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This year marks the 41st participation for the sunny island of Cyprus in the ESC. Cyprus made its debut in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1981, seven years after its neighbour Greece. Their first entry, „Monika“ by the group Island, achieved an impressive 6th place in their debut year, a commendable start. Since then, Cyprus has been a regular participant in the Eurovision Song Contest, consistently contributing to the vibrant tapestry of music and culture in the competition.

In 1988, Cyprus faced disqualification from the Eurovision Song Contest due to premature publishing of their entry before the official deadline. Additionally, in 2001, Cyprus had to take a break from the competition but returned the following year. This hiatus was due to a former Eurovision rule stipulating that if a country failed to reach the Top 10, it would be required to sit out for a year. Fortunately, this regulation has since been abolished, allowing countries to participate in consecutive years regardless of their previous performance.

Cypriot music often exudes warmth and sincerity, reflected in its tendency towards ballads or rhythmic songs, which are frequently showcased in the Eurovision Song Contest. While Cyprus and Greece share some cultural affinities, particularly evident in their music, it’s important to recognize that Cypriot music possesses its own unique style and sonic identity, shaped by the island’s rich history and geographical context.

There have been instances where artists have performed for both Cyprus and Greece in the Eurovision Song Contest, exemplified by figures like Anna Vissi and Elpida. However, this phenomenon is not exclusive to Cyprus and Greece; numerous countries have had singers represent them in multiple editions of the contest, illustrating the diverse and interconnected nature of the Eurovision community.

The phenomenon of neighbouring or culturally similar countries exchanging high points in the Eurovision Song Contest extends beyond Cyprus and Greece. This practice is evident among various regions, such as the Balkans and Scandinavia, where countries often show favouritism towards their neighbours or those with shared cultural ties.

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As for Cyprus, the country has embraced the freedom to choose its language in recent years. However, experimentation, such as Evridiki‘s attempt to sing in French with „Comme ci comme ça“ in Helsinki 2007, didn’t always lead to qualification for the Grand Final.

Since the introduction of semi-finals in 2004, Cyprus has consistently navigated through the qualification process each year. Out of 32 appearances in the Grand Final, Cyprus has achieved a Top 10 placement ten times, indicating a success rate of approximately 31% in securing a spot among the top performers.

However, the biggest success for Cyprus came with Eleni Foureira and her song “Fuego” 2018, marking their best result in the contest to date. With their entry, Cyprus received a remarkable 436 points, garnering the maximum 12 points from both the televoters and the juries of Israel, Greece, and Spain. This outstanding achievement underscored Cyprus’s growing prominence and impact in the Eurovision Song Contest.

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In the recent edition held in Malmö, the Australian citizen Silia Kapsis represented Cyprus with the song „Liar” and successfully made it to the Grand Final, finishing in 15th place.

Biggest successes

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1x 2nd place, Eleni Foueria with “Fuego” (Lisbon 2018)

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 5th place, Anna Vishy with “Mono I Agapi” (Harrogate 1982)

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 5th place, Lisa Andreas with “Stronger Every Minute” (Istanbul 2004)

History

  • Debut: 1981
  • Participations: 40
  • Victories: 0
  • Finals: 32 (11 since 2004)
  • Chances to reach the final: 80% (58% since 2004)
  • Top 10: 10 (2 since 2004)
  • Chances to reach the Top 10: 31% (11% since 2004)
  • Best place: 2
  • Last places: 1
# location year performer song points rank show
1 Dublin 1981 Island Monika 69 6 final
2 Harrogate 1982 Anna Vishy Mono I Agapi 85 5 final
3 Munich 1983 Stavros and Constantina I Agapi Akoma Zi 26 16 final
4 Luxembourg 1984 Andy Paul Anna Mari-elena 31 15 final
5 Gothenburg 1985 Lia Vishy To Katalava Arga 15 16 final
6 Bergen 1986 Elpida Tora Zo 4 20 final
7 Brussels 1987 Alexia Aspro Mavro 80 7 final
8 Lausanne 1989 Fanny Polymeri and Yiannis Savvidakis Apopse As Vrethoume 51 11 final
9 Zagreb 1990 Haris Anastasiou Milas Poli 36 14 final
10 Rome 1991 Elena Patroclou S.O.S. 60 9 final
11 Malmö 1992 Evridiki Teriazoume 57 11 final
12 Millstreet 1993 Kyriakos Zymboulakis and Demos Van Beke Mi Stamatas 17 19 final
13 Dublin 1994 Evridiki Ime Anthropos Ke Ego 51 11 final
14 Dublin 1995 Alexandros Panayi Sti Fotia 79 9 final
15 Oslo 1996 Constantinos Móno Gia Más 72 9 final
16 Dublin 1997 Chara and Andreas Konstantinou Mana Mou 98 5 final
17 Birmingham 1998 Michael Hajiyanni Genesis 37 11 final
18 Jerusalem 1999 Marlain Angelidou Tha’nai Erotas 2 22 final
19 Stockholm 2000 Voice Nomiza 8 21 final
20 Tallinn 2002 One Gimme 85 6 final
21 Riga 2003 Stelios Constantas Feeling Alive 15 20 final
22 Istanbul 2004 Lisa Andreas Stronger Every Minute 170 5 final
23 Kyiv 2005 Constantinos Christoforou Ela Ela 46 18 semi-final
24 Athens 2006 Annet Artani Why Angels Cry 57 15 semi-final
25 Helsinki 2007 Evridiki Comme Ci, Comme ça 65 15 semi-final
26 Belgrade 2008 Evdokia Kadi Femme Fatale 36 15 semi-final
27 Moscow 2009 Christina Metaxa Firefly 32 14 semi-final
28 Oslo 2010 Jon Lilygreen & The Islanders Life Looks Better In Spring 27 21 final
29 Düsseldorf 2011 Christos Mylordos San Aggelos S’Agapisa 16 18 semi-final
30 Baku 2012 Ivi Adamou La La Love 65 16 final
31 Malmö 2013 Despina Olympiou An Me Thimasai 11 15 semi-final
32 Vienna 2015 John Karayiannis One Thing I Should Have Done 11 22 final
33 Stockholm 2016 Minus One Alter Ego 96 21 final
34 Kyiv 2017 Hovig Gravity 68 21 final
35 Lisbon 2018 Eleni Foureira Fuego 436 2 final
36 Tel Aviv 2019 Tamta Replay 109 13 final
37 Rotterdam 2021 Elena Tsagrinou El Diablo 94 16 final
38 Turin 2022 Andromache Ela 63 12 semif-inal
39 Liverpool 2023 Andew Lambrou Break A Broken Heart 126 12 final
40 Malmö 2024 Silia Kapsis Liar 78 15 final
41 Basel 2025 Theo Evan Shh seimi-final

Video Nostalgia

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Ivi Adamou with „La La Love“, Rang 13 (Baku 2012)

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Fanny Polymeri and Yiannis Savvidakis with “Apopse As Vrethoume”, Rank 11 (Lausanne 1989)

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Michael Hajiyanni with “Genesis”, Rank 11 (Birmingham 1998)