Greece has a new Eurovision name… and it’s Akylas

The road to Ithaca, sorry, the road to Vienna, officially ends here: Akylas has won the second edition of Sing For Greece, Greece’s national final to pick its next Eurovision flag-bearer, and yes, it came with enough personality to power Athens for a week.

Held at the Pireus 260 venue and hosted by the ever-reliable Viorgos Kapoutzidis, alongside Betty Maggira and the gloriously unfiltered Katerina Vrana (the real plot twist of the night, frankly), the show paraded 14 artists across the stage with the kind of pacing that says, “we’re here to choose a song, but we’re also here to be perceived.”

And because Greece rarely does anything without a little extra seasoning, Christos Mastoras (frontman of Melisses) popped in as the guest artist, delivering a hits medley that reminded everyone why the man can walk onstage and instantly upgrade the room.

Running order (as performed)

Stylianos – “You & I”
D3lta – “Mad About You”
Mikay – “Labyrinth”
Marika – “Daughters of the Sun (A, E, I, O, U)”
Marseaux – “Hanomai”
Good Job Nicky – “Dark Side of the Moon”
Koza Mostra – “Bulletproof”
Stefi – “Europa”
Rosanna Mailan – “Alma”
Evangelia – “Parea”
Zaf – “Asteio”
Akylas – “Ferto”
Leroybroughtflowers – “Sabotage”
Alexandra Sieti – “The Other Side”

How the voting worked

Results were decided by a three-part split: international jury (25%), Greek national jury (25%), and public televote (50%). In other words: half the power went to the people, and the other half went to panels whose job is to look composed while making decisions that will be dissected online for the next three months.

Final results

Akylas – “Ferto” — 48
Good Job Nicky – “Dark Side of the Moon” — 33
Marseaux – “Hanomai” — 32
Evangelia – “Parea” — 24
Zaf – “Asteio” — 23
D3lta – “Mad About You” — 21
Stylianos – “You & I” — 18
Alexandra Sieti – “The Other Side” — 17
Koza Mostra – “Bulletproof” — 9
Mikay – “Labyrinth” — 7
Rosanna Mailan – “Alma” — 2
Stefi – “Europa” — 1
Marika – “Daughters of the Sun (A, E, I, O, U)” 0
Leroybroughtflowers – “Sabotage” 0

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So, what does this mean for Vienna?

It means Greece is going in with Akylas taking the baton from Klavdia, who placed 6th in Basel last year with “Asteromata”, and expectations are… not subtle. Greece has been playing the “we’re serious, but make it stylish” game for a while now, and this win feels like another deliberate step in that direction.

Also, if you’re the kind of person who believes running order placement is a psychological thriller, you’ll have noticed Akylas performed 12th: late enough to feel like a statement, not so late it looks like a coronation. A very Greek compromise: confident, but with plausible deniability.