Cyprus First Rehearsal – Eurovision 2021: Elena Tsagrinou – El Diablo
Welcome back to ESCBubble’s coverage for Eurovision 2021! After the first seven countries took to the stage at the Ahoy Arena in Rotterdam for their first rehearsals, we are flying through to day 2! Today, the remaining nine countries performing in the second half of semi final one will be rehearsing so keep following our coverage for all the updates throughout the day.
As always, you can check out our ongoing coverage through both our Live Rehearsal Blog and also rolling daily updates on our Twitter Account.
If you are avoiding potential rehearsal spoilers then don’t read any further! Semi Final One will take place at 21.00 CET on Tuesday 18th May 2021 with sixteen countries competing for ten qualifying spots for the final.
Up first this morning and kicking us off is… Cyprus!
First Rehearsal
Takes a while for the press feed to kick in this morning, we could’ve had some extra time in bed! Elena is dressed in a short silvery fringe dress which sparkled and allowed for quite a lot of choreo. She starts by lying on the floor as she sings the intro lines, before jumping up in time for the first verse. The moves are ultra slick, being joined by 4 backing dancers dressed from head to toe in red, very much channelling el diablo energy there.
The routine itself is fantastic, Elena is a confident performer and it looks like something you’d expect at an awards show, The Grammy’s, etc. The close up shots when she stares down the camera… wow! Her charisma and energy have got us off to a very strong start this morning.
The most impactful part is the big mirror behind them for the majority of the performance, it really works with the camera and gets some great shots. The colour scheme is mostly white but every time El Diablo is mentioned, the white turns to red. Vocals were mostly great, with a little flicker at the key change. However this is the first rehearsal, so it’s best for them to not give it their 100% right now!
Before Eurovision
Cyprus were one of the only countries to internally select a different artist to last year. Last year, Sandro (now known as Tyler) was set to compete for the island nation with club-ready “Running”. However, last year Cypriot broadcaster CyBC confirmed that Sandro would not be returning for the 2021 contest. Instead, in November 2020 CyBC confirmed that popstar Elena Tsagrinou of OtherView fame would represent them instead.
Back in February 2021, Elena’s participating song “El Diablo” was released and instantly became a fan favourite, sticking true to the pop banger nature that the small country has delivered for the past couple of years. However, it wasn’t all smooth sailing as there was always outrage and backlash from orthodox and religious communities for Elena singing about the devil (literal translation of ‘El Diablo‘). Despite the outcry to change the song, Elena & CyBC held strong and “El Diablo” will be the song performed in Rotterdam. You can check out the fiery music video for the song here: