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Greece: Songs presented
On 16th January Greek national broadcaster, ERT gave a press conference and announced the participating artists of this year's national selection. Tamta, Christos Dantis and Sarbel have been chosen to take part in Eurovision 2007, the Greek national final, that will take place at Athinon Arena Music Hall, Athens, on 28th February. You can follow the press conference live here
Today Greek broadcaster will make public the 3 songs of the participating artists and more details regarding the national final.
LIVE REPORT
All three artists have arrived at the Athens Plaza press conference and introductions are now underway.
Tamta's song is called With love. The song will be in English and Greek. It is written by Nikos Terzis, the lyrics will be largely in English but there will be a bridge in the song that has Greek lyrics. Terzis composed Die for you for Antique in 2001 and Love me tonight for Angelica Agurbash in 2005.
The running order has been decided:
- Sarbel Geia sou Maria
- Tamta With love
- Christos Dantis No Madonna
Tamta's song is by Nikos Terzis and Poseidonas Giannopoulos. It is a ballad with ethnic elements and reminiscent of some Greek entries of the 80s and 90s. Christos Dantis' song is a rock song composed by himself and Natalia Germanou. Sarbel's entry is composed by Alex Papakonstantinou.
Christos Dantis explained that he wanted to participate at the Eurovision Song Contest again because he enjoys the competition and likes the high level exposure. He got the idea for the song from watching a movie about the life of Elvis Prestley. It is the most modern and least traditional of the three entries. The song is fun and has an underlying anger!
Sarbel's entry is by the same authors of some of Helena Paparizou's songs, and the style is clearly visible. It has a traditional upbeat Greek tempo.
The songs were all shown on ERT Satellite and Star News.
The hosts, Maria Bakodimou and Fotis Sergoulopoulos promised a lot of humour on the night and said how delighted they are to be hosting the show.
esctoday.com will be bringing you interviews with all three singers later this afternoon. Finnish broadcaster YLE are at the press conference and are interviewing all three finalists for their show next week.
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Go directly to the reactions
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What happened to the rumors about Mixalis Xatzigiannis? Werent he suppose to have written Greece song this year?! Of the 3 that competes on going to Finland, Sarbel would be the best choice, that song has a happiness and melody its easy to like!
GO SARBEL!!!
sarbel is the best for eurovision.... the song is good as well...but they are gonna choose dantis since they want to be between 15-20th place!
tamta's is not for the case....
anyway..i'll vote for him!
GOOD LUCK SARBEL!!!!
U R GREAT!
Good Evening to all,
I keep reading all these reactions since yesterday and I must admit that I'm pretty much satisfied that there is such an interest about the Greek participation. Although I can understand the comments of the non-Greeks I'm really suprised of the Greek comments... or at least from people that they claim to be Greeks.
First of all the songs of the forthcoming Greek pre-selection final are by all means decent unlike other years and in my opinion there has been a great effort from all sides (especially from ERT) to send a nice song to Helsinki.
The songs are decent, however, one of them will be sent to Helsinki. To me all songs sound nice, and any of them could represent Greece in ESC 07 but there are certain things that we should considerate in order to have the best result both in 28/2 and and in May as well.
Tamta: good girl, nice voice, fresh and potentially a succesful singer in Greece. I'm not dissapointed from Tamta, I'm dissapointed from Nikos Terzis. The composer of Die For You, Shake It and Poia Prosefhi wants to send a song which does not represent the greek musical scene. I REFUSE to accept that this is the greek musical scene, it might reflect to the Greek musical industry as some Greek singers sing such kind of songs but this is definetely NOT what most Greeks listen to when they go out, when they party, when they club, when they want to celebrate etc. I accept the fact that life is not only partying, clubbing and going out BUT when we are talking about Eurovision - let us be honest, this is not what someone expects to listen from Greece. We are not Serbia or Bosnia, we got our OWN and unique, I dare to say, music style and therefore there is no need of copying previous songs already competed in the contest. We did the same with Anna Vissi and Everything and we lost. Because sending Anna Vissi and getting a 9th place is a great failure (most Greeks can understand what I mean). So what we tried to do was to win by sending a ballad since in 2005 two GREAT ballads achieved top 10 places (i m talking about Israel and Malta). Who tells me that this year even if we send an etnic balkan ballad wont happen the same thing again? Truly, Serbia and Bosnia achieved top 10 places but wasn't that happened in the PAST? Whatever, this is my opinion and I respect those whose want Tamta to repesent Greece.
Dantis: Ok, I dont have to say loads about him. He is the one who brought Eurovision to Greece by composing Number One although I doubt if we could ever win with such a song unless Helena Paparizou sang it. When I first listened to his song, I said ok that's it, he ll definetely win in 28/2. I must really admit that after listening to his song a couple of times I got easily bored, I was annoyed by the way he sings it as well and generally I did't want to listen to it again. But, it is a good song - it might win in Greece but for Eurovision it is either a top 10 song or a bottom 10 song which will send Greece to semifinals for 2008. There is no middle situation for Dantis song and you ll see that in May, if he manages to pass the Greek final.
Sarbel: young, handsome, nice voice, good dancer. The song is ok, we can all understand that the composer tried to make a more ethnic version of Zigolo using bouzouki. It's not bad although I'd really prefer to have something more original. The song is catchy, it is happy, it REPRESENTS the Greek way of having fun, it is what Greeks listen to when they go out and the fact that at least uses a Greek phrase it makes it more Greek. When I first listened to Geia sou Maria I really laughed. But I laughed, I wasnt annoyed, I wasnt bored and certainly I enjoyed seeing Sarbel making funny movements when singing. This is a potential winner for ESC 07 for two reasons:
a) ESC voters have no taste, so an up-tempo song wakes them up
b) up-tempo songs have brought Greece's best results. From Mathema Solfez to Shake it and finally My Number One.
If this is what Europeans want from Greece let them have it. This is what they want, they want to feel the Greek rythm something which they didnt feel with Everything (which I loved, only because it was sang by Anna), with Anoiksi (which for me is the best Greek entry ever), with Never Let you Go (which didnt deserve 17th place) etc.. Please, Greeks have always look forward - don't make the mistake of sending something that people have already listened to (Balkan ethnic ballad) or a rock-pop song (Finland won last year, how much possible is to win with a rock-pop song again?).
I like all three songs. I would be most satisfied if Sarbel or Dantis could represent Greece. My favorite is Sarbel - it's a eurovision song, it represents Greek music style and please comments like he's a bad copy of Ricky Martin or he is gay or I don't know what else .. to me such comments are of a bad manner and shows lack of civilization. He is not Ricky Martin but I m quite sure that there is not currently a law that forbids other singers to sing this way..
Go Sarbel, Go Greece!
Tamta for Greece!
Hey guys! I have the same feeling when i hear the songs of Sarbel and Tamta like i had when listened to the songs from Antique,Sakis rouvas and Helena! These songs are very good and will do very well in the final! BUt if i hear the song from Dantis i have the same feeling when i heard S.A.G.A.P.O and Mando! SO GREECE vote for SARBEL OR TAMTA ! .............................. .............................. .............................. ..........................
NO MADONNA AND FOR GOT SAKE NO DANTIS .............................. .......................
@ Joanna: Dantis will win because of ERT? That's impossible! Dantis ist my favourite and my favourites never win the preselections. So i hope it will be Sarbel, nothing very special but quite catchy. Tamta now is on third place for me instead of second as after the first hearing. Melody and lyrics are a bit to kitschy. Remember 'If we all give a little'? 17th place. But maybe the ethnic flavour in this ballad will make it. We'll see.
@Joanna Baptiste
It dosnt matter anyway. ERT always shows both the numbers of Televoting/SMS and the Jury on the same night, and averages them together.
@Greekboy. That makes no sense. It does not matter if it is one or ten singers. The audience should have a larger percentage than a jury who can be swayed by any number of things.
@ Joanna Baptiste
They changed the voting because this year there are 3 singers to choose from. The last 2 years it was 1 singer, and 3-4 songs. It was changed to 50% so that the public dosnt decide to vote on the artist, rather than the song.
It doesn't matter how you vote! Dantis will be selected by ERT. This is all a rouse to make money and show that they are fair. Why did the change to 50-50 instead of 60 (televoting)-40(jury). In the previous 2 years it was 60-40 now 50-50. Kind of fishy...
A lot of people seem to really like Tamta's song... I find it very boring!
there is one fact that the public can decide from 3 different songs a dance, a ballad and a pop-rock song.
My opinion is that the best is Tamta's. In the first hearing it was for me the bet out of three. Something quite different nice music melody and fu*** great voice, that girl she is amazing. Hands down the best voice out of 3 and so beautiful. She is definitelly have the likeable factor. Sabrel was good as well at the first hearing and I believe he can do a great choreography and also good english accent. Don' forget guys that he borned to the UK but the song was usual to other Balkan entries of the past.
From the other hand I didnt like Dantis song in the first hearing. When I heard the song again I started liked it and have a catchy refrain: you have ur chance u have ur honour but u r not Madonna.
However guys don't forget that everybody wants to win whenever he/she like the song of his country. So have to vote what he liked in the first hearing.
Please vote for the song that u think that EUropeans will mostly like!!!
From me that one is Tamta
Don't forget ethnic ballads goes well latelly 2006 Bosnia-Hergegovina 3rd, 2005 Serbia-Montenegro 7th, 2004 Serbia-Montenegro 2nd, 2003 Belium 2nd!!!
Apart from that I want it at last Greece to be represented with something more traditional different!!!!
GoTamta Go!!!!!
It does make a difference to sing last. Last year, the last song won. And second was the song before that, 3rd the song before that, and last the 1st song of the nice. In 2005 My number one was also last.
uhm.... i only like Tamta
@ show ME how to be a REAL bitch
I don't see swedes all that interested in articles about SWEDEN!
Has the so-called MF 'magic' worn off? 
BTW, that specific comment was not written to get any reaction,
but it got a reaction from YOU, dear. Hmmm!
Congratulations Greece!!
All 3 good candidates 
I am sure that Greece will do well this year!
@ manos mine
YES - Tamta singing that bit of GREEK sounds absolutely great and those
lyrics in Greek make even more sense to me ... they actually have some
"feeling" or is it the way she sings THAT part? However, I still do
not like the music/melody of "With love" as it does not seem to go
anywhere.
Next to Greek, I somehow feel the English language used in this SONG
does not sound as good; it somehow "spoils" it ... and, mind you,
English also happens to be my mother tongue! Hmmm!
Back in 2001, "Die for you" (a song by Terzis) had both languages
and it ranked 3rd. THAT was a great song though!!!! Even "Love me
tonight" (2005) was pretty good except for that awful singer, Angelica
Agurbash, who ruined it. In 2007, I guess he wanted to come back to redeem himself again after his SF failure and, especially because
of HELENA'S victory. 
Sarbel's got the whole package and will be able to support his SONG.
I already talked about Dantis ... and I still love that song!
Greeks should vote for the song they like instantly, growers do not count, since televoters get to hear the song ONCE. In my case, Sarbel was the one I instantly like, and he has the right package to do very well. Nikos Terzis ballad for Tamta is lovely, but I think we should NOT send a ballad again, but an uptempo catchy song with an awesome choreography. Dantis song was not instant for me, I liked it the 2nd, 3rd time of listening. Sarbel will get my vote definetly. Vote smartly greeks
drew ford : and u dont liike this ?
lol
when u.k was in top 3 every year with craps was o.k ?
.....
@ Greekboy: Yes, and most of the Greek voters don't even look in the internet. So such statements don't really affect the outcome at all.
I think that to performe last out of 3 doesn't give any advantage... just 3 songs... however Sarbel is the best choise!!
hehe, one thing is for sure to be certain on May 11th!
CYPRUS WILL GIVE 12 POINTS TO GREECE AND GREECE WILL GIVE 12 POINTS TO CYPRUS!
LOL
Come on guys. Stops saying: "PLEASE VOTE ____ AND NOT VOTE ____"
Just because you say it, dosnt mean that someone is going to say "oh this person online told me not to vote that singer. Ill vote the other one"
It dosnt happen like that.
I think Dantis will win. He has an edge. He has a song that grows on you. And that will happen with the Greek public, as they will be played non-stop on the radios. He also has an edge on the 28th, since his song is being performed last. It will stick in people's heads.
My personal voting: 1.Sarbel( So great song..definitely my fav.I am sure Sarbel will do great.As I waited from Sarbel;a strong ethno-modern song!Ellada,please send him to Helsinki
2.Tamta( Cool song...but didnt we hear enough of that style in the recent years? She might do well.
3.Dantis.I am dissapointed with his song.I waited smth a bit more traditional.Too much rock for my ears!
Good luck neighbours!!
Good luck Greece. I like Tamta's song.
TAMTA IS THE ONLY REASONABLE CHOICE 4 A GD RESULT! AWAIT ONE IF TAMTA IS CHOSEN!!! SRY BUT I HATE THE SONGS SUNG BY THE GUYS!! 
Compared to TAMTA's entry for me are TARSH! SRy but expected more from SArbel and Dantis!!
Gdluck from MALTA!!!
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