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.
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.
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
1x 2nd place, Eleni Foueria with “Fuego” (Lisbon 2018)
5th place, Anna Vishy with “Mono I Agapi” (Harrogate 1982)
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
Ivi Adamou with „La La Love“, Rang 13 (Baku 2012)
Fanny Polymeri and Yiannis Savvidakis with “Apopse As Vrethoume”, Rank 11 (Lausanne 1989)
Michael Hajiyanni with “Genesis”, Rank 11 (Birmingham 1998)