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Greece in the Eurovision Song Contest 2004

Greece competed in the Eurovision Song Contest 2004, held at the Abdi İpekçi Arena in Istanbul, Turkey. The Greek broadcaster Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation (ERT) internally selected Sakis Rouvas with the song "Shake It", written by Nikos Terzis and Nektarios Tyrakis, to represent the nation. Prior to Rouvas' selection, the broadcaster had organised a public selection process entitled Eurostar, consisting of live semi-final heats, leading to a three-participant national final to select their entrant. While the event did take place and Apostolos Psichramis was selected as the Greek entrant, the song selection portion did not materialize after the Rouvas announcement and Psichramis instead joined Rouvas as a backing vocalist.

Eurovision Song Contest 2004
Country Greece
National selection
Selection processInternal selection
Selection date(s)Artist: 15 March 2004
Song: 20 March 2004
Selected artist(s)Sakis Rouvas
Selected song"Shake It"
Selected songwriter(s)
  • Nikos Terzis
  • Nektarios Tyrakis
Finals performance
Semi-final resultQualified (3rd, 238 points)
Final result3rd, 252 points
Greece in the Eurovision Song Contest
◄2003 • 2004 • 2005►

To promote the entry, a music video for the song was released and Rouvas made appearances at events in Greece, Finland, Lithuania, Malta, France, Spain, and the United Kingdom. Greece was drawn to appear 10th in the semi-final, which was held on 12 May. There, the nation placed third with 238 points and qualified for the final, held three days later. At the final, Greece placed third with 252 points, tying its best contest placement to this point.

Background

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Main article: Greece in the Eurovision Song Contest

The Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation (ERT) is the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) member for Greece and is responsible for selection of the nation's entry.[1][2] Prior to the 2003 contest, Greece had participated in the Eurovision Song Contest twenty-three times since its first entry in 1974. To this point, its best result was third place which was achieved in 2001 with the song "Die for You". Greece's least successful result was in 1998 when it placed 20th with the song "Mia krifi evaisthisia" by Thalassa, receiving only twelve points in total, all from Cyprus.[3]

Before Eurovision

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Eurostar

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In early October 2003, ERT began airing trailers encouraging participation by new artists for a talent show entitled Eurostar, which was intended to be used to select the Greek entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2004.[4] At a press conference held on 22 October, ERT managing director Johnny Kalimeris explained that the decision to arrange the event centered around increased interest in Eurovision in Greece combined with the desire to discover new talented solo artists. Eurostar was produced by ERT in cooperation with Fremantle and sponsors Minos EMI and Vodafone. As announced, the show would travel throughout Greece, holding auditions for interested artists who would sing a song of their choosing in front of a jury. The jury would then select finalists who would partake in live semi-final style rounds, referred to as "heats", leading up to a three-participant final round.[5]

By the end of the auditions round, 36 contestants were selected by a three-member jury consisting of Dafni Bokota (singer and television presenter), Artemis Gounaki (vocal teacher) and Andreas Roditis (composer and television presenter) to participate in the show, which concluded with the final on 12 March 2004.[6] Despite rumours that the final would be canceled in favor of instead internally selecting a high profile artist, specifically Sakis Rouvas, ERT ensured that the event would proceed as planned.[7][8] Rouvas had previously stated in interviews on both MAD TV and Star Channel that he would love the chance to represent Greece, further fueling the rumours.[7] In the final, the remaining three contestants competed and the winner, Apostolos Psichramis, was selected by a combination of televoting (40%) and jury voting (60%). Psichramis was then scheduled to perform three songs, all written by Nikos Terzis, during a song selection show to be held on 17 March, with the result determined solely by public televoting.[9][10] Terzis had previously written two of Greece's prior Eurovision entries, including "Pia prosefhi" for Elina Konstantopoulou in 1995 and "Die for You" for Antique in 2001, the latter of which was Greece's highest placing to this point.[10]

Results of Eurostar – 12 March 2004[9]
Draw Artist Song (Original artist) Jury
(60%) 		Televote
(40%) 		Total Place
1 Antonis Dominos "Take On Me" (A-ha) 21% 13.2% 34.2% 2
2 Gianna Fafaliou "2 Be Together" (Maria-Louiza and Not 4 Sale) 20.2% 7.7% 27.9% 3
3 Apostolos Psichramis "Conga" (Miami Sound Machine) 18.8% 19.1% 37.9% 1

Internal selection

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On 13 March 2004, Bokota confirmed the rumours that Sakis Rouvas would instead represent Greece in the Eurovision Song Contest 2004, adding that Kalimeris and Rouvas would be meeting to discuss a duet with Eurostar winner Psichramis.[11] However, the duet never materialised as Bokota stated that with the late finish of Eurostar, Terzis was unable to compose a song that would be a good fit for Psichramis.[12] Nevertheless, it was later revealed that Psichramis as well as the second and third place finalists of Eurostar would serve as backing vocalists for Rouvas.[13][14]

Rouvas' song for the contest was revealed during a special program on NET on 20 March 2004. Presented by Bokota, the show saw Rouvas joined by two dancers and the three Eurostar finalists performing "Shake It", written by Terzis and lyricist Nektarios Tyrakis. The event also featured a performance by Greece's 2003 entrant Mando singing her entry "Never Let You Go" as well as Psichramis performing "All Right", his upcoming solo release.[14]

Promotion

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To promote the entry, Rouvas took part in the annual Arion Music Awards in Greece in late March, where he was joined by Greek representatives from previous Eurovision Song Contests. He performed "Shake It" during the event, where he also received the award for Best Male Pop Singer.[15][16] To further promote the entry, a music video for "Shake It" was filmed on the Greek island of Santorini in April 2004.[17] It was first presented to the public during a farewell event hosted by sponsor Vodafone in Athens on 3 May before the singer left for the contest in Istanbul.[18] The video was later posted online for viewing by 9 May.[19] Rouvas also embarked on a promotional tour, visiting many countries that were to participate in the contest. On 14 April, he visited Helsinki, Finland where he was interviewed on the Finnish-Swedish television channel FST's talk show Bettina S.. This was followed by several radio interviews on stations including Radio Vega and Radio Sputnik. The visit concluded with a performance of "Shake It" at the Hercules nightclub.[20] Additional countries on his tour included Lithuania, Malta, France, Spain, and the United Kingdom.[17]

At Eurovision

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The Eurovision Song Contest 2004 took place at Abdi İpekçi Arena in Istanbul, Turkey, and consisted of a semi-final on 12 May and the final on 15 May 2004.[21] For the first time, a semi-final round was introduced to accommodate the influx of nations that wanted to compete in the contest.[22] As Greece had not finished in the top 11 at the 2003 Contest the previous year, its song had to compete in the semi-final. According to the Eurovision rules, all participating countries, except the host nation and the "Big Four", consisting of France, Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom, were required to qualify from the semi-final to compete for the final, although the top 10 countries from the semi-final progress to the final.[23][24] Greece was set to compete in the semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2004 at position 10, following Monaco and preceding Ukraine.[25][26] Bokota provided commentary for the broadcast within Greece, a task she had performed for ERT since the 1999 contest.[27]

Performances

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Rouvas performing "Shake It" at the Eurovision Song Contest 2004 in Istanbul on 15 May 2004.

The stage presence for "Shake It" was choreographed by Fokas Evangelinos,[14] and included Rouvas with two female dancers and the three Eurostar finalists as backing vocalists. "Shake It" was performed 10th following Monaco's Maryon with "Notre planète" and preceding Ukraine's Ruslana with "Wild Dances". At the close of voting, it had received 238 points, placing third in the 22-strong field and qualifying for the final.[28] At the final, held three days later, the nation appeared 16th following Macedonia's Toše Proeski with "Life" and preceding Iceland's Jónsi with "Heaven". At the close of voting, it had received 252 points, placing third in a field of 24.[29] This matched Greece's best placing to this point, which it has received in 2001.[3]

Voting

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See also: Voting at the Eurovision Song Contest

Below is a breakdown of points awarded to Greece in the semi-final and final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2004, as well as by the nation on both occasions. Voting during the two shows involved each country awarding a set of points from 1–8, 10 and 12 based on results from their respective public televote.[30] In the semi-final, Greece placed third with a total of 238 points, including the top 12 from seven nations: Albania, Cyprus, Israel, Malta, Romania, Turkey and United Kingdom. In the final, the nation's 252 points included five sets of 12 points from Albania, Cyprus, Malta, Romania and the United Kingdom. For both the semi-final and final, Greece awarded its 12 points to Cyprus.[31][32]

Points awarded to Greece

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Points awarded by Greece

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References

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  1. ^ Paravantes, Maria (11 June 2005). "Joy In Greece Over Eurovision Win". Billboard. Vol. 117, no. 24. p. 17. Retrieved 16 January 2009 – via Google Books.
  2. ^ Floras, Stella (11 June 2013). "Greece shuts down public broadcaster ERT". ESCToday. Retrieved 13 September 2022.
  3. ^ a b "History by Country: Greece". European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Archived from the original on 1 August 2019. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
  4. ^ Vatmanidis, Theo (21 October 2003). "New title for the Greek Preselection show". ESCToday. Archived from the original on 25 January 2022. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  5. ^ Vatmanidis, Theo (24 October 2003). "Official: Talent show for Greek Preselection". ESCToday. Archived from the original on 25 January 2022. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  6. ^ "Παρασκήνια 2004: Από το τάλεντ σώου στην ανάθεση κι από το "Cheek to cheek" στο "Shake it". Σάκηηηηηη!". INFE Greece (in Greek). 27 February 2017. Archived from the original on 31 October 2020. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
  7. ^ a b Bakker, Sietse (3 March 2004). "Complications in Greek national selection EuroStar". ESCToday. Archived from the original on 25 January 2022. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  8. ^ Bakker, Sietse (6 March 2004). "Ioanna Fafaliou proceeds to Greek final". ESCToday. Archived from the original on 25 January 2022. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  9. ^ a b Bakker, Sietse (12 March 2004). "Apostolos Psichramis represents Greece in Istanbul". ESCToday. Archived from the original on 25 January 2022. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  10. ^ a b Vatmanidis, Theo (25 January 2003). "Greece: Further details about final". ESCToday. Archived from the original on 25 January 2022. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  11. ^ Bakker, Sietse (13 March 2004). "Oikotimes: ERT makes announcement tomorrow". ESCToday. Archived from the original on 25 January 2022. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  12. ^ van Gorp, Edwin (16 March 2004). "Scepticism ERT if Apostolos is able to perform". ESCToday. Archived from the original on 25 January 2022. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  13. ^ van Gorp, Edwin (15 March 2004). "Sakis Rouvas will represent Greece". ESCToday. Archived from the original on 21 October 2020. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  14. ^ a b c Vatmanidis, Theo (20 March 2004). "Presentation of Greek entry broadcasted tonight". ESCToday. Archived from the original on 15 October 2020. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  15. ^ Vatmanidis, Theo (2 April 2004). "Sakis Rouvas voted best male pop singer". ESCToday. Archived from the original on 24 January 2022. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
  16. ^ "Μουσικά Βραβεία Αρίων – 3η Απονομή". Music Corner (in Greek). Archived from the original on 25 June 2021. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
  17. ^ a b Vatmanidis, Theo (24 April 2004). "Video recording Shake it in the Aegean". ESCToday. Archived from the original on 24 January 2022. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
  18. ^ Philips, Roel (4 May 2004). "Sakis Rouvas' farewell party last night in Athens". ESCToday. Archived from the original on 24 January 2022. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
  19. ^ Philips, Roel (9 May 2004). "New video of Greek entry Shake it online". ESCToday. Archived from the original on 24 January 2022. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
  20. ^ Immonen, Martti (14 April 2004). "Let's see if Finns can Shake it". ESCToday. Archived from the original on 24 January 2022. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
  21. ^ "Eurovision Song Contest–Istanbul 2004". European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Archived from the original on 1 May 2020. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
  22. ^ "Eurovision Song Contest 60th Anniversary Press Pack" (PDF). European Broadcasting Union (EBU). p. 8. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 May 2019. Retrieved 17 January 2021.
  23. ^ Bronson, Fred (15 May 2004). "Eurovision 2004 Sets Record". Billboard. Nielsen Holdings. p. 63. Archived from the original on 26 January 2022. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
  24. ^ Eurovision Song Contest 2004. Istanbul, Turkey: European Broadcasting Union (EBU). 12–15 May 2004.
  25. ^ "Eurovision Song Contest–Istanbul 2004 Semi-Final". European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Archived from the original on 1 May 2020. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
  26. ^ Bakker, Sietse (23 March 2004). "Eurovision 2004: this is the running order!". ESCToday. Archived from the original on 25 October 2013. Retrieved 17 January 2021.
  27. ^ "Eurovision 2020: Γιώργος Καπουτζίδης -Μαρία Κοζάκου στον σχολιασμό του διαγωνισμού για την ΕΡΤ" (in Greek). Matrix24. 12 February 2020. Archived from the original on 14 February 2020. Retrieved 21 June 2022.
  28. ^ "Semi-Final of Istanbul 2004". European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Archived from the original on 18 April 2021. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
  29. ^ "Grand Final of Istanbul 2004". European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Archived from the original on 18 April 2021. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
  30. ^ "Rules of the 2004 Eurovision Song Contest" (PDF). European Broadcasting Union (EBU). 2004. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 May 2005. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
  31. ^ a b c "Results of the Semi-Final of Istanbul 2004". European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Archived from the original on 19 April 2021. Retrieved 19 April 2021.
  32. ^ a b c "Results of the Grand Final of Istanbul 2004". European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Archived from the original on 19 April 2021. Retrieved 19 April 2021.
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