The Eurovision 2023 contest is almost two months away and some of this year's entries have already released their songs.
Within the next 10 days, all participating countries must complete the selection process of the artists and songs that will represent them in May in Liverpool. On Thursday, March 2, the Cyprus song by Andrew Lambrou was released.
The release of 'Break a Broken Heart', as the song is titled, took place on Thursday morning through Panik Records' official YouTube channel. Listen to 'Break a Broken Heart'.
The lyrics and music of the song were edited by Jimmy Jansson and Thomas Stengaard - known for other projects with other Eurovision participants from Azerbaijan, Germany, Cyprus, Denmark and San Marino.
Cyprus competes in the first half of the B Semi-Final on May 11 together with Greece.
Tickets for this year's Eurovision Song Contest in Liverpool will go on sale on Tuesday 7 March, the BBC has announced.
Fans will be able to pay to attend nine shows - two live semi-finals and the grand final, as well as six previews doubling up as dress rehearsals.
Prices range from £90 to £290 for the live semi-finals and £160 to £380 for the live grand final.
Full details have been exclusively revealed on the BBC podcast Eurovisioncast.
Last week it was announced 3,000 Ukrainians living in the UK on three visa programmes - Homes for Ukraine, Ukraine Extension Scheme and Ukraine Families Scheme - will be able to enter into a ballot for a ticket.
The cost will be subsidised by the government but there will be a £20 charge per sale.
The UK government has put forward £10m towards the cost of hosting the song contest for things like security and visa arrangements.
It says the vast majority will be spent on "showcasing Ukrainian culture" but wouldn't give further details. In comparison, the Italian government didn't pay anything towards the event last year.
Local authorities in Liverpool have also pledged £4m (USD$4.8m) for the event, which is £6m less than officials put forward in Turin in 2022.
The bulk of the cost will fall to the BBC which is expected to put forward between £8m and £17m as host broadcaster.
The 37 broadcasters taking part all pay a fee to enter, which in recent years has totalled a combined sum of about £5m. The BBC does not make its contribution public.
Andrew Lambrou
Living in Sydney, Australia, Andrew Lambrou shares a Greek-Cypriot family background that fully supports his love for music.
He's 22-years-old, and his passion for art started early on at the age of five when he started learning how to play the piano and taking singing lessons.
The power of his talent, as well as his social media presence, were what got Lambrou recognition when his 15-second cover of Sam Smith's "Stay With Me" was shared and went viral. Later on, his cover of Zayn Malik's "Dusk Till Dawn" would reach almost 2 million views.
All of this eventually caught the attention of music producers, and at the age of 17 he was signed to Sony ATV and went on to find his unique sound by writing and producing overseas.
Just this year, Andrew Lambrou was revealed as part of the Australia Decides 2022 lineup. His song "Electrify" finished 7th out of 11 entries. This opened up more doors, and eventually Andrew was signed to City Pop Records, which will now lead him to Eurovision 2023.
Cyprus in the Eurovison Song Contest
Since Cyprus debuted in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1981, the country has not yet managed to win in any of the 38 times the country has participated.
Cyprus came close to winning in 2018 when Eleni Foureira finished 2nd with Fuego, their best result so far.
Since the introduction of the Semi-finals in 2004, Cyprus has qualified for 10 out of 17 Grand Finals.
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