Ivi Adamou was the first choice to represent Cyprus at the 2021 Eurovision Song Contest according to a recent interview.
In a recent interview on the TV show “With Love, Christina”, Ivi has revealed that she was the first choice for RIK, the Cypriot broadcaster, to represent the island nation for the 2021 Eurovision Song Contest.
In her interview, Ivi mentions that she has been approached countless times by both the Greek and the Cypriot broadcaster regarding a potential return to the competition. She speaks positively about the contest and has stated previously that she would be up for the challenge of returning to the contest.
“Suggestions have been made to me, they are made to me almost every year. I do not remember if it was for Greece or for Cyprus but most of the time it was for Cyprus, although it should have been for Greece as well. Last year I was offered again from Cyprus! I think I will do it when I feel it but it will happen!”
Ivi represented Cyprus in the 2012 edition of the Eurovision Song Contest in Baku, Azerbaijan with the song “La La Love” which placed 16th with 65 points. She contributed to an upturn in fortunes for Cyprus, as she was only the second act to qualify for the Grand Final in 7 years.
Since the contest, she has gotten married and had her first child, part of the reason she decided not to come back to the contest in previous years. However, her comments would indicate that, when the right time and the right song comes along, we could see Ivi returning to the contest for Cyprus or Greece.
After Ivi declined the offer of RIK for the 2021 contest, Cyprus was represented by Elena Tsagrinou with the song El Diablo which also finished in 16th position with 94 points after having opened the show.
Source: EurovisionFun (In Greek) // Image Source: EBU / Eurovision.tv
Cyprus debuted in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1981. Their best result was in 2018, with Eleni Foureira and the performance of the song “Fuego” won second place with 436 points. Before then, their best results in the contest came in the form of three fifth-place finishes. In 2004, Lisa Andreas performed “Stronger Every Minute” in Istanbul, Turkey. She finished 5th in the final scoring 170 points, which included 12 points from Greece. They also placed fifth in 1997 with Hara & Andreas Constantinou and their song “Mana mou”, and in 1982 with Anna Vissi’s “Mono i agapi.” Cyprus withdrew from the Eurovision Song Contest in 2014 due to financial difficulties but returned again in 2015.
