Christina and Nikolas won first prize in the National Lions song-writing competition in 2005. Christina is a student at the Grammar school. She has many talents: she is an extremely talented artist who paints to relax and to express her inner feelings and thoughts and she is also a great dancer and a member of the Diastasis young dancers group. She loves singing and has been taking voice lessons with Mr Christos Kyriakides for the last 2 years and is a member of the Grammar School choir and theater club where she has participated in many concerts, plays and musicals. This year she has one of the leading roles in the musical “Mamma Mia” which will be presented in March. She also writes poetry and children stories and is ready to publish her first book with 4 stories for children and her first poetic collection. She also composed two songs for which she also wrote the lyrics.

Сhristina was deeply touched and honored by Nikolas’ decision to write a song for her; a song that talks about the importance of having faith in our life and of having the strength to take the necessary risks even if we have to look a bit different than the crowds. “Nikolas has always been a guiding force for me. I often tell my mom that I would not be the person I am today if Nikolas was not my brother. He is the person who always pushes me to my limits, who gets angry with me whenever he sees me losing my faith and my strength and he infuriates me to the point that I have no choice but to dare and do things which I thought impossible. The only reason which made me say yes to the Eurovision participation is the fact that he wrote a song especially for me and I want to make him proud of me and to live up to his expectations. I do love him passionately and my wish is for both of us to remain pals even when he will be very famous, because I am sure he will be famous worldwide one day”

Speaking about her Eurovision participation, Christina says: “ I must confess that I see this as the greatest challenge of my life but I will do my best under the circumstances and I will concentrate on the love and messages I am ready to give to all the young people around Europe through my song. My wish is to manage to send a message of light, hope and strength to my peers and to urge them to follow the light in their hearts and to reach their dreams even if this means being different and unique and not a copy of others. Deep down this is the message I’ve been trying to give my self during my teenage years. My secret dream is to make my brother and the rest of the Cypriots very proud and to show the world that teenagers have the strength to set targets and to follow their inner light despite the difficulties and negative challenges of today’s world.”

You can listen and watch "Firefly" here. Accoustic piano version is available here.
Official download: iTunes

Official site: christinametaxa.com

Besides broadcast of contest on RIK and RIK Sat contest will be also transmitted on CYBC international radio service in English, commentator will be Nathan Morley.

Кристина и Николас завоевали первую премию в национальном конкурсе авторов песен Lions в 2005 году. Кристина учится в лингвистической школе. У нее много талантов: она очень талантливая художница, которая рисует для того, чтобы расслабиться и выразить внутренние чувства и переживания, она также отлично танцует и входит в танцевальную труппу Diastasis. Она любит петь и последние два года берет уроки вокала у Христоса Кириакидеса, а также поет в школьном клубе и театральном клубе, принимала участие во множестве концертов, пьес и мюзиклов. В этом году она играет одну из главных ролей в мюзикле "Mamma Mia", который будет презентован в марте. Она также пишет стихи и рассказы для детей и готова опубликовать свою первую книгу с четырьмя рассказами и также сборник стихов для детей. Она также сама написала две песни, к которым также сочинила слова.

Кристину очень тронуло решение ее брата написать для нее песню, песню - которая будет рассказывать о важности веры в нашей жизни и необходимости и силе брать на себя риски, даже если для этого придется выделиться из толпы. "Николас всегда был моим кумиром. Я часто говорю своей маме, что я бы не выросла такой, какая я сейчас, если бы рядом не было Николаса. Он постоянно подталкивает меня, злится если я теряю веру в себя, и заводит меня до той точки, когда я начинаю делать то, что я думала является невозможным. Единственная причина, почему я согласилась принять участие в Евровидение - это то, что он написал песню специально для меня и я хочу, чтобы он гордился мною. Я очень сильно его люблю и хочу, чтобы мы всегда оставались близкими друзьями, даже когда он станет очень знаменитым, в чем я ничуть не сомневаюсь"

Говоря о своем участии в Евровидении, Кристина отмечает: "Я должна признаться, что для меня - это наибольшее испытание в жизни, но я постараюсь сделать все, что мне позволят обстоятельства и я сконцентрируюсь на той любви, которую я хочу передать всем молодым людям Европы моей песней. Я хочу послать месседж света, надежды и силы и посоветовать следовать за светом в сердцах и достигать исполнения своих желаний, даже если это будет означать быть уникальными и не похожими на других. Это то послание, которое я и себе пыталась передать в подростковом возрасте. Моя потаенная мечта - сделать так, чтобы мой брат и все киприоты гордились мною и показать миру, что подростки тоже могут ставить цели и следовать за их внутренним светом, несмотря на трудности и негативные изменения в окружающем нас сегодня мире".

Посмотреть и прослушать песню Firefly вы можете здесь. Акустическая фортепианная версия доступна здесь.
Официальный даунлоад: iTunes

Официальный сайт: christinametaxa.com

Помимо обычной трансляции конкурса на RIK и RIK Sat конкурс будет транслироваться и международной радиослужбой СYBC на английском языке. Комментатором этой трансляции станет Натан Морли.

It’s the question that drives us
To where we must go its
the unknown that derives from us
What we want most    
But the firefly sits
In the corner and rests
It won’t care if you stare
But believe me       
It’s best to let go

Don’t just go with flow

Chorus

And the firefly comes to you
Sits on your finger
It shudders and shakes but
she wants you to go with her now
Follow her out there

The firefly spreading
Her wings open wide thinks
the sky will come crushing down
And fall to her side She’s afraid

But her fear slowly fades

So fly with the firefly
Fly side by side
Escaping the chains
That held you from your life
Don’t look down
You are over the edge…

Jump,
Take the leap of faith
Jump
Take the leap of faith

It’s the question that drives us
To where we must go it’s
the unknown that derives from us
What we want most    
But the firefly sits
In the corner and rests

- Dear Christina, and first of all our congratulations for being selected Cypriot representative at Eurovision 2009! How do you feel now, being a Eurovision participant?
- I know this may sound “cliche” but I am so excited, very proud and so very honored that I am given this opportunity at 16. I am going to represent Cyprus, my country and most of all I am going to show the rest of Europe, that here in Cyprus, the young generation has strong messages to give to the rest of the world; these messages  will connect the young Cypriots with the young people around Europe and around the world.  I strongly feel that all young people are similar, facing the same challenges and difficulties regardless of the country they live in. So, I am excited and I can’t wait to go to Moscow. I already feel the love of the people around me giving me a lot of positive energy and strength.
I feel great because the fact that I am young will probably help me positively influence and touch the hearts of young people and send them the great message of the song :“ to find their dreams and follow them by facing their fears and by believing in their own selves…by finding their own light and by following it”.

- Your song “Firefly” has some philosophical meaning; can you explain its message?
- The song “Firefly” is not simply a song that will represent my country, Cyprus, in the Eurovision Song Contest. It is much more than that.
First of all, it is the most wonderful gift I have ever taken in my entire life. It is a song written just for me by my older brother, my mentor ;  a song, inspired by my character, my inner questions and deep thoughts, by my phobias, the fears of a 16 year old trying to survive and find her identity in this world. This song is the precious advice of my beloved brother,  “Take healthy risks even if you have to be different than the rest of the world. Follow your light and don’t shrink just because you are afraid to fly”.
 The firefly symbolizes the light we all have inside our hearts.  Do we all manage to find this light? Well, in order to find it, we need to have questions, and dreams. It is important to set targets and it is necessary to fight and overcome our fears and insecurities. If this inner light is discovered by us, then we will reach self-awareness and we will manage to shine and succeed in whatever we want to do in our lives.
So, in other words the light of the firefly will help us defeat our own selfishness, fears, insecurities. It will help us move towards inner peace, self-awareness and absolute happiness. In this trip we may need to ignore the negative voices and have faith, even in moments when we will be alone and feel different than the others; even then our own light will offer us support and company and strength which will direct us towards the right path.

- Can you tell us the story of its creation? Has Nikolas written it especially for you and Eurovision participation?- Two o’clock in the morning. My mobile phone rings and when I see BIG BRO I answer it immediately. “Christina I wrote a song for you. I sent it to you on your email. Listen to it and …we are going to the Eurovision Song Contest” my brother said happily. “What are you talking about?” I screamed…..and rushed to listen to the song.
When I read the lyrics of the song and heard the soothing music and thought of how much that song represented my character, I couldn’t stop crying out of joy, thanking God that he gave me a chance to realize once more that my brother was always there and he will always be there for me. So I thought “If Nik feels I can do it, then it is worth giving it a try”. In 5 minutes I called him back and said: “Do you really think I can do it?” and when he said “ OF COURSE”  I just said “Let’s do it then!”

- What, on your opinion, what was the decisive reason of your victory at the national selection?
- The amazing and unique music of the song and its strong message have definitely contributed to the victory. It was a different song ,in the sense that it transferred you to another world, possibly offering to people a three minute escape into a dream full of light.

- You have recently released a new version of your entry with some changes in arrangements and vocals, why these changes have been brought and are you now completely satisfied with the production?
- Yes, certainly . I am very happy with the changes made and I have to thank my brother Nikolas Metaxas and Chris Charalambides from the bottom of my heart for the excellent work on the music production. Nikolas and I just felt that the backing track could become even stronger and magical , since the melody is so beautiful and it surely did.

- Are you planning to record new versions of the track, other languages, remixes?
- Perhaps. That would be wonderful!

- You have filmed a very nice video for your contest entry; can you tell us more about it?
- Yes, it was indeed a unique experience to be working on the video clip. The idea that the light can connect people through time is so very special and it is true. All people from different time periods can be united if they discover the light within their soul; the light which can unite all people around the globe…only if we manage to discover it within our hearts.

-  Will the stage presentation of the entry in Moscow be similar to the one we’ve seen in Cypriot NF? Or do you plan something extra for the international audience?
- I can tell you that it will be a completely new presentation compared to what you have seen so far. Let’s keep the rest a surprise.

- Can you introduce the people making a stage act for you, your choreographer, backing dancers and singers?
- The art director will be Photis Nikolaou, and I absolutely find him unique. There will be no dancers and the backing singers will be two female singers and three male singers. Their names will be announced soon.

- Do you think in that pre-contest promotion including promo-tour is important for the contest success? Are you planning to visit some more countries before the show?
- I believe that correct promotion will help, yes. We plan to visit England, Holland and Ukrane and I am excited about that. However, In my opinion what truly plays a role is the 3-minute-performance itself.

- Are you usually following the Eurovision contest itself? Any memories connected with it?
- Of course :) The Eurovision song contest has always been the biggest event in the family. Every year I remember myself making predictions with the whole family. And now someone else is going to be predicting for me? ?? . . WOW .  

- What will be your aim in the contest?
- To be able to pass the beautiful message of the song around Europe and be remembered by as an excellent performance that managed to touch the hearts of people.

- What is your personal recipe to cope with the pressure? Surely, it won’t be easy for you to compete on such a big stage with many famous artists?
- To enjoy those three minutes as if they are my last; I will let myself be carried away by the beautiful melody of the song, carrying with me all those people who will see the show.

 What do you think is more important for Eurovision success: song, performer or the show?
- I believe the most important is  “feeling”; because if the performer truly feels his song then the combination of song and show will lead to success.

- Eurovision is sometimes labeled as political contest. Do you think of it as political event?
- No, I certainly consider it as a musical fair because that’s what  it’s meant to be at the end of the day. Music has no boundaries or nationality.

- Re-introduction of the jury vote at Eurovision, is it a welcomed change for you?
- Having watched the eurovision song contest for years now, I generally believe that it is very unexpected. However, the jury is a positive change for me.

- Are you following information on selections in other countries, will you listen to the participating songs in advance?
- I have listened to a few and I would like to listen to all of them but believe me my free time is so limited that I don’t know whether I will manage to do so. From the songs I heard I love the Greek song and the Norwegian one a lot.

- Let's speak briefly on your career. What you consider as the main highlight in it besides Eurovision?
- I am still 16 so my main career at the moment is to continue being a student and to continue singing, dancing, drawing, writing poetry and stories and participating in musicals. As far as the future is concerned …we will see.

- Have you already taken part in some other musical competitions; do you like competing in general?
- Yes , I have taken part in 3 singing competitions so far, nothing like the eurovision song contest of course :) and I have to say that I enjoyed all 3 of them simply because I viewed them as performances where I competed mostly with myself rather than others .

- What is your preferable style of music? What are the singers, having the biggest influence on you?
- I am Influenced mostly by my brother and  I like to listen to pretty much all kinds of music. Specifically, I love artists and songs that bring out deep feelings and strong messages, such as Lara Fabian, Anna Vissi and bands like Alterbridge and Muse.

- Do you plan any releases in the nearest future? Do you plan to concentrate on singing career after the contest?
- To be honest I am passionate about  a number of things apart from singing, like dancing, drawing theatre and literature . My dream is to somehow combine some of the arts to create a new method of teaching through arts.

- And our usual question - can you name us any singers you know coming from ex-USSR, Russia , Ukraine ?
- Diman Bilan, and Annie Lorack of course.

- Finally, if you wish to leave any message to the visitors of our site you can do it now.
- LIVE THE MOMENT because life is short.  It’s hard, but trust me  it’s worth it and we should all give it a try.

- Thank you for the interview, good luck with your preparations and see you in Moscow!

Christina also gave joint press-conference with the Ukrainian representatve, Svetlana Loboda, in Liga agency, as well as appearing in Muz-Ua show of NTU and on Channel 24. Also, Christina has been interviewed on Radio Europa Plus, Lux Radio and Melody Radio.

After press-conference Svetlana Loboda has decided to make an excursion for Christina to show her the landmarks of Ukraine’s capital. In the evening the girls visited “Voices karaoke lounge club”, where they had an opportunity to demonstrate their vocal talents in practice. After performing one composition each Svetlana and Christina decided to make a joint duet. They sang songs of Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston and even Nikolay Noskov. Christina also turned up to take part in action "Who is FOR Blondes".
Svetlana and her Cyprus’ guest were accompanied by Christina’s team, which consists mostly of her family members. It turned out to be that Christina is not the only singer in her family. Her brother is also a musician, so he performed on the club’s stage as well. Everybody from the Cyprus’ team had a good time in Kiev with Svetlana. In answer to her hospitality the Anti-Crisis Girl was invited to Cyprus for a promo-tour. The Cypriotes also made her promise to attend a party organized by Greece and Cyprus on the eve of the Eurovision’s Final in Moscow.

Watch videos of this meeting: 1, 2, 3, 4

Кристина дала совместную пресс-конференцию с представительницей Украины Светланой Лободой, появилась в программе Muz-UA Першего, и на канале 24. Кристина дала интервью Европе Плюс, радио Люкс и радио Мелоди.

После пресс-конференции Светлана Лобода решила дать гостье экскурсию по столице Украины. Вечером певицы посетили караоке клуб, где у них появилась возможность продемонстрировать свои вокальные таланты на практике. Светлана и Кристина решили исполнить совместный дуэт. Они спели песни Мэрайи Кэри, Уитни Хьюстон и даже Николая Носкова. Кристина также приняла участие в вечеринке "Кто ЗА блондинок".
Светлану и ее киприотскую гостью сопровождала команда Кристины, состоявшая в основном из членов ее семьи. Оказалось, что Кристина не единственная певица в ней. Ее брат тоже музыкант и он также выступил на клубной сцене. Все участники киприотской команды смогли хорошо провести этот вечер в Киеве. В обмен на свою гостеприимность украинская певица была также приглашена совершить промо-тур на Кипр. Киприоты также добились от нее обещания посетить совместную греческо-киприотскую вечеринку, которая пройдет в Москве перед Евровидением.

Видео из этой встречи вы можете увидеть здесь: 1, 2, 3, 4

April is going to be a busy month for Christina Metaxa. On April 16th, Christina and the CyBC team with head off to the UK. Christina will be attending the UK Eurovision Preview Party in London on Friday 17th of April. There will be no time to rest for Christina because as soon as the party is over she will be jumping on a plane to Amsterdam in The Netherlands. The Dutch representatives ‘The Toppers’ will take Christina and the entrants from other countries on a canal tour through the city. After a press conference and a dinner, Christina will perform in the Eurovision show. Christina will then get a few days off before travelling to Kiev to promote Firefly in the Ukraine. Christina will be there from the 21st – 24th of April

Meanwhile, Christina under the guidance of Art Director Fotis Nicolaou (JESC 2008 art director), is working on her stage presentation. It is now confirmed that her brother Nikolas, composer of Firefly, will join her on stage as one of the backing vocalists, along with Anna Karin Heliadou, Rihanna Athanasiou, Chris Charalambides and Richard Hall. You can watch short news report from the rehearsals here.

Тем временем, Кристина под руководством постановщика Фотиса Николау (арт-директора Детского Евровидения 2008) готовит свой номер. Уже подтверждено, что ее брат Николас, автор песни, присоединится к ней на московской сцене в качестве одного из бэк-вокалистов, другими станут Анна Карин Гелиаду, Рианна Атанасиу, Крис Караламбидес и Ричард Холл. Короткий новостной репортаж с репетиции вы можете увидеть здесь.