Now Eurovision 2025 is firmly behind us and we’ve had a chance to properly digest the shitshow events of the Basel, it’s now time to discuss What Went Wrong. We’ve all had a chance to mull over the results of the contest. The Eurovision 2025 final saw some very dramatic results, but 11 acts did not get a chance to see that.
In our ninth part Loïc, Daniel, and Molly discuss what went wrong with Cyprus.
Who is Theo Evan?
Theo Evan–real name Evangelos Theodorou–is a singer-songwriter raised in a Cypriot Greek family in Nicosia, Cyprus. He has had a passion for music and performance since childhood. An accomplished dancer, he won a school dance competition at the age of seven, and went on to compete in more dance competitions as well as choreograph routines. He attended Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, in the United States, studying Professional Music and graduating with honors. Following his graduation, he spent some time in Los Angeles, appearing as an extra in one episode of Euphoria, before returning to Nicosia to continue his career.
A relatively unknown artist prior to his Eurovision selection, he has released several singles, but as yet no EPs or albums. He will turn 24 years old on the day of the Eurovision 2025 Grand Final, and is the first Cypriot-born artist to represent Cyprus at Eurovision since 2017.
What are the issues with the selection?
Loïc – Cyprus seems to be facing a double-edged challenge when it comes to its Eurovision selection strategy. On one side, there’s an ongoing obsession with recreating the Eleni Foureira phenomenon. And yes : Fuego came close to clinching the trophy in 2018. But what burned bright seven years ago doesn’t necessarily ignite the same fire today. The Eurovision landscape has evolved, and what we often refer to as “bops” are now so abundant that they tend to split audience support rather than unite it. Songs like Liar, We Will Rave, Firefighter, Loop (2024) or even Serving (2025) failed to deliver truly impactful results. On the other side of the problem lies an overreliance on polished studio cuts that don’t always translate well live. The focus should remain firmly on how a song performs on stage, not just how it sounds through headphones. Unfortunately, Cyprus has already stumbled twice on that front, first with Andromache, and more recently with Theo. Both were talented artists, but they were saddled with entries that either didn’t suit their vocal range or asked for more than they could comfortably deliver live. If Cyprus wants to be a serious contender again, the delegation needs to choose songs that empower the artist rather than overwhelm them.
Daniel -Cyprus’ selection lately seems to have delved into “how can we try and replicate Fuego?” and laser focusing on fast, highly choreographed numbers, rather than exploring all the options available to them, and this needs to change. I find it very interesting that their main deviation from the boppery came in 2023, and provided them with their best result since the entry they’re trying ever so hard to recreate.
Molly – Theo Even has a lot of powerful vocals and talent; however, the performance does not take into account what is needed to have the artist shine, focusing more on the bigger staging. Fuego, for example, was simple; however, it took advantage of what Eleni could do with her stage presence and dancing talent, as with Theo, they added too much, which overall came at the detriment of his vocals.
Was the song and act good enough to be in Eurovision?
Loïc – When a song depends almost entirely on the hype of its staging, the damage is already done. As previously mentioned, Theo was clearly not the strongest vocal match for a track that demanded sustained, high-pitched delivery. It felt more like he was trying to keep up with the song rather than owning it. Beyond the vocal challenge, the song’s very structure left much to be desired. The chorus, aside from its initial “hush” moment, lacked impact and memorability. By the end of the song, nothing truly stuck; no hook, no lasting impression.
Daniel – No, no, a thousand times no. The song was nonsensical and meaningless and the live vocal performance was awful. No amount of BPM hype can save that. Add on to that the title “Shh” just being infuriatingly bad. Call it Hush.
Molly – Yes I think so, and it could have done well, similar to how club songs such as Baller did well for Germany however for the live, there was more of a focus on the theatrics and having that hyped up more then the song and the artist itself was the detriment to this song. Hyping up the staging put up high expectations that I think affected the result of the final performance.
Did the staging compliment the song and stand out?
Loïc – For those of us who follow the Eurovision season and rehearsals closely, the disappointment was all but inevitable. The blame here lies squarely with the Cypriot delegation, who oversold the entry to an unsustainable degree; making bold claims that simply couldn’t be fulfilled. When you say your artist won’t set foot on the ground for three whole minutes, and that he was hospitalized from physical exhaustion during rehearsals, you’re setting expectations sky-high. And sadly, what we saw on stage just didn’t live up to that narrative.
From a casual viewer’s perspective, the staging did have its moments and yes, the concept had some potential. But ultimately, the execution lacked the dynamism it so badly needed. Too much of the three minutes was spent repositioning structures, draining the performance of momentum. And when your staging is so demanding that it compromises your artist’s vocals, then maybe it’s time to rethink your priorities. Sometimes, less spectacle and more clarity is exactly what’s needed to leave a lasting impact.
Daniel – There was a good idea for staging but in practise I just find it was just way too busy, and the interesting start with the artsy shots and angles fell apart quickly.
Molly – Yes, however, this came at the detriment of Theo’s vocals, and what was learned from Portugal was that this year it seemed that the audience put more weight on the song and overall vocal performance over fancy stunts and standing. This staging very much affected what Theo could handle vocally and overall made the song not qualify. The song fits the theme perfectly; however, the staging could have easily been toned down while still fitting the song.
Could this song have qualified if changes were made?
Loïc – I wouldn’t go as far as saying definitely, but Cyprus might have stood a better chance at qualifying with a staging that leaned into the visual world established in the music video; or at the very least, something that gave Theo the space to actually sing. That is, of course, assuming he had fully figured out how to sustain those high notes.
Daniel – The points they did get are the latest in a long line of sketchy results for the Dimitris Kontopoulos dream team, so short of replacing either the song or artist, there was really no chance for this song, and it deserved to finish even lower than it actually did.
Molly – Yes I think if they played more into Theos vocal strength and not trying to push him then this could have borderline qualified however what was seen with Belgium that had both vocals and staging well however also did not qualify so maybe even with all the changes the issue could be with the baseline song itself since with Baller and Strobe lights it had a lot of competition to go up against within its genre.
What are our outlooks for future contests?
Loïc – Cyprus would benefit from giving their artists the chance to express who they truly are : their universe, style, and musical identity. Eurovision has shown time and time again that authenticity resonates. Just look at Greece with Asteromata or Albania with Zjerm : both acts leaned into cultural elements to create something rooted, fresh, and emotionally compelling.
Daniel – CyBC should firstly block Elsie Bay’s number, then return to what they did for what in my opinion is Cyprus’ Eurovision golden age, the 1990s. Send entries with a distinct Greek-Cypriot flare. Stop trying to get another Eleni Foureira moment because it just isn’t going to happen and it’s honestly a bit sad to watch.
Molly – They need to look into how to use the artist’s talents to their strength instead of focusing fully on visuals. With the EDM genre in the content being more popular, it could help to pivot and send something different and more cultural, with countries like Albania doing this to their advantage. You can still have flashy staging since it worked well with Eleni, but that was in 2018 and Cyprus need to look into how they can go into the modern contest while looking into what made Eleni work well.
Cyprus’ Eurovision Journey
The Mediterranean nation made its debut in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1981, where Island participated with the song “Monika” and place 6th. Since then, Cyprus has participated 40 times (33 of which where they qualified for the Grand Final).
For 2025, CyBC internally selected Theo Evan to represent them in Basel with the song “Shh”. Competing in the first semi-final, Cyprus failed to qualify for the final, finishing in 11th place with 44 points. This was the first time since 2022 that Cyprus had not been in a Eurovision final.
What do think about our thoughts? Do you think Cyprus could have qualified? Let us know in the comments or on social media! Be sure to follow ‘That Eurovision Site’ on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Threads and Bluesky as we prepare for Eurovision 2024!
Source: That Eurovision Site
Image Credit: Alma Bengtsson/EBU