Marina Satti will perform the track “Zari” at the Eurovision Song Contest for Greece in Sweden! This was a very long-anticipated entry, so let’s take a look at how it’s been received so far.
Like her other songs, “Zari” blends healthy doses of Greek traditional music, Middle Eastern-influenced melodic structures, pop, electronics, reggaeton, and hip-hop to create a distinct and hard-hitting sound. As both a fan of hers and a fan of the contest respectively, I think the song, whose title translates to “dice”. is delectably lively. I’ll echo that the criss-crossing rhythms of this entry, its unmistakably Hellenic instrumentation, and the intangible swagger in its presentation could very potentially make this song one of the standouts among the upbeat songs in Malmö. “Zari” is distinct, gritty, modern, robust, and most of all, authentic to Marina Satti. In a year where artists are trending toward projects that may skew formulaic or strategic set side by side, this piece from Greece is all but guaranteed to keep viewers’ attention onstage.
Competing in the 1st half of the 2nd semifinal in Malmö, Satti’s creative team will be championed by Fokas Evangelinos, who had the expert hand in staging a plethora of entries for Greece, Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Spain, Azerbaijan, and Moldova; namely in the 00’s. Under his belt as the artistic director are two victories: Helena Paparizou winning for Greece in 2005, and Dima Bilan who represented Russia and won in 2008.
What do you think of “Zari”? Let us know your thoughts!