The Cypriot broadcaster CyBC is set to make changes to the music video for “Jalla” following complaints made regarding the content of the video.
The Director General of CyBC, Tahanasis Tsokos, has confirmed that the broadcaster will make changes to the official music video for Antigoni’s Eurovision entry “Jalla”. The broadcaster will remove sections that include “road traffic violations”, after complaints from a group who stated that the video appears to legitimise “very dangerous practices of road traffic violations”.
However, the Director General has rebuffed criticism from 40 signatories that state the music video show Cyprus in an “unacceptable image”, that is “insulting to Cypriot history, traditions and aesthetic”. Responding the criticism, Mr Tsokos commented:
The said participation and the clip in question have been warmly and positively received online…
The vast majority of comments highlight the contrast between traditional and modern Cyprus, as well as the timbre and style of music with ethnic elements from Cyprus and the Mediterranean…
Cyprus will participate in this celebration with professionalism, as it has done for years.
Cyprus was the first country to announce their representative for the upcoming Eurovision Song Contest. This has continued a trend of the island nation of being one of the first countries to reveal their singers since 2023.
ANTIGONI, Antigoni Buxton, is a British Greek-Cypriot singer, born and raised in North London. She has made several TV appearances, including most famously her debut on UK Love Island Season 8 in 2022. She has since released many hit singles, including “You Can Have Him”. Her most recent singles include “Sleeping Alone” and “Habibi”. Antigoni quite oftenly embraces her Cypriot heritage by incorporating traditional Cypriot instrumentation through her music, mixing it with more contemporary genres.
Antigoni will perform “JALLA” in the second half of the second semi-final on May 14.
Source: Cyprus Mail
Cyprus debuted in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1981. Their best result was in 2018, when Eleni Foureira and the song “Fuego” finished second with 436 points. Before then, their best results in the contest came in the form of three fifth-place finishes. These fifth-place finishes were Anna Vissi with “Mono i agapi” in 1982, Hara & Andreas Constantinou with “Mana mou” in 1997 and Lisa Andreas with “Stronger Every Minute” in 2004. Cyprus currently holds the record for the most participations in Eurovision without a win.