Parafora
Encyclopedia
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. Along with the standard retail edition, a special edition was also sold, which included a bonus pictorial fan magazine with lyrics.
Recording dates for the album lasted over one year, concluding in November 2010. Rouvas collaborated with several songwriters and producers, including previous collaborators Dimitris Kontopoulos
and Natalia Germanou
and the rest mostly new collaborators, including recent hit makers
Freakchild, Playmen
, and Beetkraft. Rouvas continues to serve as executive producer and financier, a role he had adopted since 2006. The release offers new sounds and themes for Rouvas, while still focusing on his established pop, rock, and electronic genres. There are a total of 15 tracks as well as four music videos of the first three singles all on an Enhanced CD
. The album was inspired by Rouvas' upcoming 20th anniversary as an entertainer in 2011; he drew inspiration from his experiences, the relationship with his fans, and the music and messages he had created during the past two decades and combined all of these elements into one album, which he described as the best of his career. The album represents the turn Rouvas is taking in the next phase of his career.
Trident resumed its role as album sponsor and in promotion held a contest, the largest ever of its kind in Greece. Samples of the songs were uploaded by Rouvas leading up to the release, causing unprecedented traffic on the internet for such uploads by a Greek artist. The initial reaction from the mass consumer audience and professional music critics was largely favourable. Rouvas supported the album through his winter 2009–2010 resident show The S Club, a spring 2010 summer resident show at Politia Live Clubbing and a simultaneous national tour, as well as his 2010–11 resident show Face2Face. He later embarked at The S Club at Thalassa in 2011 and Underworld S Club at Athens Arena in 2011–2012. Parafora debuted at number two on the Greek IFPI Top 75 Albums and topped the chart for two consecutive weeks. It has so far spent ten non-consecutive weeks in the top ten. After one week of sales it was announced by Rouvas himself that the album's initial shipments were enough to warrant a double platinum certification. The album sold thousands of digital copies and became the most successful albums of the year. It is awaiting a multi-platinum certification on 7 December 2011. Prior to its release, the album had already generated three chart-topping singles: "Spase To Hrono
", "Emena Thes
", and the title track
, while "I Dio Mas" followed and "Nekros Okeanos" was confirmed as a future single. "Kalokairi Kai Fos" was also released as a promotional single while "Gia Mas" also charted. The album and its singles have earned Rouvas several awards. The first single was nominated for a record-breaking five MAD Video Music Awards, winning three—including Artist of the Year—and a Balkan Music Award. Rouvas also won an MTV Europe Music Award
and two Status Men of the Year Awards, while he won three MAD Video Music Awards in 2011, including the two most coveted prizes, Video of the Year and Artist of the Year for "Parafora" and "I Dio Mas", respectively.
(2008). Intentions to release the album became apparent after a contest held by one of his sponsors, Trident. Recording for the album began in the fourth quarter of 2009 with "Spase To Hrono" and spanned over one year. The last track was recorded on 15 November 2010 and the album recording was finished in its entirety one day later; Rouvas revealed his excitement via Twitter
, stating that "I just finished recording the best album of my career!" The album's title and cover were revealed on 10 December 2010.
For his previous album, Irthes, Rouvas collaborated almost exclusively with Dimitris Kontopoulos
, who was also commissioned to write all three of Rouvas' candidate songs for his participation in the Eurovision Song Contest 2009
, as well as the composer and producer of his album, with the exception of one track. Working namely with one main composer is something that Rouvas had not done since Kati Apo Mena
(1998) and not completely exclusively since Tora Arhizoun Ta Dyskola
(1996). For Parafora, Rouvas reverted to using several songwriters and producers. The majority of the songwriters and producers are new collaborators and recent hit makers
relatively new to the music industry. Kontopoulos, who first collaborated with Rouvas for To Hrono Stamatao
(2003), resumed his role as a composer, producer, arranger, programmer, and instrumentalist, with eight contributions to the album, including the singles "Spase To Hrono" and the title track
. Others who have never previously collaborated with Rouvas include Playmen, Beetkraft, Antonis Skokos, Greek-German Leonidas "Freakchild" Chantzaras, who composed "Nekros Okeanos" and produced "Emena Thes
", and Dimitris Fakos who wrote both its music and lyrics. Songwriters who exclusively contributed lyrics to the album include Natalia Germanou
, who first collaborated with Rouvas on Min Andistekese
(1992), Pigi Konstantinou and Giannis Rentoumis who first collaborated with the artist on Irthes, and new collaborators Sunny Baltzi, Vagia Kalantzi, and Nikos Kostidakis, who wrote "Parafora".
Shortly after the release of the title track a controversy arose between its songwriters following an article published by Love Radio revealing that Kostidakis was actually lyricist Nikos Moraïtis under the alias
of his mother's maiden name. Love Radio alleged that Moraïtis, best known for his collaboration with Cypriot
artist Michalis Hatzigiannis
, was forced to use the alias as he was intent on being part of Rouvas' new album project but could not as he had made a deal with Hatzigiannis not to write for any other artist until after the release of his album, To Kalitero Psema, which was slated for release around the same time as Rouvas' album. Moraïtis responded to Love Radio, revealing that he was in fact Kostidakis, but denying that he had a secret deal with Hatzigiannis or that he wanted to collaborate with Rouvas and stated that he had never done so due to artistic differences. He further alleged that Kontopoulos had not received permission from him to give it to Rouvas. However in the album's liner notes, he is not credited under his alias but rather under his actual name. Sakis Rouvas Music continues to have creative and financial control over the production, a role which it has assumed since Iparhi Agapi Edo
(2006).
Rouvas revealed that the album was created with his upcoming 20th anniversary in September 2011 in thought. The content was inspired by his relationship with his fans, experiences, and music and ideas he had created the past two decades, all merging into one album. Furthermore, the album represents a turn in his career into the next phase.
clothing line, Sakis Rouvas Collection
.
" became Rouvas' fourth consecutive single to top all Greek charts, including the Billboard
digital sales and both the domestic and mixed airplay charts. It was released more than one year prior to the album's release, on 20 November 2009 and its video is directed by Vasilis Bourandas. "Emena Thes
" was released on 4 May 2010. It reached number 12 in the mixed airplay chart and its music video was directed by White Room, featuring an innovative animation effect that had never before been used in Greek cinematography. The third single and title track was released on October 2010, making it the most singles released by Rouvas from an album prior to its actual release. It peaked at number one on the domestic airplay chart for six weeks The album's fourth single is "Oi dio mas" that peaked at number one of the domestic airplay chart being the sixth single of Sakis Rouvas doing so. In Nielsen Music Control's year-end top 100 Greek airplay songs, Rouvas ended 2010 with "Spase To Hrono" at number five with 15,055 transmissions even though the song was released in 2009!!! while "Parafora" placed 65th.
entry "This Is Our Night
" along with tracks from the reissue of the same name of Irthes
, were released physically as an extended play
titled Spase To Hrono
. In addition to this, Rouvas appeared on several shows and radio stations in promotion of the album and singles. He performed "Emena Thes
" at the 2010 MAD Video Music Awards. He performed the songs "Spase To Hrono
", "+ Se Thelo
", and "This Is Our Night" at the Mykonos Xlsior Festival for gay pride
on 27 August and was also scheduled to perform at the first Εurovoice on 23 September, as one of four celebrities along with performers Enrique Iglesias
, Anastacia
, and host Pamela Anderson
, although his appearance was later canceled one day prior to the event due to undisclosed issues. On The X Factor
, where Rouvas has been the presenter since the first season in 2008, he performed "Spase To Hrono" in the second season
and later performed "Parafora
" in the third season
première. Additionally, that episode was partially Rouvas themed, with several contestants performing his hits, while "Emena Thes" was performed by another contestant on a later date. On the 11 December episode, Parafora was exhibited and discussed. On 2 February, Rouvas was one of eight main acts participating in the first MADWalk, an equivalent to the international Fashion Rocks
, where he represented Celia Kritharioti Haute Couture and performed "I Dio Mas" and "Gia Mas". Models Vicky Kaya
and Doukissa Nomikou
were also featured in his performance. On The X Factor semi-final on 4 February 2011, Rouvas performed the songs "Nekros Okeanos", "I Dio Mas", and "Gia Mas" and a special tribute video of his best X Factor moments was played. Rouvas was the first guest ever on Vrady Me Ton Petro Kostopoulo in October 2010. He additionally did a radio interview with Rythmos 94,9 who promoted the release of "Spase To Hrono". The release of "Parafora" and the album preview were conducted by Love Radio 97,5. As he had also done in 2009, in collaboration with Love Radio Rouvas presented Sakis Live in Love on the eve of Valentine's Day
at Athens Arena. Rouvas performed a medley of the dance hits from the album as well as + Se Thelo
at the 2011 MAD Video Music Awards in a Mission Impossible-style theme where he ascended from the ceiling onto the secondary stage with a wire, with a his arms covered in henna
tattoos and a dance troop dressed as aliens on the main stage where he eventually joined. His performance was the most acclaimed of the night. He was also featured on the cover of the magazines Status, 7Meres TV, Cosmopolitan
, Down Town, Esquire
, It's Me Super, Marie Claire
, Life Style, Tiletheatis, X Magazine, People
, and Nitro and also gave interviews to Sunday Ethnos and Glow
.
Rouvas also promoted the album through his account on the social networking sites Twitter
and Facebook
, where he began trending
the album. From 10 December 2010, Rouvas began posting roughly 30-second teasers of the tracks up until the album's release. He had announced a "surprise" for his fans at 20:00h, beginning with "I Dio Mas" and "Nekros Okeanos". The following day he did the same with "Tipikes Epafes" and "Gela", then "I Akri Tis Klostis" and "Kalokairi Kai Fos" the day after that, concluding with "Agapise Me" and "To Allo Sou Miso" on the eve of the album's release. He placed the remaining four tracks, "Gia Mas", "S'agapao Kai Fevgo", "An Pote" and "Proti Nihta" online as well in the following two days. There was a high demand for Rouvas' song samples, causing "mayhem" on the internet
. On 11 December the official television advertisement for the album was released.
Trident continued to sponsor Rouvas' works. In March 2010 Trident held a contest, the largest ever of its kind, called "Spase to hrono me ton Saki Rouva kai Trident" (Shatter time with Sakis Rouvas and Trident) in promotion of the first single as well as Trident Senses. The ultimate winner would get the opportunity to spend 48 hours with Rouvas, ten would get to be featured in his upcoming music video for "Emena Thes", and a further 100 would receive his new studio album prior to its release date. The album was released on 14 December 2010 in both retail stores and newsstand kiosks. A special edition including a pictorial fan magazine with a new photo shoot and the song lyrics is distributed by print publisher Ekdoseis Liberi via newspaper kiosks. Like other merchandise distributed by print publishers, it carries a fixed price
of 12.90 euros. The album was released digitally on 24 December 2010 on all iTunes
in the Eurozone
as well as Australia
and New Zealand
. It is awaiting release in the United States
and Canada
under this manner as well, where his previous album was also released. In 2010, Rouvas also signed a distribution deal with Bulgaria
's Virginia Records, and the album is awaiting a physical release there.
of the second season of the Greek The X Factor, American rapper Gifted, and the group Cabin 54. The show, without Eleftheriou and Gifted, moved to Thessaloniki at Politia for a six week engagement. During that time Rouvas also visited ten cities on his mid 2010 tour. Having confirmed their collaboration in March 2010, Rouvas collaborated with Anna Vissi
for the Face2Face shows from October 2010 into the first quarter of 2011 on Fridays and Saturdays at Athens Arena
. On 17 December 2010, the album's material was added to the setlist in the revamped leg of the shows.
MAD TV conducted a poll for its readers about who had the best album out of Rouvas, Michalis Hatzigiannis
, and Anna Vissi
; Rouvas won the poll with 36 per cent of the vote, with the other two artists attaining 31 per cent each.
s in Sunday edition newspapers or magazines in order to increase exposure for both themselves and the print release. Although these editions are sold for a slightly increased amount than the daily price, they are still fairly lower than the retail cost of a standard album. According to To Paron, newspapers began bidding for Rouvas' new album even prior to the release of the first single in 2009 and his album garnered more attention than that of any other artist by marketers. Based on this anticipation, the newspaper estimated that bids would exceed the previously speculated highest amount of 150 thousand euros per 250 thousand unit distributions offered to high profile artists such as Michalis Hatzigiannis, who was offered such for a previously released studio album. Despite high interest, Rouvas remains one of the few artists who have decided against releasing an album in this manner, as he instead opted for a direct retail release.
Two other high profile artists, Michalis Hatzigiannis
and Anna Vissi
, released their albums, To Kalitero Psema and Agapi Einai Esi
, within days prior and following Parafora, respectively. This triggered a sense of direct competition among the media, curious to which artist would ultimately have the best album. On 17 December 2010, Rouvas thanked his fans via Twitter
for the support they showed for his album and promised another surprise for Monday. On Tuesday, 21 December, he reminded his fans about what he had promised, and later announced that Parafora had gone double platinum within one week of sales, denoting shipments of at least 24 thousand units, although the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry of Greece
has yet to announce this. Parafora debuted during week 50 of the IFPI Top 75 Albums chart at number two, coming behind Hatzigiannis' To Kalitero Psema. It remained there for a second week and on its third week it reached number one, trading places with Hatzigiannis' album, where it remained for two consecutive weeks. By its fifth week, the album dropped back down to number two, being surpassed by the soundtrack of Patty, I Pio Omorfi Istoria
before descending to number three then nine before suddenly disappearing from the chart in its eighth week, although it re-entered the chart at number three during its ninth week, giving it its eighth non-consecutive week in the top ten and seventh within the top three.
The album showed a strong performance on the records charts and also sold thousands of digital copies via iTunes
, leading to "record-breaking sales" that "have rocketed it to the top of the most successful albums of the year", according to ANT1
. The album will be certified multi-platinum (number of discs has not yet been announced) on 7 December 2011 at eight o'clock at the Athens Metro Mall open for fan attendance.
The music video of "Spase To Hrono" received five nominations at the 2010 MAD Video Music Awards — more than any other video in history, including Best Pop Video, Fashion Icon of the Year, Sexiest Video and also contributed to his nominations for Male Artist of the Year and Artist of the Year. It won three in the pop, fashion, and Artist of the Year categories, while he also won an award for his collaboration with Tamta for a total of four awards and equaled the most awards ever won by an artist in one night. The song also won Best Balkan Song from Greece and contributed to his win as Best Greek Act
at the MTV Europe Music Awards 2010
where he was then shortlisted in the category Best European Act
. For the second consecutive year, Rouvas received the Singer of the Year title at the 15th Status Men of the Year Awards, making him tied as the most honoured musician in the award's history. He won three awards, again the most of any artist that night, at the 2011 MAD Video Music Awards, including Best Pop Video and Video of the Year for "Parafora" and for the third consecutive year, the most coveted prize, Artist of the Year for "I Dio Mas", becoming the artist with the most honours in that category.
MAD Video Music Awards
MTV Europe Music Awards
Status Men of the Year Awards
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 15th album overall. It was released by 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....
in Greece and Cyprus on 14 December 2010 and distributed digitally ten days later to all Eurozone
Eurozone
The eurozone , officially called the euro area, is an economic and monetary union of seventeen European Union member states that have adopted the euro as their common currency and sole legal tender...
countries and elsewhere. Along with the standard retail edition, a special edition was also sold, which included a bonus pictorial fan magazine with lyrics.
Recording dates for the album lasted over one year, concluding in November 2010. Rouvas collaborated with several songwriters and producers, including previous collaborators Dimitris Kontopoulos
Dimitris Kontopoulos
Dimitris Kontopoulos is one of the most famous Greek music composers known for his dance-pop music.-Personal life:Dimitris Kontopoulos was born in Athens, Greece on November 9, 1971...
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,...
and the rest mostly new collaborators, including recent hit makers
Hit single
A hit single is a recorded song or instrumental released as a single that has become very popular. Although it is sometimes used to describe any widely-played or big-selling song, the term "hit" is usually reserved for a single that has appeared in an official music chart through repeated radio...
Freakchild, Playmen
Playmen
Playmen was an Italian adult entertainment magazine. It was founded in 1967 by a mother of three, Adelina Tattilo, reaching fame as Italy's Playboy magazine....
, and Beetkraft. Rouvas continues to serve as executive producer and financier, a role he had adopted since 2006. The release offers new sounds and themes for Rouvas, while still focusing on his established pop, rock, and electronic genres. There are a total of 15 tracks as well as four music videos of the first three singles all on an Enhanced CD
Enhanced CD
Enhanced CD, also known as CD Extra and CD Plus, is a certification mark of the Recording Industry Association of America for various technologies that combine audio and computer data for use in both Compact Disc and CD-ROM players....
. The album was inspired by Rouvas' upcoming 20th anniversary as an entertainer in 2011; he drew inspiration from his experiences, the relationship with his fans, and the music and messages he had created during the past two decades and combined all of these elements into one album, which he described as the best of his career. The album represents the turn Rouvas is taking in the next phase of his career.
Trident resumed its role as album sponsor and in promotion held a contest, the largest ever of its kind in Greece. Samples of the songs were uploaded by Rouvas leading up to the release, causing unprecedented traffic on the internet for such uploads by a Greek artist. The initial reaction from the mass consumer audience and professional music critics was largely favourable. Rouvas supported the album through his winter 2009–2010 resident show The S Club, a spring 2010 summer resident show at Politia Live Clubbing and a simultaneous national tour, as well as his 2010–11 resident show Face2Face. He later embarked at The S Club at Thalassa in 2011 and Underworld S Club at Athens Arena in 2011–2012. Parafora debuted at number two on the Greek IFPI Top 75 Albums and topped the chart for two consecutive weeks. It has so far spent ten non-consecutive weeks in the top ten. After one week of sales it was announced by Rouvas himself that the album's initial shipments were enough to warrant a double platinum certification. The album sold thousands of digital copies and became the most successful albums of the year. It is awaiting a multi-platinum certification on 7 December 2011. Prior to its release, the album had already generated three chart-topping singles: "Spase To Hrono
Spase 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...
", "Emena Thes
Emena Thes
"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...
", and the title track
Parafora (song)
"Parafora" is the third single by Greek pop/rock musician Sakis Rouvas from his thirteenth studio album of the same name. It is an electropop-ambient-dance-pop song written by Dimitris Kontopoulos and Nikos Kostidakis and produced by Kontopoulos...
, while "I Dio Mas" followed and "Nekros Okeanos" was confirmed as a future single. "Kalokairi Kai Fos" was also released as a promotional single while "Gia Mas" also charted. The album and its singles have earned Rouvas several awards. The first single was nominated for a record-breaking five MAD Video Music Awards, winning three—including Artist of the Year—and a Balkan Music Award. Rouvas also won an MTV Europe Music Award
MTV Europe Music Awards
The MTV Europe Music Awards were established in 1994 by MTV Networks Europe to celebrate the most popular music videos in Europe. Originally beginning as an alternative to the American MTV Video Music Awards, the MTV Europe Music Awards is today a popular celebration of what MTV viewers consider...
and two Status Men of the Year Awards, while he won three MAD Video Music Awards in 2011, including the two most coveted prizes, Video of the Year and Artist of the Year for "Parafora" and "I Dio Mas", respectively.
Conception and development
Parafora is Rouvas' 13th studio album and first since IrthesIrthes
-This Is Our Night :-Singles:"+ Se Thelo""Irthes""This Is Our Night"'"Ksehna To Prin Kai To Meta"-Release history:-Promotion:...
(2008). Intentions to release the album became apparent after a contest held by one of his sponsors, Trident. Recording for the album began in the fourth quarter of 2009 with "Spase To Hrono" and spanned over one year. The last track was recorded on 15 November 2010 and the album recording was finished in its entirety one day later; Rouvas revealed his excitement via 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...
, stating that "I just finished recording the best album of my career!" The album's title and cover were revealed on 10 December 2010.
For his previous album, Irthes, Rouvas collaborated almost exclusively with Dimitris Kontopoulos
Dimitris Kontopoulos
Dimitris Kontopoulos is one of the most famous Greek music composers known for his dance-pop music.-Personal life:Dimitris Kontopoulos was born in Athens, Greece on November 9, 1971...
, who was also commissioned to write all three of Rouvas' candidate songs for his participation in the Eurovision Song Contest 2009
Eurovision Song Contest 2009
The Eurovision Song Contest 2009 was the 54th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest and was hosted by Russia after their win in 2008. It took place between 12 and 16 May 2009 at the Olympic Indoor Arena in Moscow, Russia....
, as well as the composer and producer of his album, with the exception of one track. Working namely with one main composer is something that Rouvas had not done since Kati Apo Mena
Kati Apo Mena
Kati Apo Mena is the sixth studio album by Greek singer Sakis Rouvas, released on 3 December 1998. The album is largely written and entirely produced by Giorgos Theofanous...
(1998) and not completely exclusively since Tora Arhizoun Ta Dyskola
Tora Arhizoun Ta Dyskola
Tora Arhizoun Ta Dyskola is the fifth studio album by Greek singer Sakis Rouvas, released on May 12, 1996 in Greece and Cyprus by PolyGram Records Greece...
(1996). For Parafora, Rouvas reverted to using several songwriters and producers. The majority of the songwriters and producers are new collaborators and recent hit makers
Hit single
A hit single is a recorded song or instrumental released as a single that has become very popular. Although it is sometimes used to describe any widely-played or big-selling song, the term "hit" is usually reserved for a single that has appeared in an official music chart through repeated radio...
relatively new to the music industry. Kontopoulos, who first collaborated with Rouvas for To Hrono Stamatao
To Hrono Stamatao
To Hrono Stamatao is the tenth studio album by Greek pop-rock singer-songwriter Sakis Rouvas, released in December 2003 by Minos EMI in Greece and Cyprus...
(2003), resumed his role as a composer, producer, arranger, programmer, and instrumentalist, with eight contributions to the album, including the singles "Spase To Hrono" and the title track
Parafora (song)
"Parafora" is the third single by Greek pop/rock musician Sakis Rouvas from his thirteenth studio album of the same name. It is an electropop-ambient-dance-pop song written by Dimitris Kontopoulos and Nikos Kostidakis and produced by Kontopoulos...
. Others who have never previously collaborated with Rouvas include Playmen, Beetkraft, Antonis Skokos, Greek-German Leonidas "Freakchild" Chantzaras, who composed "Nekros Okeanos" and produced "Emena Thes
Emena Thes
"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...
", and Dimitris Fakos who wrote both its music and lyrics. Songwriters who exclusively contributed lyrics to the album include 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,...
, who first collaborated with Rouvas on Min Andistekese
Min Andistekese
Min Andistekese is the second studio album by Greek pop musician Sakis Rouvas, released in September 1992 in Greece and Cyprus by PolyGram Records Greece...
(1992), Pigi Konstantinou and Giannis Rentoumis who first collaborated with the artist on Irthes, and new collaborators Sunny Baltzi, Vagia Kalantzi, and Nikos Kostidakis, who wrote "Parafora".
Shortly after the release of the title track a controversy arose between its songwriters following an article published by Love Radio revealing that Kostidakis was actually lyricist Nikos Moraïtis under the alias
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
of his mother's maiden name. Love Radio alleged that Moraïtis, best known for his collaboration with Cypriot
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...
artist Michalis Hatzigiannis
Michalis Hatzigiannis
Michael Hatzigiannis is a popular Greek Cypriot recording artist. From 2000 to 2009, Hatzigiannis has received over 30 certifications in Greece alone, making him one of most successful artists of the decade. Hatzigiannis is also known for representing Cyprus in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1998...
, was forced to use the alias as he was intent on being part of Rouvas' new album project but could not as he had made a deal with Hatzigiannis not to write for any other artist until after the release of his album, To Kalitero Psema, which was slated for release around the same time as Rouvas' album. Moraïtis responded to Love Radio, revealing that he was in fact Kostidakis, but denying that he had a secret deal with Hatzigiannis or that he wanted to collaborate with Rouvas and stated that he had never done so due to artistic differences. He further alleged that Kontopoulos had not received permission from him to give it to Rouvas. However in the album's liner notes, he is not credited under his alias but rather under his actual name. Sakis Rouvas Music continues to have creative and financial control over the production, a role which it has assumed since Iparhi Agapi Edo
Iparhi Agapi Edo
Iparhi Agapi Edo is the eleventh studio album by Greek singer Sakis Rouvas. It was first released in Greece on December 7, 2006 by Minos EMI. Iparhi Agapi Edo includes 15 tracks including a ballad called "Mikros Titanikos" that was written especially for Rouvas by Yiannis Parios...
(2006).
Rouvas revealed that the album was created with his upcoming 20th anniversary in September 2011 in thought. The content was inspired by his relationship with his fans, experiences, and music and ideas he had created the past two decades, all merging into one album. Furthermore, the album represents a turn in his career into the next phase.
Composition and themes
Describing the album in a press release prior to its physical release, record label Minos EMI stated thatParafora offers new innovations in sound as well as "inspired lyrics". It includes a blend of pop, rock, dance, and electronic genres. "Spase To Hrono", "Parafora", "I Dio Mas", "An Pote", "Gia Mas", "Agapise Me", "Kalokairi Kai Fos", "To Allo Sou Miso", and "Proti Nihta" are electronic songs, while "Emena Thes" is a romantic hard rock power ballad where Rouvas professes his love to a woman who denies being in love with him. "Nekros Okeanos" is also a rock ballad, while "Tipikes Epafes" and "I Akri Tis Klostis" are R&B ballads. "Gela" and "S'agapo Kai Fevgo" pop/rock songs, the latter being one of the few mid-tempos on the album.Artwork
The cover of the album was revealed on 10 December 2010. It features Rouvas wearing a white t-shirt against a white background with different colour paints splattered over himself, as well as the new "Sakis" logo displayed below. There was also a photo shoot for the creation of a fan magazine which will include the lyrics of the songs. He is dressed in apparel from his eponymous ready-to-wearReady-to-wear
Ready-to-wear or prêt-à-porter is the term for factory-made clothing, sold in finished condition, in standardized sizes, as distinct from made to measure or bespoke clothing tailored to a particular person's frame. Off-the-peg is sometimes used for items which are not clothing.Ready-to-wear has...
clothing line, Sakis Rouvas Collection
Sakis Rouvas Collection
The Sakis Rouvas Collection is a ready-to-wear fashion brand headed by Greek entertainer Sakis Rouvas, launched exclusively to Greece's largest multinational department store franchise, Sprider Store, in 2010, and making Rouvas the first Greek artist to have his own fashion line.It was also...
.
Singles
Even before the album's physical release the singles proved highly successful, with two singles out of three topping the domestic airplay chart. The first single of the album, "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...
" became Rouvas' fourth consecutive single to top all Greek charts, including the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
digital sales and both the domestic and mixed airplay charts. It was released more than one year prior to the album's release, on 20 November 2009 and its video is directed by Vasilis Bourandas. "Emena Thes
Emena Thes
"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...
" was released on 4 May 2010. It reached number 12 in the mixed airplay chart and its music video was directed by White Room, featuring an innovative animation effect that had never before been used in Greek cinematography. The third single and title track was released on October 2010, making it the most singles released by Rouvas from an album prior to its actual release. It peaked at number one on the domestic airplay chart for six weeks The album's fourth single is "Oi dio mas" that peaked at number one of the domestic airplay chart being the sixth single of Sakis Rouvas doing so. In Nielsen Music Control's year-end top 100 Greek airplay songs, Rouvas ended 2010 with "Spase To Hrono" at number five with 15,055 transmissions even though the song was released in 2009!!! while "Parafora" placed 65th.
Release and promotion
In 2009, "Spase To Hrono" and "Pio Dinata" a Greek-language remix of his 2009 Eurovision Song ContestEurovision 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...
entry "This Is Our Night
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...
" along with tracks from the reissue of the same name of Irthes
Irthes
-This Is Our Night :-Singles:"+ Se Thelo""Irthes""This Is Our Night"'"Ksehna To Prin Kai To Meta"-Release history:-Promotion:...
, were released physically as an extended play
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
titled Spase To Hrono
Spase 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...
. In addition to this, Rouvas appeared on several shows and radio stations in promotion of the album and singles. He performed "Emena Thes
Emena Thes
"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...
" at the 2010 MAD Video Music Awards. He performed the songs "Spase To Hrono
Spase 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...
", "+ Se Thelo
+ Se Thelo
"+ Se Thelo", also written as "Kai Se Thelo", is a single by popular Greek singer Sakis Rouvas from the album Irthes, released as a radio single on June 17, 2008 in Greece and Cyprus.-Production history:...
", and "This Is Our Night" at the Mykonos Xlsior Festival for gay pride
Gay pride
LGBT pride or gay pride is the concept that lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people should be proud of their sexual orientation and gender identity...
on 27 August and was also scheduled to perform at the first Εurovoice on 23 September, as one of four celebrities along with performers Enrique Iglesias
Enrique Iglesias
Enrique Iglesias is a Spanish pop music singer, a son of singer Julio Iglesias.Enrique started his musical career on Mexican label Fonovisa...
, Anastacia
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...
, and host Pamela Anderson
Pamela Anderson
Pamela Denise Anderson is a Canadian-American actress, model, producer, author, activist, and former showgirl, known for her roles on the television series Home Improvement, Baywatch, and V.I.P. She was chosen as a Playmate of the Month for Playboy magazine in February 1990...
, although his appearance was later canceled one day prior to the event due to undisclosed issues. On The X Factor
The X Factor (Greece)
The X Factor is the Greek version of The X Factor, a show originating in the United Kingdom. It is a television music talent show contested by aspiring pop singers drawn from public auditions....
, where Rouvas has been the presenter since the first season in 2008, he performed "Spase To Hrono" in the second season
The X Factor (Greece series 2)
The second series of the music talent show The X Factor Greece began airing on ANT1 on 2 October 2009, and was won by Stavros Michalakakos of Limassol , Cyprus on 12 February 2010. The show was presented for a second year by Sakis Rouvas...
and later performed "Parafora
Parafora (song)
"Parafora" is the third single by Greek pop/rock musician Sakis Rouvas from his thirteenth studio album of the same name. It is an electropop-ambient-dance-pop song written by Dimitris Kontopoulos and Nikos Kostidakis and produced by Kontopoulos...
" in the third season
The X Factor (Greece series 3)
The X Factor Greece is an Greek television reality music competition, based on the original series in the UK, to find new singing talent. The winner of which receives a recording contract with Sony Music EntertainmentSony Music Greece is Haris Antoniou. The third series began airing on ANT1 on 1...
première. Additionally, that episode was partially Rouvas themed, with several contestants performing his hits, while "Emena Thes" was performed by another contestant on a later date. On the 11 December episode, Parafora was exhibited and discussed. On 2 February, Rouvas was one of eight main acts participating in the first 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 he represented Celia Kritharioti Haute Couture and performed "I Dio Mas" and "Gia Mas". Models Vicky Kaya
Vicky Kaya
Vicky Kaya born July 4, 1978, is a Greek model, television presenter and occasional actress who has appeared on the covers of numerous international fashion magazines such as Vogue, Esquire, Madame Figaro, Marie Claire, and Elle.She is currently hosting the Greek equivalent of America's Next Top...
and Doukissa Nomikou
Doukissa Nomikou
Doukissa Nomikou , is a Greek model who represented her country in the Miss Universe 2007 pageant on May 28, 2007 in Mexico City. At 20 years of age, she was crowned Miss Star Hellas on May 3, 2007....
were also featured in his performance. On The X Factor semi-final on 4 February 2011, Rouvas performed the songs "Nekros Okeanos", "I Dio Mas", and "Gia Mas" and a special tribute video of his best X Factor moments was played. Rouvas was the first guest ever on Vrady Me Ton Petro Kostopoulo in October 2010. He additionally did a radio interview with Rythmos 94,9 who promoted the release of "Spase To Hrono". The release of "Parafora" and the album preview were conducted by Love Radio 97,5. As he had also done in 2009, in collaboration with Love Radio Rouvas presented Sakis Live in Love on the eve of Valentine's Day
Valentine's Day
Saint Valentine's Day, commonly shortened to Valentine's Day, is an annual commemoration held on February 14 celebrating love and affection between intimate companions. The day is named after one or more early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine, and was established by Pope Gelasius I in 496...
at Athens Arena. Rouvas performed a medley of the dance hits from the album as well as + Se Thelo
+ Se Thelo
"+ Se Thelo", also written as "Kai Se Thelo", is a single by popular Greek singer Sakis Rouvas from the album Irthes, released as a radio single on June 17, 2008 in Greece and Cyprus.-Production history:...
at the 2011 MAD Video Music Awards in a Mission Impossible-style theme where he ascended from the ceiling onto the secondary stage with a wire, with a his arms covered in henna
Henna
Henna is a flowering plant used since antiquity to dye skin, hair, fingernails, leather and wool. The name is also used for dye preparations derived from the plant, and for the art of temporary tattooing based on those dyes...
tattoos and a dance troop dressed as aliens on the main stage where he eventually joined. His performance was the most acclaimed of the night. He was also featured on the cover of the magazines Status, 7Meres TV, Cosmopolitan
Cosmopolitan (magazine)
Cosmopolitan is an international magazine for women. It was first published in 1886 in the United States as a family magazine, was later transformed into a literary magazine and eventually became a women's magazine in the late 1960s...
, Down Town, Esquire
Esquire (magazine)
Esquire is a men's magazine, published in the U.S. by the Hearst Corporation. Founded in 1932, it flourished during the Great Depression under the guidance of founder and editor Arnold Gingrich.-History:...
, It's Me Super, Marie Claire
Marie Claire
Marie Claire is a monthly women's magazine first published in France but also distributed in other countries with editions specific to them and in their languages. While each country shares its own special voice with its audience, the United States edition focuses on women around the world and...
, Life Style, Tiletheatis, X Magazine, People
People (magazine)
In 1998, the magazine introduced a version targeted at teens called Teen People. However, on July 27, 2006, the company announced it would shut down publication of Teen People immediately. The last issue to be released was scheduled for September 2006. Subscribers to this magazine received...
, and Nitro and also gave interviews to Sunday Ethnos and Glow
Glow (magazine)
glow is a Canadian beauty and health magazine founded in 2002 and published by Rogers Communications eight times a year. It offers the inside scoop on health fads and beauty trends and delivers the latest innovations in fitness, nutrition, skin care, health concerns, hair and makeup...
.
Rouvas also promoted the album through his account on the social networking sites 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...
and Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
, where he began trending
Trending topic
A trending topic is a word, phrase or topic that is posted multiple times on the social networking and microblogging service Twitter. Trending topics become popular either through a concerted effort by users or because of an event that prompts people to talk about one specific topic...
the album. From 10 December 2010, Rouvas began posting roughly 30-second teasers of the tracks up until the album's release. He had announced a "surprise" for his fans at 20:00h, beginning with "I Dio Mas" and "Nekros Okeanos". The following day he did the same with "Tipikes Epafes" and "Gela", then "I Akri Tis Klostis" and "Kalokairi Kai Fos" the day after that, concluding with "Agapise Me" and "To Allo Sou Miso" on the eve of the album's release. He placed the remaining four tracks, "Gia Mas", "S'agapao Kai Fevgo", "An Pote" and "Proti Nihta" online as well in the following two days. There was a high demand for Rouvas' song samples, causing "mayhem" on the internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
. On 11 December the official television advertisement for the album was released.
Trident continued to sponsor Rouvas' works. In March 2010 Trident held a contest, the largest ever of its kind, called "Spase to hrono me ton Saki Rouva kai Trident" (Shatter time with Sakis Rouvas and Trident) in promotion of the first single as well as Trident Senses. The ultimate winner would get the opportunity to spend 48 hours with Rouvas, ten would get to be featured in his upcoming music video for "Emena Thes", and a further 100 would receive his new studio album prior to its release date. The album was released on 14 December 2010 in both retail stores and newsstand kiosks. A special edition including a pictorial fan magazine with a new photo shoot and the song lyrics is distributed by print publisher Ekdoseis Liberi via newspaper kiosks. Like other merchandise distributed by print publishers, it carries a fixed price
Resale price maintenance
Resale price maintenance is the practice whereby a manufacturer and its distributors agree that the latter will sell the former's product at certain prices , at or above a price floor or at or below a price ceiling...
of 12.90 euros. The album was released digitally on 24 December 2010 on all iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
in the Eurozone
Eurozone
The eurozone , officially called the euro area, is an economic and monetary union of seventeen European Union member states that have adopted the euro as their common currency and sole legal tender...
as well as 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...
and New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. It is awaiting release in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
under this manner as well, where his previous album was also released. In 2010, Rouvas also signed a distribution deal with 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...
's Virginia Records, and the album is awaiting a physical release there.
Tours
Rouvas performed as the main act at the concert-themed stage The S Club, where he had ownership, from December 2009–April 2010 with supporting acts Tamta, Eleftheria EleftheriouEleftheria Eleftheriou
Eleftheria Eleftheriou is a Greek-Cypriot singer who is famous for her participation in the second season of talent show The X Factor Greece.-Early life:...
of the second season of the Greek The X Factor, American rapper Gifted, and the group Cabin 54. The show, without Eleftheriou and Gifted, moved to Thessaloniki at Politia for a six week engagement. During that time Rouvas also visited ten cities on his mid 2010 tour. Having confirmed their collaboration in March 2010, Rouvas collaborated with Anna Vissi
Anna Vissi
Anna Vissi , known as Anna Vishy in Cypriot Greek, is a Greek-Cypriot recording artist and actress...
for the Face2Face shows from October 2010 into the first quarter of 2011 on Fridays and Saturdays at Athens Arena
Athens Arena
Athens Arena is a grand music venue in Athens, Greece. It is a large-scale convention centre and concert hall, designed to host up to 3,000 people seated. It is owned by the Papatheoharis Group. Artists featured in the Arena are Marinella , Antonis Remos Sakis Rouvas and greek superstar Anna Vissi...
. On 17 December 2010, the album's material was added to the setlist in the revamped leg of the shows.
Initial reaction
The demand for Rouvas' song samples before the release of the album was grand, causing "mayhem" on the internet. They attracted thousands of listeners and fans who left comments, something that was unprecedented for this type of upload according to Yupi. The album received favourable reactions from the internet audience who generally agreed with Rouvas' previous statement of it being the best album of his career.MAD TV conducted a poll for its readers about who had the best album out of Rouvas, Michalis Hatzigiannis
Michalis Hatzigiannis
Michael Hatzigiannis is a popular Greek Cypriot recording artist. From 2000 to 2009, Hatzigiannis has received over 30 certifications in Greece alone, making him one of most successful artists of the decade. Hatzigiannis is also known for representing Cyprus in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1998...
, and Anna Vissi
Anna Vissi
Anna Vissi , known as Anna Vishy in Cypriot Greek, is a Greek-Cypriot recording artist and actress...
; Rouvas won the poll with 36 per cent of the vote, with the other two artists attaining 31 per cent each.
Commercial performance
During the economic crisis of the late 2000s, it became common practice for Greek artists to release new studio albums prior to their retail release as covermountCovermount
Covermount is the name given to storage media or other products packaged as part of a magazine or newspaper...
s in Sunday edition newspapers or magazines in order to increase exposure for both themselves and the print release. Although these editions are sold for a slightly increased amount than the daily price, they are still fairly lower than the retail cost of a standard album. According to To Paron, newspapers began bidding for Rouvas' new album even prior to the release of the first single in 2009 and his album garnered more attention than that of any other artist by marketers. Based on this anticipation, the newspaper estimated that bids would exceed the previously speculated highest amount of 150 thousand euros per 250 thousand unit distributions offered to high profile artists such as Michalis Hatzigiannis, who was offered such for a previously released studio album. Despite high interest, Rouvas remains one of the few artists who have decided against releasing an album in this manner, as he instead opted for a direct retail release.
Two other high profile artists, Michalis Hatzigiannis
Michalis Hatzigiannis
Michael Hatzigiannis is a popular Greek Cypriot recording artist. From 2000 to 2009, Hatzigiannis has received over 30 certifications in Greece alone, making him one of most successful artists of the decade. Hatzigiannis is also known for representing Cyprus in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1998...
and Anna Vissi
Anna Vissi
Anna Vissi , known as Anna Vishy in Cypriot Greek, is a Greek-Cypriot recording artist and actress...
, released their albums, To Kalitero Psema and Agapi Einai Esi
Agapi Einai Esi
Agapi Einai Esi is the 26th studio album by Greek recording artist Anna Vissi, released in Greece and Cyprus on 17 December 2010 by Sony Music Greece as a covermount with Real News...
, within days prior and following Parafora, respectively. This triggered a sense of direct competition among the media, curious to which artist would ultimately have the best album. On 17 December 2010, Rouvas thanked his fans via 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...
for the support they showed for his album and promised another surprise for Monday. On Tuesday, 21 December, he reminded his fans about what he had promised, and later announced that Parafora had gone double platinum within one week of sales, denoting shipments of at least 24 thousand units, although 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...
has yet to announce this. Parafora debuted during week 50 of the IFPI Top 75 Albums chart at number two, coming behind Hatzigiannis' To Kalitero Psema. It remained there for a second week and on its third week it reached number one, trading places with Hatzigiannis' album, where it remained for two consecutive weeks. By its fifth week, the album dropped back down to number two, being surpassed by the soundtrack of Patty, I Pio Omorfi Istoria
Patito Feo
Patito Feo is a comedy TV series for kids and teens from Argentina, starring Laura Natalia Esquivel, Brenda Asnicar, Juan Darthes, Griselda Sicilliani and Gastón Soffritti produced by Ideas del Sur for Canal 13...
before descending to number three then nine before suddenly disappearing from the chart in its eighth week, although it re-entered the chart at number three during its ninth week, giving it its eighth non-consecutive week in the top ten and seventh within the top three.
The album showed a strong performance on the records charts and also sold thousands of digital copies via iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
, leading to "record-breaking sales" that "have rocketed it to the top of the most successful albums of the year", according to 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...
. The album will be certified multi-platinum (number of discs has not yet been announced) on 7 December 2011 at eight o'clock at the Athens Metro Mall open for fan attendance.
Accolades
Pavlos Zervas of Music Corner listed the song "S'agapao Kai Fevgo" as one of the 20 best songs of 2010 in the Mainstream Greek Pop category, despite it not having been released as a single., while he listed "Parafora" as one of the top 20 in the Greek dance category, and Chrysa Kosmidou listed "Emena Thes" as one of the 20 best Greek ballads.The music video of "Spase To Hrono" received five nominations at the 2010 MAD Video Music Awards — more than any other video in history, including Best Pop Video, Fashion Icon of the Year, Sexiest Video and also contributed to his nominations for Male Artist of the Year and Artist of the Year. It won three in the pop, fashion, and Artist of the Year categories, while he also won an award for his collaboration with Tamta for a total of four awards and equaled the most awards ever won by an artist in one night. The song also won Best Balkan Song from Greece and contributed to his win as 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:...
at the MTV Europe Music Awards 2010
MTV Europe Music Awards 2010
The 2010 MTV Europe Music Awards took place on November 7, 2010 at Caja Mágica in Madrid. The award show was presented by Eva Longoria and Justin Bieber was the official MTV EMA 2010 digital host. The nominations were announced on September 20...
where he was then shortlisted in the category 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...
. For the second consecutive year, Rouvas received the Singer of the Year title at the 15th Status Men of the Year Awards, making him tied as the most honoured musician in the award's history. He won three awards, again the most of any artist that night, at the 2011 MAD Video Music Awards, including Best Pop Video and Video of the Year for "Parafora" and for the third consecutive year, the most coveted prize, Artist of the Year for "I Dio Mas", becoming the artist with the most honours in that category.
Track listing
(*) Co-producer- Source:
Awards
Balkan Music Awards- Best Balkan Song from Greece ("Spase To Hrono")
MAD Video Music Awards
- Best Pop Video ("Spase To Hrono")
- Male Artist of the Year ("Spase To Hrono" — Nominated)
- Artist of the Year ("Spase To Hrono")
- Fashion Icon of the Year ("Spase To Hrono")
- Sexiest Video ("Spase To Hrono" — Nominated)
- Best Pop Video ("Parafora")
- Male Artist of the Year ("I Dio Mas" — Nominated)
- Video of the Year ("Parafora")
- Artist of the Year ("I Dio Mas")
- Best Catchphrase ("Emena Thes" — Nominated)
MTV Europe Music Awards
- Best Greek Act
Status Men of the Year Awards
- Singer of the Year (2009)
- Singer of the Year (2010)
Personnel
All personnel adapted from liner notes- Peter Aslanides – guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
s - Christos Avdelas – electric guitarElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
, acoustic guitarAcoustic guitarAn acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...
, percussion - Beetkraft – productionRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, arrangement, remixRemixA remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song ....
ing, backing vocals recording at Sofita Studios - Michael Bibo for Skygate Productions – stringsStrings (music)A string is the vibrating element that produces sound in string instruments, such as the guitar, harp, piano, and members of the violin family. Strings are lengths of a flexible material kept under tension so that they may vibrate freely, but controllably. Strings may be "plain"...
- Aris Binis – co-production, recording engineer, remixRemixA remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song ....
ing at Vox Recording Studios and Sterling Studios (AthensAthensAthens , 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...
, GreeceGreeceGreece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
) - Giannis Bournias – photographyPhotographyPhotography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...
- Chris Buseck – electric guitar, acoustic guitar
- Leonidas "Freakchild" Chantzaras – production, co-production, pianoPianoThe 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...
, all instrumentsMulti-instrumentalistA multi-instrumentalist is a musician who plays a number of different instruments.The Bachelor of Music degree usually requires a second instrument to be learned , but people who double on another instrument are not usually seen as multi-instrumentalists.-Classical music:Music written for Symphony...
at THE STORE!, GermanyGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate... - Thodoros Darmas – production, arrangement, keyboard
- Akis Deiximos – backing vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
- Antonis Dominos – backing vocals
- Hendrik Eilers for lazymusic.de – remixing
- Giannis Grigoriou – bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- Viktoria Halkiti – backing vocals
- Tasos Hamosfakidis – backing vocals recording at Studio Workshop
- Marcus Hone – drumDrumThe drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
s - Nektarios Kokkinos – 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 KontopoulosDimitris KontopoulosDimitris Kontopoulos is one of the most famous Greek music composers known for his dance-pop music.-Personal life:Dimitris Kontopoulos was born in Athens, Greece on November 9, 1971...
– production, arrangement, programming, and synthesizers - Spyros Kontakis – electric guitars
- Spyros Koudounis – drums
- Ilias Lakkas – voice recording at Studio Odeon
- Alex Leon – production, arrangement
- Alkis Misirlis – drums
- Dimitris Panagiotakopoulos – designDesignDesign as a noun informally refers to a plan or convention for the construction of an object or a system while “to design” refers to making this plan...
- Alex Panayi – backing vocals
- Alex Papakonstantinou – bass
- Carlos E. Perez – guitars
- Christos Pertsinidis – guitars
- Playmen – production, arrangement
- Progressive PR – managementManagementManagement in all business and organizational activities is the act of getting people together to accomplish desired goals and objectives using available resources efficiently and effectively...
- Sakis RouvasSakis RouvasAnastasios "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...
– vocals, executive producer, clothing designer - Giannis Siskos – grooming
- Soumka – production, arrangement, remixing at Studio C&C
- Sakis Rouvas CollectionSakis Rouvas CollectionThe Sakis Rouvas Collection is a ready-to-wear fashion brand headed by Greek entertainer Sakis Rouvas, launched exclusively to Greece's largest multinational department store franchise, Sprider Store, in 2010, and making Rouvas the first Greek artist to have his own fashion line.It was also...
– clothingClothingClothing refers to any covering for the human body that is worn. The wearing of clothing is exclusively a human characteristic and is a feature of nearly all human societies... - Sakis Rouvas Music – production and licensingMusic licensingMusic licensing is the licensed use of copyrighted music. Music licensing is intended to ensure that the creators of musical works get paid for their work. A purchaser of recorded music owns the media on which the music is stored, not the music itself...
- Neil Sinclair – other guitars
- Frank Schluter – bass
- Paul Stefanidis – mastering at Viking Lounge Mastering Studios (Sydney, Australia)
- Sweetspot – mastering
- Chrysanthi Thomatou – stylingWardrobe stylistA wardrobe stylist is the job title of someone who selects the clothing for published editorial features, print or television advertising campaigns, music videos, concert performances, and any public appearances made by celebrities, models or other public figures...
- Trident – sponsorSponsorTo sponsor something is to support an event, activity, person, or organization financially or through the provision of products or services. A sponsor is the individual or group that provides the support, similar to a benefactor.-Definition:...
Charts
| Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Greek Albums Chart (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... ) |
1 |
Release history
| Region | Date | Label | Format | Version | Catalog No. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greece Greece Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe.... |
14 December 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.... |
CD Compact Disc The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,... |
Standard | 50999094852 |
| 14 December 2010 | Special | ||||
| 24 December 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... |
Standard | N/A | ||
| 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... |
24 December 2010 | ||||
| Austria Austria Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the... |
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| Belgium Belgium Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many... |
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| 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... |
TBR | Virginia Records | CD | TBA | |
| 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... |
14 December 2010 | Minos EMI | Standard | 50999094852 | |
| Special | |||||
| 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... |
24 December 2010 | Digital download | Standard | N/A | |
| 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... |
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| France France The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France... |
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| Germany Germany Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate... |
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| Italy Italy Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and... |
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| Ireland Ireland Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth... |
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| Netherlands Netherlands The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders... |
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| New Zealand New Zealand New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga... |
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| 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... |
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| Portugal Portugal Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the... |
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| Spain Spain Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula... |
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| 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.... |
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| Switzerland Switzerland Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition.... |
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| United Kingdom United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages... |
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