With Cyprus returning to the Eurovision Song Contest for the first time since 2013 and their national final taking place on Sunday, we caught up with one of the final six artists in the contest, Hovig. Here is what he had to say:
Firstly thank you for talking to us, how does it feel with just days to go until the final?
First of all, thank you for the interview. Truth is, as the days are getting closer and closer, the stress and anxiety is starting to kick in. However, this is only adding up to the professionalism and creativity of my team to make the best out of our talents and present the best we can on the night of the national final.
Cyprus will be returning to Eurovision after a year out in 2014, how would it feel to be the first artist to take to the Eurovision stage since 2013?
It would generally be great for me to represent Cyprus in such a big musical event in either way. The fact that Cyprus didn’t participate in last years competition, would make it even a bigger honor for me, if my song was chosen to represent my country!
Your song is called “Stone In A River”, can you tell us more about it?
Stone In A River is a dynamic ballad written by Argyro Christodoulides. Argyro happens to be one of the first people who believed in my talent. when I was 17 I was about to release a Cd and Argyro wrote some songs for me. Stone In A River was one of those songs, however we never released it! This year while I was performing in a greek island, I was looking through some old demos, and I came across Stone In A River. I felt exactly what I had felt when i first heard the song back then. This means that I realised the song is not out of aged, or it is a classic.. Good songs in my opinion are like wines,.. they get better and better as time passes by. So I contacted Argyro and asked her if she would be interested in competing in the Eurovision Song Contest, and here we are.
Now the song is not just another love song. It is about people. It is a song that questions and challenges you to think and act as an individuals, breaking out from the masses and not to drift by like a blind believer. Argyro wrote the lyrics after the London bombings back in 2005, when she was a student there. What is awkward is that 10 years later, the songs idea is still so relevant with today and fresh. I believe everyone can relate to the song, no matter nationality, age, sex, religion.. It is a song for the whole Europe! I hope my performance touches the listeners heart and make them feel exactly what i feel every time i listen to the song.
Cyprus has only sung in English at Eurovision twice times since 2010, what was it that made you decide to sing in English?
It wasn’t a exactly a decision. As I told you before, the song was there and it was in English in the first place. However, as a matter of fact, English is the most spoken and understandable language and that makes it the easiest way to transmit a message to a European audience.
What was it that made you decide to try to represent Cyprus at Eurovision?
I always loved the Eurovision. I was a huge fan of it since when I was a kid. It would be a great honor for me to represent my country, and as an artist to perform for such a huge audience! This year I felt that I have a very good song that could help me touch people’s heart! That’s why I decided to give it a try to the national competition.
You released the official music video for your song just a couple of days ago, what was it like to film?
Filming the video clip was a great experience. Working with professionals and fellow artists, was really interesting. Watching the song taking life through this process was something the whole team enjoyed. The fact we managed to take such spectacular shots of our capital Nicosia makes it even more personal.
I would like to take the opportunity here and thank my whole team for the concept, the execution, the long hours and for making this happen.
Can you tell us anything about your performance on Sunday?
Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication; so one thing is for sure we will keep it simple but not plain.
Finally do you have anything you’d like to say to the readers of Eurovoix.com?
I wish from the bottom of my heart they see the best Eurovision of all time this year! Good Luck to all participants. Also to all readers of Eurovoix.com, pass by my official page and not to lose touch. www.facebook.com/hovigmusic
Thank you very much to Hovig for talking to us and we wish him the best of luck for the final this Sunday. You can watch the official music video for “Stone In A River” below:
