Cyprus hopes for success with pop tune gravity by Hovig
It is safe to say Cyprus could use some success in the Eurovision Song Contest. The island hasn’t reached the top 10 of the final since back in 2004, when Lisa Andreas finished in 5th position. In the past two years Cyprus did make it through to the final, but on both occasions ended up with a place outside of the top 20. Still, the Eurovision delegation from Cyprus has faith in their Swedish composer from last year as Thomas G:son also wrote this year’s ‘Gravity’, performed by Hovig.

Thomas G:son has written dozens of Eurovision entries and national final songs, including Loreen’s winning ‘Euphoria’ from 2012. The chances that he delivered another winner with ‘Gravity’ are rather small though. It is a nice enough pop tune, but it does try a little too hard to sound contemporary without fully succeeding. The chorus does not have a smooth flow and it seems like the song never really fully gets going. I am sure Hovig will do his absolute best to sell this song the best way he can with some choreography and raspy vocals, but we will have to wait and see if it is enough to bring Cyprus to the final for the third year in a row. He could at least expect some points from Armenia in the first semi final, as Hovig has Armenian roots. I would not be surprised if the song just makes it into the final and then finishes in the lowest regions there again.

UPDATE – Review on first semi final performance:
Although I wasn’t a huge fan of this track before the contest, I have to admit Cyprus delivered one of the best allround performances of the night. Hovig’s vocals are completely on point, the choreography is entertaining and the whole performance actually matches the song and its lyrics. I still find the melody a tad repetitive in terms of melody, but Hovig showed how to pull off a show that complements the song instead of taking the attention away from it. Hovig will face fierce competition on Saturday but a better result than last year’s 21st position, should be within reach.

UPDATE – Review on final performance and result (21st):
Cyprus rightfully won a spot in the final with their strong semi final performance, but Hovig’s ‘Gravity’ was for sure one of the more forgettable entries of the night. His vocals were decent and the choreography in combination with the visuals on the screen and floor was once again executed well, but this simply did not stand out enough to make more of an impact.

Check all Eurovision 2017 reviews: Albania – Armenia – Australia – Austria – Azerbaijan – Belarus – Belgium – Bulgaria – Croatia – Cyprus – Czech Republic – Denmark – Estonia – Finland – France – FYR Macedonia – Georgia – Germany – Greece – Hungary – Iceland – Ireland – Israel – Italy – Latvia – Lithuania – Malta – Moldova – Montenegro – The Netherlands – Norway – Poland – Portugal – Romania – San Marino – Serbia – Slovenia – Spain – Sweden – Switzerland – Ukraine – United Kingdom