Cyprus returned to the Eurovision Song Contest in 2015 with John Karayiannis
EBU
Apart from singing, the Cypriot entrant John Karayiannis also enjoys gaming. So earlier when he was in the delegation area, John couldn't resist the opportunity to have a shot on the XboxOne that the Austrians have kindly provided for the use of all delegates. However after that it was game on for the bigger challenge ahead - performing on the Eurovision stage.
John Karayiannis is one of the few performers who takes to the stage alone at the Wiener Stadthalle. At the start of the song One Thing I Should Have Done the arena is plunged into darkness and John has a single spotlight shining down from above on him. The initial shots are all shot in black and white.
John is dressed very smartly in a black suit and black tie, and of course is wearing his trademark glasses.
Gradually the light increases and the LED screens show a star-like background, with the lighting having various hues of blue, purple and orange. Around two minutes into the song this background explodes into flame-like bursts of light on key moments in the lyrics, especially on the 'I should' line.
As you would expect of a gentle, beautifully understated song, there are no pyros going off everywhere, as the focus is very much on the talented young singer that is carrying the hopes of Cyprus.
The delegation seemed very happy with the first rehearsal, and were very impressed by the sound and lighting and will have only minor adjustments to make before their second rehearsal on Saturday.
All artists have their own way of preparing to go onstage at the Wiener Stadthalle. Some like to remain in their dressing rooms and quietly contemplate prior to their rehearsals. Nearly all of them will also do some vocal warm-ups. However John Karayiannis also enjoys gaming, and had fun playing football on the XBoxOne machine, and at the same time talked to Eurovision.tv about his other interests, which include sports and working out.
He confessed that he hadn't been to the gym for about two weeks, as he has been busy working on his rehearsals with Mike Connaris on his song One Thing I Should Have Done.
