By Mike CrooksWednesday 8 May 2024NewsReading Time: 3 minutes
Australia has been knocked out of Eurovision, but one Sydney teen will be representing the “green and gold” in spirit.
Silia Kapsis, a 17-year-old who is studying Year 12 online, is singing for Cyprus in the 68th Eurovision Song Contest.
The talented singer and dancer is performing the pop dance track, “Liar”.
“I want to dance”
After getting through the first semi-final heat overnight, she will be the youngest performer at the Eurovision grand final this week in Malmö, Sweden.
The second semi is on Friday morning, before the grand final on Sunday morning (Australian time).
“I really like dance music, and ‘Liar’ has that pop element,” Ms Kapsis told SBS. “It’s upbeat and powerful. I want to dance when I’m on the stage.”
Australian duo Electric Fields, from South Australia, were knocked out in the first semi-final on May 7.
They were the first performers to include an Aboriginal language in the event.
Greek heritage
Ms Kapsis was born and raised in Sydney’s eastern suburbs to a Greek Greek Cypriot father and a mother from Greece.
“They’re so happy,” she told ABC Sydney Radio of making it to the grand final, which takes place in Sweden’s Malmö Stadium.
It is expected to be viewed by a global television audience of more than 200 million.
“And I’m happy I’ve got to do this for Australia as well,” Ms Kapsis said. “It’s a huge honour for me.”
From socials to stardom
Ms Kapsis has been singing and dancing since she was a pre-schooler, when her grandmother took her to a dance class on her 4th birthday.
She has also been lead singer for the Australian Youth Performing Arts Company (AYPAC).
“I’ve been singing and dancing since I was 4,” she said. “It’s a big part of my life.”
Her journey to Eurovision came through a simple social media request.
After Ms Kapsis followed well-known Greek musician and composer Dimitris Kontopoulos on Instagram, Mr Kontopoulos followed her back, before getting in touch with her mother, Rebecca.
From there, Mr Kontopoulos hatched a plan to have Ms Kapsis perform in Eurovision.
She will perform Mr Kontopoulos’s song “Liar” for Cyprus.
“So far, ‘Liar’ is doing much better than I thought it would online,” she told SBS.
“There are a lot of people who do dance covers and put their videos up on TikTok and Instagram.”
“Nerve-wracking”
After Eurovision, Ms Kapsis will return to her HSC studies. She is taking online classes via Sydney Distance Education.
“It’s crazy to think 260 million people in that moment are watching you,” she told ABC Radio of the estimated Eurovision audience.
“It’s nerve-wracking. I’m just going to go out there and do my best. My goal is to make Australia, Cyprus and Greece proud.”
Sweden is hosting Eurovision after Swedish entry Loreen won the contest in 2023 with her song, “Tattoo”.
The song contest will broadcast on SBS live on Sunday morning at 5am (AET).
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Feature Image Source: Silia Kapsis performing Lair for Cyprus at the First Semi-Final at Malmo – Corinne Cumming/ EBU