Loucas Yiorkas feat. Stereo Mike (Greece) 1st press conference

The two music genres weren’t just mixed, the performers feel that they’ve “organically fused” the styles in the song. “The good thing is that the message is universal. Everyone takes a fall and the song is about getting up from it,” summarises Loucas. He also notes the clear reference to his home country: “It’s a lot about what Greece is going through at the moment. And the song is about survival.”

“We’re not so much looking to bridge a gap between old traditional music and modern styles,” adds Stereo Mike, “because music cannot be reduced to a matter of age.” To make the point clear, he mentions that hip hop itself has been around for 30 years already.  

The two performers couldn’t come from more different walks of life. Singer Loucas has enjoyed classical guitar and Byzantine music lessons and has performed with many famous Greek artists. Stereo Mike discovered his love for rap music when he went to England at the age of 18 to study Music Technology. He has worked as producer for a rap label in London and was then a nominee for the 2008 MTV Awards in Greece.

Upon engaging in the project, Mike received criticism: “I got slaughtered by the scene that a Greek hip hop artist was doing something like this.” But in the end, his critics were silenced. “We got a lot of respect from the crowd after they’d heard the song,” he says, pleased. In summary: “Music is not about labels for me.”  

Both are eagerly looking forward to get on stage, partly because they performed to an empty hall for the Greek qualifications. “You get more stage fright from an empty venue or from only standing in front of a camera,” says Mike. Loucas: “I want to deliver a good performance and give all my heart and soul for the song. We’ll be pretty exhausted after that,” he assures everyone.