Greece revealed tonight the song "Zari", which will be performed by Marina Satti, 37, at the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 that will take place in Malmö, Sweden from 7 to 11 May. It is a combination of modern urban music with traditional elements. The music video of the song premiered through ERT's special show for the Greek entry at the Eurovision Song Contest 2024, presented by Fotis Sergoulopoulos and Jenny Melita.
The music video for the song "Zari" was directed by the Australian Zac Wiesel and it was filmed in iconic locations in Athens, such as the Acropolis, Plaka, Monastiraki and the Herodes Atticus Conservatory. Οmonia, Lycabettus, Rafina and "Eleftherios Venizelos" International Airport are also included.
Furthermore, the artistic direction of Marina Satti's performance on the stage of the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 is undertaken by Fokas Evangelinos, the choreography and movement direction by Mecnun Giasar (Majnoon), while the art direction is handled by NMR.
According to the allocation draw that took place on January 30, Greece will compete in the first half of the second semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2024, which is going to take place on Thursday, May 9 in Malmö, Sweden. This year's Eurovision Song Contest marks 50 years since the debut of the country.
{https://youtu.be/mTSTnLWGUPs}
The producers of the song "Zari"
Palmer Jordan Richard, who has worked with Carly Rae Jepsen and Duncan Laurence, the winner of the Eurovision Song Contest 2019, has been involved in the creation of the song "Zari". Stolar Jay Lewitt, who has worked with Demi Lovato and with Greek-American singer Evangelia also is among the 9 producers of the Greek entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2024. Apart from Konstantin Plamenov Beshkov, who comes from Bulgaria and has composed several hits there, Gino The Ghost – two-time Grammy winner – is in the team of the Greek entry at this year's Eurovision Song Contest.
However, there is also strong Greek element in the "Zari" song producing team. Marina Satti along with OGE and Vlospa are, also, the producers – they have composed many pop and rap hits in Greece. Specifically, OGE has collaborated with Marina Satti on her song "Ponos Krifos", while Vlospa had joined forces with Marina Satti in her song "Tucutum". The production team of the Greek entry at the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 concludes with Nick Kodonas and Solmeister.
Who is Marina Satti
Marina Satti (Greek: Μαρίνα Σάττι) is a Greek singer, songwriter, actress and music producer. Her music combines traditional Greek, Arab and Balkan sounds with urban elements, rhythm, and production. She is set to represent Greece at the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 with the song "Zari".
She was born in Athens to a Sudanese Arab father and a Greek mother from Heraklion, Crete. Her parents met at the Faculty of Medicine in Athens where they were studying. She was raised in Heraklion, and as a child she used to go to Sudan during the summers. She has a brother who lives in England and a half-sister from her father's subsequent marriage to another woman, whereby he had returned to Sudan and later moved to Egypt; Satti and her sister first met when her sister was 8 years old, as she had not seen her father for 13 years. She began classical piano training at an early age and classical vocal training in high school. She enrolled at the National Technical University of Athens to study architecture without graduating.
In 2008, after studying with the baritone Panos Dimas, Satti earned a first degree in lyrical monody with honors and a first prize. One year later, she earned a second degree in advanced classical studies, while also studying jazz at the Nakas Conservatory. In 2010, she completed two semesters in jazz composition and also in contemporary writing and production at the Berklee College of Music through a scholarship. Among her teachers at Berklee were Jamie Haddad and Danilo Pérez.
Marina Satti formed part of the EBU's European Jazz Orchestra. She also performed as a singer of the World Jazz Nonet at the John F. Kennedy Center in Washington. Along with Bobby McFerrin, she formed the a cappella vocal group The Singing Tribe. In 2016, Satti founded "Fonés", a female a cappella group performing traditional polyphonic songs. They have performed at venues such as the Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus, the Odeon of Herodes Atticus, the Athens Concert Hall, and the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center.
In 2016, she released her single "Koupes", which reached more than 27 million views on YouTube, and was included in Ravin & Bob Sinclar's Buddha Bar 20 Years Anniversary album. In 2017, her next single, "Mantissa", charted in the European Union's Official Top 100 and Bulgaria's Top 40. Global Citizen named it "song of the summer". Joanna Kakissis, Athens-based correspondent for NPR, described it as "the summer hit that fills a generation with hope".
In 2017, Marina Satti curated a series of cultural events that led to the formation of the choir "Chόres", a portmanteau of the Greek words for "countries" and "choruses"), consisting of 150 women aged 13–55. In 2020, "Chόres" presented traditional songs in archeological locations.
Moreover, in June 2018, Marina Satti and "Fonés" presented YALLA!, a repertoire of world music and pop compositions, as well as renditions of Eastern Mediterranean traditional music, which was first performed at the Melina Merkouri Theater and then toured abroad to France, England, Switzerland, as well as to Tampere, Finland, for the 2019 World Music Expo. In May 2022, she released her debut album "YENNA" to great commercial and critical reception. The release of the album was followed by a European tour that lasted over 4 months.
On 24 October 2023, she was announced as the Greek representative at the Eurovision Song Contest 2024.
