“Sing for Greece”: Greece chooses its next representative for Eurovision 2026

Pop, rock, indie, ethnic, Latin, electro; Greek, English, Spanish; ancient Greece, modern Greece, Europe; veterans, returnees, debutants; established stars and up-and-coming artists; This year’s Greek national
Final has pretty much everything you could expect from Greece, showcasing both the diversity of the Greek music scene and Eurovision’s international appeal.

Twenty-eight songs out of the 264 submissions will take part in the national final, of which 14 will qualify for the grand final. The semi-finals will be decided by 100% televoting, while the final will be determined by a 50% televote and 50% jury vote.
The semi-finals will be held on 11 and 13 February, and the final will take place on 15 February at 20:00 CET. Katerina Vrana, Giorgos Kapoutzidis and Betty Maggira will host the shows.

Among the participants are Koza Mostra, who represented Greece alongside Agathonas Iakovidis with “Alcohol Is Free” in 2013; Evangelia, Dinamiss, and Rikki from last year’s Greek national final; and Marseaux, best known for hits such as “Vodka Vissino,” “Deja Vu” with Helena Paparizou (Greece 2001 & 2005), and “Alithia” with her competitor Evangelia. Also taking part is ZAF, who opened for Coldplay at their concert in Athens, has gained a sizeable fanbase on TikTok, and has become one of the most promising Greek pop singers, as well as Mikay, who found popularity in China and is known for her versatility and K-pop-inspired music. She sings in multiple languages, including Greek, English, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Italian, and French.

Semi-final 1 – 11 February 2026

1. Alexandra Sieti – The Other Side
2. The Astrolabe – Drop It
3. Desi G – Aphrodite
4. Akylas – Ferto
5. Evangelia – Parea
6. Panagiotis Tsakalakos – 2nd Chance
7. Niya – Slipping Away
8. Marseaux – Chanomai
9. Rosanna Mailan – Alma
10. Stefi – Europa
11. Revery – The Songwriter
12. Dinamiss – Chaos
13. Stylianos – You & I
14. Spheyiaa – Hilia kommatia

Semi-final 2 – 13 February 2026

1. Rikki – Agapi
2. Garvin – Back in the Game
3. Mikay Labyrinth
4 . Marika – Daughters of the Sun (A, E, I, O, U)
5. D3lta – Mad About It
6 .Zaf – Asteio
7. Kianna – No More Drama
8. Stella Kay – You Are the Fire
9. Tianora – Anatello
10. Victoria Anastasia – Whatcha Doin to Me
11. Basilica – Set Everything on Fire
12. Good Job Nicky – Dark Side of the Moon
13. Koza Mostra – Bulletproof
14. Leroybroughtflowers – Sabotage!

Klavdia, who represented Greece in 2025 with “Asteromata”, Tamta, who represented Cyprus in 2019 with “Replay”, Antigoni, who will represent Cyprus this year with “Jalla”, and Christos Mastoras, who competed with his band Melisses in the Greek national final in 2010 with “Kinezos”, will perform as interval acts. The shows will be broadcast on ERT1 and ERT World, and for the first time, International fans and Greeks who live abroad will be able to vote in the Greek National Final.

However, the two entries that have generated the most hype in Greece are “Ferto” by Akylas and “Dark Side of the Moon” by Good Job Nicky. In this article, we will focus on these two favourites.

Akylas – Ferto

When the semifinalists were first revealed and the 15-second snippets were published, nobody thought that Akylas had any chance of even qualifying, let alone winning. However, once the songs of the national final were released in full, Akylas went from a complete outsider to the biggest favourite—not only to win the Greek national final, but even to win Eurovision. Greeks quickly became obsessed with “Ferto”: the song went viral on social media, its music video has amassed over two million views, and it is leading in most polls.

Akylas, whose full name is Akylas Mytilineos, was born in 1999 in Serres. He is a self-made musician, songwriter, and performer who has already gained popularity in the Greek indie-pop scene with songs such as “Atelier,” “Ekdilosou,” and “Fthinokraso,” and has also appeared on The Voice of Greece. Since 2022, he has worked as a singer on cruise ships. He has built a strong social media presence, with his TikTok covers going viral. This online success opened the door to his recording career in Athens. His music conveys messages of love, self-expression, and social justice.

“Ferto” is a pop-electro track that blends pop, ethnic, indie, and electronic elements. It is inspired by Akylas’ personal experiences and his family’s financial struggles. The song addresses overconsumption, greed, and the relentless pursuit of material goods, while also touching on gratitude and the desire to provide for loved ones. The lyrics shift between Greek, English, and a few French phrases, emphasising themes of ambition and excess. On the bridge, he speaks directly to his mother, promising he will make sure they never lack anything.

“I can’t believe what’s happening,” Akyllas said in an Instagram post, reacting to the popularity of “Ferto,” the song that sent Greece skyrocketing to third place in the Eurovision odds, behind only Israel and Finland. The track has also received support from Käärijä, who finished second for Finland in 2023 with “Cha Cha Cha,” and from Dara, who will represent Bulgaria this year.

“I graduated from a music high school, I’ve done a lot of theatre workshops, but I hadn’t taken vocals that seriously. On the cruise ship where I worked for two years, I sang every day — disco, pop, rock. It was really a masterclass. Two and a half months there, two months at home. It was a good school to prepare for the Eurovision stage.”

“We thought about it for about a month and a half before applications closed. I’m generally working on albums, but Orfeas Nonis and I said, ‘Let’s forget everything and do something that’s Eurovision.’ Once we wrote the song and made the demo, I would wake up every morning and dance to it in front of the mirror. It put me in the mood. I felt so good in that sound, something I had never felt with music before.

“No matter where you’re from, no matter how much money you have or don’t have, if you love what you do and you never stop trying and evolving, you will succeed. It’s the story of going from lack to success,” Akyllas said in an interview.

Good Job Nicky, whose real name is Nikolas Varthakouris, was born on October 28, 1995, in Athens. He grew up in Voula in a highly artistic environment. He is the youngest son of the famous singer Yiannis Parios and actress and TV presenter Sofia Aliberti. Carrying such a well-known surname pushed him to build a distinct, personal artistic identity.

The name “Good Job Nicky” is a conscious, emotionally charged choice. “Good Job” is his own internal “praise” – a form of self-encouragement before any external approval. He has said he wanted to “give himself flowers” and say “well done” to himself first. It reflects maturity and courage in an industry driven by acceptance, numbers, and reviews. “Nicky” is the tender, childlike version of his name, signalling vulnerability and authenticity.

Good Job Nicky broke out in 2020 when “January 8th” went viral within a few hours. This was followed by songs like “Fo Sho,” “Clouds,” and “Realize.” He refuses to be boxed into a single style; he writes, experiments, collaborates, and performs with both confidence and honesty. He has spoken openly about health challenges such as pseudodysphagia, panic attacks, and significant weight loss down to 63 kg. He says he doesn’t feel “burdened” by his father’s legacy but sees it as a “beautiful responsibility.”

“Dark Side of the Moon” is a retro-pop song that has often been compared to the music of The Weeknd and Michael Jackson, and Good Job Nicky is honoured by such comparisons. “I’ve gotten amazing feedback. I hear words that, if I repeat them myself, seem excessive. They tell me ‘wow, Michael Jackson, The Weeknd’ and things like that, which honour me beyond imagination. I mean, if I have to be compared to someone, fortunately, I’m compared to such names. Thank you very much to everyone,” Good Job Nicky said in a Greek TV interview.

About “Dark Side of the Moon,” he has said: “The song was written for Eurovision and had been in the works for two years. I’ve said it, and I’ll say it again: I wanted to release a song for Eurovision with study, fun, and emotion. We didn’t just sit down with my co-producers and say, ‘let’s go write a song for Eurovision.’ We felt it could make a big ‘bang’ on stage.”

American record producer Maejor and Swedish-American pole vaulter Armand Duplantis are among the well-known public figures who have openly endorsed “Dark Side of the Moon” on social media.

International reactions

Even though in Greece the selection is often seen as a two-horse race between Akylas and Good Job Nicky, the picture is quite different internationally. “Ferto” is clearly leading both Eurovision’s official Discord group poll and Reddit poll, while “Dark Site of the Moon” ranks only 5th in both. It trails “Chanomai” by Marseaux, “Parea” by Evangelia—who is beloved within the Eurovision community—and “Asteio” by Zaf, which seems to be generating more hype internationally than in Greece.
“‘Asteio’ should be the winner here. I went to Greece last summer, and I heard a lot of songs like ‘Asteio’ on local radios,” João posted on Escforum.net, implying that international Eurofans prefer songs in Greek, or at least songs that retain a strong Greek musical flavour.

“Ferto” is often compared with previous successful Eurovision entries such as “Cha Cha Cha,” “Espresso Macchiato,” and “Rim Tim Tagi Dim.” It has been praised by international Eurofans as “bold” and “unconventional” and for being markedly different from previous Greek entries. Some international fans even argue that Greece could win this year’s Eurovision with “Ferto” and Akylas.

At the same time, the song has been criticised as “musically weak,” “lyrically superficial,” or “made exclusively for viral consumption,” lacking depth and longevity. But this is Eurovision: being divisive, unique, and original is often a green flag. Many polarising songs have won or performed very well in recent years, such as “1944,” “Toy,” “Amar Pelos Dois,” “Stefania”, the aforementioned “Espresso Macchiato,” “Doomsday Blue,” “In Compore Sano”, “Hatrið mun sigra.”,“Suus” and “Trenulețul”.

Will Europe + Australia dance to Akylas’ “Ferto” or take a trip to Good Job Nicky’s “Dark Side of the Moon” in May? We’ll find out on 15 February.