After six years of internal selections and three-candidate national finals, Greece returns to the rich national final format with ten candidates fighting out for the ticket to Oslo. ERT extended an invitation to local record labels this summer and the names of the finalists are now confirmed.

ERT goes for some fresh talent this year with many up and coming names in the Greek final line up. The Greek broadcaster have opted not to send one of the better known local artists by selecting internally but instead will have a national final with ten acts most of them newcomers in the country's music scene.On the whole, the Greek project this year will be more limited than previous ones, with no video clip production and a very selective promo tour.

It looks like the Greek national final this year will include a variety of genres for the public to choose from. It will take place in late February and the winner will be decided as usual by a mixture of televote and jury vote at a 50/50 split. Although the list of performers has been just released officially by ERT, the songs have not been finalised yet. The songs will be presented to the Greek public at the beginning of February.

The best known of this year's Eurovision hopefuls is Yiorgos Alkaios with 20 albums released so far. Alkaios has had many hits over the years and apart from being a singer and well known composer he has also founded his own music label, Friends Music Factory, together with Dionysis Schoinas. Alkaios' music crossed the Greek borders when popular Turkish FC Galatasaray chose his song Syrmatoplegma for their official anthem.
Alkaios and friends
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TyOpL3IoyXg

The line up also includes newcomer group Melisses, who have not released an album yet but their first single Kryfa was at # 34 in the Music Control last week. Their first videoclip, Kryfa, reached 50.000 views on youtube, something exceptional for a new group. Melisses are Christos (vocals), Pantelis (keyboards), Iakovos (drums), Thanos( guitar) and Costas (bass guitar)

Melisses – Kryfa
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wn4KdBHhtCc

Christos Chatzinasios
Son of popular Greek composer Yiorgos Chatzinasios, Christos is a composer as well as a singer. He has released two CD singles and two albums so far and has extensive live experience having performed with numerous Greek mega stars such as Tolis Voskopoulos, Helena Paparizou, Antonis Remos and Marinella among others.
Christos Chatzinasios – Kakomathimeno
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmNLr08-63Q

Émigré, a Thessaloniki based band, have already released three albums after 11 years in the Greek music scene. It can be safely said that they hold the record among this year's participants for live appearances. Their latest album, Live stigmes, released in the summer, includes live recordings from their two-year tour around Greece, which included 192 shows in 28 cities.
Émigré- Eimaste ena
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkjGyERtupU

Katerine Avgoustakis is more known in Belgium, where she was born and raised, and Poland, where she entered the local charts with Ayo Technology, than Greece. The first time her name was made widely known in Greece was this past summer when through Star Channel it was stated that she was going to try to represent her father's homeland in the 2010 Eurovision Song Contest. Katerine has also attempted to represent Belgium in 2002 as a member of Indiana, failing to make the final. She tried once more in 2006, solo this time, failing again to make it to the Eurosong final.
Ever since her career has picked up, after she won the local Star Academy. With two albums already released, the young singer has also had some chart success outside Belgium as well, namely in the Netherlands, Bulgaria and Russia.

Katerine Avgoustakis – Watch me move (Eurosong 2006 semifinal)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0pSd0sfOsA

Eleftheria Eleftheriou is a twenty year old Cypriot singer who had her first encounter with the Greek audience when she took part in this year's X-Factor. Although she did not make it past the 5th week of the show, as soon as she was voted out, Sakis Rouvas, host of the show and the ultimate Greek mega star, invited her to join him on stage this winter at the club he will be performing together with Tamta.

Eleftheria Eleftheriou
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofobW4C3PAg

Second skin (Sunny Baltzi and Ioanna Metaxa)
Sunny Baltzi is a singer/songwriter and composer, founder and lead singer of the rock band Santa Fila. Sunny has released three albums so far, the first in 1995. She has also penned the lyrics of many songs like Christos Dantis' 1999 hit To palio mou palto and Michalis Chatzigiannis' Oi titloi tou telous and Paraxeni giorti. Sunny is a low profile artist mainly known for her lyrical verses. This year, together with Ioanna Metaxa, they formed Second skin.

Sunny Baltzi – Avli psychiatreiou
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGq2JBSFJkA

Second skin interview
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wc_29Upu7_A

Yiorgos Karadimos is a 34 year old singer and composer. His first live appearance was in 2001 together with Akistis Protopsalti and his best known song so far is Se thelo edo, a duet with Dimitra Galani, one of Greece's most popular and respected artists.

Yiorgos Karadimos – San na'nai psema
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZaIkz3lWCA

Manos Pyrovolakis – MP3
Manos Pyrovolakis comes from Crete, the southern Greek island with the very distinctive music tradition. His music combines traditional Cretan sounds with pop elements.

Manos Pyrovolakis – Stis ekklisias tin porta
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gdb1iUs2cho

EMI's proposed artist, Despina Ricci, is completely unknown to the Greek public. Of Greek origin, she lives and works in France. Married to singer and composer Marc Ricci, Despina will try to represent Greece with an electropop song.

Despina Ricci – Esy psefti
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9fffiP_Yr7I

Despina Ricci interview in French

Please note these are NOT the actual songs competing in the Greek final.