In a return to their national final competition Ethnikós Telikós for the first time since 2017, Greece chose Klavdia’s “Asteromáta.” Klavdia will perform seventh in the second semifinal.

Yet another song this year in its country’s national language, “Asteromáta” is a ballad that apparently represents the relationship between a home country and its refugees. It specifically draws from Klavdia’s Pontic Greek heritage. (We went on a bit of a Wikipedia tangent about Pontus, a region of Turkey on the Black Sea that was colonized by the Greeks a very long time ago – think 1000 BCE. More recently there was a forced expulsion and genocide of Pontic Greek population after WWI that is the basis for this song. Fascinating little tangent that you can read all about on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pontus_(region)) So the song itself and its music video definitely have a melancholic feel. 

It’s a very pretty song that feels like something only Greece could submit, which is always cool to have in an entry. Klavdia has a unique look with very large glasses. The weakest part of this song is definitely the staging. In the national final, Klavdia was joined on stage by dancers in flesh toned outfits with somewhat disjointed choreographic movements. Even though we love a Eurovision people pile, this one came out of nowhere, and then it just didn’t add anything. 

Greece’s national final had a number of other noteworthy songs. Vale by Evangelia was our favorite to win, but sadly came in second place. And then there was “Elevator (Up and Down)” by Rikki, with such creatively suggestive lyrics that it needs an honorable mention.