Greece is a top contender in the Eurovision contest. They always make it to the finale and are often in the top ten. You can usually count on Greece to deliver something with flavor; something different to get you excited.

For example, 2013 brought us Koza Mostra and Alcohol is Free, a lively punk/ska song that was my number one choice that year. In 2014, Freaky Fortune feat. RiskyKidd took to the stage with some hip-hop. For 2015, Greece brings us Maria Elena Kyriakou, who won the national competition and will perform in Vienna with her song One Last Breath. Will she bring the quality and variety we’ve come to expect?

Sigh. No. It’s another ballad. It’s a very nice ballad, sung by an accomplished singer with a powerful voice. It’s also a very formula ballad, which goes up-tempo at the two-thirds mark for dramatic effect.

Elena Kyriakou is lovely and has a dramatic presence, but One Last Breath does not stand out. Greece is in the first semi-final and if she has the misfortune to be placed before or after Finland, everyone will forget her because they’ll be talking about Pertti Kurikan Nimipäivät.

I hope this makes it to the semi-finals, but I don’t know. Sorry, Greece, but I think you picked a bad year to bring a ballad. Regardless, best wishes to Elena Kyriakou.

You can find out more about Elena Kyriakou here.