Elena Paparizou
Encyclopedia
Eleni "Elena" Paparizou , usually referred to abroad as Helena Paparizou, is a Greek
-Swedish
singer and occasional songwriter
, who was born and raised in Sweden
by Greek parents. She began her career there in 1999 as a member of the duo Antique
, while she also worked briefly as a model for a Swedish-Greek brand. After rising to recognition in Greece following its participation in the Eurovision Song Contest 2001
, the group based the remainder of its career there until Paparizou embarked on a solo career in 2003 and released her debut album Protereotita
(2004), with emphasis on more pop sounds in addition to laïko
. In 2005 she won the Eurovision Song Contest
for Greece
for the first time in the contest's history, with the song "My Number One
", significantly contributing to her career. Following the victory, her album peaked at number one on the Greek Albums Chart and was certified double platinum by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry of Greece
, while she also briefly attempted a career beyond Greece with English-language material, charting in a few countries abroad. Her three subsequent albums Iparhi Logos (2006), The Game of Love (2006) and Vrisko To Logo Na Zo
(2008) all peaked at number one in Greece and reached platinum sales. Her fifth studio album, Giro Apo T' Oneiro (2010), was also certified platinum.
Paparizou has also won three Arion Music Awards, a European Border Breakers Award
, 15 MAD Video Music Awards—more than any other artist— and an MTV Europe Music Award. On 14 March 2010, prior to the release of her fifth album, Alpha TV
ranked her as the 14th top certified female artist in the nation's phonographic era (since 1960), totaling seven platinum and four gold records. Paparizou was the most successful debuting female artist of the 2000s and established herself as one of the top pop artists of the latter half of the decade. As of 2010, she has been certified for the sales of 209 thousand albums, 47.5 thousand singles, and 30 thousand digital downloads by IFPI Greece, in addition to 100 thousand total record sales in Greece as part of Antique, as well as 24 thousand certified albums in Cyprus, and 20 thousand singles in Sweden during her solo career. In 2010, Forbes
listed Paparizou as the 21st most powerful and influential celebrity in Greece.
, Västergötland
, Sweden
, the youngest child of Greek immigrant
parents Georgios Paparizos and Efrosini "Froso" Paparizou. Her parents both originate from the Karditsa
region, with her father being from a nearby village, Toxias. She has a sister named Areti, known as "Rita" and a brother Konstantinos, known as "Dinos". Paparizou's mother had moved to Borås in 1960 and worked in factories, while during a trip back to her hometown she met Paparizou's father and they got married. The two moved to Borås in 1970. In 1985, the family moved to Greece to live in Volos with relatives because Paparizou suffered from asthma
and her lungs could not endure the cold Scandinavian climate
. They returned after two years when the problem was resolved, thereon living in the town of Örgryte
, Gothenburg
. Because of this early move, Paparizou spoke Greek
as a first language. As a child, she did not hang out with many Swedish children, and attended a Greek-language school. Throughout her childhood, she continued suffering from breathing problems, was once rushed to the hospital because of them, and recalls feeling like she had left her body at least twice. She continues to suffer from the issue and often carries an inhaler
onstage for when she loses her breath.
Paparizou became interested in the arts at a young age and her parents soon involved her in singing
, dancing and acting
training in combination with her academic studies at school. At age seven she began lessons in piano
, ballet
and traditional dances. She performed for the first time in front of a Greek audience at age 11 singing Christos Dantis
' "Moro Mou". By age 13, Paparizou had realized she wanted to become a singer and decided to take a serious approach in preparation for it, her first experiences being with Greek music. At the age of 14, Paparizou formed her first group Soul Funkomatic with three Hispanic
teenagers and only played hip hop music
, while saving money to record songs; two years later the group disbanded. On 29 October 1998, 13 of Paparizou's close friends died in the Gothenburg nightclub fire
during a hip hop party that left 63 people dead and more than 200 injured. Paparizou had begged her mother to let her go to the party, but was not allowed to attend. After losing her friends, Paparizou decided to abandon singing, and she started classes at the Art Performing School where she studied theater, acting, television
and directing
.
hit "Opa Opa
". Paparizou told them that the lyrics are for a man, so she asked to sing it with childhood friend Nikos Panagiotidis, whom she had met through her siblings at a Greek diaspora celebration in Stockholm
. At that time, some record producers were undergoing a project to sign a duo consisting of a male and a female that would sing covers of traditional Greek hits. They came into contact with Paparizou who recommended Panagiotidis, and together they formed Antique
, signing to the newly-formed independent label Bonnier Music. They settled on the name "Antique" because it left an impression of being "classic" and "timeless". Paparizou admitted that Greek music
had been something of an acquired taste for her, and that the name was probably a reflection of her childhood impression of it being something rather distant and old-fashioned; something that she only really associated with her summer vacations in Greece. Their debut single "Opa Opa
" became a hit in Sweden and eventually entered the top ten in Sweden and Norway
, making them the first act to enter into the Swedish top five with a song sung in Greek. Their later singles "Dinata Dinata
", "Follow Me
" and "Moro Mou
" also charted well.
Although relatively unknown in Greece, the duo entered the national final
to be Greece's representatives in the Eurovision Song Contest 2001
in Copenhagen
, Denmark
with the song "(I Would) Die for You", written by Nikos Terzis with lyrics by Antonis Pappas. Placing joint first in the national final, they were declared winners by default as they had won the public vote. The song placed third in the actual contest with 147 points; although equaled by later entries, it was the best placing Greece had ever received until Paparizou won the contest as a solo artist in 2005. The song went on to become their biggest hit in Greece, reaching Platinum status, while it peaked at number three in Sweden, and charted elsewhere. Antique's success in the contest led to them earning recognition in Greece and working there for the remainder of their career. In continuation, they recorded four studio albums that achieved mild success, performed a small European and North American tour, and collaborated with artists such as Katy Garbi
and Slavi Trifonov. Following their course as Antique, Paparizou and Panagiotidis decided to pursue solo careers, however Panagiotidis would not manage to establish himself as a solo act. Initially, negative criticism relating to the disbandment centered around Paparizou, who was accused of abandoning her friend for her own career interests; however, Paparizou responded by saying that the split was not permanent, but rather a mutual decision to try other things, with plans of a reunion in mind.
In late 2003, Paparizou signed a solo recording contract with Sony Music Greece and released her debut single "Anapandites Kliseis
", a double A-side with "Treli Kardia", which peaked at number one on the Greek Top 50 Singles Chart and was certified Gold by IFPI Greece
. The video of "Anapandites Kliseis" won her a MAD Video Music Award in 2004 for Best Dance Video and was nominated for Best Video by a New Artist, while a duet of the song with its writer Christos Dantis
was performed at the ceremony. During the winter season of 2003–04, Paparizou was the opening act for Antonis Remos
and Giannis Spanos at the Stadio Piraios nightclub. On 25 August 2004, she released her debut solo album, Protereotita
from which "Anditheseis", "Katse Kala" and "Stin Kardia Mou Mono Thlipsi" were released as singles. The album earned Paparizou her first Arion Award for Best Female Pop Singer, while the videos of "Katse Kala" and "Treli Kardia" won her MAD Awards for Best Female Video and Best Direction, respectively. Originally, the album had moderate success, but after Paparizou's Eurovision win the following year and subsequent reissues it was certified double Platinum by IFPI Greece. To capitalize on the success, it was reissued as Protereotita: Euro Edition in single and double disc format, while it was released as a compilation in some European countries as My Number One, peaking at number 13 in Sweden. It spun off three singles: ("My Number One
", "The Light in Our Soul
and "A Brighter Day
"), peaking at number one, three and 24, respectively, in the aforementioned country, while charting to a lesser extent elsewhere. "My Number One" charted in a number of countries and was released in the United States
by Moda Records
with remixes in August 2006, peaking at number eight on the Bilboard Hot Dance Club Play
chart. The Euro Edition became Paparizou's first album to reach number one and earned her another Arion for Best Female Pop Singer, with "My Number One" peaking at number one on the Singles Chart, being certified Platinum, and becoming her first number-one airplay hit, while "The Light in Our Soul"/"To Fos Sti Psyhi" peaked at two. Paparizou released a new CD single "Mambo!
", peaking at number one on both the Singles Chart for 10 weeks and gaining Platinum status, as well as the airplay charts, remaining her most successful single to date. The CD single itself was the second highest-selling single of the year, surpassing her Eurovision-winner "My Number One". She performed "My Number One" at the MAD VMAs in 2005 and in 2006 was awarded three honors for Best Pop Video ("The Light in Our Soul"), Best Video by a Female Artist ("My Number One"), and Artist of the Year ("Mambo!"). The album was reissued for a third time as Protereotita: Euro Edition + Mambo! in November. In 2007, Paparizou was awarded with a European Border Breakers Award
at the Midem Festival in Cannes
, France for the international editions of her debut album, recognized by the European Union as one of the year's ten new artists to have success with their debut albums abroad. In promotion of the album, Paparizou was the opening act to the spring 2004 season show at Thalassa, sharing the stage with three other young artists, Apostolia Zoi
, Nino and Thanos Petrelis
, followed by performing as the opening act at Fever for Sakis Rouvas
and Giorgos Mazonakis
for the winter season.
Paparizou began residing in Greece permanently in 2004 and after a long selection process led by national broadcaster Hellenic Radio and Television (ERT), she was internally selected as Greece's representative in the Eurovision Song Contest 2005 in Kiev
, Ukraine
. Paparizou had not been an original choice of the broadcaster, who had been trying to secure a high profile artist and thus she was viewed as a possible back-up when the other deals failed to materialize. At the time, she expressed that no-one had wanted her to participate in Eurovision. The song "My Number One", composed by Dantis with lyrics by him and Natalia Germanou
, was chosen by both the jury vote and televote in the Greek national final as the entry, defeating "Let's Get Wild" and "OK"; the fourth song, "The Light in Our Soul", was disqualified due to being released prior to the deadline. Although her first name had previously always been spelled "Elena", Paparizou chose to promote herself as "Helena" as her Eurovision appearance approached, citing for it to stand out from other names that are popular in other countries; thus the spelling with the H has since been used on all non-Greek promotions and releases, although she has since stated that she prefers to be known as "Elena". Paparizou went on tour across Europe
to promote the song. During this time, she was appointed an ambassador of the Greek Ministry of Tourism
by its Μinister, Dimitris Avramopoulos
, who invested 500 thousand euros into her campaign to promote Greece during her time abroad through merchandise and advertisements that aired throughout Europe. His decision, deemed a publicity stunt, was reviewed tepidly by colleagues; however, impressed with the result, he issued Paparizou to fulfill the role for the following year. On 21 May she won the contest for Greece for the first time in history, earning 230 points and the maximum 12 points from ten nations—tied for the most in one night up until that point. The moment of the victory garnered the highest television viewing ratings in Greek history and provoked mass celebrations on the streets of Athens, while she was also greeted by various government officials, including then Minister of State
Theodoros Roussopoulos
and then Prime Minister
Kostas Karamanlis at a reception at the Maximos Mansion
, upon return.
Paparizou's Eurovision victory catapulted her from a relatively minor celebrity to a notable music act, cementing her solo career and giving her some international exposure. On 14 July she performed at the birthday gala of Princess Victoria of Sweden
where while ascending the stage to greet the royal family, King Carl XVI Gustaf
stood to embrace Paparizou instead of offering a handshake
, causing controversy for putting his hand on her back, lower than what is socially acceptable. The Royal Court later issued a statement that his hand slipped. She subsequently toured Europe, performing in all countries that gave her 12 points, while a tour of North America
and Australia
for the Greek diaspora with Nikos Kourkoulis followed. Paparizou stated that should she ever consider doing anything Eurovision oriented again it would have to be for her birth country of Sweden
, since she already had her turn with Greece. After serving as an opening act on numerous occasions, Paparizou performed as a main act at Fever for the 2005–06 season. Georgia Laimou of E-go, an affiliate of the newspaper Eleftheros Typos
, gave the show a poor review, citing unprofessional elements and weak vocal performances and noted that the show was lacking in attendance, particularly the elite
groups who often reserve the front row tables.
" and "An Ihes Erthi Pio Noris"). It topped the Greek Albums Chart for multiple weeks and was certified platinum by IFPI Greece after seven months for shipments of 30 thousand copies and also reaching Platinum in Cyprus for shipments of six thousand copies. A cover of Celine Dion
's "Just Walk Away
" was released as a promo single, while the Greek version of "Mambo!" was also included. Paparizou won MAD VMAs for Best Video by a Female Artist ("Gigolo") and Best-Dressed Artist in a Video ("An Ihes Erthi Pio Noris") out of five nominations and also opened the show singing "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In
" and "Min Fevgeis"; the album was also nominated for two Cyprus Music Awards in 2007, where she also performed. The album was reissued in February 2007 as Iparhi Logos: Platinum Edition to include Paparizou's number one hit "Mazi Sou
", one of two songs she contributed for the soundtrack of the television series of the same name
, "Fos" from the Barbie kai I Dodeka Vasilopoules soundtrack released in 2006, and her newest hit single, a cover of Voula Georgouti's rebetiko
"Min Fevgeis", which reached number two. Prior to the reissue, the singles were also released on the EP single Fos
, which reached number 1 on the Greek Top 50 Singles Chart and was certified Gold, making it her fourth consecutive number-one hit on that chart. On May 20, 2006, Paparizou opened the Eurovision Song Contest 2006
in Athens
with "My Number One" and later performed "Mambo!" to promote her song internationally, however, ERT ran commercials during the performance and thus it was not broadcast in many nations. Paparizou's song "Heroes
" was the official song of the 2006 European Athletics Championships in Gothenburg, where it was performed at the event. The single was released in Sweden and Finland
, becoming her second number-one hit in the former.
Following Eurovision, Paparizou expressed interest in beginning an international career and her debut English-language
album The Game of Love was released on 25 October 2006 and was followed by releases in 14 countries covering Europe and South Africa
by April 2007, although this was much less than had been expected in hopes of kicking off an international career. In Greece and Cyprus, the album went to number one and received Platinum certifications. Considered a "foreign" release, the album was only eligible to chart on the Greek Foreign Albums Chart, which it topped. It also topped the mixed Greek Albums Chart and was certified platinum by IFPI Greece after 11 weeks on the chart in January 2007, denoting shipments of 15 thousand copies. "Teardrops", a number-one hit, was released as the first Greek single from the album, as "Mambo!" and "Gigolo" were previously released on Iparhi Logos, as was much of the album's material. The album failed to chart in many countries, peaking at 18 in Sweden and becoming her least successful album there since Antique's debut Mera Me Ti Mera
. Thus her label cancelled many of the foreign releases. "Mambo!" charted in Sweden at number 5 and became Gold, while it was also released in five other countries and promoted by others. A new video was filmed for the song that was targeted towards a broader audience. The song charted in a few countries, but its success was limited outside of Sweden, with no official European release date being announced. The single failed to make any impact on any major market. It was also planned to be released in the United States by Moda, however those plans were later abandoned. The third international single was planned to be "The Game of Love" and was scheduled for an April 2007 release but was canceled due to the album's lack of success, and also since her latest "Gigolo" was not overly successful, peaking at number 11, her second lowest charting single in Sweden, and failing to chart well elsewhere.
In early 2007, Paparizou became the spokesperson of Nokia
Greece, her previous sponsor, and released the song "Ola Ine Mousiki" in October 2007 for promotion. She also collaborated with retailer Plaisio and released a limited edition MP4 player called "MP4 Total Helena" (2GB) by Turbo-X, containing a special compilation and music videos, being additionally released as "TH4" MP4 in 2008 to include her new album material and exclusive content. She released a cover of Blind Melon
's "3 Is a Magic Number
" in Sweden as part of a television advertisement for a mobile phone company; it peaked at number 18, while she also was featured on TV presenter Nikos Aliagas
' song "I Zilia Monaksia", a cover of the Pascal Obispo
hit "L'envie d'Aimer", for his album project Rendez-Vous. She also released the song "To Fili Tis Zois
" for the soundtrack
of the film of the same name
, reaching number one for five weeks and becoming her most successful airplay single, as well as one of the most successful songs of the late 2000s. It was nominated for four MAD VMAs, winning Best Pop Video, while she won Artist of the Year for "Mazi Sou", while "I Zilia Monaxia" also picked up a nomination, totaling six nominations in 2008. The single was the first digital single to be certified Gold in Greece since the marketing trend became popular in 2006.
on 12 June 2008. The album generated four singles, "Porta Gia Ton Ourano
", "I Kardia Sou Petra
", "Pirotehnimata
", and "Eisai I Foni". The music video of "Pirotehnimata" won Paparizou two awards at the sixth MAD Video Music Awards for Best Pop Video and Video of the Year and was nominated for Sexiest Video, while "I Kardia Sou Petra" won for Female Artist of the Year and "Porta Gia Ton Ourano" was nominated for Artist of the Year. Paparizou promoted a more rock-inspired image for the album, which differed from her previous pop/laïko style. However, the album and its concept received mixed reviews. The album was certified Gold in its first week, eventually peaking at number one and being certified Platinum after three months and becoming overall the second best-selling album of the year in both domestic and mixed domains; in Cyprus it peaked at two and was certified Platinum.
In June, Paparizou opened the MAD Video Music Awards 2008 with a remix of "Porta Gia Ton Ourano" with Madonna
's 4 Minutes
" and was featured in the performance of hip hop group Stavento of their hit "Mesa Sou"; both songs were released as digital downloads
and promo singles in promotion of the album, while Paparizou's duet version of Spanish
group Chambao
's single "Papeles Mojados" received some play in Spanish clubs. She then embarked on her To Party Arhizei tour, her first national tour, from 2 July to 19 September. The finale of the tour, set for Herakleion, Crete
three days later, was cancelled due to whether conditions and Paparizou substituted the concert with two shows in October 2009 at the club Anadromes. It grossed 192 thousand attendants over 29 locations, selling out the Thessaloniki
venue. Following the tour, the album was reissued as The Deluxe Edition
in December and featured a video of the show titled Live in Concert, which was also available individually. A further reissue of the album set to include Paparizou's newly recorded material (including the new single "Tha 'Mai Allios" and MAD Secret Concert tracks) was scheduled for the fall 2009, but this was shelved when the singer opted to record a new studio album for 2010.
Paparizou was featured on the Bonnier soundtrack project Alla Himlens Änglar, released in August, where she contributed her first Swedish-language
songs: "Allt jag vill" (Everything I want) and "Genom krig och kärlek" (Through war and love). On 23 October 2008, she was one of the artists featured in a concert at the Siemens Arena in Vilnius
, Lithuania
that was attended by approximately 10 thousand people, while from 30 October to 9 April she once again appeared alongside Paschalis Terzis at Iera Odos with Manos Pirovolakis as the opening act. From 14 May to September, Paparizou was the main act at Thalassa: People's Stage, a concert-themed club stage, which had recently become more popular in Greece and was a first for the singer. 15.50 and Stavento served as supporting acts; after a brief intermission, the show was resumed with the latter being replaced with Loukas Giorkas. Paparizou returned to the stage of MAD Secret Concerts on 26 May, the eighth edition of the series, featuring acts like 15.50, De Niro, Dimos Anastasiadis, Giorgos Sabanis, and Mironas Stratis, with a video release titled MAD Secret Concert Vol.II being released in the fall. Paparizou went on hiatus in the winter season to spend time with her mother in Sweden and record her new album. An English-language album had also been announced for 2009, however, those plans did not materialize because of her father's sudden death, although three songs have been recorded, one of which is a tribute to him.
", "Psahno Tin Alitheia
" and "Girna Me Sto Htes". The song "Tha 'Mai Allios", which was released a year before the album, served as the singer's first advertisement for soft-drink Ivi's and won her an MTV Europe Award
for Best Greek Act
, placing her in the preliminary nominations of Best European Act
, missing the official nominations by one spot by finishing sixth The song's video also won the MAD Video Music Award for Video of the Year and was nominated for Best Pop Video, while "An Isouna Agapi" won the award for Sexiest Video and received nominations for Female Artist of the Year and Artist of the Year. For its release, Paparizou embraced the new marketing trend of releasing new albums with Sunday newspapers, and did so with the 28 March edition of the nation-wide RealNews, followed by a physical release the next day in standard and deluxe editions, the latter featuring video. 11 days following its release, it was announced that the album had achieved total shipments of 140 thousand units physically and via newspaper. However, newspaper shipments are not taken into consideration by IFPI. In a radio interview in August 2010, Paparizou stated that the album had sold enough physical copies to be certified Platinum by IFPI. On 6 November 2010, Paparizou was awarded platinum certification, with shipments of at least 12,000 units, for Giro Apo T' Oneiro by IFPI Greece at the grand opening of the new Metropolis music store at The Mall Athens
.
Paparizou and Onirama
embarked on their joint Fisika Mazi Tour beginning on 30 June at Theatro Petras as part of the Stone Festival in Petroupoli. A surprise inspection by the SDOE at the Kefalonia
stop of the tour which found the production guilty of tax violations was the subject of controversy; it was revealed that eight thousand five hundred concert tickets were left unstamped and the contract fees of the performing artists had not been submitted. The singer claimed she did not have any knowledge of the occurrences and that she has no affiliation with the production group apart from as a performer. She was one of eight artists who performed at the first MAD Fanatics concert, a tribute to Michael Jackson
, closing the show with covers of "Heal the World
" and "You Are Not Alone
". For the winter season Paparizou appears alongside Antonis Remos
at Diogenis Studio, for which she reportedly is paid 10 thousand euros per night, four thousand euros less than her previous season of performances. Paparizou was featured on Albert Hammond
's greatest hits
album Legend on the tracks "Enredao" and its English-language counterpart "Tangled Up in Tears".
On 2 February 2011, Paparizou was one of eight acts of MAD TV's first charity fashion music show MADWalk, an equivalent to the international Fashion Rocks
, where she represented fashion designer Apostolos Mitropoulos and performed her new single "Baby It's Over
", which was the lead single off of her first compilation album, the triple-disc Greatest Hits & More
. She also appeared at the Flight Night Club in Sofia, Bulgaria on 8 February. "Baby It's Over" debuted atop the Billboard Greek Digital Singles Chart, becoming her fourth number one hit on that chart. It also topped the Greek Airplay Chart for ten non-consecutive weeks, becoming the most successful single of her career and —as of the end of August— the most-played song of the year in Greece.. The song won two awards at the 2011 MAD Video Music Awards for Female Artist of the Year and Fashion Icon of the Year and was nominated for Artist of the Year, while she also received a fourth nomination for Best Pop Video for "Psahno Tin Alitheia". The album's second single, "O,ti Niotho Den Allazi"(in english "Love ME Crazy") was released in May and managed to peak at #5 at the official greek airplay chart. The songs, particulary the lead single, received considerable exposure due to the implications of their lyrical content, causing speculation of the end of her 12-year relationship with Mavridis, which was ultimately proven true. Greatest Hits & More was released on 23 May and debuted at number two on the Greek Albums Chart where it stayed for three weeks and was the best-selling domestic album of the week. It spent a total of 12 weeks on the chart and has yet to be certified, denoting less than six thousand copies shipped to retailers. The album concluded her contractural obligations with Sony Music Greece. It has yet to be announced whether she plans to renew her contract or not.
Following the album's release, Paparizou went on hiatus from the entertainment industry for half a year to spend time in Sweden in order to recooperate from the break-up and spend time with family and childhood friends. During an interview there in June she announced that Mavridis would no longer serve as her manager and that she had recruited a new team of Swedish collaborators. Her only professional appearances were made at a four date tour in Cyprus. Paparizou expressed that she would like to attempt new things in her career, expanding it outside of music and also revive her career in Sweden, which had entered obscurity after 2006. A second English-language album and European tour have been tentatively announced, while she has also not ruled out a possible participation in Melodifestivalen
, something she had turned down in the past. She also explained that while her stay in Sweden was only for leisure, she might possibly decide to become a permanent resident of the country once again later on. Regarding a professional collaboration with Mavridis in the future, she stated that ultimately it will be left up to her label.
The fall season saw her collaborate with two of her musical idols. She recorded a duet of the nisiotiko
classic "Dari Dari", originally performed by Yiannis Parios, with Nana Mouskouri
for her duet album of Greek island folk songs, Tragoudia Apo Ta Ellinika Nisia (Songs from the Greek islands) and —along with labelmate Natasa Theodoridou— is one of the Greek female artists scheduled to perform as a guest act at Mouskouri's concert at the Berlin Philharmonic in Germany on 29 November. Although she had originally turned down offers to perform over the winter, it has also been reported that for the winter season 2011–12 she will perform as a supporting act for Parios in Thessaloniki at the club Pili Axiou from 18 November. The collaboration between an artist like Paparizou with two artists generally considered amongst the most important in the Greek music industry has provoked reactions of a mixed nature and surprise. Making her television debut, Paparizou also served as a judge on the first season of ANT1
's Dancing on Ice
alongside announcer
, sports commentator
, and television personality Alexis Kostalas and entertainment industry businessman and television presenter Petros Kostopoulos. The show, which pairs professional figure skaters
with celebrities, premiered on 6 November. Paparizou stated that she has only ever figure skated freestyle but never danced and admitted that her knowledge of the sport is fairly little so her comments will be limited to the feeling exuded rather than technical criticisms. The show premiered to a strong ratings share but was critically panned for its low production and entertainment value.
s, her musical roots are in traditional Greek music such as laiko
and rebetiko
as she was exposed to the music of Vassilis Tsitsanis
, Markos Vamvakaris
, Stelios Kazantzidis
, Mimis Plaisas, and Giannis Spanos through her parents. However, as a child, she considered these genres to be distant and old-fashioned and only associated them with her summer holidays in Greece. In her teenage years, she began listening to a broad range of music including R&B
and soul
, however, her biggest musical influences were female pop singers such as Madonna
, Céline Dion
, Tina Turner
and Janet Jackson
. Later on, she also cited frequent collaborator Paschalis Terzis for teaching her to be a better vocalist on a technical level. Paparizou has also stated that she was a big fan of the Eurovision Song Contest for years before she first participated in 2001.
During her solo career, Paparizou has transformed her musical style and image from laiko to pop to more rock-inspired styles on a whim, however, some critics attribute this to a lack of personal style and following trends of the times in order for commercial success rather than it being a form of artistic expression. Paparizou has also been known to follow the trends of international female pop stars of the time with some comparissons having been made by music critics. Songs like "The Light in Our Soul" to Celine Dion's love-themed pop ballads and "Let's Get Wild" to Anastacia
.
Similar to Antique's work, all of Paparizou's albums have included a sizable amount of covers and translations.
Following Antique's distinct style of blending traditional Greek music with Nordic disco sounds, with her debut solo album Protereotita, Paparizou focused on more pop sounds in addition to laiko
and the songs were directed towards the club market; however, Giorgos Mastorakis of Music Corner stated that despite the image change, the album was not too different than what the public had become used to from Antique, being described as "pop moments (with keen laiko ... 'garnish')." In addition, the album contained many writers from both Greece and Sweden, which –according to Mastorakis– led to the album's sound to be varying. The more stylistically interesting songs from the album included the title track which followed a more R&B style, while the song "Katse Kala" was described as having an "original sound."
Following her Eurovision win, Paparizou witnessed increased popularity and was often promoted more as a pop singer by the media. In his review of the Euro Edition of Protereotita, Pavlos Zervas of Music Corner was highly impressed with the album and believed that its contemporary style could potentially be an international hit, supporting the singer more so in English-language recordings; In his review of Iparhi Logos, Zervas even went as far as to say that apart from Sakis Rouvas, the nation's primary pop performer, Paparizou was the only artist supporting the pop/dance genre so well in Greece, adding that anything that she chose to sing at the moment would become a hit. He used Paparizou as an example that big name producers like Giorgos Theofanous and Phoebus
are not needed to create hits. Material-wise, he maintained that the numerous covers were the album's strong point, while "Gigolo" was characterized by "witty" lyrics in an overall pattern that followed her hit "Mambo!" and previous hits. Nevertheless, he considered that the laiko material on the album contradicted the pop ones and made her overall sound less focused.
Paparizou's first English-language album The Game of Love was anticipated amongst Greek consumers and featured a fairly similar sound to Iparhi Logos, with over half of the album's material being taken from the aforementioned album. Zervas also reviewed this album, saying that it contained many different styles such as dance, hip hop, slow jams and latin, following a typical recipe of American music. Zervas believed that international female pop singers did not have much above Paparizou, saying that the album's success would depend solely on promotion efforts, although internationally affiliated record companies were less impressed. Zervas' impression was that while he believed in the material's potential, he thought that if Paparizou continued her current trends and performance style at laiko
nightclubs ambitions for an international career would come to a disappointment.
For Vrisko To Logo Na Zo, her fourth album, Paparizou minimized the laiko
influences and promoted a more pop/rock sound and image; in contrast with her first three albums that followed a similar approach of blending laiko and dance-pop songs. The overall album concept was given generally mixed reviews; Evianna Nikoleri of Music Corner commented that on its positive notes the album was carefully crafted and had a good European-like production. The rock elements of the album were thought to be minor, with some occasional guitar riffs, while she maintained that Paparizou was following the current trend of pop/laiko female singers promoting a rock image, something that she credited Despina Vandi
for commencing;
For Giro Apo T' Oneiro, Paparizou worked with the same group she had two years prior with minimal changes. However, she toned down the image she had created with her previous album; while many of the songs still contained rock influences, she also re-embraced dance-pop and pop-folk, while to a lesser extent incorporated electronic
and lounge
, and set an overall pop theme for the album.
While some critics have said that her material's lyrics have flow, they have also criticized them as being generic and trivial, focusing on typical love cliché
s; Nikoleri stated that while songs like "I Kardia Sou Petra", "Kita Brosta", "Pios" grab attention, not a single song escapes from the typical love themes of 'you left and I want you back,' 'I love you but I will get over you,' etc.," citing it as an area for improvement. Paparizou has contributed a couple of tracks as a songwriter on all of her studio albums with the exception of Iparhi Logos (although she did write the lyrics of the Antique song "Why?" which was one of the album's live covers), with these writing ventures being nearly universally collaborations with at least one other songwriter. She has contributed lyrics to "Treli Kardia" (Protereotita), "Carpe Diem" and "Teardrops" (The Game of Love), and "Mathe Prota N'agapas" (Vrisko To Logo Na Zo), while on Vrisko To Logo Na Zo she made her first musical contributions on the afforementioned track and "Den Tha 'Mai 'Do" and later on "Filarakia" (Giro Apo T' Oneiro), which was also her first solo writing credit.
Makis Kalamaris of Avopolis alleged that there were two types of artists: quality and commercial, labelling Paparizou as the latter, although he noted that she is an artist that some artists from the quality side have shown a liking for because despite her material's level, she defends it in the best possible way.
vocal range
; from her Antique years up until 2005, she performed in a vocal range of C4 to B6. Critics have continuously argued over whether laïko or pop material best suits the artist vocally, usually coming to completely opposite conclusions, especially when country of origin varies. Both Giorgos Mastorakis and Pavlos Zervas of Music Corner maintained that she was capable in both, with Zervas being more adament about her limiting her performances to the dance-pop genre in support of her post-Eurovision image, adding that in her live cover of "Just Walk Away
" she used her vocal abilities in their entirety. Zervas also supported her more in English-language recordings, mostly because of her non-Greek accent. Makis Kalamaris of Avopolis also felt similarly about these points and dismissed her pop-rock attempts. In contrast, Swedish critic Dan Backman of Svenska Dagbladet
felt that Paparizou was no exception to the rule that musical artists sound better in their native language, describing her vocal performances as "expressive" in Greek and "bland" in English. He also consistently selected her pure laïko songs, such as "Stin Kardia Mou Mono Thlipsi", "I Zoi Sou Zari", M'angaliazei To Skotadi", and "O,ti Axizi Ine I Stigmes" as being best suited to her voice rather than her contemporary or hybrid material, suggesting her voice may possess "the right dramatic nerve" for the style.
Reception to Paparizou's vocals has been mixed. Some critics have felt that they are at least sufficient, with Kalamaris describing her albilities as "not insignificant". Alternately, others have felt that her vocals are technically unskilled and have in particular criticized her live vocal performances. In general her vocals have been viewed as one of her weaker points of appeal. Nitro was skeptical of Paparizou's musical abilities overall, saying that if the world was a fair place, it would be widely acknowledged that she "has simply a pretty face, while the voice behind that belongs to a less pretty singer." Others have also been under the opinion that she does not sell primarily based on her voice, but rather on her public image and styling. Zervas opined favourably of her vocals, writing that on the Euro Edition EP, Paparizou's voice seemed "adaptable" and "pliable" to the details of each of the album's songs, from the ballads to the uptempo ones. Critic Georgia Laimou of Eleftheros Typos
, however, highly disagreed with this statement. She noticed that since her Eurovision win, Paparizou sang with more force and a new-found confidence but also found that she has a tendency to "yell" her notes. Through hearing the artist sing her own songs as well as covers, she found that Paparizou sings all genres and styles of songs in the exact same, monotonous voice and has a very limited vocal range, apparently possessing only one comfortable key
, overall being unimpressed by her live performance. In 2008, Evianna Nikoleri noticed an improvement in Paparizou's voice, suggesting that Vrisko To Logo Na Zo contained her best vocal performance on an album. However, as the difficulty level of the songs progressed, the more Paparizou's excessive yelling became noticable, as a result of trying to to prove her volume and push her range to reach high notes, being panned by critics on songs such as "Eisai I Foni" and "Den Tha 'Mai 'Do". Nikoleri stated that she felt that Paparizou, like most laïko-pop female singers, believed that singing loudly was synonymous with singing well or possessing a naturally big voice and compared her to Despina Vandi
, who she credited with starting the trend. Nevertheless, Makis Kalamaris, who believed the album to be quite mediocre, saying it was based mostly on "beatless rock scratches and mellow ballads", said that Paparizou saved most of the material just with her lively delivery of it. He felt similarly about Giro Apo T' Oneiro, whose material he also found lackluster.
In addition to often losing her breath onstage due to her asthma
, for which she has to carry an inhaler
, Paparizou is also a cigarette smoker, having started some time during childhood, an action which can provide damage to one's vocal chords. In Greece, it is often common for certain television programs or events to be lip-synced, often due to technical restrictions and these are made known to the public. Some programs offer the option of performing live, although Paparizou has almost always chosen the lip-sync option, even in performances where there is no choreography to complicate the execution, with the exception of some more low-key performances where she has sung along with a piano. However, on several occasions since serving as a frontwoman for Antique, the singer has been criticized for using a full playback track
during "live" stage performances, such as at clubs or concerts, something that a lot of Greek singers are known to do but is less socially acceptable.
During her career as Antique, Paparizou was known to have a simplistic look with a lack of styling, representing a young girl; she made a transition into a more feminine and sexualized style after going solo. Paparizou was known for a revealing style of dress, which was a contrast from her "good girl" image. She made hot pants her signature look, showcasing her leg
s as her most prominent physical feature, and was also known to wear mini-dresses and five-inch high heels. In promotion of the album Vrisko To Logo Na Zo, Paparizou promoted a more rock-inspired image than she had previously been associated with, appearing more aggressive in dark tones in both wardrobe and make-up. The look was completed with multiple new piercings, including her ear cartilage, tongue
, and most notably, her nostril, wearing a wire chain to connect it to her ear piercing. Evianna Nikoleri maintained that Paparizou was following the current trend of pop/laiko female singers promoting a rock image, something that she credited Despina Vandi
for commencing. Makis Kalamaris of Avopolis also agreed that this new image was more so for mainstream success rather than artistic expression, but added that Paparizou, knowing her limitations, was slowly easing into it rather than suddenly presenting this rock persona, adding that she was probably the only case of a Greek female singer being able to imitate trends of international females without singing in skiladiko
clubs and at the same time cloning herself into Madonna, which made her stand out against the current mainstream scene. Paparizou's make-up artist Giannis Marketakis has stated that while their relationship began strictly professionally, they have since become like siblings, further saying that Paparizou always gives input on her look and fashion, and follows fashion trends closely. Despite this, Paparizou has said that she avoids extremeties in her fashion choices. In The Game of Love, Paparizou gives credit to Al Giga, her stylist, for making her love fashion and herself, while she also acknowledges Roberto Cavalli —who has provided the majority of her wardrobe since Eurovision 2005— for his input.
ranked Paparizou as the 14th top-certified female artist in the nation's 50-year phonographic industry, on a list titled the "30 Most Popular Greek Female Singers of the Past 50 Years," with certifications totalling seven Platinum and four Gold records. This made Paparizou the youngest artist on the list, the only artist under the age of 30, as well as the only artist to emerge in the 2000s (in her solo career). In 2010, Forbes
listed her as the 21st most powerful and influential celebrity in Greece, and the fourth highest ranked singer. She is regarded as the most successful female pop singer of the second half of the 2000s. While in years previous to this a supposed rivalry between Anna Vissi
and Despina Vandi
received heavy media attention and competition as to which artist would ultimately come out on top, Paparizou essentially replaced the two musicians as the top contemporary female artist in their absences during the latter half of the decade. In reviewing her comeback album, Apagorevmeno
(2008) after three years since her last release, Haris Simvoulidis of Avopolis alleged that Vissi gave the impression of trying to catch up to her contemporaries, Paparizou and Peggy Zina
, who were the most culturally relevant female acts of that era. However, by the end of the decade her popularity was in decline as was most of the laïko-pop scene and image-based singers, partially due to hardships faced by the Greek music industry including piracy
, the financial crisis, and changing musical tastes.
Paparizou established a public image described as that of the "Greek every-girl" or the "girl next door
," making her an icon for teenage girls, while her songs have become a staple for young people during auditions at reality music shows such as Greek Idol
as well as having inspired younger artists such as Idol runner-up Nicole Paparistodimou. Paparizou became known for the way she approached the media; she has been known to apologize in her interviews, laugh throughout, and "embodies the good girl and not the femme fatale
, she wants to be likeable" and projects a "child-woman" rather than a diva
, thus staying family-friendly. However, she has also spoken candidly to reporters about issues concerning her personal life, plastic surgery
, and weight. She has also been referred to as an anti-star, while Ivi reportedly selected her to be the face of their "Fersou Fisika" (act natural) campaign for representing all of the corresponding qualities, such as freshness, naturalness, authenticity, good will, and humour. A biography of the artist on Alpha TV's Kafes Me Tin Eleni stated that Paparizou's appeal was not due to her voice, her songs, nor her body, but rather that she represents the qualities and limitations of the average person
. Paparizou has said that she likes to present herself in moderation; she herself ranked her star power as moderate in the Greek star system, the level she finds appropriate for artists, adding that she believed that her public image would never be able to overcome that of the girl next door in the eyes of the Greek public. However, E! Entertainment Television also described her as "sultry," ranking her at number 16 on their 25 Sexiest Women and 25 Sexiest Pop Divas of 2008, making her one of only two Greek celebrities —along with Kostas Martakis
— to ever be featured on one of the network's lists. In 2009, she admitted to having undergone breast augmentation
at the age of 26 after wishing to do so since she was 18. This made her the first Greek female celebrity to admit having undergone the afforementioned procedure, something which was reviewed positively by some media personalities. Paparizou also performed as the main act at the artistic portion of the Athens Pride 2010, supporting LGBT
people of Greece. She has had promotional deals with Skechers
, Nokia Greece
, Organics Hair Care, and Ivi, and through record label association has promoted Sony Ericsson
(both Greece and Sweden), TIM Hellas, Vivodi, and Coca-Cola
.
In 2008, Paparizou, who was known for her slim figure, was scrutinized for her weight gain during the 2007–08 season when she took a break from performing. Paparizou openly stated that she had gained 10 kg (22 lbs), however she had already lost 7 (15) of them. She had previously stated that she gains at least that amount every time she goes on break, adding that it would have been possible for her to gain up to 15 kg (33 lbs). As she had first stated in 2006, she was dissatisfied with discriminative ideals towards both men and women and threatened to put on weight the following year. This was followed by another weight gain in 2009; her new image distanced her from the one she became known with circa Eurovision 2005. As the media became more concerned with her weight Paparizou expressed her disapproval of this, stating "I am a singer, not a model." In her 2010 video shoots it was reported that Paparizou asked only for close-up shots due to this issue. Paparizou had also faced scrutiny for her weight on another occasion during the Eurovision 2001 era where media made claims of her having anorexia nervosa
; Paparizou admitted that for her appearance in the contest she had lost too much weight and had dropped down to 51 kg.
, but eventually began following the Greek Orthodox religion once again as she believes it suits her better. She has been involved in a long term relationship with fellow Swedish-born Greek Toni Mavridis, whom she was introduced to as a musician by a friend of her sister's at a restaurant called Mykonos when she was only 17, while Mavridis is 11 years her senior. Mavridis became an impresario
for Antique and has written songs on all of Paparizou's solo albums, while he also serves as her manager. Mavridis had approached Paparizou for only one month before their relationship commenced and she left her parents' home to live with him in Stockholm. The two had a traditional Greek engagement celebration with their relatives on December 24, 2000 and have been engaged since; however, Paparizou has said that Mavridis has never officially proposed to her and that she would prefer that he do this in the Western tradition of going down on one knee. Paparizou's lack of fluency in the Greek language was often a subject of the media, although she began to improve it following her Eurovision win, having bought a home with Mavridis in the Athens
suburb of Glyfada
in 2006. Mavridis has suggested the idea of the two getting married in Las Vegas, Nevada
, while Paparizou has also already chosen a koumbara, her good friend Roxani. On many occasions, Paparizou has commented on starting a family with Mavridis; in Celebrity, Paparizou was quoted as saying "I believe that family is the most natural thing, the thing I want in my life. And what is my preference? To not have kids so I can continue my career? One day it will end. I cannot be on stage everyday, like I am now at 25," while in Nitro she said "No [Mavridis is not my first relationship], but I think he is my last. He is the person I want to have kids with. I think he is the best father they could have. If I don't have kids with him, then I will adopt." In the August 2010 issue of Life & Style, Paparizou revealed that she would like to have a child within the next year to two years. In 2011 Paparizou took a break from the Greek music scene and returned to Sweden alone. It was reported that she and Mavridis had been separated for nearly three months and were in the process of splitting their shared wealth and placing their Glyfada home for sale. On 29 June 2011, Mavridis confirmed that they had ended their relationship after 12 years together.
Paparizou's father died suddenly on 25 December 2008 of a heart attack during the family's Christmas Day celebrations. Paparizou stopped her performances at Iera Odos to be with family in Sweden before resuming her show. She later stated her belief that her father would have lived had the ambulance
been prompt, blaming medical incompetency. She has been suffering from depression since, citing it as the second occurrence since she was a teenager.
Joint
Opening act
Facebook
MySpace
Twitter
YouTube
Official Fan Club
Greeks
The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....
-Swedish
Swedes
Swedes are a Scandinavian nation and ethnic group native to Sweden, mostly inhabiting Sweden and the other Nordic countries, with descendants living in a number of countries.-Etymology:...
singer and occasional songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
, who was born and raised in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
by Greek parents. She began her career there in 1999 as a member of the duo Antique
Antique (duo)
Antique was a Greek singing duo consisting of Elena Paparizou and Nikos Panagiotidis originating from Sweden which combined Greek popular music and lyrics with a Nordic dance pop beat. Both Paparizou and Panagiotidis were born and raised in Sweden by Greek parents...
, while she also worked briefly as a model for a Swedish-Greek brand. After rising to recognition in Greece following its participation in the Eurovision Song Contest 2001
Eurovision Song Contest 2001
The Eurovision Song Contest 2001 was the 46th Eurovision Song Contest and was held on 12 May 2001 in the Parken Stadium in Copenhagen, Denmark. It was the first time in 36 years that Denmark hosted the Eurovision Song Contest, thanks to the Olsen Brothers' win the previous year in Stockholm...
, the group based the remainder of its career there until Paparizou embarked on a solo career in 2003 and released her debut album Protereotita
Protereotita
-Euro Edition :-My Number One :-Protereotita: Euro Edition + Mambo! :-Greek singles:The first single to be released from the original album Protereotita was "Anapandites Kliseis". "Anapantites Kliseis"' was double A-side single with "Treli Kardia." The single peaked at number 1 for a successful 6...
(2004), with emphasis on more pop sounds in addition to laïko
Laïko
Laïkó ), is a Greek music genre. Also called folk song or urban folk music , in its plural form is a Greek music genre which has taken many forms over the years...
. In 2005 she won the Eurovision Song Contest
Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual competition held among active member countries of the European Broadcasting Union .Each member country submits a song to be performed on live television and then casts votes for the other countries' songs to determine the most popular song in the competition...
for Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
for the first time in the contest's history, with the song "My Number One
My Number One
As Greece had finished the 2004 Eurovision Song Contest in third place, the song was pre-qualified for the final in 2005. Thus, it was performed nineteenth on the night, following Croatia's Boris Novković and Lado with "Vukovi umiru sami" and preceding Russia's Natalia Podolskaya with "Nobody Hurt...
", significantly contributing to her career. Following the victory, her album peaked at number one on the Greek Albums Chart and was certified double platinum by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry of Greece
IFPI Greece
International Federation of the Phonographic Industry Greece or IFPI Greece is the Greek branch of the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry and is the official charts provider and recording sales certification body for Greece. Currently two charts are compiled, one for sales of...
, while she also briefly attempted a career beyond Greece with English-language material, charting in a few countries abroad. Her three subsequent albums Iparhi Logos (2006), The Game of Love (2006) and Vrisko To Logo Na Zo
Vrisko To Logo Na Zo
Vrisko To Logo Na Zo is the third Greek-language studio album and fourth studio album overall by Greek singer Elena Paparizou, released on June 12, 2008 by Sony BMG Greece...
(2008) all peaked at number one in Greece and reached platinum sales. Her fifth studio album, Giro Apo T' Oneiro (2010), was also certified platinum.
Paparizou has also won three Arion Music Awards, a European Border Breakers Award
European Border Breakers Award
-Organization:The EBBA Awards were launched by the European Commission and are a European Union award. Selection and the award ceremony of the EBBA Awards are organized by Noorderslag Foundation, which has the mission to encourage the circulation of European pop music.-Partners:*European...
, 15 MAD Video Music Awards—more than any other artist— and an MTV Europe Music Award. On 14 March 2010, prior to the release of her fifth album, Alpha TV
Alpha TV
Alpha TV is a Greek terrestrial channel . The station features a mix of Greek and foreign shows with an emphasis on entertainment programs. The studios are located near Athens...
ranked her as the 14th top certified female artist in the nation's phonographic era (since 1960), totaling seven platinum and four gold records. Paparizou was the most successful debuting female artist of the 2000s and established herself as one of the top pop artists of the latter half of the decade. As of 2010, she has been certified for the sales of 209 thousand albums, 47.5 thousand singles, and 30 thousand digital downloads by IFPI Greece, in addition to 100 thousand total record sales in Greece as part of Antique, as well as 24 thousand certified albums in Cyprus, and 20 thousand singles in Sweden during her solo career. In 2010, Forbes
Forbes
Forbes is an American publishing and media company. Its flagship publication, the Forbes magazine, is published biweekly. Its primary competitors in the national business magazine category are Fortune, which is also published biweekly, and Business Week...
listed Paparizou as the 21st most powerful and influential celebrity in Greece.
Early life
Elena Paparizou was born on 31 January 1982 in BoråsBorås
Borås is a locality and the seat of Borås Municipality, Västra Götaland County, Sweden. It had 63,441 inhabitants in 2005.- Geography :Borås is located at the point of two crossing railways, among them the railway between Gothenburg and Kalmar, and is often considered the Swedish city gaining the...
, Västergötland
Västergötland
', English exonym: West Gothland, is one of the 25 traditional non-administrative provinces of Sweden , situated in the southwest of Sweden. In older English literature one may also encounter the Latinized version Westrogothia....
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, the youngest child of Greek immigrant
Greeks in Sweden
The Greek community in Sweden was estimated to number between 12,000 and 15,000 people . They are located mostly in the southern part of Sweden, especially around Stockholm.-Notable people:*Steve Angello - DJ, producer and music label owner*Andreas Castanas...
parents Georgios Paparizos and Efrosini "Froso" Paparizou. Her parents both originate from the Karditsa
Karditsa
Karditsa is a city in western Thessaly in mainland Greece. The city of Karditsa is the capital of Karditsa peripheral unit.Inhabitation is attested from 9000 BCE. Karditsa ls linked with GR-30, the road to Karpenisi, and the road to Palamas and Larissa...
region, with her father being from a nearby village, Toxias. She has a sister named Areti, known as "Rita" and a brother Konstantinos, known as "Dinos". Paparizou's mother had moved to Borås in 1960 and worked in factories, while during a trip back to her hometown she met Paparizou's father and they got married. The two moved to Borås in 1970. In 1985, the family moved to Greece to live in Volos with relatives because Paparizou suffered from asthma
Asthma
Asthma is the common chronic inflammatory disease of the airways characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and bronchospasm. Symptoms include wheezing, coughing, chest tightness, and shortness of breath...
and her lungs could not endure the cold Scandinavian climate
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
. They returned after two years when the problem was resolved, thereon living in the town of Örgryte
Örgryte
Örgryte is one of the 21 stadsdelsnämndsområden of Gothenburg Municipality, Sweden. It is a largely upper middle class to upper class residential area, just to the east of the city centre...
, Gothenburg
Gothenburg
Gothenburg is the second-largest city in Sweden and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated on the west coast of Sweden, the city proper has a population of 519,399, with 549,839 in the urban area and total of 937,015 inhabitants in the metropolitan area...
. Because of this early move, Paparizou spoke Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
as a first language. As a child, she did not hang out with many Swedish children, and attended a Greek-language school. Throughout her childhood, she continued suffering from breathing problems, was once rushed to the hospital because of them, and recalls feeling like she had left her body at least twice. She continues to suffer from the issue and often carries an inhaler
Inhaler
An inhaler or puffer is a medical device used for delivering medication into the body via the lungs. It is mainly used in the treatment of asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease . Zanamivir , used to treat influenza, must be administered via inhaler...
onstage for when she loses her breath.
Paparizou became interested in the arts at a young age and her parents soon involved her in singing
Singing
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
, dancing and acting
Acting
Acting is the work of an actor or actress, which is a person in theatre, television, film, or any other storytelling medium who tells the story by portraying a character and, usually, speaking or singing the written text or play....
training in combination with her academic studies at school. At age seven she began lessons in piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, ballet
Ballet
Ballet is a type of performance dance, that originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century, and which was further developed in France and Russia as a concert dance form. The early portions preceded the invention of the proscenium stage and were presented in large chambers with...
and traditional dances. She performed for the first time in front of a Greek audience at age 11 singing Christos Dantis
Christos Dantis
Christos Dantis , is a Greek singer, songwriter, and musician best known for his hits such as "To Palio Mou Palto" and "Ena Tragoudi Akoma" and later for composing and co-writing the song "My Number One" for Elena Paparizou, winning the Eurovision Song Contest 2005 for Greece.- Early music career...
' "Moro Mou". By age 13, Paparizou had realized she wanted to become a singer and decided to take a serious approach in preparation for it, her first experiences being with Greek music. At the age of 14, Paparizou formed her first group Soul Funkomatic with three Hispanic
Hispanic
Hispanic is a term that originally denoted a relationship to Hispania, which is to say the Iberian Peninsula: Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain. During the Modern Era, Hispanic sometimes takes on a more limited meaning, particularly in the United States, where the term means a person of ...
teenagers and only played hip hop music
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
, while saving money to record songs; two years later the group disbanded. On 29 October 1998, 13 of Paparizou's close friends died in the Gothenburg nightclub fire
Gothenburg nightclub fire
The Gothenburg discothèque fire was a fire with disastrous consequences that occurred on the night of October 29, 1998. The fire started on premises rented by an organization catering to the Macedonian community in Gothenburg, located on Hisingen island in Gothenburg, Sweden, where a discothèque...
during a hip hop party that left 63 people dead and more than 200 injured. Paparizou had begged her mother to let her go to the party, but was not allowed to attend. After losing her friends, Paparizou decided to abandon singing, and she started classes at the Art Performing School where she studied theater, acting, television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
and directing
Television director
A television director directs the activities involved in making a television program and is part of a television crew.-Duties:The duties of a television director vary depending on whether the production is live or recorded to video tape or video server .In both types of productions, the...
.
1999–2003: Antique era
In 1999, some DJ friends of her brother's asked her to make a demo of the Notis SfakianakisNotis Sfakianakis
Panagiotis Sfakianakis is a Greek singer of laika music, who is one of the most commercially successful artists of all time in Greece and Cyprus. Sfakianakis began his career in 1985, opening at nightclubs for other artists. He was discovered by Sony Greece and released his debut album Proti Fora...
hit "Opa Opa
Opa Opa
"Opa Opa" is a song originally performed by Notis Sfakianakis from his second album Ise Ena Pistoli in 1992. It was written and produced by singer Giorgos Alkaios years earlier, and is one of Sfakianakis' most notable of his early works...
". Paparizou told them that the lyrics are for a man, so she asked to sing it with childhood friend Nikos Panagiotidis, whom she had met through her siblings at a Greek diaspora celebration in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
. At that time, some record producers were undergoing a project to sign a duo consisting of a male and a female that would sing covers of traditional Greek hits. They came into contact with Paparizou who recommended Panagiotidis, and together they formed Antique
Antique (duo)
Antique was a Greek singing duo consisting of Elena Paparizou and Nikos Panagiotidis originating from Sweden which combined Greek popular music and lyrics with a Nordic dance pop beat. Both Paparizou and Panagiotidis were born and raised in Sweden by Greek parents...
, signing to the newly-formed independent label Bonnier Music. They settled on the name "Antique" because it left an impression of being "classic" and "timeless". Paparizou admitted that Greek music
Music of Greece
The music of Greece is as diverse and celebrated as its history. Greek music separates into two parts: Greek traditional music and Byzantine music, with more eastern sounds...
had been something of an acquired taste for her, and that the name was probably a reflection of her childhood impression of it being something rather distant and old-fashioned; something that she only really associated with her summer vacations in Greece. Their debut single "Opa Opa
Opa Opa
"Opa Opa" is a song originally performed by Notis Sfakianakis from his second album Ise Ena Pistoli in 1992. It was written and produced by singer Giorgos Alkaios years earlier, and is one of Sfakianakis' most notable of his early works...
" became a hit in Sweden and eventually entered the top ten in Sweden and Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, making them the first act to enter into the Swedish top five with a song sung in Greek. Their later singles "Dinata Dinata
Dinata Dinata
Dinata is a song from the album Meno Ektos , composed by Ara Dinkjian and sung by Eleftheria Arvanitaki. It mixes the influence of Balkan music with electronics. That song, among the others on Meno Ektos, made Arvanitaki a big name in Greece...
", "Follow Me
Follow Me (Antique song)
"Follow Me" is a song released by Antique. The Greek version was released in 2001 from their album Die for You and the CD single was released in 2003.-Music video:thumb|left|200px|Helena Paparizou in the "Follow Me" music video....
" and "Moro Mou
Moro Mou
"Moro Mou" is a song released by Antique and the first single from their album Alli Mia Fora. It was released on March 16, 2002 by V2 Records in Greece and in 2003 by Bonnier Music in Sweden as "My Baby".-Charts:...
" also charted well.
Although relatively unknown in Greece, the duo entered the national final
Greece in the Eurovision Song Contest 2001
Greece and Ellinikí Radiofonía Tileórasi chose to host a National Selection with the winner being chosen by televoting and an "expert" jury . Antique was chosen with "Die for You" and placed 3rd at Eurovision.-National final:...
to be Greece's representatives in the Eurovision Song Contest 2001
Eurovision Song Contest 2001
The Eurovision Song Contest 2001 was the 46th Eurovision Song Contest and was held on 12 May 2001 in the Parken Stadium in Copenhagen, Denmark. It was the first time in 36 years that Denmark hosted the Eurovision Song Contest, thanks to the Olsen Brothers' win the previous year in Stockholm...
in Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
with the song "(I Would) Die for You", written by Nikos Terzis with lyrics by Antonis Pappas. Placing joint first in the national final, they were declared winners by default as they had won the public vote. The song placed third in the actual contest with 147 points; although equaled by later entries, it was the best placing Greece had ever received until Paparizou won the contest as a solo artist in 2005. The song went on to become their biggest hit in Greece, reaching Platinum status, while it peaked at number three in Sweden, and charted elsewhere. Antique's success in the contest led to them earning recognition in Greece and working there for the remainder of their career. In continuation, they recorded four studio albums that achieved mild success, performed a small European and North American tour, and collaborated with artists such as Katy Garbi
Katy Garbi
Katerina 'Katy' Garbi is a Greek singer active in Greece and Cyprus, with some popularity in Turkey. Her career has spanned over 20 years and is marked by several multi-platinum releases. Garbi was one of the most successful artists of the 1990s...
and Slavi Trifonov. Following their course as Antique, Paparizou and Panagiotidis decided to pursue solo careers, however Panagiotidis would not manage to establish himself as a solo act. Initially, negative criticism relating to the disbandment centered around Paparizou, who was accused of abandoning her friend for her own career interests; however, Paparizou responded by saying that the split was not permanent, but rather a mutual decision to try other things, with plans of a reunion in mind.
2003–05: Solo development, Protereotita, and Eurovision
Anapandites Kliseis
"Anapandites Kliseis" is the first single from Elena Paparizou as a solo singer. "Anapandites Kliseis" was released on December 28, 2003 and was followed by Paparizou's first solo album Protereotita released in June 2004. The song was written by both Christos Dantis and Vangelis Konstantinidis...
", a double A-side with "Treli Kardia", which peaked at number one on the Greek Top 50 Singles Chart and was certified Gold by IFPI Greece
IFPI Greece
International Federation of the Phonographic Industry Greece or IFPI Greece is the Greek branch of the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry and is the official charts provider and recording sales certification body for Greece. Currently two charts are compiled, one for sales of...
. The video of "Anapandites Kliseis" won her a MAD Video Music Award in 2004 for Best Dance Video and was nominated for Best Video by a New Artist, while a duet of the song with its writer Christos Dantis
Christos Dantis
Christos Dantis , is a Greek singer, songwriter, and musician best known for his hits such as "To Palio Mou Palto" and "Ena Tragoudi Akoma" and later for composing and co-writing the song "My Number One" for Elena Paparizou, winning the Eurovision Song Contest 2005 for Greece.- Early music career...
was performed at the ceremony. During the winter season of 2003–04, Paparizou was the opening act for Antonis Remos
Antonis Remos
Antonis Remos , is a Greek laïko singer.-Early life:Antonis Remos was born in Düsseldorf, West Germany. He was raised there by his Greek parents, and later his family moved back to their native Thessaloniki, Greece, where he finished school. During his childhood he got involved with music and...
and Giannis Spanos at the Stadio Piraios nightclub. On 25 August 2004, she released her debut solo album, Protereotita
Protereotita
-Euro Edition :-My Number One :-Protereotita: Euro Edition + Mambo! :-Greek singles:The first single to be released from the original album Protereotita was "Anapandites Kliseis". "Anapantites Kliseis"' was double A-side single with "Treli Kardia." The single peaked at number 1 for a successful 6...
from which "Anditheseis", "Katse Kala" and "Stin Kardia Mou Mono Thlipsi" were released as singles. The album earned Paparizou her first Arion Award for Best Female Pop Singer, while the videos of "Katse Kala" and "Treli Kardia" won her MAD Awards for Best Female Video and Best Direction, respectively. Originally, the album had moderate success, but after Paparizou's Eurovision win the following year and subsequent reissues it was certified double Platinum by IFPI Greece. To capitalize on the success, it was reissued as Protereotita: Euro Edition in single and double disc format, while it was released as a compilation in some European countries as My Number One, peaking at number 13 in Sweden. It spun off three singles: ("My Number One
My Number One
As Greece had finished the 2004 Eurovision Song Contest in third place, the song was pre-qualified for the final in 2005. Thus, it was performed nineteenth on the night, following Croatia's Boris Novković and Lado with "Vukovi umiru sami" and preceding Russia's Natalia Podolskaya with "Nobody Hurt...
", "The Light in Our Soul
The Light In Our Soul
"The Light In Our Soul", an up-tempo ballad, was the second single from the album My Number One by 2005 Eurovision winner Helena Paparizou. The song was written by Costas Bigalis and was chosen for the Eurovision Greek National Final, along with "O.K." and "Let's Get Wild," but it was "My Number...
and "A Brighter Day
A Brighter Day
"Antitheseis" is a song by Greek-Swedish recording artist Elena Paparizou, written by Energee and Ilias Filippou. It was released in 2004 as the lead single from her solo debut album Protereotita and third single overall to radios...
"), peaking at number one, three and 24, respectively, in the aforementioned country, while charting to a lesser extent elsewhere. "My Number One" charted in a number of countries and was released in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
by Moda Records
Moda Records
Moda Records is a record label servicing hip hop, urban, rap, dance and pop music artists. Spearheaded by Nicky Kalliongis, Moda Records has been since its inception on the forefront of discovering alternate methods to producing music in addition to directing artists’ careers.-Artists:Anna Vissi,...
with remixes in August 2006, peaking at number eight on the Bilboard Hot Dance Club Play
Hot Dance Club Play
The Hot Dance Club Songs chart is a weekly national survey of the songs that are most popular in U.S. dance clubs...
chart. The Euro Edition became Paparizou's first album to reach number one and earned her another Arion for Best Female Pop Singer, with "My Number One" peaking at number one on the Singles Chart, being certified Platinum, and becoming her first number-one airplay hit, while "The Light in Our Soul"/"To Fos Sti Psyhi" peaked at two. Paparizou released a new CD single "Mambo!
Mambo!
"Mambo!" was Helena Paparizou's fifth CD single and the first from her international album The Game of Love. There were two versions of the song; a Greek version and an English version...
", peaking at number one on both the Singles Chart for 10 weeks and gaining Platinum status, as well as the airplay charts, remaining her most successful single to date. The CD single itself was the second highest-selling single of the year, surpassing her Eurovision-winner "My Number One". She performed "My Number One" at the MAD VMAs in 2005 and in 2006 was awarded three honors for Best Pop Video ("The Light in Our Soul"), Best Video by a Female Artist ("My Number One"), and Artist of the Year ("Mambo!"). The album was reissued for a third time as Protereotita: Euro Edition + Mambo! in November. In 2007, Paparizou was awarded with a European Border Breakers Award
European Border Breakers Award
-Organization:The EBBA Awards were launched by the European Commission and are a European Union award. Selection and the award ceremony of the EBBA Awards are organized by Noorderslag Foundation, which has the mission to encourage the circulation of European pop music.-Partners:*European...
at the Midem Festival in Cannes
Cannes
Cannes is one of the best-known cities of the French Riviera, a busy tourist destination and host of the annual Cannes Film Festival. It is a Commune of France in the Alpes-Maritimes department....
, France for the international editions of her debut album, recognized by the European Union as one of the year's ten new artists to have success with their debut albums abroad. In promotion of the album, Paparizou was the opening act to the spring 2004 season show at Thalassa, sharing the stage with three other young artists, Apostolia Zoi
Apostolia Zoi
Apostolia Zoi is a popular Greek singer who was born in Volos, Greece. She has released four studio albums.-Early life:At the age of 14, Apostolia moved to Thessaloniki to pursue her interest in diving and swimming where she graduating from the Gymnastics Academy. One night while out on the town...
, Nino and Thanos Petrelis
Thanos Petrelis
Athanasios Petrelis is a popular singer. He has released four albums and several singles.-Fame Story:...
, followed by performing as the opening act at Fever for Sakis Rouvas
Sakis Rouvas
Anastasios "Sakis" Rouvas II , often referred to mononymously as Sakis, is a Greek musician, television and film artist, businessman, and former pole vaulter who is one of the most successful and influential entertainers of all time in Greece and Cyprus...
and Giorgos Mazonakis
Giorgos Mazonakis
Giorgos Mazonakis is a Modern Laika and pop Greek singer.-Biography:Giorgos Mazonakis born and raised in the neighbourhood of Nikaia, Athens. He grew up listening to traditional folk songs of Stratos Dionysiou, Yiannis Parios, Marinella and Haris Alexiou. Very quickly, at the age of 15, he...
for the winter season.
Paparizou began residing in Greece permanently in 2004 and after a long selection process led by national broadcaster Hellenic Radio and Television (ERT), she was internally selected as Greece's representative in the Eurovision Song Contest 2005 in Kiev
Kiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
, Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
. Paparizou had not been an original choice of the broadcaster, who had been trying to secure a high profile artist and thus she was viewed as a possible back-up when the other deals failed to materialize. At the time, she expressed that no-one had wanted her to participate in Eurovision. The song "My Number One", composed by Dantis with lyrics by him and Natalia Germanou
Natalia Germanou
Natalia Germanou is a Greek lyricist, television hostess, radio producer, DJ and journalist.Germanou has written lyrics for many popular Greek singers such as Anna Vissi, Christos Dantis, Elena Paparizou, Sakis Rouvas, Despina Vandi, Mihalis Hatzigiannis, Notis Sfakianakis, Natasa Theodoridou,...
, was chosen by both the jury vote and televote in the Greek national final as the entry, defeating "Let's Get Wild" and "OK"; the fourth song, "The Light in Our Soul", was disqualified due to being released prior to the deadline. Although her first name had previously always been spelled "Elena", Paparizou chose to promote herself as "Helena" as her Eurovision appearance approached, citing for it to stand out from other names that are popular in other countries; thus the spelling with the H has since been used on all non-Greek promotions and releases, although she has since stated that she prefers to be known as "Elena". Paparizou went on tour across Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
to promote the song. During this time, she was appointed an ambassador of the Greek Ministry of Tourism
Minister for Tourism (Greece)
The Minister for Touristic Development was a Greek government department in charge of Greek tourism. It was a re-establishment, in 2004, of the former Ministry for Tourism, which had been subsumed in the Ministry for Development in 1996...
by its Μinister, Dimitris Avramopoulos
Dimitris Avramopoulos
Dimitris Avramopoulos is a Greek politician and diplomat. He was Mayor of Athens for eight years.-Personal information:He was born in Athens in 1953. He originated from Ilia, Arkadia. He served his military service in the Greek Air Force , based in Athens and in the NATO Headquarters in Brussels....
, who invested 500 thousand euros into her campaign to promote Greece during her time abroad through merchandise and advertisements that aired throughout Europe. His decision, deemed a publicity stunt, was reviewed tepidly by colleagues; however, impressed with the result, he issued Paparizou to fulfill the role for the following year. On 21 May she won the contest for Greece for the first time in history, earning 230 points and the maximum 12 points from ten nations—tied for the most in one night up until that point. The moment of the victory garnered the highest television viewing ratings in Greek history and provoked mass celebrations on the streets of Athens, while she was also greeted by various government officials, including then Minister of State
Minister of State (Greece)
The Minister of State of Greece is a Greek minister. The ministry was created on 10 March 2004 from the Ministry of the Press and the Media .The current minister is Georgios Stavropoulos.-History:...
Theodoros Roussopoulos
Theodoros Roussopoulos
Theodoros Roussopoulos is a Greek politician. He was Minister of State and Government Spokesman from 7 March 2004 until 23 October 2008, as well as one of Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis's closest aides....
and then Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Greece
The Prime Minister of Greece , officially the Prime Minister of the Hellenic Republic , is the head of government of the Hellenic Republic and the leader of the Greek cabinet. The current interim Prime Minister is Lucas Papademos, a former Vice President of the European Central Bank, following...
Kostas Karamanlis at a reception at the Maximos Mansion
Maximos Mansion
The Maximos Mansion is, as of 1982, the official seat of the Prime Minister of Greece. It is located in downtown Athens, Greece, near Syntagma Square...
, upon return.
Paparizou's Eurovision victory catapulted her from a relatively minor celebrity to a notable music act, cementing her solo career and giving her some international exposure. On 14 July she performed at the birthday gala of Princess Victoria of Sweden
Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden
Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden, Duchess of Västergötland is the heiress-apparent to the Swedish throne. If she ascends to the throne as expected, she will be Sweden's fourth queen regnant .-Early life:...
where while ascending the stage to greet the royal family, King Carl XVI Gustaf
Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden
Carl XVI Gustaf is the reigning King of Sweden since 15 September 1973, succeeding his grandfather King Gustaf VI Adolf because his father had predeceased him...
stood to embrace Paparizou instead of offering a handshake
Handshake
A handshake is a short ritual in which two people grasp one of each other's like hands, in most cases accompanied by a brief up and down movement of the grasped hands.-History:...
, causing controversy for putting his hand on her back, lower than what is socially acceptable. The Royal Court later issued a statement that his hand slipped. She subsequently toured Europe, performing in all countries that gave her 12 points, while a tour of North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
for the Greek diaspora with Nikos Kourkoulis followed. Paparizou stated that should she ever consider doing anything Eurovision oriented again it would have to be for her birth country of Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, since she already had her turn with Greece. After serving as an opening act on numerous occasions, Paparizou performed as a main act at Fever for the 2005–06 season. Georgia Laimou of E-go, an affiliate of the newspaper Eleftheros Typos
Eleftheros Typos
Eleftheros Typos was a daily newspaper published in Athens, founded in 1983 by the Lilian Voudouri press foundation. Eminent in liberal and conservative circles, it vied for the top sales spot in the eighties, but today trails its left-of-center competitors by a margin, though still retaining its...
, gave the show a poor review, citing unprofessional elements and weak vocal performances and noted that the show was lacking in attendance, particularly the elite
Elite
Elite refers to an exceptional or privileged group that wields considerable power within its sphere of influence...
groups who often reserve the front row tables.
2006–07: Iparhi Logos, The Game of Love, and soundtracks
In January 2006, Paparizou was one of 25 artists who participated in the group Simmeteho Energa in the recording of the charity single "Eho Ti Dinami", which was released as a CD Single in support of the Greek Cancer Society. Paparizou was one of eight main vocalists. Paparizou's second album, Iparhi Logos, was released in Greece on 12 April 2006 to good critical reception. In promotion, Paparizou performed the title track at the Arion Music Awards. The album, a two disc set, contained both previously released material and live recordings from her MAD Secret Concert held in December 2005, being the first edition of the series. The album peaked at number one in both Greece and Cyprus and generated three hit singles ("Iparhi Logos", "GigoloGigolo (Elena Paparizou song)
"Gigolo" is a song by Greek singer Helena Paparizou. It has been recorded in two languages; Greek and English, Greek/English versions also exist. The Greek version is the first track from the Greek album Iparhi Logos, while the English version appears on the international album The Game of Love....
" and "An Ihes Erthi Pio Noris"). It topped the Greek Albums Chart for multiple weeks and was certified platinum by IFPI Greece after seven months for shipments of 30 thousand copies and also reaching Platinum in Cyprus for shipments of six thousand copies. A cover of Celine Dion
Celine Dion
Céline Marie Claudette Dion, , , is a Canadian singer. Born to a large family from Charlemagne, Quebec, Dion emerged as a teen star in the French-speaking world after her manager and future husband René Angélil mortgaged his home to finance her first record...
's "Just Walk Away
Just Walk Away
"Just Walk Away" is the seventh single from Céline Dion's album The Colour of My Love. It was released as a radio single in Spain on October 23, 1995....
" was released as a promo single, while the Greek version of "Mambo!" was also included. Paparizou won MAD VMAs for Best Video by a Female Artist ("Gigolo") and Best-Dressed Artist in a Video ("An Ihes Erthi Pio Noris") out of five nominations and also opened the show singing "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In
Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In
"Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In" is a medley of two songs written for the 1967 musical Hair by James Rado & Gerome Ragni , and Galt MacDermot , released as a single by The 5th Dimension. The song peaked at number one for six weeks on the U.S...
" and "Min Fevgeis"; the album was also nominated for two Cyprus Music Awards in 2007, where she also performed. The album was reissued in February 2007 as Iparhi Logos: Platinum Edition to include Paparizou's number one hit "Mazi Sou
Mazi Sou (song)
"Mazi Sou" is a song by Greek artist, Elena Paparizou. It was released on the official 'Mazi Sou Soundtrack' as a track on the bonus CD of Υπάρχει Λόγος: Platinum Edition album, and was also a promo and radio single.-Song information:...
", one of two songs she contributed for the soundtrack of the television series of the same name
Mazi sou
Mazi sou is a Greek drama featuring two teenagers whose only common link is their age. Two 17 year old teens who run away, one from a juvenile institution and the other from her home, and scour Northern Greece and Turkey,following the "arid" railroad near Maritsa's bank.-Overview:Ares runs away...
, "Fos" from the Barbie kai I Dodeka Vasilopoules soundtrack released in 2006, and her newest hit single, a cover of Voula Georgouti's rebetiko
Rebetiko
Rebetiko, plural rebetika, , occasionally transliterated as Rembetiko, is a term used today to designate originally disparate kinds of urban Greek folk music which have come to be grouped together since the so-called rebetika revival, which started in the 1960s and developed further from the early...
"Min Fevgeis", which reached number two. Prior to the reissue, the singles were also released on the EP single Fos
Fos (song)
"Fos" is an EP by Greek artist, Elena Paparizou. It was released on 18 May 2007 by Sony BMG Greece and was featured as a bonus CD on the repackaged Yparhi Logos: Platinum Edition album. The CD single contains "Fos", along with four other new tracks, including "Mazi Sou" and a cover of "Le Temps...
, which reached number 1 on the Greek Top 50 Singles Chart and was certified Gold, making it her fourth consecutive number-one hit on that chart. On May 20, 2006, Paparizou opened the Eurovision Song Contest 2006
Eurovision Song Contest 2006
The Eurovision Song Contest 2006 was the 51st Eurovision Song Contest, held at the Olympic Indoor Hall in Athens, Greece on 18 May and 20 May 2006 . The hosting national broadcaster of the contest was Ellinikí Radiofonía Tileórasi . The Finnish band Lordi won the contest with the song "Hard Rock...
in Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
with "My Number One" and later performed "Mambo!" to promote her song internationally, however, ERT ran commercials during the performance and thus it was not broadcast in many nations. Paparizou's song "Heroes
Heroes (Elena Paparizou song)
"Heroes" is a single by the Swedish-Greek singer and Eurovision Song Contest winner, Helena Paparizou. The song was specially written to be the official theme song of the 2006 European Championships in Athletics, held in Paparizou's home town Gothenburg...
" was the official song of the 2006 European Athletics Championships in Gothenburg, where it was performed at the event. The single was released in Sweden and Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
, becoming her second number-one hit in the former.
Following Eurovision, Paparizou expressed interest in beginning an international career and her debut English-language
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
album The Game of Love was released on 25 October 2006 and was followed by releases in 14 countries covering Europe and South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
by April 2007, although this was much less than had been expected in hopes of kicking off an international career. In Greece and Cyprus, the album went to number one and received Platinum certifications. Considered a "foreign" release, the album was only eligible to chart on the Greek Foreign Albums Chart, which it topped. It also topped the mixed Greek Albums Chart and was certified platinum by IFPI Greece after 11 weeks on the chart in January 2007, denoting shipments of 15 thousand copies. "Teardrops", a number-one hit, was released as the first Greek single from the album, as "Mambo!" and "Gigolo" were previously released on Iparhi Logos, as was much of the album's material. The album failed to chart in many countries, peaking at 18 in Sweden and becoming her least successful album there since Antique's debut Mera Me Ti Mera
Mera Me Ti Mera (album)
Mera Me Ti Mera or Opa Opa is the name of an album by Greek musical group Antique...
. Thus her label cancelled many of the foreign releases. "Mambo!" charted in Sweden at number 5 and became Gold, while it was also released in five other countries and promoted by others. A new video was filmed for the song that was targeted towards a broader audience. The song charted in a few countries, but its success was limited outside of Sweden, with no official European release date being announced. The single failed to make any impact on any major market. It was also planned to be released in the United States by Moda, however those plans were later abandoned. The third international single was planned to be "The Game of Love" and was scheduled for an April 2007 release but was canceled due to the album's lack of success, and also since her latest "Gigolo" was not overly successful, peaking at number 11, her second lowest charting single in Sweden, and failing to chart well elsewhere.
In early 2007, Paparizou became the spokesperson of Nokia
Nokia
Nokia Corporation is a Finnish multinational communications corporation that is headquartered in Keilaniemi, Espoo, a city neighbouring Finland's capital Helsinki...
Greece, her previous sponsor, and released the song "Ola Ine Mousiki" in October 2007 for promotion. She also collaborated with retailer Plaisio and released a limited edition MP4 player called "MP4 Total Helena" (2GB) by Turbo-X, containing a special compilation and music videos, being additionally released as "TH4" MP4 in 2008 to include her new album material and exclusive content. She released a cover of Blind Melon
Blind Melon
Blind Melon is an American rock band active from 1989 to 1999, and from 2006 onward.Best remembered for their 1993 single "No Rain", the group enjoyed critical and commercial success in the early 1990s with their neo-psychedelic take on alternative rock...
's "3 Is a Magic Number
Three Is a Magic Number
"Three Is a Magic Number" is the pilot episode of the Schoolhouse Rock! series and the first episode of the program's first season, "Multiplication Rock."...
" in Sweden as part of a television advertisement for a mobile phone company; it peaked at number 18, while she also was featured on TV presenter Nikos Aliagas
Nikos Aliagas
Nikos Aliagas is a Greek-born French host of the French music reality program named Star Academy. One of his parents came from the area of Stamna in the prefecture of Aitoloacarnania in Greece. He speaks five languages including English...
' song "I Zilia Monaksia", a cover of the Pascal Obispo
Pascal Obispo
Pascal Michel Obispo is a French singer/songwriter.Pascal Obispo started singing in 1980. He got his first record deal in 1990, Le long du fleuve. With his second album, Plus que tout au monde, selling over 2 million albums, his songs became a popular success...
hit "L'envie d'Aimer", for his album project Rendez-Vous. She also released the song "To Fili Tis Zois
To Fili Tis Zois (Elena Paparizou song)
"To Fili Tis Zois" is a song by Elena Paparizou, and the main theme song from To Fili Tis Zois. The song was released in the beginning of October 2007 to radios, and in November on the official soundtrack of the movie...
" for the soundtrack
To Fili Tis Zois (soundtrack)
To Fili Tis Zois is the soundtrack album from the film of the same name. It was released in November 2007 by Sony BMG Greece. The album contains the film score which is composed by "Soumka" , and also features songs by Elena Paparizou and Giorgos Sampanis...
of the film of the same name
To Fili Tis Zois (film)
To Fili Tis Zois is a 2007 film directed by Nick Zapatina.This film is known for its soundtrack, written and produced by Nick Zapatina .-Plot summary:...
, reaching number one for five weeks and becoming her most successful airplay single, as well as one of the most successful songs of the late 2000s. It was nominated for four MAD VMAs, winning Best Pop Video, while she won Artist of the Year for "Mazi Sou", while "I Zilia Monaxia" also picked up a nomination, totaling six nominations in 2008. The single was the first digital single to be certified Gold in Greece since the marketing trend became popular in 2006.
2008–09: Vrisko To Logo Na Zo
Paparizou released her fourth album, Vrisko To Logo Na ZoVrisko To Logo Na Zo
Vrisko To Logo Na Zo is the third Greek-language studio album and fourth studio album overall by Greek singer Elena Paparizou, released on June 12, 2008 by Sony BMG Greece...
on 12 June 2008. The album generated four singles, "Porta Gia Ton Ourano
Porta Gia Ton Ourano
"Porta Gia Ton Ourano" is a song recorded by Greek pop singer Elena Paparizou and the first single from Vrisko To Logo Na Zo. The song was released as a single on April 8, 2008 to radio stations all over Greece and Cyprus.- Song information :...
", "I Kardia Sou Petra
I Kardia Sou Petra
"I Kardia Sou Petra" is a song recorded by Greek pop singer Elena Paparizou. It is the second single from Vrisko To Logo Na Zo.- Song information :The song was heard for the first time on Orange FM 93.2 on 2 June 2008...
", "Pirotehnimata
Pirotehnimata
"Pirotehnimata" is a song recorded by Greek pop singer Elena Paparizou and the third single from Vrisko To Logo Na Zo...
", and "Eisai I Foni". The music video of "Pirotehnimata" won Paparizou two awards at the sixth MAD Video Music Awards for Best Pop Video and Video of the Year and was nominated for Sexiest Video, while "I Kardia Sou Petra" won for Female Artist of the Year and "Porta Gia Ton Ourano" was nominated for Artist of the Year. Paparizou promoted a more rock-inspired image for the album, which differed from her previous pop/laïko style. However, the album and its concept received mixed reviews. The album was certified Gold in its first week, eventually peaking at number one and being certified Platinum after three months and becoming overall the second best-selling album of the year in both domestic and mixed domains; in Cyprus it peaked at two and was certified Platinum.
In June, Paparizou opened the MAD Video Music Awards 2008 with a remix of "Porta Gia Ton Ourano" with Madonna
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
's 4 Minutes
4 Minutes (Madonna song)
"4 Minutes" is a song by American singer-songwriter Madonna from her eleventh studio album Hard Candy. It was released as the lead single from the album on March 17, 2008, by Warner Bros. Records. The song's development was motivated by a sense of urgency to save the planet from destruction, and...
" and was featured in the performance of hip hop group Stavento of their hit "Mesa Sou"; both songs were released as digital downloads
Music download
A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment...
and promo singles in promotion of the album, while Paparizou's duet version of Spanish
Spanish people
The Spanish are citizens of the Kingdom of Spain. Within Spain, there are also a number of vigorous nationalisms and regionalisms, reflecting the country's complex history....
group Chambao
Chambao
Chambao is a flamenco-electronic band originally from Málaga, Andalusia, Spain, known for a Flamenco Chill sound that fuses flamenco sounds and palos with electronic music...
's single "Papeles Mojados" received some play in Spanish clubs. She then embarked on her To Party Arhizei tour, her first national tour, from 2 July to 19 September. The finale of the tour, set for Herakleion, Crete
Crete
Crete is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, and one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece. It forms a significant part of the economy and cultural heritage of Greece while retaining its own local cultural traits...
three days later, was cancelled due to whether conditions and Paparizou substituted the concert with two shows in October 2009 at the club Anadromes. It grossed 192 thousand attendants over 29 locations, selling out the Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki , historically also known as Thessalonica, Salonika or Salonica, is the second-largest city in Greece and the capital of the region of Central Macedonia as well as the capital of the Decentralized Administration of Macedonia and Thrace...
venue. Following the tour, the album was reissued as The Deluxe Edition
Vrisko To Logo Na Zo
Vrisko To Logo Na Zo is the third Greek-language studio album and fourth studio album overall by Greek singer Elena Paparizou, released on June 12, 2008 by Sony BMG Greece...
in December and featured a video of the show titled Live in Concert, which was also available individually. A further reissue of the album set to include Paparizou's newly recorded material (including the new single "Tha 'Mai Allios" and MAD Secret Concert tracks) was scheduled for the fall 2009, but this was shelved when the singer opted to record a new studio album for 2010.
Paparizou was featured on the Bonnier soundtrack project Alla Himlens Änglar, released in August, where she contributed her first Swedish-language
Swedish language
Swedish is a North Germanic language, spoken by approximately 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along its coast and on the Åland islands. It is largely mutually intelligible with Norwegian and Danish...
songs: "Allt jag vill" (Everything I want) and "Genom krig och kärlek" (Through war and love). On 23 October 2008, she was one of the artists featured in a concert at the Siemens Arena in Vilnius
Vilnius
Vilnius is the capital of Lithuania, and its largest city, with a population of 560,190 as of 2010. It is the seat of the Vilnius city municipality and of the Vilnius district municipality. It is also the capital of Vilnius County...
, Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
that was attended by approximately 10 thousand people, while from 30 October to 9 April she once again appeared alongside Paschalis Terzis at Iera Odos with Manos Pirovolakis as the opening act. From 14 May to September, Paparizou was the main act at Thalassa: People's Stage, a concert-themed club stage, which had recently become more popular in Greece and was a first for the singer. 15.50 and Stavento served as supporting acts; after a brief intermission, the show was resumed with the latter being replaced with Loukas Giorkas. Paparizou returned to the stage of MAD Secret Concerts on 26 May, the eighth edition of the series, featuring acts like 15.50, De Niro, Dimos Anastasiadis, Giorgos Sabanis, and Mironas Stratis, with a video release titled MAD Secret Concert Vol.II being released in the fall. Paparizou went on hiatus in the winter season to spend time with her mother in Sweden and record her new album. An English-language album had also been announced for 2009, however, those plans did not materialize because of her father's sudden death, although three songs have been recorded, one of which is a tribute to him.
2010–present: Giro Apo T' Oneiro, Greatest Hits & More, new management, and Dancing on Ice
Paparizou's fifth studio album Giro Apo T' Oneiro was released on 29 March and generated the singles "Tha 'Mai Allios", "An Isouna AgapiAn Isouna Agapi
"An Isouna Agapi" is the second single by Greek singer Elena Paparizou from her fifth studio album Giro Apo T'Oneiro, written by Giorgos Sabanis and Niki Papatheohari...
", "Psahno Tin Alitheia
Psahno Tin Alitheia (song)
"Psahno Tin Alitheia" is a song by Greek pop/laiko singer Elena Paparizou, written by Per Lidén, Niclas Olausson, Toni Mavridis, and Giannis Doxas for her fourth studio album Giro Apo T'Oneiro. The single will be released as the third single from the album...
" and "Girna Me Sto Htes". The song "Tha 'Mai Allios", which was released a year before the album, served as the singer's first advertisement for soft-drink Ivi's and won her an MTV Europe Award
MTV Europe Music Awards 2009
The MTV Europe Music Awards 2009 took place in Berlin, Germany at the O2 World and in front of the Brandenburg Gate. The award show was presented by Katy Perry. Nominations were officially announced on September 21, 2009. This is the fourth time that the MTV Europe Music Awards were hosted in...
for Best Greek Act
MTV Europe Music Award for Best Greek Act
The following is a list of the MTV Europe Music Award winners and nominees for Best Greek Act. Viewers vote online, and the winner of this award is then entered in the running for the Best European Act, which is then further narrowed down by online voters to five acts.-2000's:-2010's:-References:...
, placing her in the preliminary nominations of Best European Act
MTV Europe Music Award for Best European Act
The following is a list of the MTV Europe Music Award winners and nominees for Best European Act.-2000's:-2010's:- See also :* MTV VMA International Viewer's Choice Award for MTV Europe...
, missing the official nominations by one spot by finishing sixth The song's video also won the MAD Video Music Award for Video of the Year and was nominated for Best Pop Video, while "An Isouna Agapi" won the award for Sexiest Video and received nominations for Female Artist of the Year and Artist of the Year. For its release, Paparizou embraced the new marketing trend of releasing new albums with Sunday newspapers, and did so with the 28 March edition of the nation-wide RealNews, followed by a physical release the next day in standard and deluxe editions, the latter featuring video. 11 days following its release, it was announced that the album had achieved total shipments of 140 thousand units physically and via newspaper. However, newspaper shipments are not taken into consideration by IFPI. In a radio interview in August 2010, Paparizou stated that the album had sold enough physical copies to be certified Platinum by IFPI. On 6 November 2010, Paparizou was awarded platinum certification, with shipments of at least 12,000 units, for Giro Apo T' Oneiro by IFPI Greece at the grand opening of the new Metropolis music store at The Mall Athens
The Mall Athens
The Mall Athens is a major shopping mall in Athens, Greece. It was the first of the kind to be constructed in Greece and one of the largest shopping and leisure centres in Southeastern Europe....
.
Paparizou and Onirama
Onirama
Onirama is a Greek pop rock band that has had a number of hits in Greece. They are known for their wide range of music, and party-like concerts.-2000-2005: Beginnings & First successes:...
embarked on their joint Fisika Mazi Tour beginning on 30 June at Theatro Petras as part of the Stone Festival in Petroupoli. A surprise inspection by the SDOE at the Kefalonia
Kefalonia
The island of Cephalonia, also known as Kefalonia, Cephallenia, Cephallonia, Kefallinia, or Kefallonia , is the largest of the Ionian Islands in western Greece, with an area of . It is also a separate regional unit of the Ionian Islands region, and the only municipality of the regional unit...
stop of the tour which found the production guilty of tax violations was the subject of controversy; it was revealed that eight thousand five hundred concert tickets were left unstamped and the contract fees of the performing artists had not been submitted. The singer claimed she did not have any knowledge of the occurrences and that she has no affiliation with the production group apart from as a performer. She was one of eight artists who performed at the first MAD Fanatics concert, a tribute to Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
, closing the show with covers of "Heal the World
Heal the World
"Heal the World" is a song from Michael Jackson's hit album, Dangerous, released in 1991. The music video features children living in countries suffering from unrest, especially Burundi. It is also one of only a handful of Michael Jackson's videos not to feature Jackson himself, the others being...
" and "You Are Not Alone
You Are Not Alone
"You Are Not Alone", released on the 10th of August 1995, is the second single from Michael Jackson's album HIStory. The R&B ballad's composition has been attributed R. Kelly in response to difficult times in his personal life. He then forwarded a bare demo tape to Jackson, who liked the song and...
". For the winter season Paparizou appears alongside Antonis Remos
Antonis Remos
Antonis Remos , is a Greek laïko singer.-Early life:Antonis Remos was born in Düsseldorf, West Germany. He was raised there by his Greek parents, and later his family moved back to their native Thessaloniki, Greece, where he finished school. During his childhood he got involved with music and...
at Diogenis Studio, for which she reportedly is paid 10 thousand euros per night, four thousand euros less than her previous season of performances. Paparizou was featured on Albert Hammond
Albert Hammond
Albert Hammond OBE is a British singer, songwriter and record producer from Gibraltar.-Birth and early success:Hammond was born in London, England, where his family had been evacuated to from Gibraltar during World War II. His family returned to Gibraltar shortly after his birth, and there he grew...
's greatest hits
Greatest hits
A greatest hits album is a music compilation album of successful, previously released songs by a particular artist or band...
album Legend on the tracks "Enredao" and its English-language counterpart "Tangled Up in Tears".
On 2 February 2011, Paparizou was one of eight acts of MAD TV's first charity fashion music show MADWalk, an equivalent to the international Fashion Rocks
Fashion Rocks
Fashion Rocks was an annual international charity fundraiser event which features fashions by the world's top designers being presented to live performances by popular music acts.The inaugural event was held at the Royal Albert Hall on October 15, 2003...
, where she represented fashion designer Apostolos Mitropoulos and performed her new single "Baby It's Over
Baby It's Over
"Baby It's Over" is a song by the Swedish-Greek Pop singer Elena Paparizou. It was released as the lead single from her first compilation album Greatest Hits & More, written by Tamminen, Ahlstedt & Sörvaag and produced by DonK...
", which was the lead single off of her first compilation album, the triple-disc Greatest Hits & More
Greatest Hits & More (Elena Paparizou album)
Greatest Hits & More is the first compilation album by Greek-Swedish recording artist Helena Paparizou, released in Greece and Cyprus by Sony Music Greece/RCA on 23 May 2011, although it became available through some retailers as early as 20 May...
. She also appeared at the Flight Night Club in Sofia, Bulgaria on 8 February. "Baby It's Over" debuted atop the Billboard Greek Digital Singles Chart, becoming her fourth number one hit on that chart. It also topped the Greek Airplay Chart for ten non-consecutive weeks, becoming the most successful single of her career and —as of the end of August— the most-played song of the year in Greece.. The song won two awards at the 2011 MAD Video Music Awards for Female Artist of the Year and Fashion Icon of the Year and was nominated for Artist of the Year, while she also received a fourth nomination for Best Pop Video for "Psahno Tin Alitheia". The album's second single, "O,ti Niotho Den Allazi"(in english "Love ME Crazy") was released in May and managed to peak at #5 at the official greek airplay chart. The songs, particulary the lead single, received considerable exposure due to the implications of their lyrical content, causing speculation of the end of her 12-year relationship with Mavridis, which was ultimately proven true. Greatest Hits & More was released on 23 May and debuted at number two on the Greek Albums Chart where it stayed for three weeks and was the best-selling domestic album of the week. It spent a total of 12 weeks on the chart and has yet to be certified, denoting less than six thousand copies shipped to retailers. The album concluded her contractural obligations with Sony Music Greece. It has yet to be announced whether she plans to renew her contract or not.
Following the album's release, Paparizou went on hiatus from the entertainment industry for half a year to spend time in Sweden in order to recooperate from the break-up and spend time with family and childhood friends. During an interview there in June she announced that Mavridis would no longer serve as her manager and that she had recruited a new team of Swedish collaborators. Her only professional appearances were made at a four date tour in Cyprus. Paparizou expressed that she would like to attempt new things in her career, expanding it outside of music and also revive her career in Sweden, which had entered obscurity after 2006. A second English-language album and European tour have been tentatively announced, while she has also not ruled out a possible participation in Melodifestivalen
Melodifestivalen
Melodifestivalen is an annual music competition organised by Swedish public broadcasters Sveriges Television and Sveriges Radio . It determines the country's representative for the Eurovision Song Contest, and has been staged almost every year since 1959...
, something she had turned down in the past. She also explained that while her stay in Sweden was only for leisure, she might possibly decide to become a permanent resident of the country once again later on. Regarding a professional collaboration with Mavridis in the future, she stated that ultimately it will be left up to her label.
The fall season saw her collaborate with two of her musical idols. She recorded a duet of the nisiotiko
Nisiotika
Nisiotika is the name of the dances of Greek islands including a variety of Greek styles, played by ethnic Greeks in Greece, Cyprus, Australia, the United States and elsewhere....
classic "Dari Dari", originally performed by Yiannis Parios, with Nana Mouskouri
Nana Mouskouri
Nana Mouskouri , born Ioánna Moúschouri on October 13, 1934, in Chania, Crete, Greece, is a Greek singer who has sold about 300 million records worldwide in a career spanning over five decades, making her one of the best-selling music artists of all time. She was known as Nána to her friends and...
for her duet album of Greek island folk songs, Tragoudia Apo Ta Ellinika Nisia (Songs from the Greek islands) and —along with labelmate Natasa Theodoridou— is one of the Greek female artists scheduled to perform as a guest act at Mouskouri's concert at the Berlin Philharmonic in Germany on 29 November. Although she had originally turned down offers to perform over the winter, it has also been reported that for the winter season 2011–12 she will perform as a supporting act for Parios in Thessaloniki at the club Pili Axiou from 18 November. The collaboration between an artist like Paparizou with two artists generally considered amongst the most important in the Greek music industry has provoked reactions of a mixed nature and surprise. Making her television debut, Paparizou also served as a judge on the first season of ANT1
ANT1
Antenna, better known as ANT1, is a television network airing in Greece and Cyprus. The alternate spelling is play on words in Greek; ena is the Greek number 1, thus ANT1 is pronounced the same as Antenna . It launched on 31 December 1989, the same year as rival Mega Channel, and is owned by...
's Dancing on Ice
Dancing on Ice (Greece)
Dancing on Ice is a Greek reality TV show. The show features celebrities paired with professionals from the world of figure skating. The show is based on the British show, Dancing on Ice. The show has a schedule similar to the reality TV show Dancing with the Stars with performance shows on Sundays...
alongside announcer
Announcer
An announcer is a presenter who makes "announcements" in an audio medium or a physical location.-Television and other media:Some announcers work in television production , radio or filmmaking, usually providing narrations, news updates, station identification, or an introduction of a product in...
, sports commentator
Sports commentator
In sports broadcasting, a commentator gives a running commentary of a game or event in real time, usually during a live broadcast. The comments are normally a voiceover, with the sounds of the action and spectators also heard in the background. In the case of television commentary, the commentator...
, and television personality Alexis Kostalas and entertainment industry businessman and television presenter Petros Kostopoulos. The show, which pairs professional figure skaters
Figure skating
Figure skating is an Olympic sport in which individuals, pairs, or groups perform spins, jumps, footwork and other intricate and challenging moves on ice skates. Figure skaters compete at various levels from beginner up to the Olympic level , and at local, national, and international competitions...
with celebrities, premiered on 6 November. Paparizou stated that she has only ever figure skated freestyle but never danced and admitted that her knowledge of the sport is fairly little so her comments will be limited to the feeling exuded rather than technical criticisms. The show premiered to a strong ratings share but was critically panned for its low production and entertainment value.
Influences
Paparizou has said that her parents had absolutely no musical background and the only person in her family who sang was her paternal grandmother. During her years in the village she would gather the people around the monasteries and sing hymns at weddings and baptisms, which inspired Paparizou to sing. While her first musical experiences were with international music, predominantly musicalMusical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
s, her musical roots are in traditional Greek music such as laiko
Laïkó
Laïkó ), is a Greek music genre. Also called folk song or urban folk music , in its plural form is a Greek music genre which has taken many forms over the years...
and rebetiko
Rebetiko
Rebetiko, plural rebetika, , occasionally transliterated as Rembetiko, is a term used today to designate originally disparate kinds of urban Greek folk music which have come to be grouped together since the so-called rebetika revival, which started in the 1960s and developed further from the early...
as she was exposed to the music of Vassilis Tsitsanis
Vassilis Tsitsanis
Vassilis Tsitsanis was a Greek songwriter and bouzouki player. He became one of the leading Greek composers of his time and is widely regarded as one of the founders of modern Rebetika. Tsitsanis wrote more than 500 songs and is still remembered as an extraordinary bouzouki...
, Markos Vamvakaris
Markos Vamvakaris
Markos Vamvakaris , was a rebetiko musician. He is universally referred to by rebetiko writers and fans simply by his first name, Markos...
, Stelios Kazantzidis
Stelios Kazantzidis
Stylianos Kazantzidis was a prominent Greek singer. A leading singer of Greek popular music, or Laïkó, he collaborated with many of Greece's foremost composers.-Biography :...
, Mimis Plaisas, and Giannis Spanos through her parents. However, as a child, she considered these genres to be distant and old-fashioned and only associated them with her summer holidays in Greece. In her teenage years, she began listening to a broad range of music including R&B
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
and soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
, however, her biggest musical influences were female pop singers such as Madonna
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
, Céline Dion
Celine Dion
Céline Marie Claudette Dion, , , is a Canadian singer. Born to a large family from Charlemagne, Quebec, Dion emerged as a teen star in the French-speaking world after her manager and future husband René Angélil mortgaged his home to finance her first record...
, Tina Turner
Tina Turner
Tina Turner is an American singer and actress whose career has spanned more than 50 years. She has won numerous awards and her achievements in the rock music genre have led many to call her the "Queen of Rock 'n' Roll".Turner started out her music career with husband Ike Turner as a member of the...
and Janet Jackson
Janet Jackson
Janet Damita Jo Jackson is an American recording artist and actress. Known for a series of sonically innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows, television and film roles, she has been a prominent figure in popular culture for over 25 years...
. Later on, she also cited frequent collaborator Paschalis Terzis for teaching her to be a better vocalist on a technical level. Paparizou has also stated that she was a big fan of the Eurovision Song Contest for years before she first participated in 2001.
Music and themes
Anastacia
Anastacia is an American singer-songwriter. Anastacia has been highly successful in Europe, Asia, South Africa and South America, but has had only minor success in her native United States...
.
Similar to Antique's work, all of Paparizou's albums have included a sizable amount of covers and translations.
Following Antique's distinct style of blending traditional Greek music with Nordic disco sounds, with her debut solo album Protereotita, Paparizou focused on more pop sounds in addition to laiko
Laïkó
Laïkó ), is a Greek music genre. Also called folk song or urban folk music , in its plural form is a Greek music genre which has taken many forms over the years...
and the songs were directed towards the club market; however, Giorgos Mastorakis of Music Corner stated that despite the image change, the album was not too different than what the public had become used to from Antique, being described as "pop moments (with keen laiko ... 'garnish')." In addition, the album contained many writers from both Greece and Sweden, which –according to Mastorakis– led to the album's sound to be varying. The more stylistically interesting songs from the album included the title track which followed a more R&B style, while the song "Katse Kala" was described as having an "original sound."
Following her Eurovision win, Paparizou witnessed increased popularity and was often promoted more as a pop singer by the media. In his review of the Euro Edition of Protereotita, Pavlos Zervas of Music Corner was highly impressed with the album and believed that its contemporary style could potentially be an international hit, supporting the singer more so in English-language recordings; In his review of Iparhi Logos, Zervas even went as far as to say that apart from Sakis Rouvas, the nation's primary pop performer, Paparizou was the only artist supporting the pop/dance genre so well in Greece, adding that anything that she chose to sing at the moment would become a hit. He used Paparizou as an example that big name producers like Giorgos Theofanous and Phoebus
Phoebus (songwriter)
Phoebus sometimes spelled Phivos or Fivos , is a well-known songwriter in both Greece and Cyprus. Phoebus is mostly known for his music through Despina Vandi and Katy Garbi, although he has composed albums for many other artists in Greece and Cyprus...
are not needed to create hits. Material-wise, he maintained that the numerous covers were the album's strong point, while "Gigolo" was characterized by "witty" lyrics in an overall pattern that followed her hit "Mambo!" and previous hits. Nevertheless, he considered that the laiko material on the album contradicted the pop ones and made her overall sound less focused.
Paparizou's first English-language album The Game of Love was anticipated amongst Greek consumers and featured a fairly similar sound to Iparhi Logos, with over half of the album's material being taken from the aforementioned album. Zervas also reviewed this album, saying that it contained many different styles such as dance, hip hop, slow jams and latin, following a typical recipe of American music. Zervas believed that international female pop singers did not have much above Paparizou, saying that the album's success would depend solely on promotion efforts, although internationally affiliated record companies were less impressed. Zervas' impression was that while he believed in the material's potential, he thought that if Paparizou continued her current trends and performance style at laiko
Laïkó
Laïkó ), is a Greek music genre. Also called folk song or urban folk music , in its plural form is a Greek music genre which has taken many forms over the years...
nightclubs ambitions for an international career would come to a disappointment.
For Vrisko To Logo Na Zo, her fourth album, Paparizou minimized the laiko
Laïkó
Laïkó ), is a Greek music genre. Also called folk song or urban folk music , in its plural form is a Greek music genre which has taken many forms over the years...
influences and promoted a more pop/rock sound and image; in contrast with her first three albums that followed a similar approach of blending laiko and dance-pop songs. The overall album concept was given generally mixed reviews; Evianna Nikoleri of Music Corner commented that on its positive notes the album was carefully crafted and had a good European-like production. The rock elements of the album were thought to be minor, with some occasional guitar riffs, while she maintained that Paparizou was following the current trend of pop/laiko female singers promoting a rock image, something that she credited Despina Vandi
Despina Vandi
Despina Malea , known by her stage name Despina Vandi , is a Greek singer. Born in Tübingen near Stuttgart, West Germany, Vandi's family returned to Kavala, Greece when she was six years old and she later enrolled at the University of Thessaloniki, but eventually dropped out to begin a career in...
for commencing;
For Giro Apo T' Oneiro, Paparizou worked with the same group she had two years prior with minimal changes. However, she toned down the image she had created with her previous album; while many of the songs still contained rock influences, she also re-embraced dance-pop and pop-folk, while to a lesser extent incorporated electronic
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
and lounge
Lounge music
Lounge music is a retrospective description of music popular in the 1950s and 1960s. It is a type of mood music meant to evoke in the listeners the feeling of being in a place — a jungle, an island paradise, outer space, et cetera — other than where they are listening to it...
, and set an overall pop theme for the album.
While some critics have said that her material's lyrics have flow, they have also criticized them as being generic and trivial, focusing on typical love cliché
Cliché
A cliché or cliche is an expression, idea, or element of an artistic work which has been overused to the point of losing its original meaning or effect, especially when at some earlier time it was considered meaningful or novel. In phraseology, the term has taken on a more technical meaning,...
s; Nikoleri stated that while songs like "I Kardia Sou Petra", "Kita Brosta", "Pios" grab attention, not a single song escapes from the typical love themes of 'you left and I want you back,' 'I love you but I will get over you,' etc.," citing it as an area for improvement. Paparizou has contributed a couple of tracks as a songwriter on all of her studio albums with the exception of Iparhi Logos (although she did write the lyrics of the Antique song "Why?" which was one of the album's live covers), with these writing ventures being nearly universally collaborations with at least one other songwriter. She has contributed lyrics to "Treli Kardia" (Protereotita), "Carpe Diem" and "Teardrops" (The Game of Love), and "Mathe Prota N'agapas" (Vrisko To Logo Na Zo), while on Vrisko To Logo Na Zo she made her first musical contributions on the afforementioned track and "Den Tha 'Mai 'Do" and later on "Filarakia" (Giro Apo T' Oneiro), which was also her first solo writing credit.
Makis Kalamaris of Avopolis alleged that there were two types of artists: quality and commercial, labelling Paparizou as the latter, although he noted that she is an artist that some artists from the quality side have shown a liking for because despite her material's level, she defends it in the best possible way.
Vocal style
Aris Kavatzikis of Close Up described Paparizou as having a "metallic voice." Especially following the disbandment of Antique, Paparizou's voice was characterized as possessing a "deep, sensual" tone. Paparizou possesses a mezzo-sopranoMezzo-soprano
A mezzo-soprano is a type of classical female singing voice whose range lies between the soprano and the contralto singing voices, usually extending from the A below middle C to the A two octaves above...
vocal range
Vocal range
Vocal range is the measure of the breadth of pitches that a human voice can phonate. Although the study of vocal range has little practical application in terms of speech, it is a topic of study within linguistics, phonetics, and speech and language pathology, particularly in relation to the study...
; from her Antique years up until 2005, she performed in a vocal range of C4 to B6. Critics have continuously argued over whether laïko or pop material best suits the artist vocally, usually coming to completely opposite conclusions, especially when country of origin varies. Both Giorgos Mastorakis and Pavlos Zervas of Music Corner maintained that she was capable in both, with Zervas being more adament about her limiting her performances to the dance-pop genre in support of her post-Eurovision image, adding that in her live cover of "Just Walk Away
Just Walk Away
"Just Walk Away" is the seventh single from Céline Dion's album The Colour of My Love. It was released as a radio single in Spain on October 23, 1995....
" she used her vocal abilities in their entirety. Zervas also supported her more in English-language recordings, mostly because of her non-Greek accent. Makis Kalamaris of Avopolis also felt similarly about these points and dismissed her pop-rock attempts. In contrast, Swedish critic Dan Backman of Svenska Dagbladet
Svenska Dagbladet
Svenska Dagbladet is a daily newspaper in Sweden. The first issue appeared on 18 December 1884. Svenska Dagbladet is published in Stockholm and provides coverage of national and international news as well as local coverage of the Greater Stockholm region...
felt that Paparizou was no exception to the rule that musical artists sound better in their native language, describing her vocal performances as "expressive" in Greek and "bland" in English. He also consistently selected her pure laïko songs, such as "Stin Kardia Mou Mono Thlipsi", "I Zoi Sou Zari", M'angaliazei To Skotadi", and "O,ti Axizi Ine I Stigmes" as being best suited to her voice rather than her contemporary or hybrid material, suggesting her voice may possess "the right dramatic nerve" for the style.
Reception to Paparizou's vocals has been mixed. Some critics have felt that they are at least sufficient, with Kalamaris describing her albilities as "not insignificant". Alternately, others have felt that her vocals are technically unskilled and have in particular criticized her live vocal performances. In general her vocals have been viewed as one of her weaker points of appeal. Nitro was skeptical of Paparizou's musical abilities overall, saying that if the world was a fair place, it would be widely acknowledged that she "has simply a pretty face, while the voice behind that belongs to a less pretty singer." Others have also been under the opinion that she does not sell primarily based on her voice, but rather on her public image and styling. Zervas opined favourably of her vocals, writing that on the Euro Edition EP, Paparizou's voice seemed "adaptable" and "pliable" to the details of each of the album's songs, from the ballads to the uptempo ones. Critic Georgia Laimou of Eleftheros Typos
Eleftheros Typos
Eleftheros Typos was a daily newspaper published in Athens, founded in 1983 by the Lilian Voudouri press foundation. Eminent in liberal and conservative circles, it vied for the top sales spot in the eighties, but today trails its left-of-center competitors by a margin, though still retaining its...
, however, highly disagreed with this statement. She noticed that since her Eurovision win, Paparizou sang with more force and a new-found confidence but also found that she has a tendency to "yell" her notes. Through hearing the artist sing her own songs as well as covers, she found that Paparizou sings all genres and styles of songs in the exact same, monotonous voice and has a very limited vocal range, apparently possessing only one comfortable key
Key (music)
In music theory, the term key is used in many different and sometimes contradictory ways. A common use is to speak of music as being "in" a specific key, such as in the key of C major or in the key of F-sharp. Sometimes the terms "major" or "minor" are appended, as in the key of A minor or in the...
, overall being unimpressed by her live performance. In 2008, Evianna Nikoleri noticed an improvement in Paparizou's voice, suggesting that Vrisko To Logo Na Zo contained her best vocal performance on an album. However, as the difficulty level of the songs progressed, the more Paparizou's excessive yelling became noticable, as a result of trying to to prove her volume and push her range to reach high notes, being panned by critics on songs such as "Eisai I Foni" and "Den Tha 'Mai 'Do". Nikoleri stated that she felt that Paparizou, like most laïko-pop female singers, believed that singing loudly was synonymous with singing well or possessing a naturally big voice and compared her to Despina Vandi
Despina Vandi
Despina Malea , known by her stage name Despina Vandi , is a Greek singer. Born in Tübingen near Stuttgart, West Germany, Vandi's family returned to Kavala, Greece when she was six years old and she later enrolled at the University of Thessaloniki, but eventually dropped out to begin a career in...
, who she credited with starting the trend. Nevertheless, Makis Kalamaris, who believed the album to be quite mediocre, saying it was based mostly on "beatless rock scratches and mellow ballads", said that Paparizou saved most of the material just with her lively delivery of it. He felt similarly about Giro Apo T' Oneiro, whose material he also found lackluster.
In addition to often losing her breath onstage due to her asthma
Asthma
Asthma is the common chronic inflammatory disease of the airways characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and bronchospasm. Symptoms include wheezing, coughing, chest tightness, and shortness of breath...
, for which she has to carry an inhaler
Inhaler
An inhaler or puffer is a medical device used for delivering medication into the body via the lungs. It is mainly used in the treatment of asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease . Zanamivir , used to treat influenza, must be administered via inhaler...
, Paparizou is also a cigarette smoker, having started some time during childhood, an action which can provide damage to one's vocal chords. In Greece, it is often common for certain television programs or events to be lip-synced, often due to technical restrictions and these are made known to the public. Some programs offer the option of performing live, although Paparizou has almost always chosen the lip-sync option, even in performances where there is no choreography to complicate the execution, with the exception of some more low-key performances where she has sung along with a piano. However, on several occasions since serving as a frontwoman for Antique, the singer has been criticized for using a full playback track
Backing track
A backing track is an audio or MIDI recording that musicians play or sing along to in order to add parts to their music which would be impractical to perform live.-Uses:...
during "live" stage performances, such as at clubs or concerts, something that a lot of Greek singers are known to do but is less socially acceptable.
Fashion and style
Leg
Łęg may refer to the following places in Poland:*A former name for the town of Ełk *Part of the Czyżyny district of Kraków*Łęg, Pleszew County in Greater Poland Voivodeship...
s as her most prominent physical feature, and was also known to wear mini-dresses and five-inch high heels. In promotion of the album Vrisko To Logo Na Zo, Paparizou promoted a more rock-inspired image than she had previously been associated with, appearing more aggressive in dark tones in both wardrobe and make-up. The look was completed with multiple new piercings, including her ear cartilage, tongue
Tongue piercing
A tongue piercing is a body piercing usually done directly through the center of the tongue, and is the most popular piercing site in the western world after the ear and nostril.-History and culture:...
, and most notably, her nostril, wearing a wire chain to connect it to her ear piercing. Evianna Nikoleri maintained that Paparizou was following the current trend of pop/laiko female singers promoting a rock image, something that she credited Despina Vandi
Despina Vandi
Despina Malea , known by her stage name Despina Vandi , is a Greek singer. Born in Tübingen near Stuttgart, West Germany, Vandi's family returned to Kavala, Greece when she was six years old and she later enrolled at the University of Thessaloniki, but eventually dropped out to begin a career in...
for commencing. Makis Kalamaris of Avopolis also agreed that this new image was more so for mainstream success rather than artistic expression, but added that Paparizou, knowing her limitations, was slowly easing into it rather than suddenly presenting this rock persona, adding that she was probably the only case of a Greek female singer being able to imitate trends of international females without singing in skiladiko
Skiladiko
Skiladiko , , is a derogatory term to describe laiko music or a so-called "decadent" form of laiko and it derives from the Greek for dog , meaning "dogish" or "doghouse", and the current nightclubs in Greece in which Greek folk music is performed...
clubs and at the same time cloning herself into Madonna, which made her stand out against the current mainstream scene. Paparizou's make-up artist Giannis Marketakis has stated that while their relationship began strictly professionally, they have since become like siblings, further saying that Paparizou always gives input on her look and fashion, and follows fashion trends closely. Despite this, Paparizou has said that she avoids extremeties in her fashion choices. In The Game of Love, Paparizou gives credit to Al Giga, her stylist, for making her love fashion and herself, while she also acknowledges Roberto Cavalli —who has provided the majority of her wardrobe since Eurovision 2005— for his input.
Public image
On 14 March 2010, Alpha TVAlpha TV
Alpha TV is a Greek terrestrial channel . The station features a mix of Greek and foreign shows with an emphasis on entertainment programs. The studios are located near Athens...
ranked Paparizou as the 14th top-certified female artist in the nation's 50-year phonographic industry, on a list titled the "30 Most Popular Greek Female Singers of the Past 50 Years," with certifications totalling seven Platinum and four Gold records. This made Paparizou the youngest artist on the list, the only artist under the age of 30, as well as the only artist to emerge in the 2000s (in her solo career). In 2010, Forbes
Forbes
Forbes is an American publishing and media company. Its flagship publication, the Forbes magazine, is published biweekly. Its primary competitors in the national business magazine category are Fortune, which is also published biweekly, and Business Week...
listed her as the 21st most powerful and influential celebrity in Greece, and the fourth highest ranked singer. She is regarded as the most successful female pop singer of the second half of the 2000s. While in years previous to this a supposed rivalry between Anna Vissi
Anna Vissi
Anna Vissi , known as Anna Vishy in Cypriot Greek, is a Greek-Cypriot recording artist and actress...
and Despina Vandi
Despina Vandi
Despina Malea , known by her stage name Despina Vandi , is a Greek singer. Born in Tübingen near Stuttgart, West Germany, Vandi's family returned to Kavala, Greece when she was six years old and she later enrolled at the University of Thessaloniki, but eventually dropped out to begin a career in...
received heavy media attention and competition as to which artist would ultimately come out on top, Paparizou essentially replaced the two musicians as the top contemporary female artist in their absences during the latter half of the decade. In reviewing her comeback album, Apagorevmeno
Apagorevmeno
Apagorevmeno is Greek singer Anna Vissi's 25th studio album, released in Greece and Cyprus on December 9, 2008 by Sony BMG Greece. It is Vissi's first studio album since 2005 and the first since her 1981 self-titled album to not include any songs or input by Nikos Karvelas...
(2008) after three years since her last release, Haris Simvoulidis of Avopolis alleged that Vissi gave the impression of trying to catch up to her contemporaries, Paparizou and Peggy Zina
Peggy Zina
Kalliopi Zina , known professionally as Peggy Zina, is a Greek singer. Peggy Zina made her discographic debut in 1995 with her self-titled album. She has since released ten studio albums and is a high-profile artist in the Greek music industry...
, who were the most culturally relevant female acts of that era. However, by the end of the decade her popularity was in decline as was most of the laïko-pop scene and image-based singers, partially due to hardships faced by the Greek music industry including piracy
Piracy
Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence at sea. The term can include acts committed on land, in the air, or in other major bodies of water or on a shore. It does not normally include crimes committed against persons traveling on the same vessel as the perpetrator...
, the financial crisis, and changing musical tastes.
Paparizou established a public image described as that of the "Greek every-girl" or the "girl next door
Girl next door
The cultural and sexual stereotype of the girl next door or the All-American girl is invoked in American contexts to indicate wholesome, unassuming femininity, as opposed to the culture's other female stereotypes such as the tomboy, the valley girl, the femme fatale, girly girl, or the slut. The...
," making her an icon for teenage girls, while her songs have become a staple for young people during auditions at reality music shows such as Greek Idol
Greek Idol
Greek Idol is a reality television competition to find new solo singing talent. Part of the Idol franchise, it is based on the British show Pop Idol created by Simon Fuller. The first season of the show debut on March 5, 2010 on Alpha TV. The second season is scheduled to premiere on 19 February 2011...
as well as having inspired younger artists such as Idol runner-up Nicole Paparistodimou. Paparizou became known for the way she approached the media; she has been known to apologize in her interviews, laugh throughout, and "embodies the good girl and not the femme fatale
Femme fatale
A femme fatale is a mysterious and seductive woman whose charms ensnare her lovers in bonds of irresistible desire, often leading them into compromising, dangerous, and deadly situations. She is an archetype of literature and art...
, she wants to be likeable" and projects a "child-woman" rather than a diva
Diva
A diva is a celebrated female singer. The term is used to describe a woman of outstanding talent in the world of opera, and, by extension, in theatre, cinema and popular music. The meaning of diva is closely related to that of "prima donna"....
, thus staying family-friendly. However, she has also spoken candidly to reporters about issues concerning her personal life, plastic surgery
Plastic surgery
Plastic surgery is a medical specialty concerned with the correction or restoration of form and function. Though cosmetic or aesthetic surgery is the best-known kind of plastic surgery, most plastic surgery is not cosmetic: plastic surgery includes many types of reconstructive surgery, hand...
, and weight. She has also been referred to as an anti-star, while Ivi reportedly selected her to be the face of their "Fersou Fisika" (act natural) campaign for representing all of the corresponding qualities, such as freshness, naturalness, authenticity, good will, and humour. A biography of the artist on Alpha TV's Kafes Me Tin Eleni stated that Paparizou's appeal was not due to her voice, her songs, nor her body, but rather that she represents the qualities and limitations of the average person
Average Joe
Average Joe is an American reality television show broadcast on the NBC beginning in 2003. There were a total of four seasons, the first two following the original show premise, and the last two bringing back contestants from prior seasons.-Show Premise:...
. Paparizou has said that she likes to present herself in moderation; she herself ranked her star power as moderate in the Greek star system, the level she finds appropriate for artists, adding that she believed that her public image would never be able to overcome that of the girl next door in the eyes of the Greek public. However, E! Entertainment Television also described her as "sultry," ranking her at number 16 on their 25 Sexiest Women and 25 Sexiest Pop Divas of 2008, making her one of only two Greek celebrities —along with Kostas Martakis
Kostas Martakis
Konstantinos "Kostas" Martakis is a Greek singer, who rose to fame after appearing on Greek talent show Dream Show aired by Alpha TV in 2006. Following his participation, he went on to release three studio albums and also participated in the Greek national final for the Eurovision Song Contest 2008...
— to ever be featured on one of the network's lists. In 2009, she admitted to having undergone breast augmentation
Breast augmentation
Breast augmentation denotes the breast implant and fat-graft mammoplasty procedures for correcting the defects, and for enhancing the size, form, and feel of a woman’s breasts...
at the age of 26 after wishing to do so since she was 18. This made her the first Greek female celebrity to admit having undergone the afforementioned procedure, something which was reviewed positively by some media personalities. Paparizou also performed as the main act at the artistic portion of the Athens Pride 2010, supporting LGBT
LGBT
LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
people of Greece. She has had promotional deals with Skechers
Skechers
Skechers is an American shoe company headquartered in Manhattan Beach, California, founded by CEO Robert Greenberg. Greenberg started Skechers in 1992 after he left LA Gear which he also founded. Skechers was started with his son as a distributor for Doc Martens; they launched their own shoe line...
, Nokia Greece
Nokia
Nokia Corporation is a Finnish multinational communications corporation that is headquartered in Keilaniemi, Espoo, a city neighbouring Finland's capital Helsinki...
, Organics Hair Care, and Ivi, and through record label association has promoted Sony Ericsson
Sony Ericsson
Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications AB is a joint venture established on October 1, 2001 by the Japanese consumer electronics company Sony Corporation and the Swedish telecommunications company Ericsson to manufacture mobile phones....
(both Greece and Sweden), TIM Hellas, Vivodi, and Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola is a carbonated soft drink sold in stores, restaurants, and vending machines in more than 200 countries. It is produced by The Coca-Cola Company of Atlanta, Georgia, and is often referred to simply as Coke...
.
In 2008, Paparizou, who was known for her slim figure, was scrutinized for her weight gain during the 2007–08 season when she took a break from performing. Paparizou openly stated that she had gained 10 kg (22 lbs), however she had already lost 7 (15) of them. She had previously stated that she gains at least that amount every time she goes on break, adding that it would have been possible for her to gain up to 15 kg (33 lbs). As she had first stated in 2006, she was dissatisfied with discriminative ideals towards both men and women and threatened to put on weight the following year. This was followed by another weight gain in 2009; her new image distanced her from the one she became known with circa Eurovision 2005. As the media became more concerned with her weight Paparizou expressed her disapproval of this, stating "I am a singer, not a model." In her 2010 video shoots it was reported that Paparizou asked only for close-up shots due to this issue. Paparizou had also faced scrutiny for her weight on another occasion during the Eurovision 2001 era where media made claims of her having anorexia nervosa
Anorexia nervosa
Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by refusal to maintain a healthy body weight and an obsessive fear of gaining weight. Although commonly called "anorexia", that term on its own denotes any symptomatic loss of appetite and is not strictly accurate...
; Paparizou admitted that for her appearance in the contest she had lost too much weight and had dropped down to 51 kg.
Personal life
Paparizou at one point during her youth followed BuddhismBuddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
, but eventually began following the Greek Orthodox religion once again as she believes it suits her better. She has been involved in a long term relationship with fellow Swedish-born Greek Toni Mavridis, whom she was introduced to as a musician by a friend of her sister's at a restaurant called Mykonos when she was only 17, while Mavridis is 11 years her senior. Mavridis became an impresario
Impresario
An impresario is a person who organizes and often finances concerts, plays or operas; analogous to a film producer in filmmaking, television production and an angel investor in business...
for Antique and has written songs on all of Paparizou's solo albums, while he also serves as her manager. Mavridis had approached Paparizou for only one month before their relationship commenced and she left her parents' home to live with him in Stockholm. The two had a traditional Greek engagement celebration with their relatives on December 24, 2000 and have been engaged since; however, Paparizou has said that Mavridis has never officially proposed to her and that she would prefer that he do this in the Western tradition of going down on one knee. Paparizou's lack of fluency in the Greek language was often a subject of the media, although she began to improve it following her Eurovision win, having bought a home with Mavridis in the Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
suburb of Glyfada
Glyfada
Glyfada is a suburb of Athens, situated in the southern parts of the Athens Metropolitan Area. The area, which is home to many of Greece's millionaires, ministers and celebrities, stretches out from the foot of the Hymettus mountain and reaches out to embrace the Saronic Gulf. It is the largest of...
in 2006. Mavridis has suggested the idea of the two getting married in Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
, while Paparizou has also already chosen a koumbara, her good friend Roxani. On many occasions, Paparizou has commented on starting a family with Mavridis; in Celebrity, Paparizou was quoted as saying "I believe that family is the most natural thing, the thing I want in my life. And what is my preference? To not have kids so I can continue my career? One day it will end. I cannot be on stage everyday, like I am now at 25," while in Nitro she said "No [Mavridis is not my first relationship], but I think he is my last. He is the person I want to have kids with. I think he is the best father they could have. If I don't have kids with him, then I will adopt." In the August 2010 issue of Life & Style, Paparizou revealed that she would like to have a child within the next year to two years. In 2011 Paparizou took a break from the Greek music scene and returned to Sweden alone. It was reported that she and Mavridis had been separated for nearly three months and were in the process of splitting their shared wealth and placing their Glyfada home for sale. On 29 June 2011, Mavridis confirmed that they had ended their relationship after 12 years together.
Paparizou's father died suddenly on 25 December 2008 of a heart attack during the family's Christmas Day celebrations. Paparizou stopped her performances at Iera Odos to be with family in Sweden before resuming her show. She later stated her belief that her father would have lived had the ambulance
Ambulance
An ambulance is a vehicle for transportation of sick or injured people to, from or between places of treatment for an illness or injury, and in some instances will also provide out of hospital medical care to the patient...
been prompt, blaming medical incompetency. She has been suffering from depression since, citing it as the second occurrence since she was a teenager.
Discography
- ProtereotitaProtereotita-Euro Edition :-My Number One :-Protereotita: Euro Edition + Mambo! :-Greek singles:The first single to be released from the original album Protereotita was "Anapandites Kliseis". "Anapantites Kliseis"' was double A-side single with "Treli Kardia." The single peaked at number 1 for a successful 6...
(2004) - Iparhi Logos (2006)
- The Game of Love (2006)
- Vrisko To Logo Na ZoVrisko To Logo Na ZoVrisko To Logo Na Zo is the third Greek-language studio album and fourth studio album overall by Greek singer Elena Paparizou, released on June 12, 2008 by Sony BMG Greece...
(2008) - Giro Apo T' Oneiro (2010)
Concert tours
Headlining- "My Number One" Eurovision Promo TourGreece in the Eurovision Song Contest 2005Greece participated in and won the Eurovision Song Contest 2005, its first Eurovision Song Contest victory. Greek national broadcaster Ellinikí Radiofonía Tileórasi internally selected Helena Paparizou who sang "My Number One" in Kiev, winning the competition with 230 points. The song is written...
(2005) - Eurovision Winner's Tour (2005)
- To Party Arhizei (2008)
Joint
- North American and Australian Tour (with Nikos Kourkoulis) (2005)
- Fisika Mazi (with Onirama) (2010)
Resident shows
Main act- Fever (with Giorgos Tsalikis and Christos Pazis) (2005–06)
- Iera Odos (with Paschalis Terzis and Nino) (2006–07)
- Odeon (with Paschalis Terzis and Nino) (2007)
- Iera Odos (with Paschalis Terzis and Manos Pirovolakis) (2008–09)
- Thalassa: People's Stage (with Stavento and 15:50, Pt.2: Loukas Giorkas and 15:50) (2009)
- Diogenis Studio (with Antonis Remos) (2010–11)
- Pyli Axiou (with Giannis PariosGiannis Parios- Biography :Yiannis Parios was born Ioannis Varthakouris on the island of Paros .- Discography :*Yiannis Parios *Ti theleis na kano *Anthropina kai kathimerina...
(2011–12)
Opening act
- Studio Piraios (opening act for Antonis Remos and Giannis Spanos) (2003–04)
- Fever (opening act for Sakis Rouvas and Giorgos Mazonakis) (2004–05)
- Thalassa (with Apostolia Zoi, Nino, and Thanos Petrelis) (2004)
External links
- Official Elena Paparizou websites:
- Website
MySpace
YouTube
Official Fan Club
- Elena Paparizou at Sony Music Entertainment Greece
- Helena Paparizou on the Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...