Eurovision Song Contest 2006 Hallelujah" was the first ever hard rock song to win the contest, since Eurovision is normally associated with softer pop music and schlager. This was Finland's first victory in Eurovision after waiting forty-five years. It is also noted that they scored the same amount of points in the semi-final and the grand final. The hosts of the Eurovision Song Contest in Athens were Greek singer Sakis Rouvas, the Greek representative at Eurovision in 2004 and 2009, and the Greek American television presenter and actress, Maria Menounos. In the semi-final, both the hosts sang Katrina and the Waves' contest-winning "Love Shine
Estonia in the Eurovision Song Contest 1997 and Ivo Linna in the 1996 final. Ilus performed strongly again, and finished 8th, with a final total of 82 points. Estonia in the Eurovision Song Contest 1997 Estonia made their third Eurovision Song Contest appearance in 1997. The preselection for the Eurovision Song Contest 1997 final would follow the same format of previous years, with a judging panel selecting the song and artist that would represent Estonia in the final. The judges would eventually choose Maarja-Liis Ilus again, making her the first (and thus far only) Estonian entrant to have made back-to-back appearances in the Eurovision Song Contest. In