Emena Thes
Encyclopedia
"Emena Thes" is the second single by Greek singer Sakis Rouvas
from his 13th studio album Parafora
. It is a romantic hard rock ballad written by Dimitris Fakos and produced by Freakchild. The song was released to radio stations on 4 May 2010. The song was further released as a digital single and reached the top five of the airplay charts.
Its music video was the subject of a contest held by Rouvas collaborator Trident, where one contestant was chosen to star in the video while nine others served minor roles. The music video, which was directed by White Room and possessed an atmospheric quality, was notable for its painted rotoscoping effect, marking a first in Greek cinematography. Rouvas performed the song at the MAD Video Music Awards 2010 with a stage show that received wide acclaim for its unique camera work and concept.
" which reached number one on all Greek charts, becoming his fourth consecutive single to do so, and also the follow-up to Tamta's single "Tharros I Alitheia", which he is featured in and became a major club hit while also charting high in airplay. When Rouvas released "Pio Dinata
" (This Is Our Night) and "Spase To Hrono", it was unclear whether the tracks were to be included on a further reissue of his last studio album Irthes
or if the musician was planning a new album. "Spase To Hrono" was released to promote Trident's "free your senses" campaign and as part of that they hosted a contest where the winner would be able to spend 48 hours with Rouvas, ten runners-up would star in his video, while another 100 would receive a copy of his new album before it was released, indicating that the last two singles will be included on an album of new material.
The song first appeared through Rouvas' official website and Cypriot music website Music.Net.cy on 4 May 2010 as both a promo and radio single and was released on 7 June as a digital single. The song's release coincided with the launch of Rouvas' concert series at Politia in Thessaloniki
, where it was added to the modified setlist.
influences. The song begins with a piano introduction and follows the traditional verse-chorus format. The romantic ballad, a style Rouvas has become notable for over the years of his career, lyrically finds him asking the night and the stars what is to become of a troubled relationship. Rouvas professes his love to his lover, who still has not realized that she is in love with him, with the hook saying "Wherever you go, whatever you say, I am the one you want".
Music Control
Airplay Chart the week following Rouvas' MAD VMA victory and performance, moving up 17 spots from the previous week. It was also the third highest charting Greek-language song for that week in the Top 20 chart.
reported that the music video
would be shot in the week following the Balkan Music Awards, held on 16 May 2010, where Rouvas won the award for Best Balkan Song from Greece for his previous single, and, according to the newspaper, had planned to perform the song at the ceremony in Sofia
, Bulgaria
. However, this did not materialize due to the entertainer's work obligations and thus he gave his acceptance speech via satellite
from Thessaloniki
where he had recently launched his Politia Live Clubbing concert series. Rouvas made a brief return to Athens, specifically to the suburb of Vouliagmeni
, for the 19 May filming of the video. The setting was the Astir Palace hotel and the nearby beach. "Emena Thes" was directed by White Room, who Rouvas had first collaborated with for the video of "Na M'agapas" in 2005 as well as "Mila Tis", "Ego Travao Zori", Ola Gyro Sou Gyrizoun", and "Zise Ti Zoi
" later on, making him one of the first artists to work with the company in its beginning. During the filming, Rouvas informed fans of his whereabouts via his account on the social networking website Twitter
, posting a photograph of himself on set that revealed on of his looks for the video, which was a black outfit with dark aviator sunglasses
. This earned him further praise for efficiently using technology to communicate with fans. Also involved in this music video are the ten runners-up of the "Spase To Hrono Me Ton Saki Rouvas Kia Trident" (Shatter time with Sakis Rouvas and Trident) competition, which garnered thousands of participants and as a second place prize offered the winners the opportunity to be involved in his next music video. Of those ten, two women were chosen to star in the video with Rouvas, Cypriots
Lorena Savvidou from Lemesos and Rafaela Savva from Nicosia
. The two winners were given VIP treatment courtesy of Trident Senses and received the opportunity to chat and be photographed with Rouvas. The remaining winners also met Rouvas and were allowed to follow the duration of filming as well as well as be involved in the creation of the music video in more minor roles.
The music video is set in three different locations: a hotel lobby, a bedroom, and on the beach. Although it was originally reported that both winners would appear in the video, only one was finally chosen to star. The others can be seen in minor roles as guests and workers in the lobby. The video chronicles the romance and conflict between the singer and his love interest, while making heavy use of visual art, with each scene presented as a watercolour painting, while in the intervals close-ups of Rouvas singing in front of a black background are shown. Additional artwork is shown of the surrounding environment, including buildings, the night sky, and birds flying across the sky. Throughout the video a live action
/animation
effect called rotoscoping is utilized, a first in Greek cinematography. It begins with Rouvas asleep and moves to him and his love interest sitting in a hotel lobby while the assistant brings over their luggage. They appear to be in a conflict, facing different directions. They then appear on the beach on better terms, while advertisements for the song's sponsor, Trident, are shown when the two characters each take a stick of gum. Snippets of love scenes are also played, while in some parts they are each shown separately and close-up shots show the woman's make-up smeared from crying, while animated tears also run down her face. During the bridge the two finally face each other in the lobby scene and as they lean in to kiss the rotoscoping animation momentarily smooths out. This is followed by another love scene and ends with the two walking out of the room.
An additional music video of the live performance of the song at the MAD Video Music Awards 2010 was also officially aired by the network.
while playing his black Gibson
Les Paul. Rouvas was also short-listed as a performer at the MAD Video Music Awards 2010, where he led the nominations for a solo artist with six, and performed a similar routine as the third act of the night. For the performance, all of the lights in the stadium were dimmed to bring lights from the cellular phones of audience members into prominence, while an animation of the new "Sakis" logo, also exhibited on the single cover, ran on the black video wall as Rouvas appeared on stage wearing tight black pants, unlaced boots, and a torn black T-shirt
designed by Dimitris Kaïdantzis, while playing an excerpt of an unrelated guitar riff as he walked to his platform on the side of the stage. The music subsequently began with Rouvas singing in front of a stand and playing guitar simultaneously, while below him a grid exuded gold lighting and smoke and behind him an outtake of the then-unreleased music video, featuring a close-up of Rouvas singing in front of a black background, as well as additional imagery, was played on the video wall. In the final chorus, the platform raised Rouvas several feet in the air above the audience, while confetti
was distributed all over the stadium. The performance was reviewed favourably, with MAD TV deeming it "explosive," while it was "unique" to the awards' standard, where upbeat, choreographed performances are usually favoured by artists. While most negative criticism of the performance centred around the selection of the song itself being wrong for the event, especially as Rouvas is known for his elebarate stage shows and choreography, the innovative camera work and stage presentation was widely acclaimed, with Madata calling it an "impressive extreme." The song will also be part of Rouvas' set list on his forthcoming tour following Politeia.
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...
from his 13th studio album Parafora
Parafora
Parafora is the 13th studio album by Greek recording artist Sakis Rouvas and 15th album overall. It was released by Minos EMI in Greece and Cyprus on 14 December 2010 and distributed digitally ten days later to all Eurozone countries and elsewhere...
. It is a romantic hard rock ballad written by Dimitris Fakos and produced by Freakchild. The song was released to radio stations on 4 May 2010. The song was further released as a digital single and reached the top five of the airplay charts.
Its music video was the subject of a contest held by Rouvas collaborator Trident, where one contestant was chosen to star in the video while nine others served minor roles. The music video, which was directed by White Room and possessed an atmospheric quality, was notable for its painted rotoscoping effect, marking a first in Greek cinematography. Rouvas performed the song at the MAD Video Music Awards 2010 with a stage show that received wide acclaim for its unique camera work and concept.
Background
"Emena Thes" was written by Dimitris Fakos and produced by Leonidas "Freakchild" Chantzaras, the first time Rouvas has collaborated with both. It is his solo follow-up single to "Spase To HronoSpase To Hrono
"Spase To Hrono" is a song by Greek pop musician Sakis Rouvas, composed by Greek composer Dimitris Kontopoulos, who had worked with Sakis Rouvas in recent years, as well as his contribution to Eurovision Song Contest...
" which reached number one on all Greek charts, becoming his fourth consecutive single to do so, and also the follow-up to Tamta's single "Tharros I Alitheia", which he is featured in and became a major club hit while also charting high in airplay. When Rouvas released "Pio Dinata
This Is Our Night
"This Is Our Night" is a song by Greek singer Sakis Rouvas, from the album Irthes. It was selected as Greece's entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 2009...
" (This Is Our Night) and "Spase To Hrono", it was unclear whether the tracks were to be included on a further reissue of his last studio album Irthes
Irthes
-This Is Our Night :-Singles:"+ Se Thelo""Irthes""This Is Our Night"'"Ksehna To Prin Kai To Meta"-Release history:-Promotion:...
or if the musician was planning a new album. "Spase To Hrono" was released to promote Trident's "free your senses" campaign and as part of that they hosted a contest where the winner would be able to spend 48 hours with Rouvas, ten runners-up would star in his video, while another 100 would receive a copy of his new album before it was released, indicating that the last two singles will be included on an album of new material.
The song first appeared through Rouvas' official website and Cypriot music website Music.Net.cy on 4 May 2010 as both a promo and radio single and was released on 7 June as a digital single. The song's release coincided with the launch of Rouvas' concert series at Politia in 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...
, where it was added to the modified setlist.
Composition and theme
"Emena Thes" is a power ballad with hard rockHard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
influences. The song begins with a piano introduction and follows the traditional verse-chorus format. The romantic ballad, a style Rouvas has become notable for over the years of his career, lyrically finds him asking the night and the stars what is to become of a troubled relationship. Rouvas professes his love to his lover, who still has not realized that she is in love with him, with the hook saying "Wherever you go, whatever you say, I am the one you want".
Chart performance
The song peaked at number twelve on the Nielsen GreekNielsen SoundScan
Nielsen SoundScan is an information and sales tracking system created by Mike Fine and Mike Shalett. Soundscan is the official method of tracking sales of music and music video products throughout the United States and Canada...
Music Control
Music Control
Music Control was a nightly, chart-oriented, network radio show, presented by Kevin Hughes. It was broadcast in the UK from 2001 to 2008 by GCap Media across 'The One Network' to 39 different radio stations....
Airplay Chart the week following Rouvas' MAD VMA victory and performance, moving up 17 spots from the previous week. It was also the third highest charting Greek-language song for that week in the Top 20 chart.
Development
Originally, Proto ThemaProto Thema
To Proto Thema is a Greek newspaper, published every Sunday. It was launched in 2005 by Makis Triantafyllopoulos, Themos Anastasiadis, and Tassos Karamitsos...
reported that the music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
would be shot in the week following the Balkan Music Awards, held on 16 May 2010, where Rouvas won the award for Best Balkan Song from Greece for his previous single, and, according to the newspaper, had planned to perform the song at the ceremony in Sofia
Sofia
Sofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria and the 12th largest city in the European Union with a population of 1.27 million people. It is located in western Bulgaria, at the foot of Mount Vitosha and approximately at the centre of the Balkan Peninsula.Prehistoric settlements were excavated...
, Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
. However, this did not materialize due to the entertainer's work obligations and thus he gave his acceptance speech via satellite
Satellite
In the context of spaceflight, a satellite is an object which has been placed into orbit by human endeavour. Such objects are sometimes called artificial satellites to distinguish them from natural satellites such as the Moon....
from 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...
where he had recently launched his Politia Live Clubbing concert series. Rouvas made a brief return to Athens, specifically to the suburb of Vouliagmeni
Vouliagmeni
Vouliagmeni is a seaside town and former municipality 20 km south of Athens, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Vari-Voula-Vouliagmeni, of which it is a municipal unit. Its population was 6,442 at the 2001 census. Vouliagmeni is among the most...
, for the 19 May filming of the video. The setting was the Astir Palace hotel and the nearby beach. "Emena Thes" was directed by White Room, who Rouvas had first collaborated with for the video of "Na M'agapas" in 2005 as well as "Mila Tis", "Ego Travao Zori", Ola Gyro Sou Gyrizoun", and "Zise Ti Zoi
Zise Ti Zoi
"Zise Ti Zoi" is a single by popular Greek singer Sakis Rouvas from the Alter Ego original soundtrack, released on 28 May 2007 in Greece and Cyprus by Minos EMI.-Production history:...
" later on, making him one of the first artists to work with the company in its beginning. During the filming, Rouvas informed fans of his whereabouts via his account on the social networking website Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
, posting a photograph of himself on set that revealed on of his looks for the video, which was a black outfit with dark aviator sunglasses
Aviator sunglasses
Aviator sunglasses are a style of sunglasses that were developed by Bausch & Lomb and branded as Ray-Ban. They are characterized by dark, often reflective lenses having an area two or three times the area of the eye socket, and metal frames with bayonet earpieces or flexible cable temples that hook...
. This earned him further praise for efficiently using technology to communicate with fans. Also involved in this music video are the ten runners-up of the "Spase To Hrono Me Ton Saki Rouvas Kia Trident" (Shatter time with Sakis Rouvas and Trident) competition, which garnered thousands of participants and as a second place prize offered the winners the opportunity to be involved in his next music video. Of those ten, two women were chosen to star in the video with Rouvas, Cypriots
Cypriot Greek
The Cypriot dialect of Modern Greek, known as Kypriaka , Cypriot Greek is spoken by 750,000 people in Cyprus and diaspora Greek Cypriots.Cypriot Greek is distinct enough that it can be classified as a distinct dialect of the Standard Greek....
Lorena Savvidou from Lemesos and Rafaela Savva from Nicosia
Nicosia
Nicosia from , known locally as Lefkosia , is the capital and largest city in Cyprus, as well as its main business center. Nicosia is the only divided capital in the world, with the southern and the northern portions divided by a Green Line...
. The two winners were given VIP treatment courtesy of Trident Senses and received the opportunity to chat and be photographed with Rouvas. The remaining winners also met Rouvas and were allowed to follow the duration of filming as well as well as be involved in the creation of the music video in more minor roles.
Synopsis
Prior to its official airdate, SigmaLive described it as "highly atmospheric."The music video is set in three different locations: a hotel lobby, a bedroom, and on the beach. Although it was originally reported that both winners would appear in the video, only one was finally chosen to star. The others can be seen in minor roles as guests and workers in the lobby. The video chronicles the romance and conflict between the singer and his love interest, while making heavy use of visual art, with each scene presented as a watercolour painting, while in the intervals close-ups of Rouvas singing in front of a black background are shown. Additional artwork is shown of the surrounding environment, including buildings, the night sky, and birds flying across the sky. Throughout the video a live action
Live action
In filmmaking, video production, and other media, the term live action refers to cinematography, videography not produced using animation...
/animation
Animation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
effect called rotoscoping is utilized, a first in Greek cinematography. It begins with Rouvas asleep and moves to him and his love interest sitting in a hotel lobby while the assistant brings over their luggage. They appear to be in a conflict, facing different directions. They then appear on the beach on better terms, while advertisements for the song's sponsor, Trident, are shown when the two characters each take a stick of gum. Snippets of love scenes are also played, while in some parts they are each shown separately and close-up shots show the woman's make-up smeared from crying, while animated tears also run down her face. During the bridge the two finally face each other in the lobby scene and as they lean in to kiss the rotoscoping animation momentarily smooths out. This is followed by another love scene and ends with the two walking out of the room.
An additional music video of the live performance of the song at the MAD Video Music Awards 2010 was also officially aired by the network.
Release and reception
The music video aired for the first time on MAD TV on 21 June 2010. It received favourable reviews from Cypriot music network Music.Net.cy who praised the direction by White Room, calling it "beautiful" and were also approving of the animation.Live performances
The first live performance of the song was made at the premiere of the artist's Politia Live Clubbing concert series in Thessaloniki on 14 May. For the live performance of the song it is played with smoke and bright green and pink lights in the background as Rouvas sings standing in front of a microphone standMicrophone stand
A microphone stand is a free-standing mount for a microphone. It allows the microphone to be positioned in the studio, on stage or on location without requiring a person to hold it....
while playing his black Gibson
Gibson Guitar Corporation
The Gibson Guitar Corporation, formerly of Kalamazoo, Michigan and currently of Nashville, Tennessee, manufactures guitars and other instruments which sell under a variety of brand names...
Les Paul. Rouvas was also short-listed as a performer at the MAD Video Music Awards 2010, where he led the nominations for a solo artist with six, and performed a similar routine as the third act of the night. For the performance, all of the lights in the stadium were dimmed to bring lights from the cellular phones of audience members into prominence, while an animation of the new "Sakis" logo, also exhibited on the single cover, ran on the black video wall as Rouvas appeared on stage wearing tight black pants, unlaced boots, and a torn black T-shirt
T-shirt
A T-shirt is a style of shirt. A T-shirt is buttonless and collarless, with short sleeves and frequently a round neck line....
designed by Dimitris Kaïdantzis, while playing an excerpt of an unrelated guitar riff as he walked to his platform on the side of the stage. The music subsequently began with Rouvas singing in front of a stand and playing guitar simultaneously, while below him a grid exuded gold lighting and smoke and behind him an outtake of the then-unreleased music video, featuring a close-up of Rouvas singing in front of a black background, as well as additional imagery, was played on the video wall. In the final chorus, the platform raised Rouvas several feet in the air above the audience, while confetti
Confetti
Confetti is a multitude of pieces of paper, mylar or metallic material which is usually thrown at parades and celebrations, especially weddings . Confetti is made in a variety of colors, and commercially available confetti is available in imaginative shapes...
was distributed all over the stadium. The performance was reviewed favourably, with MAD TV deeming it "explosive," while it was "unique" to the awards' standard, where upbeat, choreographed performances are usually favoured by artists. While most negative criticism of the performance centred around the selection of the song itself being wrong for the event, especially as Rouvas is known for his elebarate stage shows and choreography, the innovative camera work and stage presentation was widely acclaimed, with Madata calling it an "impressive extreme." The song will also be part of Rouvas' set list on his forthcoming tour following Politeia.
Personnel
- Sakis Rouvas – vocalsSingingSinging 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...
, executive producerExecutive producerAn executive producer is a producer who is not involved in any technical aspects of the film making or music process, but who is still responsible for the overall production... - Dimitris Fakos – songwriterSongwriterA 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...
- Leonidas Freakchild Chantzaras – producer
Charts
| Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Nielson Nielsen SoundScan Nielsen SoundScan is an information and sales tracking system created by Mike Fine and Mike Shalett. Soundscan is the official method of tracking sales of music and music video products throughout the United States and Canada... Greek Music Control Music Control Music Control was a nightly, chart-oriented, network radio show, presented by Kevin Hughes. It was broadcast in the UK from 2001 to 2008 by GCap Media across 'The One Network' to 39 different radio stations.... Airplay Chart |
12 |
| Nielsen Greek Top 20 Airplay Chart | 9 |
Release history
| Region | Date | Label | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greece Greece Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe.... |
4 May 2010 | Minos EMI Minos EMI Minos EMI is the domestic trade name of EMI Music Greece, a record company in Greece. It is the Greek record label division of the British-based, multinational EMI Group.... |
Radio single, promo single |
| 7 June 2010 | Digital download 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... |
||
| Cyprus Cyprus Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the... |
4 May 2010 | Radio single | |