Greece has made the 2022 Eurovision grand final

Greece has made the 2022 Eurovision grand final after Amanda Georgiadi Tenfjord’s poignant and timely ballad Die Together placed in the top 10 taking her to the grand final on Sunday, May 15.

Ukraine was also among the 10 countries that successfully made it through to the grand final, with their Eurovision entry Stefania by the Kalush Orchestra tipped to win this year’s musical extravaganza.

But with striking lyrics such as “I’ll always find my way home even if all the roads are destroyed”, the song has become “really close to the hearts of many Ukrainians”, said frontman rapper Oleh Psiuk, who along with the band received special government authorisation to attend Eurovision.

“There are efforts that have been made now to destroy and discredit Ukrainian culture, but we are here to show that Ukrainian music and Ukrainian culture exists,” Mr Psiuk said on Sunday during the official kickoff to the competition.

Ukraine first entered the contest in 2003 and rapidly became one of the most successful countries in the competition.

In 15 appearances at the Eurovision Song Contest, Ukraine has never missed a Grand Final. 9 of those 14 entries have finished in the top 10, 5 have finished in the top 3, and 2 have been winners.Ruslana became Ukraine’s first winner of the Eurovision Song Contest in 2004 and the Contest was held in the capital Kyiv the following year. Jamala scored Ukraine’s second victory in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2016. In 2019, Ukraine had to withdraw after broadcaster UA:PBC was unable to come to an agreement with the winner, number 2 and 3 of Vidbir 2019, their national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest 2019.

The other countries competing on Sunday include: Norway, Switzerland, Armenia, Iceland, Lithuania, Portugal, Moldova and the Netherlands.

About Amanda Georgiadi Tenfjord

Amanda Georgiadi Tenfjord is a critically acclaimed international singer and songwriter.

Tenfjord spent the early years of her life living in Greece, before later relocating to Norway with her family, where she found herself in the same school class as Nordic popstress Sigrid.

Lauded by publications including The Fader and NME, her songs have travelled globally with support from the likes of Spotify and Apple, as well as thanks to features on Netflix series Spinning Out and the NRK and BBC3 co-production Nudes.

When she’s not making music, Amanda studies medicine and has been doing her placement in a hospital for COVID-19 patients.