Established in 2009, rock band Minus One have been making waves in Cyprus and beyond with their brand of driving, edgy rock. Now, they are turning their sights on a Eurovision win at Stockholm with their song, ‘Alter Ego’. I don’t know about you, but I REALLY want to get to know these guys a bit better! So without further ado, here are 10 key facts about Minus One.

1. They hail from Cyprus: Nicosia, in Cyprus, is the city the band call home. (Are all the men that good looking there? Suddenly, I feel the need to go visit Cyprus!)
2. The band have been going since 2009: The five-piece band, composed of vocalist Francois Micheletto, guitarist Harrys Pari, guitarist/ vocalist Constantinos Amerikanos, bassist Antonis Loizides, and drummer Christopher Ioannides (Chris J) have been together since 2009 and are still going strong. That’s 16 years of rockin’ out!
3. Why haven’t we heard of them before? After some research, it seems that Minus One have a pseudonym, having formerly played under the name ‘Marianne’s Wish’. As they were a cover band at the time, they changed the name to Minus One when they started writing their own material. A good way to sweep your past ‘Under The Carpet’!

4. They’re old-school rockers: The band have been heavily influenced by classic rock bands such as Queen, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath and others. With a musical education like that, it’s no wonder these guys are graduates of the ‘School of Rock’.
5. They have competed for Eurovision before: In 2015, Minus One competed in the Cypriot National Final with ‘Shine’ but were pipped at the post by Giannis Karagiannis. (An utter travesty, In my opinion. I call shenanigans!)

6. They like to play naked! Yes, you heard that correctly. Back in December 2015, Minus One played a gig in their home town of Nicosia with only a few strategically-placed instruments to preserve their modesty. (Thank goodness they live in a warm climate. Can you imagine if they lived here?)
7. Their lead singer is competing in The Voice: Lead vocalist, Francois Micheletto, competed in the French version of The Voice only last weekend. Why? Because he’s half-French! Will he win? That remains to be seen, but check out his awesome rendition of U2’s ‘With Or Without You’ here:

8. Eurovision 2016: Minus One have just unveiled the song they will play to represent Cyprus at Stockholm: ‘Alter Ego’. Being a bit of a rock chick, this hits all the right notes for me with its driving rhythmic drums, masterful guitars and soaring vocal. Douze points from the Eurovision Ireland jury!

9. They have a real wolf in their video! Check out the video for Alter Ego, which stars a magnificent wolf. According to Minus One’s blog, he’s called Ares.
10. They’re all over social media: Like any savvy rock band these days, Minus One have their own website http://www.minusoneband.com/ but you can also connect with them on Facebook, Twitter (@MinusOneCy), Instagram (MinusOneBand) and YouTube.

Well guys, you have a new fan here at Eurovision Ireland and I suspect that once you hit the Eurovision stage, you will gain plenty more. My only question is this: Will you be wearing clothes? ;)

Author : Jennifer Roche

Source : Eurovision Ireland