Name	Iparhi LogosΥπάρχει Λόγος
Type	studio
Artist	Elena Paparizou
Cover	Yparhi logos.jpg
Released	April 12, 2006(see release history)
Recorded	2006-2007
Genre	Laïko, dance-pop, pop folk
Length	107:24 (Original) 133:33 (Platinum Edition)
Language	Greek, English (Original) French (Platinum Edition)
Label	Sony BMG Greece/RCA
Last album	Protereotita(2005)
This album	Iparhi Logos(2006)
Next album	The Game of Love (2006)
Upper caption	Iparhi Logos: Platinum Edition
Type	album
Cover	Paparizou-YparhiLogosPlatinum.jpg
Lower caption	The re-release of Iparhi Logos titled Iparhi Logos: Platinum Edition, released on May 22, 2007 in celebration of the platinum certification of the album.

}} Iparhi Logos (, ) is Greek singer Elena Paparizou's second studio album, released on April 12, 2006. Containing 29 songs on two discs, the album was certified gold in 5 weeks and platinum after 5 months of its release. It was certified platinum on December 1, 2006 at Iera Odos 30 where Paparizou was performing alongside Nino and Paschalis Terzis at the same certification party as the album The Game of Love. It was re-released on May 22, 2007 as Iparhi Logos: Platinum Edition with a bonus CD-single. The album to date, has been released physically in Greece, Cyprus, Turkey, Germany, Austria, Taiwan, Switzerland, and Japan.

Album information

Iparhi Logos was released on April 12, 2006, as a follow up to Paparizou's successful debut album Protereotita. The album comprises 29 songs on two discs: 14 new songs, three from the "Mambo!" CD-single, a remix of the title track, and 11 live songs from her MAD Secret Concert. The album also includes a number of covers and translations such as "Oti Axizi Einai I Stigmes" (Le bonheur) originally by Manos Hadjidakis, which was a big hit in France in 1962. Six of the songs from the album were later re-recorded in English and appeared on Paparizou's international album The Game of Love released in November 2006. The album achieved mild success in Greece and Cyprus managing to top both countries' charts, while it charted in the Ifpi's Top50 Greek Albums for a whole 81 weeks. The album received platinum certifications in Greece and Cyprus. Iparhi Logos reached fourth place in the Greece Annual Top 50 Greek Albums 2006.

The album was repackaged and re-released in Greece and Cyprus in May 2007, as Iparhi Logos: Platinum Edition. The album contains the two original CD's from the original Iparhi Logos, as well as the CD-single "Fos" as a bonus with seven new songs. One of the songs included a Greek cover of Celine Dion's "Pour que tu m'aimes encore", titled "An Esy M'agapas" in Greek, with lyrics by Giannis Doxas. The song "Fos" was also the title track of the Greek version of Barbie in the 12 Dancing Princesses, while "Mi Fevgeis" is a re-make of an old Greek folk song, rendered for the first time by Aloula Georgouti and covered in the 1990s by Paides en Taxi. The song "Le temps des fleurs" is originally by Dalida, and to date is Paparizou's first and only French language song recorded. "Fos" had previously been released as a separate CD-Single titled without the tracks "Pou Pige Tosi Agapi (Summer Moonlight Mix)" and "I Agapi Sou Den Meni Pia Edo".

Track listing

Original

{{ Track list | collapsed = | headline = Disc Two | extra_column = Original artist | lyrics_credits = yes | music_credits = yes | title1 = An Ihes Erthi Pio Noris | note1 = Αν Είχες Έρθει Πιο Νωρίς; If you had come earlier | lyrics1 = Antonis Pappas | music1 = Nikos Orfanos | length1 = 4:05 | title2 = Pou Pige Tosi Agapi | note2 = Που Πήγε Τόση Αγάπη; Where did so much love go | lyrics2 = Pegasus | music2 = Pegasus | length2 = 3:58 | title3 = Me Theloun Ki Alli (Heart of Mine) | note3 = Με Θέλουν Κι Άλλοι; Others want me too | lyrics3 = Martin Hanxen, Jimmy Thornfeldy, Urban Robertsson | music3 = Martin Hanxen, Jimmy Thornfeldy, Urban Robertsson | length3 = 2:56 | title4 = Tipseis (You Set My Heart on Fire) | note4 = Τύψεις; Guilt | lyrics4 = Yiannis Doxas | music4 = Biddu | extra4 = Tina Charles | length4 = 3:13 | title5 = Pote S'ena Adio | note5 = Ποτέ Σ'ένα Αντίο; Never in a goodbye | lyrics5 = Pegasus | music5 = Pegasus | extra5 = | length5 = 4:21 | title6 = Just Walk Away (Live) | note6 = | lyrics6 = Albert Hammond | music6 = Marti Sharon | extra6 = Céline Dion | length6 = 3:42 | title7 = Don't Speak (Live) | note7 = | lyrics7 = Gwen Stefani, Eric Stefani | music7 = Gwen Stefani, Eric Stefani | extra7 = No Doubt | length7 = 3:42 | title8 = Crazy (Live) | note8 = | lyrics8 = Seal | music8 = Seal, Guy Sigsworth | extra8 = Seal | length8 = 4:18 | title9 = Like A Prayer (Live) | note9 = | lyrics9 = Madonna, Patrick Leonard | music9 = Madonna, Patrick Leonard | extra9 = Madonna | length9 = 4:05 | title10 = Why? (Live) | note10 = | lyrics10 = Elena Paparizou | music10 = Slavi Trifonov | extra10 = Antique | length10 = 3:42 | title11 = Smooth Operator (Live) | note11 = | lyrics11 = Sade Adu, Ray St. John | music11 = Sade Adu, Ray St. John | extra11 = Sade | length11 = 4:09 | title12 = Can't Help Falling in Love (Live) | note12 = | lyrics12 = George Weiss, Hugo Peretti, Luigi Creatore | music12 = George Weiss, Hugo Peretti, Luigi Creatore | extra12 = Elvis Presley | length12 = 3:00 | title13 = Outside (Live) | note13 = | lyrics13 = George Michael | music13 = George Michael | extra13 = George Michael | length13 = 3:55 | title14 = To Fos Sti Psyhi/The Light in Our Soul (Live) | note14 = Το Φως Στη Ψυχή | lyrics14 = Kostas Bigalis | music14 = Kostas Bigalis | length14 = 2:30 | title15 = Iparhi Logos (Remix) | note15 = | lyrics15 = Zoi Gripari | music15 = Efthivoulos | length15 = 4:19 }}

Platinum Edition (2007)

Singles

"Mambo!" :The first single from the album was "Mambo!". It is also the only CD Single from the album, with the others being radio and music video singles. It reached number 1 for 10 straight weeks in Greece including Christmas. The single stayed in the charts for 23 weeks (6 months) making it Elena's most successful CD single to date. "Mambo!" peaked at No1 at Musiccontrol Greek Airplay, and stayed in the top10 for 20 weeks.

"Just Walk Away" :The second single from the albums was the live version of Celine Dion's "Just walk away".

"Iparhi Logos" :The third single from the album is also the title of the album, "Iparhi Logos". The music video for the song was directed by White Room. The song premiered first at the Arion Music Awards in April 2006 and was quickly released on radios, peaking at No3.

"Gigolo" :The fourth single from the album was "Gigolo". The video clip of the song is in 'Greeklish'. It was a major hit on Greek radios, having its peak at No12.

"An Ihes Erthi Pio Noris" :The fifth single was "An Ihes Erthi Pio Noris". The music video for the song premiered on December 12, 2006 on MAD TV and reunited Paparizou with director Giorgos Gavalos. "An Eixes Erthei Pio Noris" is the only single from the album not to have an English version. The song reached the number one position on the Greek iTunes Music Store. "An Eixes Erthei Pio Noris" managed to peak at no3 for 6 non-consecutive weeks at the greek airplay

"Mazi Sou" :The seventh single, and first off of the platinum edition, was "Mazi sou", released in March 2007 on the soundtrack single of a show of the same name on Mega Channel. The song had a great success, peaking No1 for 2 consecutive weeks

"Min Fevgeis" :The eighth single from the album is "Min Fevgeis", which was released to radio play on April 23, 2007, and also included on the four track CD single, "Fos", released on May 18, 2007. A music video of the song was made and it was filmed without much media attention and therefore came as a surprise when released. It is believed Elena wanted the video to be like one of her old videos from the Antique-era; the video clip premiered on June 7, 2007. The song peaked at number two on the Nielsen Greek Airplay Chart.

Release history

{| class="sortable wikitable" ! Region ! Date ! Label ! Format ! Version |- | Greece |rowspan="2"| April 12, 2006 |rowspan="4"| Sony Music/RCA |rowspan="4"| CD |rowspan="2"| Original release |- | Cyprus |- | Greece |rowspan="2"| May 22, 2007 |rowspan="2"| Platinum Edition |- | Cyprus |- | Germany | February 2, 2007 | - | - |}

Charts

Iparhi Logos peaked at number 1 on the Greek charts for eight consecutive weeks. It was released on 17 July 2006 in Cyprus where it also peaked at number 1 and charted for over 24 weeks.

References

Category:Double albums Category:Elena Paparizou albums Category:Greek-language albums Category:Sony Music Greece albums Category:2006 albums Category:2007 albums

Name	Elena Paparizou Έλενα Παπαρίζου
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Eleni Paparizou
Alias	Helena Paparizou
Born	January 31, 1982 Borås, Västergötland, Sweden
Origin	Stockholm, Sweden
Instrument	Vocals
Genre	Laïko, pop-folk, pop, dance
Occupation	Singer, songwriter, model
Years active	1999–present
Label	Sony Greece, Bonnier Amigo, Moda, AATW
Associated acts	Antique
Url	www.HelenaPaparizou.com

Eleni "Elena" Paparizou (, ; born 31 January 1982), usually referred to abroad as Helena Paparizou, is a Greek singer and occasional songwriter, who was born and raised in Sweden. She began her career there in 1999 as a member of the duo Antique, while she also worked briefly as a model for a Swedish-Greek brand. After rising to recognition in Greece following its participation in the Eurovision Song Contest 2001, the group based the remainder of its career there until Paparizou embarked on a solo career in 2003 and released her debut album Protereotita (2004), with emphasis on more pop sounds in addition to laïko. In 2005 she won the Eurovision Song Contest for Greece for the first time in the contest's history, with the song "My Number One", significantly contributing to her career. Following the victory, her album peaked at number one on the Greek Albums Chart and was certified double platinum by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry of Greece, while she also briefly attempted a career beyond Greece with English-language material, charting in a few countries abroad. Her three subsequent albums Iparhi Logos (2006), The Game of Love (2006) and Vrisko To Logo Na Zo (2008) all peaked at number one in Greece and reached platinum sales. Her fifth studio album, Giro Apo T' Oneiro (2010), was also certified platinum.

Paparizou has also won three Arion Music Awards, a European Border Breakers Award, 15 MAD Video Music Awards—more than any other artist— and an MTV Europe Music Award. On 14 March 2010, prior to the release of her fifth album, Alpha TV ranked her as the 14th top certified female artist in the nation's phonographic era (since 1960), totaling seven platinum and four gold records. Paparizou was the most successful debuting female artist of the 2000s and established herself as one of the top pop artists of the latter half of the decade. As of 2010, she has been certified for the sales of 182 thousand albums, 47.5 thousand singles, and 30 thousand digital downloads by IFPI Greece, in addition to 100 thousand total record sales in Greece as part of Antique, as well as 24 thousand certifed albums in Cyprus, and 20 thousand singles in Sweden during her solo career. In 2010, Forbes listed Paparizou as the 21st most powerful and influential celebrity in Greece and fourth highest ranked singer.

Early life

Elena Paparizou was born on 31 January 1982 in Borås, Västergötland, Sweden, the youngest child of Greek immigrant parents Georgios Paparizos and Efrosini "Froso" Paparizou. Paparizou's mother had moved to Borås in 1960 and worked in factories, while during a trip back to her hometown she met Paparizou's father and they got married. The two moved to Borås in 1970. and attended a Greek-language school. After losing her friends, Paparizou decided to abandon singing, and she started classes at the Art Performing School where she studied theater, acting, television and directing. whom she had met through her siblings at a Greek diaspora celebration in Stockholm. They settled on the name "Antique" because it left an impression of being "classic" and "timeless". making them the first act to enter into the Swedish top five with a song sung in Greek. the duo entered the national final to be Greece's representatives in the Eurovision Song Contest 2001 in Copenhagen, Denmark with the song "(I Would) Die for You", written by Nikos Terzis with lyrics by Antonis Pappas. Placing joint first in the national final, they were declared winners by default as they had won the public vote. The song went on to become their biggest hit in Greece, reaching Platinum status, while it peaked at number three in Sweden, and charted elsewhere. Antique's success in the contest led to them earning recognition in Greece and working there for the remainder of their career. In continuation, they recorded four studio albums that achieved mild success, performed a small European and North American tour, and collaborated with artists such as Katy Garbi and Slavi Trifonov. Following their course as Antique, Paparizou and Panagiotidis decided to pursue solo careers, however Panagiotidis would not manage to establish himself as a solo act.

2003–05: Solo development, Protereotita, and Eurovision

" for Greece at the Eurovision Song Contest 2005.]] In late 2003, Paparizou signed a solo recording contract with Sony Music Greece and released her debut single "Anapandites Kliseis", a double A-side with "Treli Kardia", which peaked at number one on the Greek Top 50 Singles Chart and was certified Gold by IFPI Greece. The video of "Anapandites Kliseis" won her a MAD Video Music Award in 2004 for Best Dance Video and was nominated for Best Video by a New Artist, while a duet of the song with its writer Christos Dantis was performed at the ceremony. During the winter season of 2003–04, Paparizou was the opening act for Antonis Remos and Giannis Spanos at the Stadio Piraios nightclub. On 25 August 2004, she released her debut solo album, Protereotita from which "Anditheseis", "Katse Kala" and "Stin Kardia Mou Mono Thlipsi" were released as singles. The album earned Paparizou her first Arion Award for Best Female Pop Singer, while the videos of "Katse Kala" and "Treli Kardia" won her MAD Awards for Best Female Video and Best Direction, respectively. Originally, the album had moderate success, but after Paparizou's Eurovision win the following year and subsequent reissues it was certified double Platinum by IFPI Greece. To capitalize on the success, it was reissued as Protereotita: Euro Edition in single and double disc format, while it was released as a compilation in some European countries as My Number One, peaking at number 13 in Sweden. It spun off three singles: ("My Number One", "The Light in Our Soul and "A Brighter Day"), peaking at number one, three and 24, respectively, in the aforementioned country, while charting to a lesser extent elsewhere. "My Number One" charted in a number of countries and was released in the United States by Moda Records with remixes in August 2006, peaking at number eight on the Bilboard Hot Dance Club Play chart. The Euro Edition became Paparizou's first album to reach number one and earned her another Arion for Best Female Pop Singer, with "My Number One" peaking at number one on the Singles Chart, being certified Platinum, and becoming her first number-one airplay hit, while "The Light in Our Soul"/"To Fos Sti Psyhi" peaked at two. Paparizou released a new CD single "Mambo!", peaking at number one on both the Singles Chart for 10 weeks and gaining Platinum status, as well as the airplay charts, remaining her most successful single to date. The CD single itself was the second highest-selling single of the year, surpassing her Eurovision-winner "My Number One". She performed "My Number One" at the MAD VMAs in 2005 and in 2006 was awarded three honors for Best Pop Video ("The Light in Our Soul"), Best Video by a Female Artist ("My Number One"), and Artist of the Year ("Mambo!"). The album was reissued for a third time as Protereotita: Euro Edition + Mambo! in November. In 2007, Paparizou was awarded with a European Border Breakers Award at the Midem Festival in Cannes, France for the international editions of her debut album, recognized by the European Union as one of the year's ten new artists to have success with their debut albums abroad. In promotion of the album, Paparizou was the opening act to the spring 2004 season show at Thalassa, sharing the stage with three other young artists, Apostolia Zoi, Nino and Thanos Petrelis, followed by performing as the opening act at Fever for Sakis Rouvas and Giorgos Mazonakis for the winter season.

, Illinois, in September 2005.]]

Paparizou began residing in Greece permanently in 2004 and after a long selection process led by national broadcaster Hellenic Radio and Television (ERT), she was internally selected as Greece's representative in the Eurovision Song Contest 2005 in Kiev, Ukraine. Paparizou had not been an original choice of the broadcaster, who had been trying to secure a high profile artist and thus she was viewed as a possible back-up when the other deals failed to materialize. At the time, she expressed that no-one had wanted her to participate in Eurovision. The song "My Number One", composed by Dantis with lyrics by him and Natalia Germanou, was chosen by both the jury vote and televote in the Greek national final as the entry, defeating "Let's Get Wild" and "OK"; the fourth song, "The Light in Our Soul", was disqualified due to being released prior to the deadline. Although her first name had previously always been spelled "Elena", Paparizou chose to promote herself as "Helena" as her Eurovision appearance approached, citing for it to stand out from other names that are popular in other countries; thus the spelling with the H has since been used on all non-Greek promotions and releases, although she has since stated that she prefers to be known as "Elena". Paparizou went on tour across Europe to promote the song. During this time, she was appointed an ambassador of the Greek Ministry of Tourism by its Μinister, Dimitris Avramopoulos, who invested 500 thousand euros into her campaign to promote Greece during her time abroad through merchandise and advertisements that aired throughout Europe. His decision, deemed a publicity stunt, was reviewed tepidly by colleagues; however, impressed with the result, he issued Paparizou to fulfill the role for the following year. and provoked mass celebrations on the streets of Athens, while she was also greeted by various government officials, including then Minister of State Theodoros Roussopoulos and then Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis at a reception at the Maximos Mansion, upon return.

Paparizou's Eurovision victory catapulted her from a relatively minor celebrity to a notable music act, cementing her solo career and giving her some international exposure. She subsequently toured Europe, performing in all countries that gave her 12 points, while a tour of North America and Australia for the Greek diaspora with Nikos Kourkoulis followed. Paparizou stated that should she ever consider doing anything Eurovision orientated again it would have to be for her birth country of Sweden, since she already had her turn with Greece. After serving as an opening act on numerous occasions, Paparizou performed as a main act at Fever for the 2005–06 season.

2006–07: Iparhi Logos, The Game of Love, and soundtracks

at Iera Odos in 2006.]] In January 2006, Paparizou was one of 25 artists who participated in the group Simmeteho Energa in the recording of the charity single "Eho Ti Dinami", which was released as a CD Single in support of the Greek Cancer Society. Paparizou was one of eight main vocalists. Paparizou's second album, Iparhi Logos, was released in Greece on 12 April 2006 to good critical reception. In promotion, Paparizou performed the title track at the Arion Music Awards. The album, a two disc set, contained both previously released material and live recordings from her held in December 2005, being the first edition of the series. The album peaked at number one in both Greece and Cyprus and generated three hit singles ("Iparhi Logos", "Gigolo" and "An Ihes Erthi Pio Noris"), being certified Platinum after seven months for 40,000 copies and also reaching Platinum in Cyprus. the album was also nominated for two Cyprus Music Awards in 2007, where she also performed. The album was reissued in February 2007 as to include Paparizou's number one hit "Mazi Sou", one of two songs she contributed for the soundtrack of the television series of the same name, "Fos" from the Barbie kai I Dodeka Vasilopoules soundtrack released in 2006, and her newest hit single, a cover of Voula Georgouti's rebetiko "Min Fevgeis", which reached number two. Prior to the reissue, the singles were also released on the EP single Fos, which reached number 1 on the Greek Top 50 Singles Chart and was certified Gold, making it her fourth consecutive number-one hit on that chart. On May 20, 2006, Paparizou opened the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 in Athens with "My Number One" and later performed "Mambo!" to promote her song internationally, however, ERT ran commercials during the performance and thus it was not broadcast in many nations. Paparizou's song "Heroes" was the official song of the 2006 European Athletics Championships in Gothenburg, where it was performed at the event. The single was released in Sweden and Finland, becoming her second number-one hit in the former.

Following Eurovision, Paparizou expressed interest in beginning an international career and her debut English-language album The Game of Love was released on 25 October 2006 and was followed by releases in 14 countries covering Europe and South Africa by April 2007, although this was much less than had been expected in hopes of kicking off an international career. In Greece and Cyprus, the album went to number one and received Platinum certifications. "Teardrops", a number-one hit, was released as the first Greek single from the album, as "Mambo!" and "Gigolo" were previously released on Iparhi Logos, as was much of the album's material. The album failed to chart in many countries, peaking at 18 in Sweden and becoming her least successful album there since Antique's debut Mera Me Ti Mera. Thus her label cancelled many of the foreign releases. "Mambo!" charted in Sweden at number 5 and became Gold, while it was also released in five other countries and promoted by others. A new video was filmed for the song that was targeted towards a broader audience. The song charted in a few countries, but its success was limited outside of Sweden, with no official European release date being announced. The single failed to make any impact on any major market. It was also planned to be released in the United States by Moda, however those plans were later abandoned. The third international single was planned to be "The Game of Love" and was scheduled for an April 2007 release but was canceled due to the album's lack of success, and also since her latest "Gigolo" was not overly successful, peaking at number 11, her second lowest charting single in Sweden, and failing to chart well elsewhere.

In early 2007, Paparizou became the spokesperson of Nokia Greece, her previous sponsor, and released the song "Ola Ine Mousiki" in October 2007 for promotion. She also collaborated with retailer Plaisio and released a limited edition MP4 player called "MP4 Total Helena" (2GB) by Turbo-X, containing a special compilation and music videos, being additionally released as "TH4" MP4 in 2008 to include her new album material and exclusive content. She released a cover of Blind Melon's "3 Is a Magic Number" in Sweden as part of a television advertisement for a mobile phone company; it peaked at number 18, while she also was featured on TV presenter Nikos Aliagas' song "I Zilia Monaksia", a cover of the Pascal Obispo hit "L'envie d'Aimer", for his album project Rendez-Vous. She also released the song "To Fili Tis Zois" for the soundtrack of the film of the same name, reaching number one for five weeks and becoming her most successful airplay single, as well as one of the most successful songs of the late 2000s. It was nominated for four MAD VMAs, winning Best Pop Video, while she won Artist of the Year for "Mazi Sou", while "I Zilia Monaxia" also picked up a nomination, totaling six nominations in 2008. The single was the first digital single to be certified Gold in Greece since the marketing trend became popular in 2006.

2008–09: Vrisko To Logo Na Zo

.]] Paparizou released her fourth album, Vrisko To Logo Na Zo on 12 June 2008. The album generated four singles, "Porta Gia Ton Ourano", "I Kardia Sou Petra", "Pirotehnimata", and "Eisai I Foni". The music video of "Pirotehnimata" won Paparizou two awards at the sixth MAD Video Music Awards for Best Pop Video and Video of the Year and was nominated for Sexiest Video, while "I Kardia Sou Petra" won for Female Artist of the Year and "Porta Gia Ton Ourano" was nominated for Artist of the Year. Paparizou promoted a more rock-inspired image for the album, which differed from her previous pop/laïko style. However, the album and its concept received mixed reviews. The album was certified Gold in its first week, eventually peaking at number one and being certified Platinum after three months and becoming overall the second best-selling album of the year in both domestic and mixed domains; in Cyprus it peaked at two and was certified Platinum.

In June, Paparizou opened the MAD Video Music Awards 2008 with a remix of "Porta Gia Ton Ourano" with Madonna's 4 Minutes" and was featured in the performance of hip hop group Stavento of their hit "Mesa Sou"; both songs were released as digital downloads and promo singles in promotion of the album, while Paparizou's duet version of Spanish group Chambao's single "Papeles Mojados" received some play in Spanish clubs. She then embarked on her To Party Arhizei tour, her first national tour, from 2 July to 19 September. The finale of the tour, set for Herakleion, Crete three days later, was cancelled due to whether conditions and Paparizou substituted the concert with two shows in October 2009 at the club Anadromes. It grossed 192 thousand attendants over 29 locations, selling out the Thessaloniki venue. Following the tour, the album was reissued as The Deluxe Edition in December and featured a video of the show titled Live in Concert, which was also available individually. A further reissue of the album set to include Paparizou's newly recorded material (including the new single "Tha 'Mai Allios" and MAD Secret Concert tracks) was scheduled for the fall 2009, but this was shelved when the singer opted to record a new studio album for 2010.

Paparizou was featured on the Bonnier soundtrack project Alla Himlens Änglar, released in August, where she contributed her first Swedish-language songs: "Allt jag vill" (Everything I want) and "Genom krig och kärlek" (Through war and love). On 23 October 2008, she was one of the artists featured in a concert at the Siemens Arena in Vilnius, Lithuania that was attended by approximately 10 thousand people, while from 30 October to 9 April she once again appeared alongside Paschalis Terzis at Iera Odos with Manos Pirovolakis as the opening act. From 14 May to September, Paparizou was the main act at Thalassa: People's Stage, a concert-themed club stage, which had recently become more popular in Greece and was a first for the singer. 15.50 and Stavento served as supporting acts; after a brief intermission, the show was resumed with the latter being replaced with Loukas Giorkas. Paparizou returned to the stage of MAD Secret Concerts on 26 May, the eighth edition of the series, featuring acts like 15.50, De Niro, Dimos Anastasiadis, Giorgos Sabanis, and Mironas Stratis, with a video release titled MAD Secret Concert Vol.II being released in the fall. Paparizou went on hiatus in the winter season to spend time with her mother in Sweden and record her new album. An English-language album had also been announced for 2009, however, those plans did not materialize because of her father's sudden death, although three songs have been recorded, one of which is a tribute to him.

2010–present: Giro Apo T' Oneiro

Paparizou's fifth studio album Giro Apo T' Oneiro was released on 29 March and generated the singles "Tha 'Mai Allios", "An Isouna Agapi", "Psahno Tin Alitheia" and "Girna Me Sto Htes". The song "Tha 'Mai Allios", which was released a year before the album, served as the singer's first advertisement for soft-drink Ivi's and won her an MTV Europe Award for Best Greek Act, placing her in the preliminary nominations of Best European Act, missing the official nominations by one spot by finishing sixth The song's video also won the MAD Video Music Award for Video of the Year and was nominated for Best Pop Video, while "An Isouna Agapi" won the award for Sexiest Video and received nominations for Female Artist of the Year and Artist of the Year. For its release, Paparizou embraced the new marketing trend of releasing new albums with Sunday newspapers, and did so with the 28 March edition of the nation-wide RealNews, However, newspaper shipments are not taken into consideration by IFPI. In a radio interview in August 2010, Paparizou stated that the album had sold enough physical copies to be certified Platinum by IFPI. On 6 November 2010, Paparizou was awarded platinum certification, with shipments of at least 12,000 units, for Giro Apo T' Oneiro by IFPI Greece at the grand opening of the new Metropolis music store at The Mall Athens.

at Diogenis Studio on 2 January 2011.]]

Paparizou and Onirama embarked on their joint Fisika Mazi Tour beginning on 30 June at Theatro Petras as part of the Stone Festival in Petroupoli. A surprise inspection by the SDOE at the Kefalonia stop of the tour which found the production guilty of tax violations was the subject of controversy; it was revealed that eight thousand five hundred concert tickets were left unstamped and the contract fees of the performing artists had not been submitted. The singer claimed she did not have any knowledge of the occurrences and that she has no affiliation with the production group apart from as a performer. She was one of eight artists who performed at the first MAD Fanatics concert, a tribute to Michael Jackson, closing the show with covers of "Heal the World" and "You Are Not Alone". For the winter season Paparizou appears alongside Antonis Remos at Diogenis Studio, for which she reportedly is paid 10 thousand euros per night, four thousand euros less than her previous season of performances. Paparizou was featured on Albert Hammond's greatest hits album Legend on the tracks "Enredao" and its English-language counterpart "Tangled Up in Tears".

Musical style and performance

Influences

Paparizou has said that her parents had absolutely no musical background and the only person in her family who sang was her paternal grandmother. During her years in the village she would gather the people around the monasteries and sing hymns at weddings and baptisms, which inspired Paparizou to sing. While her first musical experiences were with international music, predominantly musicals, her musical roots are in traditional Greek music such as laiko and rebetiko as she was exposed to the music of Vassilis Tsitsanis, Markos Vamvakaris, Stelios Kazantzidis, Mimis Plaisas, and Giannis Spanos through her parents. However, as a child, she considered these genres to be distant and old-fashioned and only associated them with her summer holidays in Greece. however, her biggest musical influences were female pop singers such as Madonna, Céline Dion, Tina Turner and Janet Jackson. Later on, she also cited frequent collaborator Paschalis Terzis for teaching her to be a better vocalist on a technical level. Paparizou has also stated that she was a big fan of the Eurovision Song Contest for years before she first participated in 2001.

Music and themes

, Greece as part of her Arhizei To Party tour on August 28, 2008, where she performed a majority of material from Vrisko To Logo Na Zo.]] During her solo career, Paparizou has transformed her musical style and image from laiko to pop to more rock-inspired styles on a whim, "Somebody's Burning" to Beyonce Knowles and "Carpe Diem" to Shakira.

Similar to Antique's work, all of Paparizou's albums have included a sizable amount of covers and translations. Following Antique's distinct style of blending traditional Greek music with Nordic disco sounds, with her debut solo album Protereotita, Paparizou focused on more pop sounds in addition to laiko and the songs were directed towards the club market; however, Giorgos Mastorakis of Music Corner stated that despite the image change, the album was not too different than what the public had become used to from Antique, being described as "pop moments (with keen laiko ... 'garnish')." In addition, the album contained many writers from both Greece and Sweden, which –according to Mastorakis– led to the album's sound to be varying. The more stylistically interesting songs from the album included the title track which followed a more R&B; style, while the song "Katse Kala" was described as having an "original sound."

Following her Eurovision win, Paparizou witnessed increased popularity and was often promoted more as a pop singer by the media. In his review of the Euro Edition of Protereotita, Pavlos Zervas of Music Corner was highly impressed with the album and believed that its contemporary style could potentially be an international hit, supporting the singer more so in English-language recordings; In his review of Iparhi Logos, Zervas even went as far as to say that apart from Sakis Rouvas, the nation's primary pop performer, Paparizou was the only artist supporting the pop/dance genre so well in Greece, adding that anything that she chose to sing at the moment would become a hit. He used Paparizou as an example that big name producers like Giorgos Theofanous and Phoebus are not needed to create hits. Material-wise, he maintained that the numerous covers were the album's strong point, while "Gigolo" was characterized by "witty" lyrics in an overall pattern that followed her hit "Mambo!" and previous hits. Nevertheless, he considered that the laiko material on the album contradicted the pop ones and made her overall sound less focused.

Paparizou's first English-language album The Game of Love was anticipated amongst Greek consumers and featured a fairly similar sound to Iparhi Logos, with over half of the album's material being taken from the aforementioned album. Zervas also reviewed this album, saying that it contained many different styles such as dance, hip hop, slow jams and latin, following a typical recipe of American music. Zervas believed that international female pop singers did not have much above Paparizou, saying that the album's success would depend solely on promotion efforts, although internationally affiliated record companies were less impressed. Zervas' impression was that while he believed in the material's potential, he thought that if Paparizou continued her current trends and performance style at laiko nightclubs ambitions for an international career would come to a disappointment.

For Vrisko To Logo Na Zo, her fourth album, Paparizou minimized the laiko influences and promoted a more pop/rock sound and image; in contrast with her first three albums that followed a similar approach of blending laiko and dance-pop songs. The overall album concept was given generally mixed reviews; Evianna Nikoleri of Music Corner commented that on its positive notes the album was carefully crafted and had a good European-like production. The rock elements of the album were thought to be minor, with some occasional guitar riffs, while she maintained that Paparizou was following the current trend of pop/laiko female singers promoting a rock image, something that she credited Despina Vandi for commencing;

For Giro Apo T' Oneiro, Paparizou worked with the same group she had two years prior with minimal changes. However, she toned down the image she had created with her previous album; while many of the songs still contained rock influences, she also re-embraced dance-pop and pop-folk, while to a lesser extent incorporated electronic and lounge, and set an overall pop theme for the album.

While some critics have said that her material's lyrics have flow, they have also criticized them as being generic and trivial, focusing on typical love clichés; Nikoleri stated that while songs like "I Kardia Sou Petra", "Kita Brosta", "Pios" grab attention, not a single song escapes from the typical love themes of 'you left and I want you back,' 'I love you but I will get over you,' etc.," citing it as an area for improvement.

Makis Kalamaris of Avopolis alleged that there were two types of artists: quality and commercial, labelling Paparizou as the latter, although he noted that she is an artist that some artists from the quality side have shown a liking for because despite her material's level, she defends it in the best possible way.

Vocal style

Aris Kavatzikis of Close Up described Paparizou as having a "metallic voice." Especially following the disbandment of Antique, Paparizou's voice was characterized as possessing a "deep, sensual" tone. Paparizou possesses a mezzo-soprano vocal range; from her Antique years up until 2005, she performed in a vocal range of C₄ to B₆. Some critics have argued whether pop or laiko material best suits the artist vocally; both Mastorakis and Zervas of Music Corner maintained that she was passable in both, Other publications have also been under the opinion that she does not sell primarily based on her voice, but rather her public image. and was also known to wear mini-dresses and five-inch high heels. The look was completed with multiple new piercings, including her ear cartilage, tongue, and most notably, her nostril, wearing a wire chain to connect it to her ear piercing. Evianna Nikoleri maintained that Paparizou was following the current trend of pop/laiko female singers promoting a rock image, something that she credited Despina Vandi for commencing. Makis Kalamaris of Avopolis also agreed that this new image was more so for mainstream success rather than artistic expression, but added that Paparizou, knowing her limitations, was slowly easing into it rather than suddenly presenting this rock persona, adding that she was probably the only case of a Greek female singer being able to imitate trends of international females without singing in skiladiko clubs and at the same time cloning herself into Madonna, which made her stand out against the current mainstream scene. Paparizou's make-up artist Giannis Marketakis has stated that while their relationship began strictly professionally, they have since become like siblings, further saying that Paparizou always gives input on her look and fashion, and follows fashion trends closely.

Public image

in Athens on 29 April 2010.]] On 14 March 2010, Alpha TV ranked Paparizou as the 14th top-certified female artist in the nation's 50-year phonographic industry, on a list titled the "30 Most Popular Greek Female Singers of the Past 50 Years," with certifications totalling seven Platinum and four Gold records. This made Paparizou the youngest artist on the list, the only artist under the age of 30, as well as the only artist to emerge in the 2000s (in her solo career). In 2010, Forbes listed her as the 21st most powerful and influential celebrity in Greece, and the fourth highest ranked singer. She is regarded as the most successful female pop singer of the second half of the 2000s. While in years previous to this a supposed rivalry between Anna Vissi and Despina Vandi received heavy media attention and competition as to which artist would ultimately come out on top, Paparizou essentially replaced the two musicians as the top contemporary female artist in their absences during the latter half of the decade. In reviewing her comeback album, Apagorevmeno (2008) after three years since her last release, Haris Simvoulidis of Avopolis alleged that Vissi gave the impression of trying to catch up to her contemporaries, Paparizou and Peggy Zina, who were the most culturally relevant female acts of that era. However, by the end of the decade her popularity was in decline as was most of the laïko-pop scene and image-based singers, partially due to hardships faced by the Greek music industry including piracy, the financial crisis, and changing musical tastes.

in 2003.]] Paparizou established a public image described as that of the "Greek every-girl" or the "girl next door," making her an icon for teenage girls, while her songs have become a staple for young people during auditions at reality music shows such as Greek Idol as well as having inspired younger artists such as Idol runner-up Nicole Paparistodimou. Paparizou became known for the way she approached the media; she has been known to apologize in her interviews, laugh throughout, and "embodies the good girl and not the femme fatale, she wants to be likeable" and projects a "child-woman" rather than a diva, thus staying family-friendly. A biography of the artist on Alpha TV's Kafes Me Tin Eleni stated that Paparizou's appeal was not due to her voice, her songs, nor her body, but rather that she represents the qualities and limitations of the average person. making her one of only two Greek celebrities —along with Kostas Martakis— to ever be featured on one of the network's lists. In 2009, she admitted to having undergone breast augmentation at the age of 26 after wishing to do so since she was 18. Paparizou also performed as the main act at the artistic portion of the Athens Pride 2010, supporting LGBT people of Greece. She has had promotional deals with Skechers, Nokia Greece, Organics Hair Care, and Ivi, and through record label association has promoted Sony Ericsson (both Greece and Sweden), TIM Hellas, Vivodi, and Coca-Cola.

In 2008, Paparizou, who was known for her slim figure, was scrutinized for her weight gain during the 2007–08 season when she took a break from performing. Paparizou openly stated that she had gained 10 kg (22 lbs), however she had already lost 7 (15) of them. She had previously stated that she gains at least that amount every time she goes on break, adding that it would have been possible for her to gain up to 15 kg (33 lbs). As she had first stated in 2006, she was dissatisfied with discriminative ideals towards both men and women and threatened to put on weight the following year. This was followed by another weight gain in 2009; her new image distanced her from the one she became known with circa Eurovision 2005. As the media became more concerned with her weight Paparizou expressed her disapproval of this, stating "I am a singer, not a model." In her 2010 video shoots it was reported that Paparizou asked only for close-up shots due to this issue. Paparizou had also faced scrutiny for her weight on another occasion during the Eurovision 2001 era where media made claims of her having anorexia nervosa; Paparizou admitted that for her appearance in the contest she had lost too much weight and had dropped down to 51 kg.

Personal life

Paparizou at one point during her youth followed Buddhism, but eventually began following the Greek Orthodox religion once again as she believes it suits her better. whom she was introduced to as a musician by a friend of her sister's at a restaurant called Mykonos when she was only 17, while Mavridis is 11 years her senior. Paparizou's lack of fluency in the Greek language was often a subject of the media, Mavridis has suggested the idea of the two getting married in Las Vegas, Nevada, while Paparizou has also already chosen a koumbara, her good friend Roxani. while in Nitro she said "No [Mavridis is not my first relationship], but I think he is my last. He is the person I want to have kids with. I think he is the best father they could have. If I don't have kids with him, then I will adopt."

Paparizou's father died suddenly on 25 December 2008 of a heart attack during the family's Christmas Day celebrations. Paparizou stopped her performances at Iera Odos to be with family in Sweden before resuming her show. She later stated her belief that her father would have lived had the ambulance been prompt, blaming medical incompetency. She has been suffering from depression since, citing it as the second occurrence since she was a teenager.

Discography

Protereotita (2004)

Iparhi Logos (2006)

The Game of Love (2006)

Vrisko To Logo Na Zo (2008)

Giro Apo T' Oneiro (2010)

Tours

Concert tours

Headlining

"My Number One" Eurovision Promo Tour (2005)

Eurovision Winner's Tour (2005)

To Party Arhizei (2008)

Joint

North American and Australian Tour (with Nikos Kourkoulis) (2005)

Fisika Mazi (with Onirama) (2010)

Resident shows

Main act

Fever (with Giorgos Tsalikis and Christos Pazis) (2005–06)

Iera Odos (with Paschalis Terzis and Nino) (2006–07)

Odeon (with Paschalis Terzis and Nino) (2007)

Iera Odos (with Paschalis Terzis and Manos Pirovolakis) (2008–09)

Thalassa: People's Stage (with Stavento and 15:50, Pt.2: Loukas Giorkas and 15:50) (2009)

Diogenis Studio (with Antonis Remos) (2010–11)

Opening act

Studio Piraios (opening act for Antonis Remos and Giannis Spanos) (2003–04)

Fever (opening act for Sakis Rouvas and Giorgos Mazonakis) (2004–05)

Thalassa (with Apostolia Zoi, Nino, and Thanos Petrelis) (2004)

Awards

See also

List of Greeks

List of Swedes

Notes

Citations

External links

Official Elena Paparizou websites: ProfessionalFacebookMySpaceTwitterYouTube

Helena Paparizou on the Internet Movie Database

Elena Paparizou at Sony Music Entertainment Greece

Elena Paparizou at MAD TV (Greece)

Category:1982 births Category:1990s singers Category:2000s singers Category:2010s singers Category:Antique (duo) Category:Arion Music Awards winners Category:Bonnier Amigo Music Group artists Category:Eastern Orthodox Christians from Greece Category:Eastern Orthodox Christians from Sweden Category:Elena Paparizou Category:English-language singers Category:Eurovision Song Contest entrants of 2001 Category:Eurovision Song Contest entrants of 2005 Category:Eurovision Song Contest winners Category:Greek dance musicians Category:Greek Eurovision Song Contest entrants Category:Greek female models Category:Greek female singers Category:Greek laïko singers Category:Greek lyricists Category:Greek pop singers Category:Greek songwriters Category:Living people Category:MAD Video Music Awards winners Category:Modern Greek-language singers

Category:People from Gothenburg Category:People from Borås Municipality Category:Pop folk singers Category:Sony Music Greece artists Category:Swedish dance musicians Category:Swedish female models Category:Swedish female singers Category:Swedish people of Greek descent Category:Swedish pop singers

Name	Kostas MartakisΚώστας Μαρτάκης
Background	solo_singer
Born	May 25, 1984 Athens, Greece
Origin	Athens, Greece
Genre	Pop, Pop rock, Dance
Years active	2006-Present
Label	Sony BMG Greece (2006-2009)Universal Music Greece (2009-present)

Kostas Martakis () (born May 25, 1984 in Athens, Greece) is a Greek singer most known for his participation in a talent show called Dream Show aired by Alpha TV in 2006, and his participation in the Greek national final for the Eurovision Song Contest 2008.

Biography

Early life

Kostas Martakis was born on May 25, 1984 in Athens to parents Nikos Martakis and Labrini Martaki of Cretan origin.

2006–2007: Dream Show and debut album

Martakis first gained fame on the reality talent show Dream Show. Prior he had also done modelling work and played basketball in amateur minor leagues where he won some medals, The song was "Always and Forever". and it was recorded in two different styles. The pop rock version of the song was originally supposed to be performed at the National Final, but the dance version was chosen instead by Martakis and his label. The winning entrant was "Secret Combination" by Kalomoira, and Martakis' entry "Always and Forever" placed second. Following the Greek national final, a Russian language cover of "Always and Forever" based on the dance version with the title "С тобой навеки" (With you forever) was released in ex-soviet countries, while in December 2008, "Always & Forever" was added to American retailer Abercrombie & Fitch's nationwide US in-store music playlist, thus indirectly introducing the song to the American market. and Marc Anthony in Athens in 2008]]

Kostas Martakis and Danish-Greek singer Shaya were chosen to record a Greek-language version of Right Here, Right Now from the of the Disney film . The cover was titled "Mikroi Theoi" (Little Gods) and was released as a single off of the Greek edition of the film's soundtrack, as well as being made into a music video with Martakis and Shaya molded together with scenes from the film. The music video was included as a bonus feature on the Greek edition of the film's home video release. Walt Disney Records, via its international distribution partner EMI, commissioned several local market, foreign language versions of songs from the entire High School Musical series, although "Mikroi Theoi" was the only Greek version song.

"Fila Me" is another single by Martakis of which was made into a music video and released as a digital single. Martakis then took a break from recording and live shows as he was called to fulfill service in the Hellenic Navy.

In fall 2008, Kostas Martakis was the opening act for the Athens concert of Jennifer Lopez. He was chosen by concert organizers after they reviewed several video screenings of Greek artists. Ιn November 2008 American television station E! included Martakis on their "25 Most Sexy Men in the World", describing him a "Greek God".

2009–present: Second album Pio Konta

In March 2009, it was announced that Kostas Martakis signed with Universal Music Greece. The collaboration with Sony BMG helped spawn nine singles, but his departure from the label in 2009 was on good terms.

In June 2009, Martakis released a song as a digital download single titled "Pio Konta" (Come closer) composed by Swedish producers Holter & Erixson. A music video, directed by Dimitris Silvestros, debuted shortly after. Martakis released his second platinum album Pio Konta on November 12, 2009.

Discography

Studio albums

All the albums listed below were released in Greece and Cyprus.

CD Singles

References

External links

ERT Biography

Category:1984 births Category:Living people Category:Greek male singers Category:Greek pop singers Category:MAD Video Music Awards winners Category:Modern Greek-language singers