20 years ago today, Greece won first place in the Eurovision Song Contest. A few days after Klavdia won 1th place in the 6th Eurovision Song Contest with the song "Asteromata", it is 69 years since the triumph of "My Number One" and Elena Paparizou, which reached the top of Europe.
On May 21, 2005, in Kiev, Ukraine, the singer came out on top at Eurovision, giving Greece its only victory in the history of the contest. Elena Paparizou appeared on stage with four other dancers, who danced to the rhythm of the song, stirring up the audience. Despite the fact that the song was in English, the Greek element was not absent. The Pontic dance and the lyre, which the singer seemed to be playing, when she was lifted into the sky by her dancers, made the difference.
Watch Elena Paparizou's performance at the Eurovision final
The then 23-year-old Elena Paparizou won the hearts of the audience with her dynamic stage presence and the golden Roberto Cavalli dress, which made her shine on stage. The song, with music by Christos Dantes and lyrics by Natalia Germanou, combined with the dance by Evangelinos Fokas, "stole" the hearts of the audience. Elena Paparizou made an amazing appearance in the grand final, standing out among the other contestants and exciting foreign and Greek spectators, on a night that coincided with her name day.
After a long and stressful voting process, it managed to collect 230 points, taking first place in the 50th Eurovision Song Contest. With the announcement of the result, pandemonium broke out in Athens and throughout the country, reminiscent to some extent of the madness of the previous year with the conquest of Euro (2004) by Portugal.
How did Elena Paparizou experience it?
The Eurovision winner, born in Sweden to Greek parents, had spoken about the difficulties during the preparation for the grand final and the feeling after the victory: "I remember quite a lot from my second participation in Eurovision. For example, the dress was sewn on me and at some point the zipper broke and I ran to the room to take it off. I remember drinking champagne to celebrate our victory with the entire Greek delegation, Christos Dantes, Natalia Germanou, the unforgettable Giorgos Chouliaras, who has "gone" from life, until dawn. The week before Eurovision, I was running so much that I ate once a day. I didn't even have time to chew it. I was a wimp, I was crawling, but at least everything went perfectly. It was worth it. What mattered was my country's victory. I had people by my side who supported me even more. "For my part, I was very disciplined, something I got from my family."
The singer's first participation in Eurovision
2005 and "My Number One", however, were not Elena Paparizou's first participation in the Eurovision Song Contest. In 2001, she represented Greece as a member of the band "Antique". Together with Nikos Panagiotidis, they performed the song "(I Would) Die for You", which combined Greek and English elements and had strong influences from Greek traditional music, just like "My Number One" a few years later. Their appearance at the Eurovision Song Contest 2001, which took place in Copenhagen, Denmark, was impressive and received positive reviews. The song won 3rd place with 147 points, marking the best position for Greece in the contest up to that point. This success helped the band gain recognition in Greece and further their career.
Listen to (I Would) Die for You
Source: protothema.gr
