Greece participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2014 with the song "Rise Up" written and performed by Freaky Fortune featuring RiskyKidd. The Greek entry was selected through the four-participant national final titled Eurosong 2014 – a MAD show, which was developed by interim Greek broadcaster Dimosia Tileorasi (DT) and organised and produced by the private music channel MAD TV.
To promote the entry, Freaky Fortune and Riskykidd took part in events in Amsterdam and London and were interviewed by local media. Greece was drawn to compete in the second semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest, which took place on 8 May 2014. Performing during the show in position 13, "Rise Up" was announced among the top 10 entries of the second semi-final and therefore qualified to compete in the final. It was later revealed that Greece placed 7th out of the 18 participating countries in the semi-final with 74 points. At the final, held two days later, Greece performed 10th out of the 26 finalists and finished in 20th place with 35 points. This result matched Greece's 1998 entry as the nation's worst placement at a final of the contest.
Background
Prior to the 2014 contest, Greece had participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 34 times since its first entry in . By 2014, the nation had won the contest once, in 2005 with the song "My Number One" performed by Helena Paparizou, and placed third three times: in 2001 with the song "Die for You" performed by the duo Antique; in 2004 with "Shake It" performed by Sakis Rouvas; and in 2008 with "Secret Combination" performed by Kalomoira. Following the introduction of semi-finals for the , Greece managed to qualify for the final with each of its entries for several years, and between 2004 and 2013, the nation achieved nine top ten placements in the final. Greece's least successful result was in when it placed 20th with the song "Mia krifi evaisthisia" by Thalassa, receiving only 12 points in total, all from Cyprus.
Historically, the Greek national broadcaster and European Broadcasting Union (EBU) member, Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation (ERT), broadcast the event within Greece and organised the selection process for the nation's entry. However, in August 2013, the Greek government shut down the radio and television services of ERT, leaving Greece's future contest participation in question. The EBU allowed the nation to participate in the 2014 contest using the temporary channel Dimosia Tileorasi (DT), which applied for participation on 23 November 2013 and took on the task of organising the selection process for the nation's representative. DT then partnered with private music channel MAD TV to select the entry. On 4 May 2014, two days prior to the contest's first semi-final, the new Greek broadcaster and EBU member, New Hellenic Radio, Internet and Television (NERIT) was launched allowing the participation to formally proceed.
Before Eurovision
Eurosong 2014 – a MAD show
Eurosong 2014 – a MAD show was the Greek national final developed by DT to select the Greek entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2014. Organized and produced by private music channel MAD TV, the competition took place on 11 March 2014 at the Acro Music Hall in Athens and was hosted by Despina Vandi and Giorgos Kapoutzidis. The show was televised on DT as well as online via the DT website hprt.gr and the official Eurovision Song Contest website eurovision.tv. The national final simultaneously celebrated the 40th anniversary of the first Greek participation in the Eurovision Song Contest.
Competing entries
Four artists, all signed to record labels Panik Records or its imprint Platinum Records, were invited by DT to participate in the national final. The four acts: Crystallia, Freaky Fortune featuring RiskyKidd, Kostas Martakis and Mark F. Angelo featuring Josephine were announced on 11 February 2014. Preview videos of the competing songs were presented on 5 March 2014 during a public news program on DT.
Final
The final took place on 11 March 2014. The four songs competed and the winner, "Rise Up" performed by [Freaky Fortune featuring RiskyKidd, was selected by a 50/50 combination of public voting and jury voting. The jury consisted of Dimitris Kontopoulos (producer), Elpida (singer), Themis Georgantas (television producer and radio host), Areti Kalesaki (DT Public Relations representative) and Reggina Kouri (Head of Public Relations for MAD TV). The live performances for all four acts were directed by choreographer Fokas Evangelinos. The group Freaky Fortune consisted of Greeks Nikolas Raptakis and Theofilos Pouzbouris and the entry featured London-born rapper Shane Schuller under the stage name Riskykidd.