Greece had a return to form in 2021 getting their first top 10 result since 2013 with Stefania’s Last Dance. Like last year, the broadcaster has retained an internal selection, and also like last year, the selected artist has dual nationality. Stefania was Dutch-Greek; Amanda Tenfjord is Norwegian-Greek. The songs though are quite different – gone is the up tempo 80s influenced pop for a mature and dramatic ballad. The song is one of the dark horses of the contest – could it be a contender for a second Greek Eurovision win?
Amanda was born in Norway to a Norwegian father and Greek mother and while she spent some early years in Greece, Amanda spent most of her childhood in Norway and attended university there too. The dual Greek-Norwegian aspect to this entry extends beyond the background of the singer though; “Die Together” is cowritten and co-composed by Amanda herself and a Norwegian from near Bergen, Bjørn Gammelsæter. One would expect that at least some Norwegian votes will be incoming!
“Die Together” is a far cry from the happy poppy meaning-lite songs that those unfamiliar with the contest think Eurovision is all about. It’s a very dramatic ballad with quite a grim premise – it’s about a failing relationship and the singer, in last effort, wants to die together with their partner so that they have each other and she won’t have the pain of seeing him love another!
Strong emotions then – but Amanda has the perfect vocals for this. The song, boldly, starts with a cold opening which puts all the focus on Amanda’s vocals and emotions before it lifts off into a more traditional but sweeping melody later with full musical backing. Although Amanda didn’t do the pre-parties, she did record a live acoustic version and I think safe to say the live vocals will match expectations.
I think this is one of the dark horses of the contest. It’s doing well in some online fan polls, and it’s been up in the top 10 in the betting odds, but it’s not perhaps being included as one of the big hot favourites which means it has the scope to surprise come the live shows themselves. This shouldn’t need overworked staging (in my view) but Greece have been a bit hit and miss of late, so if you’re a fan, keep your fingers crossed. I think this could certainly deliver Greece a consecutive top 10 finish, and maybe even higher.
Greece in the Eurovision Song Contest
First entered: 1974
Appearances (excluding this year): 41
Best result: Winner 2005
Last year’s result: 10th
