Greece's Amanda Georgiadi Tenfjord: from heartbreak to healing

While Die Together was written in the tumultuous aftermath of a failed relationship, Amanda says that it could certainly be interpreted more broadly than just the end of a romance.

It was some time after a breakup, and I wrote an album about the relationship from the very beginning to the very end, and ‘Die Together’ is just one of the songs in the moment of the breakup, when everything is chaotic and sad. It’s not about one person or relationship, it’s a general thing.

Growing up with one foot in Greece and one in Norway, Amanda gained a keen appreciation for pop music from both countries and beyond. From traditional Greek melodies to Whitney Houston to the work of her high school classmate (and friend to this day) Sigrid, her love of great melodies has been a constant force. Amanda’s been learning music since her childhood, starting piano lessons at the age of five. Her big break came in 2015 with her participation in Norway’s Musikkprisen. Since then, she’s gone from strength to strength, with her work being heard on television soundtracks and performed at international festivals.

I wrote my first song, 'Run’ and signed up for a local competition where they pick up talent, and the prize is studio time. That was kind of the beginning of everything!

📺 Watch: Amanda Georgiadi Tenfjord – Arcade (Eurovision House Party)

When she’s not creating music, Amanda is in her sixth year of medical school. As if Eurovision weren’t high-pressure enough, her final exams are scheduled for just a few weeks after the Contest wraps up. She’s been able to blend the medical and the musical, however; she and a few of her classmates formed a band, calling themselves The Flu Fighters!

Die Together is a complex composition, starting off with a section of reverberating a capella vocals and eventually swelling into more rich instrumentation.

We [Amanda and producer/co-writer Bjørn Helge Gammelsæter] were in the studio, and we had this vocoder on the microphone. When we wrote the song, it was always a capella, and I thought it was very beautiful to have a lot of silence. I wanted a lot of space in the song. And then I was like ‘no, we can’t do this, it’s scary!’, but we tried without it, and it just didn’t feel right.

📺 Watch: Amanda Georgiadi Tenfjord – Die Together (Official Music Video)

Differing greatly from her official music video (which was filmed on the Greek island of Symi), Die Together’s staging was designed by Eurovision veteran Fokas Evangelinos and incorporates a lot of Amanda’s input.

We were friends from the first time we met. I think the most important thing is that he listens to me and what I want, since I can be very stubborn! I like to have control over creative things, since I wrote the song. In my life I’m not too good at choosing things, but in my music I know what I want and what I don’t want and I’m very focused.

Whether she’s setting her sights on music, medicine, or anything else that comes her way, Amanda Georgiadi Tenfjord aims high. If Die Together gives you life, be sure to tune in to the First Semi Final on Tuesday 10 May.

📺 Watch: All 40 Songs of the 2022 Eurovision Song Contest

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