esc08: Have your say!

Greece managed in the 2007 ESC to hold once more a eurovision record: It is the only "non-big-4" country that never had to pass from the semis! Sarbel with his song "Yassou Maria" finished 7th, two places higher than Anna Vissi, the 2006 entrant.

Thus, Greece was one more year in the top-10 (the only western country in the top-10 in 2007) so we will see their entrant straight to the 2008 final in Belgrade! Let's have a better look!

SARBEL

Born on 14 May 1981 in London, Sarbel is a Cypriot singer of half Lebanese origin. He was raised in the British capital, where he was initiated into the world of music and dancing.

Being only 22 years old, Sarbel's CV already numbered leading roles at the English National Opera and the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, as well as in programmes run by BBC and Channel 4 on plays including "The Prince and the Goose Girl," Carmen," "Toska," "Turandot" and "The Merchant of Venice" by William Shakespeare.

At the age of 18, Sarbel decided to visit Crete, where he worked for more than seven months, singing ABBA, Blues Brothers, among others, at the Herakleion Palladium. Thanks to his Cretan friends, Sarbel rediscovered Greece, the Greek folk dances and customs, which he had learned from his father.

Some three years later, and after having started singing professionally in London's Greek night clubs, Sarbel took the plunge to fly back to Greece.

A rather accidental meeting with musician Panagiotis Stergiou and producer Giannis Doulamis led his steps to Sony BMG Records and the release of his first single entitled "Se Pira Sovara" in the spring of 2005.

His first solo album under the title "Parakseno Synaisthima" followed, and soon went gold. Along with Greek singer Eirini Merkouri, who had a duet with him, gave concerts in Greece, Cyprus and the USA.

He released "Sahara", his second album, in the summer of 2006.

In the meantime, he recorded a splendid duet with Natassa Theodoridou called "Na Soun Thalassa", and he then performed with her and established Greek singer Giannis Parios at the Iera Odos music hall in the 2005-2006 winter.

In the summer of 2006, he held concerts along with Antonis Remos in Southern Africa and Thessaloniki.

A host of concerts along with up-and-coming singer Vanessa Adamopoulou in Greece and Cyprus followed, while he is currently performing at Fever with Nikos Makropoulos.

He has already recorded a duet with Sweden's pop star Cameron entitled "Mi Chica," in Spanish, English and Greek. He has also recorded "Yassou Maria," the song with which he competed against Tamta and Christos Dantis for the ticket to the Helsinki Eurovision Song Contest, in English and Greek.

His new album is has been released in the spring of 2007.

Yassou Maria - Lyrics:  

FIRST OFF SHE'S A LADY
AND THIS IS A LADIES WORLD
MAN SHE DRIVES THEM CRAZY
DANCING LIKE A CHIKI GIRL

ALL EYES - ON MARIA
NO LIE - SHE'S THE BOMB
OH MY - THEY ALL WANNA SEE HER,
ALL WANNA BE THE LUCKY ONE

SHAKE IT UP, SHAKE IT UP
THERE YOU GO - OH OHH
YASSOU MARIA
TURN AROUND, BRING IT DOWN
GO SLOW - HEADS UP
LORD HAVE MERCY
SHAKE IT UP, SHAKE IT UP
THERE YOU GO - OH OHH
YASSOU MARIA
AI, AI, AI, THERE SHE GOES
MARIA!
YASSOU MARIA

MOVES LIKE APHRODITE
SO HIGH ABOVE THE REST
SMOOTH LIKE CLEOPATRA
AN ANGEL IN A DEVIL'S DRESS

HER HIPS - LUST IN MOTION
HER LIPS - RED LIKE WINE
SHE IS - THE HEART OF ATTENTION, PROBABLY SHOULD MENTION
SHE'S MINE...

SHAKE IT UP, SHAKE IT UP
THERE YOU GO - OH OHH
YASSOU MARIA
TURN AROUND, BRING IT DOWN

GO SLOW - HEADS UP
LORD HAVE MERCY
SHAKE IT UP, SHAKE IT UP
THERE YOU GO - OH OHH
YASSOU MARIA
AI AI AI THERE SHE GOES
MARIA!

SHAKE IT UP, SHAKE IT UP
THERE YOU GO - OH OHH
YASSOU MARIA
TURN AROUND, BRING IT DOWN
GO SLOW - HEADS UP
LORD HAVE MERCY
SHAKE IT UP, SHAKE IT UP
THERE YOU GO - OH OHH
YASSOU MARIA
AI AI AI THERE SHE GOES
MARIA!