Serjetà composed by Philip Vella with lyrics by Joe Chircop with the second runner-up being none other than the song Tama u Kuraġġ performed by Domenique to the tune of Philip Vella and the lyrics of Cher Vella. Preparations for this years' edition has commenced, albeit late and it is expected that the rules and regulations will be released throughout the course of the week. 

In 2010, Media.Link Communications announced that Mark Azzopardi would become chairman of the Konkors Kanzunetta Indipendenza replacing Frederick Zammit who had done an astonishing job in the previous years. The brand new logo of the competition has just been published on the official facebook page and seems to lack inspiration really, somewhat looking very much like something out of the nineties. Nevertheless, the quality of the songs will surely be important and it will be intriguing to see who is touted to return to the competition apart from which newcomers will sound their voice. The first finalist decided over the course of the weekend was Karen DeBattista who has already appeared on the Malta Hit Song Contest on ONE Television a couple of years ago whilst also made it through to the second phase of the Malta Eurovision Song Contest with the track Cold Whispers composed by Mark Scicluna to the lyrics of Emil Calleja Bayliss. Stay tuned to escflashmalta.com as more news about the local music scene is unveiled.

Source: Media.Link Communications

A set of professional individuals in the music industry were enlisted by escflashmalta.com to assess each of the competing entries in this years' Eurovision Song Contest in both an individual and collective manner apart from passing general comments from their point of view. All of the information is obtained from the official website of the international spectacle and indeed, pertaining to the running order as decided by the producers, Cyprus will be performing in slot number fourteen (14) from the sixteen (16) entries which will be competing during the first semi-final. CyBC, the broadcaster resposible for the participation of Cyprus in the Eurovision Song Contest will be represented by the song An Me Thimase composed by Andreas Giorgallis to the lyrics of Zenon Zindillis with vocals provided by Despina Olympiou.

Despina Olympiou was born and raised in Limassol in Cyprus. However she studied in London where she obtained her degree in piano and music theory. Olympiou started singing professionally in 1992 and she collaborated on stage, with great Greek performers such as Charis Alexiou, Giorgos Dalaras, Mimis Plessas, Marios Tokas, Glykeria, Demetris Mitropanos and Michalis Hadjiyiannis. Her debut album was released in 2000 entitled Ton Mation Sou I Kalimera (The good morning of your eyes). Her single Vale Mousiki (Put some music on) was released in 2003 and it was certified platinum. Her second album entitled Ehoume Logo (We have a reason) was released in 2004, and her third album entitled Afto Einai Agape (This is love) was released in 2005. Her single Pes To Dynata (Say it loud) which was a great success was released in 2007 and there followed her fourth album entitled Mazi Horista (Separated together) which was certified gold. 

Her album Mia Stigmi (One moment) was released at the end of 2009 with eleven songs, the music which was composed by Michalis Hadjiyiannis. She went on tours in collaboration with top singers in the United States, Australia and Europe, singing in famous theatres and concert halls. This year, she will participate in the Eurovision Song contest representing her country with the song An Me Thimáse (If you remember me). Andreas Giorgallis studied music and sound engineering in London. His career begun in 1988, as a producer and sound engineer. In 1996, Giorgallis was the composer of the song Mono Gia Mas (Only for us) performed by Constantinos Christoforou, with which Cyprus participated in the Eurovision Song Contest. Zenon Zintillis was born in Nicosia and studied and worked in the United Kingdom His song represented Cyprus in the Eurovision Song Context in 1998 in Birmingham as a lyricist with the song Genesis performed by Michalis Hadjiyiannis.

In recent years, internal methods of selection have become increasingly popular for the simple reason that less funds are spent, especially in the midst of an economic crisis. Thanks to a series of private sponsors, Cyprus was one of the nations to ensure their participation in this years' edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. Ultimately, they selected Despina Olympiou who is a star in both Cyprus and the neighbouring country of Greece with their music industry somewhat in unison. She will be following in the footsteps of Ivi Adamou who was also chosen internally but had a song selection, one which was not really required with both the public and the jury agreeing that La La Love was the way to go. The choice was extremely well respected even in foreign waters because not only did it manage to make it through to the final but also surpassed Greece. Commercial success was also achieved in Scandinavia. 

Cyprus is one of the countries which is yet to succeed in the Eurovision Song Contest noting that despite thirty (30) participations, their best result has only been a fifth place finish. The first time that this happened was back in 1982 when Anna Vissi performed the song Mono I Agapi but it would only be followed fifteen years later when Hara & Andreas Constantinou took to the stage with their rendition of Mana Mou. It also happened once during recent times with Lisa Andreas and her entry Stronger Every Minute did the same honour in 2004. Since the semi-final system was inaugurated, the country has failed to deliver positive results on a consistent basis but nevertheless, one has to point out that in the past three years, there have been two qualifications, followed by mediocre results in the final. Despina Olympiou will be hoping to follow this successful feat as she performs her entry in Sweden to millions of fans all over the world.

Professional Critics Voice their Opinion

Rating: 43%

Magnus Kaxe: I love the acapella intro which is unusual for Eurovision. Unfortunately the song develops into a rather boring song. Please skip that horrible drum loop from the second verse and on-wards. Overall the production sounds cheap and not well worked-through. If it hadn't been for the acapella intro this song would only get 1 point from me.

Lina Eriksson: Extra points for singing in greek, and it goes well with the song. But still the song itself doesn't appeal to me. It feels like I've heard it a thousand times before and I wasn't too impressed the first thousand times either. Good singer, good voice. Production out of date.

Matt Mercieca (Muxu): I like this one, its sweet and simple, its a ballad, but this has that new vibe in it, so it doesn't sound dated. I wish i knew what she was saying, but the strings in the production are beautiful, and yet again a key change, which i seem to dislike so much.

Source: eurovision.tv