Ferto (song)

"Ferto"
Single by Akylas
from the album Press Start
LanguageGreek
Released15 February 2026 (2026-02-15)
Genre
Length3:00
LabelMinos EMI
Songwriters
Producers
  • TEO.x3
  • Papatanice
  • Akylas
Akylas singles chronology
"Ela konta (House Mix)"
(2025)		 "Ferto"
(2026)
Music videos
"Ferto" on YouTube
"Super Ferto" on YouTube
Eurovision Song Contest 2026 entry
Country
Artist
Language
Finals performance
Semi-final result
7th
Semi-final points
159
Final result
10th
Final points
220
Entry chronology
◄ "Asteromata" (2025)
Official performance video
"Ferto" (first semi-final) on YouTube
"Ferto" (grand final) on YouTube

"Ferto" (Greek: Φέρτο, lit. 'Bring It') is a song performed by Greek singer Akylas, written by Akylas, Orfeas Nonis, Theofilos Pouzbouris and Thomas Papathanasis, with production handled by Akylas, TEO.x3 and Papatanice. It was released on 15 February 2026 and represented Greece at the Eurovision Song Contest 2026, and finished in tenth place at the final. The song reached number eight on the Greek Local Singles Chart.

Background and composition

Akylas has described "Ferto" as being a combination of "...Greek traditional music, Lyra, with techno modern sounds..."[1] as well as commenting that “Ferto” looks at the beginning like only a funny, dancy song."[1] and "...simply a happy, upbeat dance track without any deeper meaning. "[2] Akylas has then gone on to comment that, "...my friend Orfeas Noni and I wrote the song with the goal of making it a Eurovision entry... ...The song is generally about poverty and overconsumption. The fact is that in this day and age, nothing is ever enough for us. We want more, bigger, eh, more dazzling... ...and in the midst of this quest, the fact that this hero of the song isn’t satisfied with anything stems from the fact that it’s probably pent-up due to deprivation, due to childhood experiences — and I call him a hero because I want to distance myself from it, to create some distance, but in reality, it’s a story based on experience. It’s my own story because I grew up in a home, in a family that had many financial difficulties from a young age."[3][4][5]

The writing process for the song came about when music that Akylas had created began to receive a lot of positive responses to it and a friend said to him "...why don’t you try writing a song [for Eurovision]...". Akylas then spoke with Orfeas Noni a friend who he had previously written songs and lyrics with in the past and they wrote "Ferto" together.[6]

Eurovision Song Contest 2026

Sing for Greece 2026

Sing for Greece 2026 was the national final developed by ERT to select its entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2026.[7] All shows were broadcast on ERT1, ERT World, Second Programme (with commentary by Mikaela Theofilou and Dimitris Meidanis), Voice of Greece and ERT echo, as well as online on ERT's over-the-top media service ERTFLIX.[8][9] The final was also broadcast on RIK 1 in Cyprus and on the Eurovision Song Contest's official YouTube channel.[10][11]

The competition consisted of three shows that took place between 11 and 15 February 2026 at the Peiraios 260 in Athens: two semi-finals on 11 and 13 February 2026 and a final on 15 February 2026.[12][13] 14 songs competed in each semi-final and the top seven entries qualified to the final. The results for the semi-finals were determined exclusively by public voting, while the results in the final were determined by a combination of public and jury voting.[14] Public voting was conducted through SMS and online voting.[15]

On 4 January 2026 during the show Sing for Greece – Ethnikós Telikós Eurovision 2026 – I finalist, broadcast on ERT1, it was announced that Akylas would compete in the Greek national final for the Eurovision Song Contest 2026, dubbed Sing for Greece 2026, with the song "Ferto".[16][17] After advancing from the first semi-final, he won in the final on 15 February 2026, thus earning the right to represent Greece at the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 in Vienna, Austria.[18][19]

At Eurovision

The Eurovision Song Contest 2026 took place at Wiener Stadthalle in Vienna, Austria, and consisted of two semi-finals held on the respective dates of 12 and 14 May and the final on 16 May 2026.[20] During the allocation draw held on 12 January 2026, Greece was assigned to compete in the first semi-final, performing in the former half of the show.[21] After performing, "Ferto" was the first song to be revealed to be moving on to the Grand Finals on 16 May 2026, that Saturday. Greece were drawn to perform in the first half of the final. In the final, Akylas and Ferto gained the 10th place with 220 points. He was awarded with 73 points from the juries and with 147 points from the public.[22]

Stage performance

Akylas in Vienna for Eurovision 2026.

The stage performance at Eurovision was directed by Fokas Evangelinos.[23][24] It begins with the title screen of a computer game being shown and Akylas jumps up to press the start button and begin the game.[25] It then shows Akylas as a video game character moving through a computer game that has a 3D animated version of Athens as its background, whilst Akylas is performing the song on the stage below.[25] Akylas then moves through a hexagon that reflects his image on all six angles. After the first pre-chorus, Akylas makes a callback to the imaginary lyra-playing scene performed by Helena Paparizou in "My Number One" in 2005.[25]

Towards the end of the performance, he moves through a tableau of three scenes where he dances with an old lady in an orange living room, whilst a disco ball spins above them. She holds his picture, symbolizing glory. He then briefly dances with an Ancient Greek statue, whilst the Parthenon on the Acropolis appears on the LED screen at the back of the stage.[26] This symbolizes eternal fame. He then moves into a gold vault, where there is a figure who is entirely covered in gold. There are bars of gold with the word "FERTO" on them. This symbolizes wealth.[25] Akylas then moves to the top of the stage piece that holds the three tableaus and takes off his sunglasses. He begins the bridge of the song singing in a very dramatic ballad style in stark contrast to the vocals in the rest of the song. The lyrics appear in English on the LED at the back of the stage.[25] He begins speaking to his mother and exploring ideas behind his overconsumption saying, " I believe I'm going to make it and offer you what we never had, look mum I'm buying things to fill the gaps in our lives “. Then he resumes the consuming mania in the song by saying, "Of course, if I win,[27] whatever, you get it, so bring it to me."[25]

Charts

Chart performance for "Ferto"
Chart (2026) Peak
position
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[28]23
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[29]23
Greece Local (IFPI)[30] 8
Lithuania (AGATA)[31] 26
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[32] 45

Certifications

Certifications for "Ferto"
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Streaming
Greece (IFPI Greece)[33] Gold 1,000,000†

† Streaming-only figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. 1 2 "Akylas Greece 🇬🇷 at Eurovision 2026 ELLE On The Go With GINTA". YouTube. ELLE Baltic. 13 May 2026. Event occurs at 5:03. Retrieved 15 May 2026. Ferto looks at the beginning like only a funny, dancy song. We try to, uh, combine Greek traditional music, Lyre, with techno modern sounds uh to create "Ferto". And, uh the song talks about greed and overconsumption, the constant human need of always want more and more things in an attempt to fill the gaps left by deprivation.
  2. ↑ "Akylas' "Ferto" and the generation that grew up in Greece's crisis: Eurovision 2026". sbs.com.au. SBS. 11 May 2026. Retrieved 15 May 2026. Akylas: The truth is that most people think this song is simply a happy, upbeat dance track without any deeper meaning. But in reality, the song talks about consumerism and this constant need we have as people to keep buying more things, even when we already have enough, when our wardrobes are already full, but we still want the new jacket that just came out.
  3. ↑ "Eurovision 2026 Akylas with "Ferto" on "Noris-Noris"". YouTube. ERT. 7 January 2026. Retrieved 15 May 2026. Well, my friend Orfeas Noni and I wrote the song with the goal of making it a Eurovision entry, which would be in Greek and a few other languages... The song is generally about poverty and overconsumption. The fact is that in this day and age, nothing is ever enough for us. We want more, bigger, eh, more dazzling... ...And in the midst of this quest, the fact that this hero of the song isn't satisfied with anything stems from the fact that it's probably pent-up due to deprivation, due to childhood experiences — and I call him a hero because I want to distance myself from it, to create some distance, but in reality, it's a story based on experience. It's my own story because I grew up in a home, in a family that had many financial difficulties from a young age."
  4. ↑ "Ferto: The disturbing truth behind the troll song we sent to Eurovision". andro.gr. Andro. 16 February 2026. Retrieved 15 May 2026. It's an experiential piece. It's experiential, because the character in the piece... ...has pieces of my life. […] And it's essentially the character who starts the song... ...And he starts and asks for things. Things he dreams of. I want this, bring it to me, I want this, bring it to me. […] With overconsumption, nothing is enough for us and we want more and more and more... ...And at some point in the piece the character realizes why he has all these repressed things. What is it that makes him have this mania and is it because he was essentially deprived of it…
  5. ↑ "Akylas, Eurovision 2026: The queer pop phenomenon who became a favorite – His origins, his mother's emotion, the Voice and the viral "Ferto"". tlife.gr. TLife. 11 February 2026. Retrieved 14 May 2026. ..."Ferto", [is] an electro-pop track with strong social and personal content. The track talks about overconsumerism... ...and the modern need for success, while also including personal experiences of the artist.
  6. ↑ "EuroZision with @akylas__‬ ItsmeZisis #euroZision". YouTube. ItsmeZisis. 29 December 2025. Event occurs at 9:01. Retrieved 14 May 2026. Zisis: ...so how did you end up entering? Akylas: Well, I entered initially because it's a huge institution [music] — Eurovision — ...I mean, it's a huge thrill and a dream, suddenly singing in front of a huge international audience......a dream I've had since I was a kid, but I never imagined I'd actually be able to do it... ...Recently, with all the hype, my friend said to me, 'Hey, kid, why don't you try writing a song so we can send it in...' So I told my friend Orfeas Noni — we write lyrics and songs together... ...Now, it won't be the typical studio track, it won't be the typical cheap-sounding track. We'll create something new and fresh. That afternoon we created this thing that I'm very proud of...
  7. ↑ "'Sing for Greece 2026- Ο δρόμος για τον Τελικό': Οι 28 υποψήφιοι για τη Eurovision 2026". eurovision.ert.gr (in Greek). 4 January 2026. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
  8. ↑ "Sing for Greece 2026: Η Klavdia στον Α' Ημιτελικό και η Τάμτα στον Β' Ημιτελικό – Ο Χρήστος Μάστορας στον Τελικό". eurovision.ert.gr (in Greek). 2 February 2026. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
  9. ↑ "Ο Akylas με το Ferto θα εκπροσωπήσει την Ελλάδα στον διαγωνισμό της Eurovision". eurovision.ert.gr (in Greek). 15 February 2026. Retrieved 18 February 2026.
  10. ↑ Pinakoulakis, Anastasis (7 February 2026). "Sing for Greece: Οι χώρες της διεθνούς επιτροπής + παγκόσμια online ψηφοφορία". OGAE Greece (in Greek). Retrieved 8 February 2026.
  11. ↑ Granger, Anthony (12 February 2026). "🇨🇾 Cyprus: RIK 1 to Air Sing for Greece Final". Eurovoix. Retrieved 18 February 2026.
  12. ↑ "Sing for Greece 2026". Eurovisionworld. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
  13. ↑ "Sing for Greece - Εθνικός Τελικός 2026 Archives". ert.gr (in Greek). Retrieved 8 February 2026.
  14. ↑ Lahav, Doron (17 September 2025). "Greece Opens Applications For 'Ethnikós Telikós 2026'". ESCBEAT. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
  15. ↑ Papaikonomou-Sideris, Matthaios (10 February 2026). "Sing for Greece 2026: Με δύο τρόπους θα μπορεί να ψηφίσει το κοινό για την ανάδειξη του τραγουδιού που θα εκπροσωπήσει την Ελλάδα στη Eurovision 2026 - Για πρώτη φορά δίνεται η δυνατότητα online ψηφοφορίας και στους Έλληνες του εξωτερικού". press.ert.gr (in Greek). Retrieved 11 February 2026.
  16. ↑ "ΕΡΤ1 – «Sing for Greece» | Εθνικός Τελικός Eurovision 2026 | Οι Φιναλίστ - Κυριακή 4 Ιανουαρίου". eurovision.ert.gr (in Greek). 29 December 2025. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
  17. ↑ Farren, Neil (4 January 2026). "🇬🇷 Greece: Sing for Greece – Ellinikós Telikós 2026 Participants Revealed". Eurovoix. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
  18. ↑ Darshan Bijuvignesh (14 February 2026). "Greece: Akylas to Eurovision 2026". Retrieved 14 February 2026.
  19. ↑ "Eurovision 2026 – Τελικός: Sashimi tuna FERTO και ο Akylas φεύγει για Βιέννη". ieidiseis.gr (in Greek). 15 February 2026. Retrieved 16 February 2026.
  20. ↑ "Vienna announced as host city for Eurovision Song Contest 2026". The Guardian. 20 August 2025. Retrieved 29 January 2026.
  21. ↑ "Vienna 2026: Semi-Final Draw results". Eurovision.tv (Press release). European Broadcasting Union. 12 January 2026. Retrieved 29 January 2026.
  22. ↑ Tsoni, Paula (16 May 2026). "Eurovision 2026 Final Results: Greece Takes 10th Place after Akylas' Striking Performance". GreekReporter.com. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
  23. ↑ "Eurovision 2026: Tonight Greece in the First Semi-Final – The story behind "Ferto"". ertnews.gr. ERT News. 12 May 2026. Retrieved 15 May 2026.
  24. ↑ "The latest interview with Akylas and Fokas Evangelinos ahead of the semifinal on "EurovisionGR"". YouTube. ERT. 11 May 2026. Retrieved 15 May 2026.
  25. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Akylas - Ferto (LIVE) Greece 🇬🇷 First Semi-Final Eurovision 2026". YouTube. Eurovision. Retrieved 15 May 2026.
  26. ↑ Akylas – Ferto - Greece 🇬🇷 - Eurovision Song Contest 2026 - Semi 1 - 12.05.2026. d79106you. 14 May 2026. Event occurs at 2:41. Retrieved 18 May 2026 – via YouTube.
  27. ↑ 🇬🇷 Akylas (Greece) @ Eurovision 2026 Eurofan House x Wiwibloggs Interview. wiwiblogs. 14 May 2026. Event occurs at 9:29. Retrieved 18 May 2026 – via YouTube. William:...you seem to be singing directly to your mother. Tell us what are you saying to her? Akylas: So, I'm saying to her, "Look, Mom. Uh, I think I'm going to make it now. I think I'm going to provide us all the things that we missed before. And, uh, I'm going to buy you a house and all the things you need. But whatever, if I win," I say "If I win. Let's see if I win." So vote for Greece so I can buy all those things.
  28. ↑ "Akylas – Ferto" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  29. ↑ "Akylas: Ferto" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat. Retrieved 23 May 2026.
  30. ↑ "Official IFPI Charts Digital Singles Chart (Local) Εβδομάδα: 08/2026" (in Greek). IFPI Greece. Archived from the original on 4 March 2026. Retrieved 4 March 2026.
  31. ↑ "2026 21-os savaitės klausomiausi (Top 100)" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. 22 May 2026. Retrieved 22 May 2026.
  32. ↑ "Veckolista Singlar, vecka 21, 2026". Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 22 May 2026.
  33. ↑ "IFPI Charts – Digital Singles Chart (Local) – Εβδομάδα: 19/2026" (in Greek). IFPI Greece. Retrieved 20 May 2026.
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