Coordinates

51°15′″N19°39′″N

{{infobox legislature | background color

#770C05 | text_color white | name Senate of CanadaSénat du Canada | native_name | transcription_name | legislature 41st Parliament | coa_pic Senate_Canda.jpg | coa_res | house_type Upper House | leader1_type Speaker | leader1 Noël Kinsella | party1 Conservative | election1 February 8, 2006 | leader2_type Leader of the Government in the Senate | leader2 Marjory LeBreton | party2 Conservative | election2 February 6, 2006 | leader3_type Leader of the Opposition in the Senate | leader3 Jim Cowan | party3 Liberal | election3 November 3, 2008 | members 105 | structure1 41st Can Senate.svg | structure1_res 260px | structure1_alt Current Structure of the Senate | political_groups1 | voting_system1 Appointment by the Governor-General on advice of the Prime Minister | last_election1 | session_room Cansenate.jpg | session_res 260px | session_alt The Senate of Canada sits in the Centre Block in Ottawa | meeting_place Centre BlockParliament HillOttawa, OntarioCanada | website Parliament of Canada }}

The Senate of Canada () is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the monarch (represented by the governor general) and the House of Commons. The Senate consists of 105 members appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister. Seats are assigned on a regional basis, with each of the four major regions receiving 24 seats, and the remainder of the available seats being assigned to smaller regions. The four major regions are: Ontario, Quebec, the Maritime provinces, and the Western provinces. The seats for Newfoundland and Labrador, the Northwest Territories, Yukon, and Nunavut are assigned apart from these regional divisions. Senators may serve until they reach the age of 75.

The Senate is the upper house of Parliament, and the House of Commons is the lower house. This does not, however, imply that the Senate is more powerful than the House of Commons, merely that its members and officers outrank the members and officers of the House of Commons in the order of precedence for the purposes of protocol. Indeed, as a matter of practice and custom, the Commons is by far the dominant chamber. Although the approval of both houses is necessary for legislation, the Senate rarely rejects bills passed by the directly elected Commons. Moreover, the government is responsible solely to the House of Commons; the Prime Minister of Canada and Cabinet stay in office only while they retain the confidence of the Commons. The Senate does not exercise any such control. Although legislation can normally be introduced in either house, the majority of government bills originate in the House of Commons. Under the Constitution, money bills must always originate in the House of Commons.

Chamber and symbols

The Senate and the House of Commons sit in separate chambers in the Centre Block on Parliament Hill, which is located in Ottawa, Ontario.

The chamber in which the Senate sits is sometimes called the ''red chamber'', due to the red cloth that adorns the chamber as well as the throne. The red Senate Chamber is lavishly decorated, in contrast with the more modest green Commons Chamber. This decorative scheme is inherited from the British Houses of Parliament, where the Lords chamber is a lavish room with red benches, whereas the Commons chamber is more sparsely decorated and is furnished in green.

There are chairs and desks on both sides of the chamber, divided by a centre aisle. The speaker's chair is at one end of the chamber; in front of it is the clerk's table. Various clerks sit at the table, ready to advise the speaker and the senators on procedure when necessary. Members of the government sit on the benches on the speaker's right, while members of the opposition occupy the benches on the speaker's left.

The Canadian Heraldic Authority on April 15, 2008, granted the Senate, as an institution, a heraldic achievement composed of the chamber's mace (representing the Queen's authority in the upper chamber) behind the escutcheon of the Royal Arms of Canada (representing the Queen herself, in whose name the Senate deliberates).

Senators

The governor general holds the power to appoint senators, although, in modern practice, he or she makes appointments only on the advice of the prime minister. Senators originally held their seats for life; however, under the British North America Act, 1965 (now known as the Constitution Act, 1965), members, save for those appointed prior to the change, may not sit in the Senate after reaching the age of 75. Prime ministers normally choose members of their own parties to be senators, though they sometimes nominate independents or members of opposing parties. In practice, a large number of the members of the Senate are ex-Cabinet ministers, ex-provincial premiers, and other eminent people.

Under the constitution, each province or territory is entitled to a specific number of Senate seats. The constitution divides Canada into four areas, each with an equal number of senators: 24 for Ontario, 24 for Quebec, 24 for the Maritime provinces (10 each for Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, and four for Prince Edward Island), and 24 for the western provinces (six each for Manitoba, British Columbia, Saskatchewan, and Alberta). Newfoundland and Labrador, which became a province in 1949, is not assigned to any division, and is represented by six senators, while the three territories (the Northwest Territories, the Yukon, and Nunavut) are allocated one senator each. Quebec senators are the only ones to be assigned to specific districts within their province. Historically, this was adopted to ensure that both French and English-speaking senators from Quebec were represented appropriately in the Senate.

Like most other upper-houses worldwide, the Canadian formula does not use representation by population as a primary criterion for member selection, since this is already done for the lower house. Rather, the intent when the formula was struck was to achieve a balance of regional interests and to provide a house of "sober second thought" to check the power of the lower house when necessary. Therefore, the largest province (Ontario) and two Western provinces that were not populous at their accession to the federation and that are within a region are currently under-represented, while the Maritimes are the opposite. For example, British Columbia, with a current population of about four million, has been historically entitled to six senators, while Nova Scotia, with a current population of fewer than one million, has been entitled to 10. Only Quebec currently has a share of senators approximately proportional to its share of the total population.

{|border="1" | align="center" class="wikitable sortable" !Province or Territory!!Number of Senators!!Population per Senator (2006 census) |- |British Columbia |6 |685,581 |- |Alberta |6 |548,391 |- |Ontario |24 |506,678 |- |Quebec |24 |314,422 |- |Manitoba |6 |191,400 |- |Saskatchewan |6 |161,359 |- |Nova Scotia |10 |91,346 |- |Newfoundland and Labrador |6 |84,244 |- |New Brunswick |10 |72,999 |- |Northwest Territories |1 |41,464 |- |Prince Edward Island |4 |33,962 |- |Yukon |1 |30,372 |- |Nunavut |1 |29,474 |- class="sortbottom" |Total/Average |105 |301,075 |}

A senator's seat automatically becomes vacant if he or she fails to attend the Senate for two consecutive parliamentary sessions. Furthermore, senators lose their seats if they are found guilty of treason, an indictable offence, or any "infamous crime"; are declared bankrupt or insolvent; or cease to be qualified.

There exists a constitutional provision, Section 26 of the Constitution Act, 1867, under which the Queen may approve the appointment of four or eight extra senators, equally divided amongst the four regions. Appointments are made by the monarch on prime ministerial advice, exactly as with normal senatorial appointments. This provision has been successfully used only once in 1990, when Prime Minister Brian Mulroney sought to ensure the passage of a bill creating the Goods and Services Tax (GST). The appointment of eight additional senators allowed a slight Tory majority. The only other attempt to use Section 26, by Prime Minister Alexander Mackenzie in 1874, was denied by Queen Victoria, on the advice of the British Cabinet. This clause does not result in a permanent increase in the number of Senate seats, however — instead, an attrition process is applied by which senators leaving office through normal means are not replaced until their province has returned to its normal number of seats.

Since 1989, the voters of Alberta have elected "senators-in-waiting", or nominees for the province's Senate seats. These elections, however, are not held pursuant to any federal constitutional or legal provision; thus, the prime minister is not bound to recommend the nominees for appointment. Only two senators-in-waiting have actually been appointed to the Senate: The first was Stan Waters, who was appointed in 1990 on the recommendation of Brian Mulroney (Waters died in 1991); the second was Bert Brown, elected a senator-in-waiting in 1998 and 2004, and appointed to the Senate in 2007 on the recommendation of Prime Minister Stephen Harper. In May 2008, the government of Saskatchewan announced plans to hold similar elections.

The base annual salary of each senator, as of 2010, is $132,300; members may receive additional salaries in right of other offices they hold (for instance, the Speakership). Senators rank immediately above Members of Parliament in the order of precedence.

Qualifications

The Constitution Act outlines the qualifications of senators. Individuals must be both citizens of Canada and at least thirty years of age to be eligible for appointment to the Senate. Senators must also reside in the provinces or territories for which they are appointed.

The Constitution Act, 1867, also sets property qualifications for senators. A senator must possess land worth at least $4,000 in the province for which he or she is appointed. Moreover, a senator must own real and personal property worth at least $4,000 (adjusted for inflation this number could be estimated between $175,000 and $200,000 in current dollars), above his or her debts and liabilities. These property qualifications were originally introduced to ensure that the Senate represented Canada's economic and social élite. Now, however, the sum in question is far less valuable due to the effects of inflation. Nevertheless, the property qualification has never been abolished or amended, and initially caused problems with the 1997 Senate appointment of Sister Peggy Butts, a Catholic nun who had taken a vow of poverty. (The situation was resolved when her order formally transferred a small parcel of land to her name.)

The original Constitution of Canada did not explicitly bar women from sitting as senators. However, until the end of the 1920s, only men had been appointed to the body. In 1927, five Canadian women ("The Famous Five") requested the Supreme Court of Canada to determine whether females were eligible to become senators. Specifically, they asked whether women were considered "persons" under the British North America Act, 1867, which provided: "The Governor General shall ... summon qualified Persons to the Senate; and ... every Person so summoned shall become and be a Member of the Senate and a Senator." In ''Edwards v. Canada (Attorney General)'' (commonly known as the "Persons Case"), the Supreme Court unanimously held that women could not become senators. The court based its decision on the grounds that the framers of the Constitution did not foresee female senators, as women did not participate in politics at the time; moreover, they pointed to the constitution's use of the pronoun "he" when referring to senators. On appeal, however, the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (effectively Canada's highest court at the time) ruled that women were indeed "persons" in the meaning of the Constitution. Four months later, the government of Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King recommended for appointment Canada's first female senator, Cairine Wilson of Ontario.

Current composition

		55
		45
		2
	Independent	2
	Vacant	1
	105

Notes:

:¹ When the Progressive Conservative Party merged with the Canadian Alliance to form the Conservative Party of Canada in 2004, all but three Progressive Conservative senators became Conservative senators. Two additional senators who have chosen to sit as "Progressive Conservatives" were appointed on the recommendation of Liberal Prime Minister Paul Martin, over one year after the merger occurred. One of the five remaining Progressive Conservative senators died in December 2005, and another joined the Conservative caucus in March 2006 bringing the total to three. The retirement of Norman Atkins on June 27, 2009, further reduced the number of PC Senators to two.

Officers

The presiding officer of the Senate, known as the speaker, is appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister. The speaker is assisted by a speaker ''pro tempore'' (or speaker for the time-being), who is elected by the Senate at the beginning of each parliamentary session. If the speaker is unable to attend, the speaker ''pro tempore'' presides instead. Furthermore, the Parliament of Canada Act, authorizes the speaker to appoint another senator to take his or her place temporarily.

The speaker presides over sittings of the Senate and controls debates by calling on members to speak. If a senator believes that a rule (or standing order) has been breached, he or she may raise a "point of order," on which the speaker makes a ruling. However, the speaker's decisions are subject to appeal to the whole Senate. When presiding, the speaker remains impartial, though he or she still maintains membership in a political party. Unlike the speaker of the House of Commons, the speaker of the Senate does not hold a casting vote, but instead retains their right to vote in the same manner as any other senator (see Procedure below). The current speaker of the Senate is Noël A. Kinsella.

The member of the government responsible for steering legislation through the Senate is Leader of the Government in the Senate. The leader is a senator selected by the prime minister, and serves in Cabinet. The leader manages the schedule of the Senate, and attempts to secure the opposition's support for the government's legislative agenda. The opposition equivalent is the leader of the opposition in the Senate, who is selected by his or her counterpart in the House, the leader of the opposition. However, if the Official Opposition in the House is a different party than the Official Opposition in the Senate (as is currently the case), then the Senate party chooses its own leader.

Officers of the Senate who are not members include the clerk, the deputy clerk, the law clerk, and several other clerks. These officers advise the speaker and members on the rules and procedure of the Senate. Another officer is the usher of the black rod, whose duties include the maintenance of order and security within the Senate chamber. The usher of the black rod bears a ceremonial black ebony staff, from which the title "black rod" arises. This position is roughly analogous to that of sergeant-at-arms in the House of Commons, but the usher's duties are more ceremonial in nature. The responsibility for security and the infrastructure lie with the Director General of Parliamentary Precinct Services.

Procedure

The Senate Chamber is the site of the opening of Parliament, a formal ceremony held at the beginning of each new parliamentary session. During the ceremony, the governor general, seated on the throne in the Senate Chamber and in the presence of both Houses of Parliament, delivers a speech (Speech from the Throne, or more colloquially, the Throne Speech), outlining the government's agenda for the upcoming parliamentary session. If the sovereign is present in Canada, he or she may make the speech from the throne instead.

Under the Rules of the Senate, the Senate sits Mondays to Fridays. Sittings of the Senate are open to the public, and are transcribed verbatim in the ''Debates of the Senate'', although at times matters of particular interest have been broadcast.

The Constitution Act, 1867, establishes a quorum of 15 members (including the member presiding) for the Senate. Any senator may request the speaker to ascertain the presence of a quorum; if it does not appear that one is present, the speaker orders bells to be rung, so that other senators on the parliamentary precincts may come to the chamber. If a quorum still does not appear, the speaker must adjourn the Senate until the next sitting day.

During debates, the first senator to rise is entitled to make the next speech. The speaker may settle disputes over which senator rose first, but his or her decision may be altered by the Senate. Motions must be moved by one senator and seconded by another before debate may begin; some motions, however, are non-debatable.

Speeches may be made in either of Canada's official languages (English or French). Members must address their speeches to the other senators as a whole, using the phrase "honourable senators" (''honorables sénateurs''), without directly addressing an individual senator. This is similar to the process in the British House of Lords where all speeches and comments are addressed to "my lords", as well as the Canadian House of Commons, where all comments are addressed to the speaker of the house. The speaker enforces the rules of the Senate during debate. Disregarding the speaker's instructions is considered a severe breach of the rules of the Senate.

No senator may speak more than once on the same question; however, a senator who has moved a substantive motion, proposed an inquiry, or sponsored a bill holds a right of reply that enables them to speak again at the close of debate. In the case of a bill, this right of reply can only be exercised at the second reading debate. The Rules of the Senate prescribe time limits for speeches. The limits depend on the nature of the motion, but are generally about fifteen minutes. However, the leaders of the government and opposition in the Senate are not subject to such time constraints. Debate may be further restricted by the passage of "time allocation" motions. Alternatively, the Senate may end debate more quickly by passing a motion "for the previous question." If such a motion carries, debate ends immediately, and the Senate proceeds to vote. Debate may also end if no senator wishes to make any further remarks.

When the debate concludes, the motion in question is put to a vote. The Senate first votes by voice vote; the presiding officer puts the question, and members respond either "yea" (in favour of the motion) or "nay" (against the motion). The presiding officer then announces the result of the voice vote, but two or more senators may challenge his or her assessment, thereby forcing a recorded vote (known as a division). First, members in favour of the motion rise, so that the clerks may record their names and votes. The same procedure is then repeated for members who oppose the motion, and thereafter repeated again for those who wish to abstain. In all cases, the speaker holds a vote (which is not usually exercised) and votes first when a recorded division is called; a tied vote results in the motion's failure. If the number of members voting, including the presiding officer, does not at least total 15, then a quorum is not present, and the vote is invalid.

Committees

The Parliament of Canada uses committees for a variety of purposes. Committees consider bills in detail, and can make amendments. Other committees scrutinize various government agencies and ministries.

The largest of the Senate committees is the Committee of the Whole, which, as the name suggests, consists of all senators. The Committee of the Whole meets in the Chamber of the Senate, but proceeds under slightly modified rules of debate. (For example, there is no limit on the number of speeches a member may make on a particular motion.) The presiding officer is known as the chairman. The Senate may resolve itself into a Committee of the Whole for a number of purposes, including to consider legislation, or to hear testimony from individuals. Nominees to be officers of Parliament often appear before Committee of the Whole to answer questions with respect to their qualifications prior to their appointment.

The Senate also has several standing committees, each of which has responsibility for a particular area of government (for example, finance or transport). These committees consider legislation and conduct special studies on issues referred to them by the Senate, and may hold hearings, collect evidence, and report their findings to the Senate. Standing committees consist of between nine and fifteen members each, and elect their own chairmen.

{| class=wikitable |- ! Senate standing committees |- valign=top |

Aboriginal Peoples

Agriculture and Forestry

Banking, Trade, and Commerce

Conflict of Interest for Senators

Energy, the Environment and Natural Resources

Fisheries and Oceans

Foreign Affairs

Human Rights

Internal Economy, Budgets, and Administration

Legal and Constitutional Affairs

National Finance

National Security and Defense

Official Languages

Rules, Procedure and the Rights of Parliament

Selection Committee

Social Affairs, Science and Technology Subcommittee on Population Health Subcommittee on Cities

Transport and Communication

|}

Special committees are appointed by the Senate on an ad hoc basis to consider a particular issue. The number of members for a special committee varies, but the partisan composition would roughly reflect the strength of the parties in the whole Senate. These committees have been struck to study bills (e.g., the Special Senate Committee on Bill C-36 (the Anti-terrorism Act), 2001), or particular issues of concern (e.g., the Special Senate Committee on Illegal Drugs).

Other committees include joint committees, which include both members of the House of Commons and senators. There are presently two joint committees, the Standing Joint Committee on the Scrutiny of Regulations, which considers delegated legislation, and the Standing Joint Committee on the Library of Parliament which advises the two Speakers on the management of the Library. Parliament may also establish Special Joint committees on an ad hoc basis to consider issues of particular interest or importance.

Legislative functions

Although legislation may be introduced in either House, most bills originate in the House of Commons. Because the Senate's schedule for debate is more flexible than that of the House of Commons, the government will sometimes introduce particularly complex legislation in the Senate first. For the stages through which the legislation passes in Parliament, see Act of Parliament.

In conformity with the British model, the upper house is not permitted to originate bills imposing taxes or appropriating public funds. Unlike in Britain but similar to the United States, this restriction on the power of the Senate is not merely a matter of convention, but is explicitly stated in the Constitution Act, 1867. In addition, the House of Commons may, in effect, override the Senate's refusal to approve an amendment to the Canadian Constitution; however they must wait at least 180 days before exercising this override. Other than these two exceptions, the power of the two Houses of Parliament is theoretically equal; the approval of each is necessary for a bill's passage. In practice, however, the House of Commons is the dominant chamber of Parliament, with the Senate very rarely exercising its powers in a manner that opposes the will of the democratically elected chamber.

The Senate tends to be less partisan and confrontational than the House, and is more likely to come to a consensus on issues. It also often has more opportunity to study proposed bills in detail either as a whole or in committees. This careful review process is why the Senate is still today called the chamber of "sober second thought", though the term has a slightly different meaning than it did when used by John A. Macdonald. The format of the Senate allows it to make many small improvements to legislation before its final reading. Although the Senate rarely vetoes bills from the House of Commons, minor changes proposed by the Senate, to a bill, are usually accepted.

The Senate at times is more active at reviewing, amending, and even rejecting legislation. The late 1980s and early 1990s was one of those periods. During this period the Senate opposed legislation on issues such as the 1988 free trade bill with the U.S. (forcing the Canadian federal election of 1988), and the Goods and Services Tax (GST). In the 1990s, the Senate rejected four pieces of legislation: a bill passed by the Commons restricting abortion (C-43), a proposal to streamline federal agencies (C-93), a bill to redevelop the Lester B. Pearson airport (C-28), and a bill on profiting from authorship as it relates to crime (C-220). The Senate also performs investigative functions. In the 1960s, the Senate authored the first Canadian reports on media concentration with the Special Senate Subcommittee on Mass Media or the Davey Commission, since "appointed senators would be better insulated from editorial pressure brought by publishers"; this triggered the formation of press councils. More recent investigations include the Kirby Commissions on health care (as opposed to the Romanow Commission) and mental health care by Senator Michael Kirby, and the Final Report on the Canadian News Media in 2006.

In December 2010 the senate rejected Bill C-311 involving greenhouse gas regulation that would have committed Canada to an 80% reduction in emissions by 2050 and a 25% reduction by 2020. The bill was passed by all the parties except the Conservatives in the House of commons and was rejected by the majority Conservatives in the Senate on a vote of 43 to 32. The only session where actual debate on the bill took place was notable for unprofessional language and partisan political rhetoric.

Relationship with the executive

Unlike the House of Commons, the Senate has no effect in the decision to end the term of the prime minister or of the government. Only the Commons may force the prime minister to tender his resignation, or to recommend the dissolution of Parliament and issue of election writs, by passing a motion of no-confidence or by withdrawing supply. Thus, the Senate's oversight of the government is limited.

Most Cabinet ministers are from the House of Commons, rather than the Senate. In particular, every prime minister has been a member of the House of Commons since 1896, with the exception of John Turner, who became prime minister when his party elected him leader, but whose government was defeated in the subsequent election. (Turner was outside Parliament altogether at the time, and was never a Senator.) Typically, the Cabinet includes only one senator: the leader of the government in the Senate. Occasionally, when the governing party does not include any members from a particular region, Senators are appointed to ministerial positions in order to maintain regional balance in the Cabinet. The most recent example of this was on February 6, 2006, when Stephen Harper appointed Michael Fortier to serve as both a senator representing the Montreal region, where the minority government had no elected representation, and the Cabinet position of minister of public works and government services. Michael Fortier resigned his Senate seat to run (unsuccessfully) for a House of Commons seat in the 2008 general election.

History

The Senate came into existence in 1867, when the Parliament of the United Kingdom passed the British North America Act, uniting the Province of Canada (which was separated into Quebec and Ontario) with Nova Scotia and New Brunswick into a single federation, a Dominion called Canada. The Canadian Parliament was based on the Westminster model (that is, the model of the Parliament of the United Kingdom). Canada's first prime minister, Sir John A. Macdonald, described it as a body of "sober second thought" that would curb the "democratic excesses" of the elected House of Commons and provide regional representation. As an upper house on the British parliamentary model, it was not meant to be more than a revising body, or a brake on the House of Commons. Therefore, it was deliberately made an appointed house, since an elected Senate might prove too popular and too powerful, and be able to block the will of the House of Commons.

From 1867 to 1916, the Senate sat in the old Senate Chambers. Lost to the fire that consumed the parliament buildings in 1916, it sat in the mineral room of the what is today the Canadian Museum of Nature until 1922. It relocated back to Parliament Hill after 1922.

Senate reform

Reform of the upper house has been an issue for much of Canadian history—and in fact predates Confederation in the Province of Canada—with most plans for reform chiefly involving amending the selection process; the Legislative Council of the Province of Canada was an appointed chamber from its formation in 1840 until it became an elected house in 1865 and remained as such until it was dissolved in 1867. The federal parliament of Canada first considered reform measures in 1874, and the Senate debated reforming itself in 1909.

There were minor changes in 1965, when a mandatory retirement age for new senators was set at 75 years, and in 1982, when the Senate was given a qualified veto over certain constitutional amendments. While most senators hold their seat until the mandatory age, Andy Thompson stepped down 20 months ahead of his scheduled retirement after critics drew attention to his poor attendance while continuing to draw his salary. It was also the first time that the Senate had voted to suspend one of its members, which prompted his resignation shortly afterwards. The last member of the Senate who served past the age of 75 was John Michael Macdonald, who had been appointed on the advice of John George Diefenbaker in 1960 and served until his death in 1997 at the age of 91. Orville Howard Phillips was the last Senator appointed for life to leave the body: he was appointed by Diefenbaker in 1963 and served in the Senate until 1999 when he voluntarily resigned a month before turning 75.

In the 1960s and 1970s discussion of reforming the appointment mechanism resurfaced alongside the Quiet Revolution and the rise of Western alienation, usually with the chief goal of making the Senate better represent the provinces in Parliament. It was often suggested that provincial governments should appoint senators, as was done in the United States before the Seventeenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. Others suggested that senators should be actual members of provincial legislatures, similar to the Bundesrat of Germany. The 1960s and 1970s discussions also suggested redistributing Senate seats to the growing western provinces, but formal suggestions for equality of seats between provinces did not occur until 1981. Likewise, schemes to create an elected Senate did not gain widespread support until after 1980, when Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau enacted the National Energy Program in the wake of the energy crises of the 1970s. Many Western Canadians then called for a "Triple-E Senate", standing for "elected, equal, and effective". They believed that allowing equal representation of the provinces, regardless of population, would protect the interests of the smaller provinces and outlying regions.

There have been at least 28 major proposals for constitutional Senate reform since the early 1970s, and all have failed. The Meech Lake Accord, a series of constitutional amendments proposed by Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, would have required the federal government to choose a senator from a list of persons nominated by the provincial government; the accord, however, failed to obtain the requisite unanimous consent of the provincial legislatures. A successor proposal, the Charlottetown Accord, involved a provision under which the Senate would include an equal number of senators from each province, each elected either by the majority in the relevant provincial legislature or by the majority of voters in the province. This accord was soundly defeated in the referendum held in 1992. {d Further proposals for Senate reform have not met with success, partly due to the difficulty in achieving a consensus among provinces. Quebec, in particular, does not want its share of the Chamber's seats diluted.

Recent developments

Party positions

In 2005, the New Democratic Party and the Bloc Québécois both called for the Senate's abolition.

In theory, the Conservative Party has committed itself to appointing elected senators. In practice, however, party leader Stephen Harper advised the appointment of Michael Fortier to both the Senate and to the Cabinet on February 6, 2006, the day the Conservative minority government took office. (Fortier later resigned his seat in order to seek election to the House of Commons in the 40th General Election. He was defeated in his attempt.) In 2007, Harper recommended the appointment of Bert Brown, who was elected in Alberta's senator in waiting election. Harper has stated that the Senate "must either change or—like the old upper houses of our provinces—vanish". Under Harper, a large number of vacant seats were left unfilled until just after the prorogation during the 2008 Canadian parliamentary dispute, when Harper filled the remaining seats rather than risk seeing them filled by any incoming coalition government.

Harper has also promised further reforms beyond electing senators, including limits on how long each senator may sit. To that effect, on May 30, 2006, the government introduced Bill S-4 in the Senate, which would amend the Constitution Act, 1867 to limit the term of a newly appointed senator to eight years. It also provides that current senators may serve out their term to age 75. While appearing before a Senate committee, Harper announced that in the fall 2006, the government would introduce a bill to allow Canadians to elect senators. This bill was announced on December 13, 2006. S-4 died at the end of the first parliamentary session, but was reintroduced with modifications as C-19 in the second session. The bill was reintroduced in 2009 as Bill S-7 with one change: senators appointed between October 14, 2008, and the date the amendment takes effect will remain senators for eight years after the amendment comes into force.

The federal government also introduced Bill C-43 for "the consultation of the electors... in relation to the appointment of senators". "Pending the pursuit of a constitutional amendment... to provide for a means of direct election" the elected candidates will not automatically become senators; they will be presented to the prime minister who retains the choice of whom to recommend to be appointed senator. According to the bill, these "consultations" should be held together with federal or provincial legislative elections (ss. 12–13). The bill makes no changes in the distribution of seats among the provinces. The bill died at the end of the first parliamentary session, but was reintroduced in the second as Bill C-20.

On December 22, 2008 the Prime Minister filled all eighteen vacant Senate seats. It was earlier reported in the Toronto Star that this action was "to kill any chance of a Liberal-NDP coalition government filling the vacancies next year". The new Senators include broadcasters Pamela Wallin (for Saskatchewan) and Mike Duffy (for PEI), and Olympic skier Nancy Greene Raine (for BC).

Provincial positions

Support for the abolition of the Senate has been voiced by the premiers of five provinces: Ontario, British Columbia, Saskatchewan (under the previous NDP government), Nova Scotia (under the current NDP government), and Manitoba. Support for Senate reform has traditionally been very strong from the government of Alberta.

Following the election of the Saskatchewan Party and the defeat of the Saskatchewan New Democratic Party, Premier Brad Wall has announced support for Senate reform, and has promised to hold Senate elections in the province.

BC Premier Christy Clark supports the abolition of the Senate, but supports other measures of reform until the Canadian Constitution can be successfully amended to abolish the Canadian Senate. As a result, a private members bill introduced to the BC Legislature on June 2nd, 2011 by BC Liberal MLA John Les to conduct elections for BC Senate nominees has the support of the Premier and her governing party but has not yet passed into law.

Murray-Austin amendment

On June 22, 2006, Senator Lowell Murray (PC-Ontario) and Senator Jack Austin (Liberal-British Columbia) introduced an amendment to the Constitution of Canada to alter the makeup of the Senate. This amendment would enlarge the Senate to 117 members, giving a greater number to the western provinces of British Columbia (12), Alberta (10), Saskatchewan (7), and Manitoba (7), each up from 6. The amendment would also increase the number of divisions to five by separating British Columbia into its own division, and increase the number of additional Senators the Queen can appoint to five or ten, from four or eight.

The amendment was debated on June 27 and 28, 2006, and then sent to a special committee on Senate Reform. That committee considered the amendment and, on October 26, 2006, endorsed it. The matter has been before the Senate since that time and, on December 11, 2006, Conservative Senator David Tkachuk proposed an amendment to the proposed constitutional amendment that would provide for twenty-four Senators for British Columbia. This amendment was seconded by Liberal Senator Larry Campbell.

See also

Lists of Canadian senators

List of current Canadian senators

Speaker of the Canadian Senate

Leader of the Government in the Senate (Canada)

Leader of the Opposition in the Senate (Canada)

Canadian Senate seating plan

Canadian Senate divisions

Procedural officers and senior officials of the parliament of Canada

Monarchy of Canada

List of Canadian Senate appointments by Prime Minister

Canadian Senate Page Program

Triple-E Senate

Joint address

Notes

References

Department of Justice. (2004). Constitution Acts, 1867 to 1982. Forsey, Eugene. (2003). "How Canadians Govern Themselves." The Parliament of Canada. Official Website.

A Legislative and Historical Overview of the Canadian Senate

Bibliography

Franco, Guida (2006). Canadian Almanac & Directory 2006. Toronto: Micromedia ProQuest, 3-42. ISBN 1-895021-90-1.

Category:Government of Canada *

ar:مجلس الشيوخ الكندي ca:Senat del Canadà da:Canadas senat de:Senat (Kanada) es:Senado de Canadá fr:Sénat du Canada it:Senato del Canada he:הסנאט הקנדי nl:Senaat (Canada) no:Canadas senat pl:Senat (Kanada) pt:Senado do Canadá ru:Сенат Канады sr:Сенат Канаде fi:Kanadan senaatti sv:Kanadas parlament#Senaten uk:Сенат Канади zh:加拿大國會上議院

Coordinates	51°15′″N19°39′″N
Name	Nikos Vertis Νίκος Βέρτης
Background	solo_singer
Born	August 21, 1976Gorinchem, Netherlands
Origin	Greece
Genre	Modern Laika, Pop
Years active	2003-Present
Label	Universal Music Greece
Website	http://www.nikosvertis.com/ }}

Nikolaos (Nikos) Vertis () (Born August 21, 1976) is a popular Greek singer who was born in Gorinchem, Netherlands. To date, he has released five studio albums along with one CD single, and two special edition CD/DVD albums.

Career

Early life

At the age of 6, Vertis and his family moved to Thessaloniki, Greece and at 7, he started playing the Bouzouki. By the age of 15, he started getting involved with singing. At age 16, he moved back to the Netherlands for 2 years, where he attended a technical high school. He returned to Greece for his military duties, and once completed started getting involved with his love of singing. He started singing in small clubs in Thessaloniki and other locations around the region of Macedonia. In the summer of 2002, he started singing at the popular club "Rodon" where he made a big impact, and continued singing there until summer 2003.

2003-2004: ''Poli Apotoma Vradiazei'' & ''Pame Psihi Mou''

In 2003, Vertis signed with Universal Music Greece and released his debut album titled ''Poli Apotoma Vradiazei'' (It becomes night quickly). The songs "Asteri Mou", "An Feigeis", "San Trelos Se Agapao" and the title track because radio hits in a short time, while Peggy Zina lent her voice for 2 duets on the album titled "Eimaste Horia" and "Hanomaste" which were also radio hits. For the winter season of 2003-2004, Vertis moved to Athens, Greece where he collaborated with Peggy Zina at club Apollon. At the 3rd annal "Arion Awards" in 2003, Vertis won the award for "Best New Artist".

In May 2004, Vertis started singing at club "Rodon" in Thessaloniki again, in successfully shows until August. In September 2004, he released his second album ''Pame Psihi Mou'' (Lets go my soul) with songs by Giorgos Theofanos. The songs "Pos Tolmas", "Thimamai", and "Se Mena" become radio hits. At the same time, Vertis started performing at club "Posidonio" for the winter season of 2004-2005. His performances at "Posidonio" were highly successfully, with some calling him "The next big Laiko singer". At the fourth annual "Arion Music Awards" in 2004, Vertis was nominated in the category "Best Male Laiko Singer".

2005-2006: ''Pes To Mou Ksana'' & ''Pos Pernao Ta Vradia Monos''

In the spring of 2005, he started his second round of performances at club "Posidonio" where he remained for the whole summer. In the summer of 2005, he released his first CD single titled "Pes To Mou Ksana" (Tell me again), which was certified Platinum and awarded the "Best-selling Greek Single of the Year" at the fifth Arion Awards.

For the winter season 2005-2006 he continued singing at club Posidonio. In December 2005, Vertis released his third album, "Pos Perno Ta Vradia Monos" (How I pass the evenings alone). The CD featured music by Kiriakos Papadopoulos with lyrics by Ilias Filippou. The album was quickly certified Platinum, while the songs "Pes To Mou Ksana", "Poia Esu", "Pos Na To Exigiso", "Den Se Niazei", and "Kapote Tha Deis" become radio hits. At the beginning of 2006, Vertis re-released the album as a special edition with a bonus DVD featuring seven music videos.

2007–present: ''Mono Gia Sena'' and ''Ola Einai Edo''

For the winter season of 2006-2007, Vertis sang again at club "Posidonion". In March, he started recording his fourth studio album, titled ''Mono Gia Sena'' (Only for you), which was released in April 2007 and included a bonus DVD. From the album, the songs "Mono Gia Sena", "Matia Mou Glyka", "Parapono Mou", "Svista Ola" and "De M'Agapas" became instant radio hits and charted throughout the summer. In July 2007, the album was certified platinum, and became double platinum by February 2008. For the winter season of 2007-2008, Vertis sang for the fourth year in a row at club "Posidonion", ending on January 14, 2008. The final night was filled with guest appearances by fellow singers and friends such as Antonis Remos, George Dalaras, Antonis Vardis, and other celebrities. In October 2008, Vertis began a world tour of twenty concerts in Australia, the United States, Canada, and Europe, ending on January 17, 2009 at the HMV Hammersmith Apollo in London.

Vertis' fifth studio album ''Ola Einai Edo'' (Everything is here) was originally announced to be a February 2009 release, but was finally released in early April. The twelve track album was written by Christos Nikolopoulos, Antonis Vardis, and Dimitris Dekos. It was released in three versions: a standard twelve track album in a jewel case, an edition in a rectangular box with a bonus "Mega-Mix" CD of thirteen of Vertis' greatest hits, and a version that includes a magazine. As part of Universal Music's promotional campaign, a digipak edition with a fixed price of €9.90 was also released, notable for being about half of what the average new album is priced at in the Greek market. The first single "Den Teliosame" was released to radios in early April and is an erotic ballad; a music video was created and was directed by Giorgos Gabalos. The album was certified Platinum quickly, and later certified 4x Platinum.

Discography

Studio albums

All the albums listed underneath were released and charted in Greece and Cyprus. width=100%>

Year	Title	Certification
			!
2003	''Poli Apotoma Vradiazei''
2004	''Pame Psihi Mou''
2005	''Pos Pernao Ta Vradia Mou Monos''
2007	''Mono Gia Sena''
2009	''Ola Einai Edo''
2011	''Eimai Mazi Sou''

CD Singles

{|class="wikitable"|width=100% |-bgcolor="#CCCCCC" !width="25" rowspan="2"|Year !width="235" rowspan="2"|Title !width="100" rowspan="2"|Certification |- ! |-bgcolor="#F0F8FF" |2005 |"Pes To Mou Ksana" |align="center"| Platinum |- |2008 |"Oneiro Alithino" |align="center"| — |- |}

References

External links

Official Website

Official Fan Club

Category:1976 births Category:Living people Category:Greek male singers Category:Greek contemporary laïko singers Category:MAD Video Music Awards winners Category:Modern Greek-language singers Category:Universal Music Greece artists Category:Pop folk singers Category:People from Gorinchem

el:Νίκος Βέρτης nl:Nikos Vertis ro:Nikos Vertis sv:Nikos Vertis tr:Nikos Vertis uk:Нікос Вертіс

Coordinates	51°15′″N19°39′″N
Name	Giannis PloutarhosΓιάννης Πλούταρχος
Birth name	Giannis Kakossaios
Background	solo_singer
Birth date	December 18, 1970
Genre	Contemporary laïko, Pop,
Occupation	Singer, Songwriter
Years active	1998–present
Label	Minos EMI (1998-2010) Heaven Music (2010–present) }}

Giannis Ploutarhos (Greek: Γιάννης Πλούταρχος; born 18 December 1970) is a popular Greek singer and songwriter. He is considered one of the most popular laïko singers of his time, and has been characterized with having a genuine laïko voice. To date, he has released ten studio albums along with one greatest hits album.

Early life

Giannis Ploutarhos was born as John Kakossaios on 18 December 1970 in the small village of Mavrogia, outside Orchomenos. Ploutarhos comes from a poor rural family, which long struggled to make ends meet. He first started singing at age six, while his whole family would sing while working to get through the day. His first musical influences came from Dimotiká and traditional Byzantine music. Ploutarhos lived there until the age of sixteen, at which point he decided to move to Athens to pursue his dream of becoming a singer. He had told his family he wanted to move the Athens to study Hairdressing.

Once in Athens, Ploutarhos began working during the day at a hair salon while singing at clubs at night. His first gig was at a small club in Korydallos. Disappointed by the prevailing conditions in the music business, he abandoned singing twice and pursued other occupations to support himself. Despite previous disappointments, Ploutarhos' love of music pushed him back into the business and just two years after his first performance, he started appearing at club Rodolfo, which was followed by appearances at bigger clubs such as Neraida, Fantasia, and Tonel where he collaborated with well known laïka names such as Giannis Poulopoulos, Rita Sakellariou, Themis Adamantidis, as well as Contemporary aïka artists such as Stelios Rokkos and Giorgos Mazonakis. Around that time, Ploutarhos came into contact with Dimitris Kardatzis and Ilias Filippou who believed in his talent, and got him in touch with his first producer Girgos Makrakis, who is credited with inspiring his stage last name "Ploutarhos".

Career

1998–2004: Debut and early success

In late 1998, Ploutarhos signed with Minos EMI and shortly after released his debut album titled ''Mono Esi'' (Only you), which received moderate success. From the album, "Enas Theos" (One god) became a hit, which is still considered one of his most popular songs to date. After his first album, he was featured in a duet titled "I Kardia Mou Einai Zalismeni" (My heart is dazed) with Konstantina on her album ''Simeio Epafis'', while he was also featured in a duet with Stratos Dionysiou on the song "Orestiada" from his album ''Epivalletai''. In 2000, he released his second album titled ''Ipirhan Orki'' (There were promises), which featured a number of hits. The album was certified gold, making him widely known and catapulting his career to new heights, and eventually leading sales to platinum status. A year later in 2001 he released his third album titled ''Mikres Fotografies'' (Small pictures), which sold over 150,000 units, and included a number of songs written by himself. At the 2002 Arion Music Awards, Ploutarhos received five awards, including "Singer of the year", "Best laiko singer", as well as "Album of the year", "Best laiko album", and "Best video-clip" for his album ''Mikres Fotografies'' and songs off of it.

In 2002 he released his fourth studio album titled ''Den Einai O Erotas...Paidi Tis Logikis'' (Love is not....a child of logic) which was later re-released in 2003 with the inclusion of bonus tracks and a DVD. The album was eventually certified 3x platinum. That same year in 2003, Ploutarhos released his fifth studio album ''Pai Ligos Kairos'' (Some time has passed by...), which was also certified 3x platinum. The album was re-released in 2004 with the inclusion of a bonus song, a cover of the popular song "An Thimitheis T' Oneiro Mou" by Mikis Theodorakis. At the same time, Ploutarhos broke records for continuous appearances at a venue, appearing at club Poseidonio as part of a concert series for one whole calendar year without interruption.

2005–2010: Further success

In 2005 Ploutarhos embarked on his first world tour, with shows in Toronto, Atlantic City, Boston, New York City, Chicago, Melbourne, Sydney, Johannesburg, and Nicosia. Upon return to Greece, he released his sixth studio album titled ''Ola Se Sena Ta Vrika'' (I've found it all in you), which was a commercial success. The album was eventually certified 2x platinum.

On 18 September 2006, he released his seventh studio album titled ''Krimmena Mistika'' (Hidden secrets), which sold more than 40,000 units and was certified Platinum in its first week. The album was also released in a special edition form with the inclusion of a bonus DVD, while few days later on 20 September, Ploutarhos began appearances at club Kentro Athinon. The album, which also featured a duet with Kostantina titled "Ti Bike Anamesa Mas;" (What came between us?), was eventually certified 2x platinum.

A greatest hits album titled ''Stigmes'' (Moments) followed in 2007, which included six new songs and a bonus DVD. The album was eventually certified Platinum, exceeding sales of 40,000 units. In October 2007, Ploutarhos embarked on a mini US tour, performing in Toronto, New York, Montreal, and Foxwoods. Upon his return to Greece, Ploutarhos started appearing in a concert series at club Kentro Athinon alongside Apostolia Zoi, Tamta and Giannis Vardis on 25 October.

In June 2008, Ploutarhos released his eight studio album titled ''O,ti Gennietai Stin Psihi'' (Whatever is born in the soul), which was also certified 2x platinum. On 17 July, he started appearances at club Politeia in Thessaloniki. In December 2008, he started appearances at club REX. A few days later on 22 December 2008, Plourahos performed a charity concert for children with disabilities at club REX. In May 2009, Ploutarhos traveled to Australia to perform two charity concerts in Sydney and Melbourne. That summer, Ploutarhos partnered with MAD Greekz and embarked on his first major tour around Greece. In October of the same year, Ploutarhos held concerts in London and Cyprus. He continued touring, and in January 2010, toured North American performing in Vancouver, Foxwoods, Montreal, Atlantic City, Chicago, Toronto, and Sacramento.

On 22 March 2010, Ploutarhos released his ninth studio album titled ''Prosopika Dedomena''. The album was released in record stores and at Newsstands, and quickly sold out forcing his label to reissued the album. It was eventually certified 6x platinum. In April of the same year, he started appearing at club ACRO, while for the winter season 2010-2011 he started performing at club CosmoStage.

2011-present: New label & projects

In December 2010, Ploutarhos left his long time label Minos EMI, and signed with Heaven Music. Shortly after, he announced a joint project with Italian singer Albano Carrisi. On 24 January 2011, their first single titled "Me Mia Matia/Felicita" (With one look/Happiness) was released to radio stations, featuring verses in both Greek and Italian. On 6 February 2011, Ploutarhos released a joint album with Carrisi titled ''Dio Fones-Mia Psihi'' (Two Voices-One Soul) in Greece as a covermount with Proto Thema. Proto Thema sold over 160,000 copies, selling out completely in just a few hours. A standard retail released followed on 7 February 2011, with two bonus songs included. On 17 February 2011, Ploutarhos will be taking part in the Sanremo Music Festival along side Albano Carrisi and Spanish operatic soprano Montserrat Caballé. The trio will perform a famous chorus piece titled "Va, pensiero" from the opera ''Nabucco'' written by Giuseppe Verdi. Ploutarhos' appearance will mark the first time a Greek singer has ever performed at Sanremo Music Festival.

Personal life

As of 2011, Ploutarhos and his wife have been together for 23 years, and have five children together. He is distinguished by his low profile and modesty despite the success he has received. Plouarhos has stated that he respects and appreciates his fans, and tries to watch his behavior as he believes every artist should be a role model for their fans, especially young fans.

Discography

Studio albums

width=100%>

Year	Title	Certification
			!	!
1998	''Mono Esi''
2000	''Ipirhan Orki''
2001	''Mikres Fotografies''
2002	''Den Einai O Erotas...Paidi Tis Logikis''
2003	''Pai Ligos Kairos''
2005	''Ola Se Sena Ta Vrika''
2006	''Krimmena Mistika''
2008	''O,ti Genniete Stin Psihi''
2010	''Prosopika Dedomena''
2011	''Dio Fones - Mia Psihi''

Compilations

width=100%>

Year	Title	Certification
			!	!
2007	''Stigmes''

References

External links

Official Heaven Music Profile

Category:1970 births Category:Arion Music Awards winners Category:Greek laïko singers Category:Greek male singers Category:Minos EMI artists Category:Modern Greek-language singers Category:Living people

bg:Янис Плутархос el:Γιάννης Πλούταρχος no:Yiannis Ploutarhos ro:Yiannis Ploutarhos

Coordinates	51°15′″N19°39′″N
Name	Anna VissiΆννα Βίσση
Background	solo_singer
Alias	Anna Vishy
Born	December 20, 1957Pyla, Larnaca, Cyprus
Origin	Athens, Greece
Instrument	Vocals
Genre	Laïko, pop, dance, entehno, pop rock
Occupation	Singer, songwriter, actress, television presenter, radio personality, businesswoman
Years active	1973–present
Label	Minos (1973-1978) EMI Greece (1979-1982) CarVi (1982-1983) Sony Music Greece (1984-) Moda/Vanilla (2005-)
Associated acts	Epikouri, Nikos Karvelas
Website	www.annavissi.net www.annavissilive.com
Notable instruments	}}

Anna Vissi (Greek: Άννα Βίσση, ; born 20 December 1957), known as Anna Vishy in Cypriot Greek, is a Cypriot–Greek recording artist and actress. Born in Cyprus, she studied music at conservatories and performed locally before moving to the professional scene in Athens, Greece in 1973, where she siged with Minos and simultaneously collaborated with other musical artists and released promotional singles of her own while studying at the University of Athens.

Vissi established herself in the recording industry by winning the Thessaloniki Song Festival in 1978 with the song "As Kanoume Apopse Mian Arhi" and releasing her debut album of the same name. Since the 1980s, Vissi began a nearly exclusive collaboration with songwriter Nikos Karvelas, to whom she was married to from 1983–1992 and had one child with, resulting in one of the most successful music partnerships in the nation's history. Together they created the label CarVi, which resulted in legal issues with EMI Greece, and they then moved to CBS Records Greece, which later became Sony Music Greece. Over the course of her career she has released over two dozen albums, most of which have been certified at least gold in the two countries and has also starred in three theatrical productions and briefly ventured into television and radio. Vissi experimented with different styles of music; after becoming one of the first Greek artists to introduce Western pop and dance elements into Greek laïko and entehno, she became one of the most prominent portrayers of the laïko-pop hyprid genre and culture that was thriving from the mid 1990s into the mid 2000s. She landed her biggest commercial success with ''Fotia'' (1989), followed by the double ''Kravgi'' (2000), which became the best-selling album of the 2000s decade and eighth best-selling of all time in terms of units, while five others — ''Kitrino Galazio'' (1979), ''I Epomeni Kinisi'' (1985), ''Klima Tropiko'' (1996), ''Travma'' (1997), and ''Antidoto'' (1998) — have also achieved six figure sales. She has also had several radio hits, including her signature song "Dodeka". However, since her image change and turn to more commercial laïko-pop and pop that defined most of her collaboration with Karvelas, her musical works have received mixed critical reception and as the 21st century progressed her popularity fell into decline. Since the late 1990s, Vissi has also made attempts at establishing a career abroad, most of which fell through and have had some negative repercussions on her domestic career. However, she struck some success with her 2005 single "Call Me", which made her the first Greek or Cypriot artist to top the US ''Billboard'' Hot Dance Club Play Chart and has also represented Greece in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1980 and 2006, and Cyprus in 1982. While her performance for Cyprus remains the highest placement the country has ever received in the contest, her Greek performances were less successful.

Through a career that has spanned nearly four decades, Vissi has influenced several of the nation's younger generation of female artists. She has won six Arion Music Awards, 15 Pop Corn Music Awards, and nine MAD Video Music Awards. Vissi has received 32 Platinum and 11 Gold certifications from IFPI Greece and has become one of the country's best-selling artists of all time, having sold over 9.5 million records worldwide and is also one of the country's top earning artists. In 2010, Alpha TV ranked Vissi as the second top-certified female artist in Greece in the phonographic era (since 1960), behind Haris Alexiou, while ''Forbes'' listed her as the 15th most powerful and influential celebrity in Greece and third highest ranked singer.

Biography

Childhood and origins

Anna Vissi was born on December 20, 1957, in Pyla near Larnaca, Cyprus. She has been singing from a very early age, beginning formal musical studies at the age of six at a local conservatory. At the age of twelve she entered a talent competition and won first prize. Two years later, she was the main singer at Ayia Tilliria, which was also her first TV appearance.

In 1973, her family moved to Athens, Greece, where she was able to pursue her studies at the National Conservatory. She would eventually appear with a number of well-known Greek singers, such as George Dalaras, Haris Alexiou, and Vasilis Papakonstantinou, in the famous nightclubs of Plaka, in Athens. During this time she also studied the law at the University of Athens. Her first important collaboration, alongside George Dalaras, was with composer Stavros Koujioumtzis. Koujioumtzis composed two songs for Vissi, ''S' Agapo'' ("I Love You") and ''Sta Hronia tis Ipomonis'' ("In The Years of Patience"). She also collaborated with many important Greek composers such as Mikis Theodorakis (1974/1975), Georgios Hadjinassios (1974), Doros Giorgiadis (1974), Nikos Karvelas (who later became her husband; 1975) and Mihalis Terzis (1976).

Late 1970s: Career beginnings

In 1977 she went on tour with George Dalaras and Haris Alexiou, giving concerts with the most notable at the Rainbow, London (June). In the same year, she released her first studio album named ''As Kanoume Apopse Mian Arhi'' and won the prize for best singer and best song (''As Kanoume Apopse Mian Arhi'') of the year at the Annual Song Festival of Thessaloniki (Palais des Sports). In 1978 she was proposed by ERT (Greek National Television) to represent Greece at the 23rd Eurovision Song Contest. There were two candidate songs: ''Poso S' Agapo'' and ''O Kyrios Nobel''. Finally, due to controversies between the composers of the songs, her participation was disqualified and Tania Tsanaklidou went to the contest. Her second album ''Kitrino Galazio'' was released in 1979 and produced the hit ''Aftos Pou Perimeno'' ("The one I'm waiting for"). The album reached platinum status and became the best-selling record of the year in Greece.

1980–1982: Eurovision Song Contest, third and fourth album

In 1980, Vissi participated in the 25th Eurovision Song Contest representing Greece with the song ''Autostop'' ("Hitch-Hike"), finishing 13th with 30 points. In the same year she released her third album ''Nai'' ("Yes") reaching gold status with 50,000 units sold. The album produced the hits ''Oso Eho Foni'' ("As long as I have my voice") and ''Methysmeni Politeia'' ("Drunken state"). One year later her fourth, self-titled album ''Anna Vissi'' was released, reaching gold status. In 1982, she represented her native Cyprus at the 27th Eurovision Song Contest with the song she composed herself, ''Mono I Agapi'' ("Only love"), which ended fifth with 85 points scoring Cyprus its highest position to date. The songs were not released on any album or CD single until 2006, when both were released on CD single in time for Vissi's third Eurovision appearance. "Mono I Agapi", however, was released as a 7-inch single in 1982 with an English version titled ''I'm Gonna Be A Fool for You'' as a b-side.

1983–1989: Collaboration and marriage to Nikos Karvelas

In May 1983, she married Nikos Karvelas, a composer, with whom she collaborated in 1975 and in November she gave birth to her daughter Sofia. After their marriage, she started a close collaboration with Karvelas. Since 1975, all her releases have become gold or platinum and have included songs by Karvelas. In 1986, she participated at the Cypriot National Final for Eurovision Song Contest with the song ''Thelo Na Gino Star'' ("I Want To Be A Star"), taking second place. This song is still unreleased up to date.

In 1984, Vissi left her record company EMI Greece and signed with CBS Records Greece, which later became Sony Music Greece, a collaboration that lasts until today. In March 1984, she released ''Na 'Hes Kardia'' ("If You Had a Heart"). The album was certified gold. The following year her seventh album ''Kati Simveni'' ("Something Is Happening") was released which included one of her most famous songs, titled "Dodeka" ["Twelve (O'Clock)"] and reached gold status selling 80.000 units. In 1986 ''I Epomeni Kinisi'' ("The Next Move") was released. The album included the hit ''Pragmata'' ("Things") and went platinum, becoming the best selling record of the year. In February 1988 she released her ninth album ''Tora'' ("Now") and in December the album ''Empnefsi!'' ("Inspiration!") which went gold.

In 1988, she made her debut as a radio producer on ANT1 Radio. Her radio program was titled after one of her songs ''Ta Koritsia Einai Atakta'' ("Girls Are Naughty") and was aired every weekend. In the same year, she participated with the song ''Klaio'' ("I'm Crying") at the Greek National Final for Eurovision Song Contest, finishing third.

In 1989, she released the highly successful studio album ''Fotia'' (Fire), being one of the first albums to feature western sounds. The lead single ''Pseftika'' ("Fake") became a big hit and the album reached platinum status, selling 180.000 copies and becoming the second best selling record of 1990. She performed at "Diogenis Palace" in that same year, Athens's biggest nightclub/music hall at the time.

1990–1995: Theatrical work and television

In the early 1990s, she continued performing around Greece with Nikos Karvelas, with appearances at "Diogenis Palace" and then at "Rex". In November 1991, Vissi and Karvelas starred in the first Greek rock opera, ''Daimones'' ("Demons"). It was based on a libretto by Stavros Sideras and staged at Attikon Theater in Athens for two years. Roger Williams was the director and Anna Vissi (Queen & Rozanne), Yannis Samsiaris (Daniel), Bessy Malfa (Witch & Loa) and John Modinos (Inquisitor) were the leading actors. ''Daimones'' was played on foreign TV stations and attracted the attention of Broadway agents. A year later, in October 1993, Vissi landed the leading role of Aphrodite, in the one-act opera ''Ode to the Gods'' by Stavros Sideras. It was held only once in Limassol, Cyprus, during the celebrations for the Commonwealth Day. Then-president of the Republic of Cyprus, Glafkos Clerides, and Queen Elizabeth II, were amongst the audience.

The following years, Karvelas and Vissi released the albums ''Lambo'' (1992), ''Emeis'' (1992), ''Live!'' (1993), ''Re!'' (1994), and ''O! Kypros'' (1995), an album with traditional Cypriot songs.

In 1994, she was the hostess on the ANT1 weekly TV show ''Me Agapi, Anna''. The show was canceled and in 2008 the production company filed a lawsuit against Vissi claiming "unprofessional behavior of the singer" because the agreement was for 40 episodes and Vissi dropped out after 10 episodes. The juridicial conflict between Vissi and the production company appeared to come to an end when the Court of Appeal of Athens led to the final compromise of the two sides to the sum of 400.000 Euros. A sum that the singer would supposed to pay in the company against the initial sum of 2,3 millions of Euros. Ultimately Vissi was vendicated and the decision of Supreme Court ruled that 400.000 Euros was a lot more from the amount that Vissi should actually pay and decided to give the half amount of money. One year later she did a concert in Cyprus, supporting the defenses of the island.

1996–1998: ''Klima Tropiko'', ''Travma'', and ''Antidoto''

In February 1996, Vissi released the triple-platinum album ''Klima Tropiko''. The album featured a new sound for Anna Vissi. It has sold 105 thousand copies as of 2009. After giving more than 40 concerts all over Greece, she started winter appearances at club "Chaos". In February 1997, Vissi won three Greek Music Awards: Best Female Singer, Best Interpretation, and Biggest Airplay Song.

In April 1997, Vissi released ''Travma'' which went gold in twelve days and triple platinum in six months, eventually selling 170 thousand copies.

For the winter of 1997-1998, Vissi made appearances at club ''Gazi''. On New Year's Eve, by invitation of the Mayor of Athens, she performed in the Parliament Square in front of more than 20,000 people, an event which was broadcast on TV all over Greece and Cyprus. In March 1998, Vissi broke a record, winning seven Greek Music Awards for her album ''Travma''.

A couple of months later, a new CD single was released with the songs "Crush", "Mavra Gyalia" and "Eleni", as well as a re-release of her multi-platinum album ''Travma'', with a bonus CD containing songs from previous albums, only in Australia.

In April 1998, Vissi released her album titled ''Antidoto'', which sold more than 80,000 copies in just a week, breaking all previous records to that point. The album eventually achieved triple platinum status, having sold 130 thousand copies as of 2009. During the summer of 1998, Vissi presented a show at club "Asteria".

Later that year, Vissi gave a charity concert at the Presidential Palace in Cyprus, with the presidential orchestra of the Russian Confederacy (Telethon) and continued with two concerts in London, in February 1999 (Forum Music Theatre, Palladium Theatre). Shortly after, there was also a mini-tour in the U.S.A., giving concerts in Los Angeles, Atlantic City, Chicago, Boston and New York (Madison Square Garden). The Los Angeles Times wrote: ''"A performance so charismatic, so filled with sheer magnetic talent... expect big things from this potential new international star"'', while the New York Times wrote: ''"With raised arms and delicately stepping feet, she was no unapproachable, packaged pop diva, but an irrepressible entertainer"''.

In New York City, Vissi performed a mini-concert for her fans at the Virgin Megastore in Times Square. This performance was part of a series of events hosted by the Virgin Megastore, promoting some of the world's biggest stars, with Vissi being the only Greek singer to receive this honor. The event was promoted throughout the tri-state area by KTU (radio station) and was part of "Anna Vissi day" at the biggest Virgin Megastore in the U.S.A..

2000–2001: ''Everything I Am'' and ''Kravgi''

Followed by a short break from music, in April 2000 Vissi performed at London's Royal Albert Hall, at the so-called "millennium show," singing in front of people from Sony International, marketing managers from Europe, and fans from the United Kingdom.

On May 13, 2000, she performed as a special guest star in her native Cyprus, at the 49th annual Miss Universe Pageant which took place at the Eleftheria Stadium in Nicosia. She sang for the very first time her song "On a Night Like This", a song later made famous by Australian singer Kylie Minogue and included in Minogue's album ''Light Years''.

Some months later, her first international single was released titled "Everything I Am", containing the original version and three remixes of the song (Almighty Mix, Eiffel 65 RMX, Groove Brothers Remix), and a song with both Greek and English lyrics called "Moro Mou, No Tomorrow". She also filmed her first music video of a song off that single, directed by Antti Jokinen (Solar films, Finland), that cost 80,000,000 drachmas ($310,000).

Apart from the English-language single, she also released the Greek-language single "Agapi Ipervoliki" on an EP of the same name containing six new songs. It became triple platinum and finally settled at four-times platinum. To promote the single, she started appearances at "Asteria" club with Karvelas and the boy band ONE, with Shaun Fernandez as the choreographer.

In September 2000, she gave a charity concert at the GSP Stadium in Nicosia, in front of 12,000 people, with ONE and a group of dancers from Sony International. She sang songs from the very beginning of her career to her then-current career (1973–2001).

At the same year, she released her international English-language album, called ''Everything I Am'', which although started as ambition effort to launch an international career, failed to chart in the United States. It contained twelve songs by Russ Ballard, Mark Taylor, Graham Stack, Steve Torch, Paul Stanley, Tina Shafer, Julian Harris, Danielle Gerber and Nikos Karvelas. Producers of the album were Brian Rawling, Ric Wake and Peter Asher. In Greece, after a week, the album reached gold status (20,000+ copies), while Australia, South Africa, Spain, Italy, France, Germany, Turkey, Finland, Norway, and Asia started to promote it, with little success.

In November 2000, ''Kravgi'' was released. It was a double album with 24 new songs and included a duet with Katy Garbi. It reached 3× platinum status in one month, setting a record, and eventually went 7× platinum, having sold 175 thousand copies (350 thousand units) as of 2009, making it the best-selling album of the 2000s decade and the eighth best-selling of all time in terms of unit sales in Greece. Petros Dragoumanos, however, an independent recording industry researcher and author of the video albums ''Guide to Greek Discography'', argues that Despina Vandi's ''Gia'' (2001) has sold 200 thousand copies (400 thousand units) rather than the reported 170 thousand.

Some months later, she started appearances with Garbi and ONE at "Fever", while she accepted the invitation of the Mayor of Athens to perform in the Parliament Square, at the celebrations of the 2001 New Year's Eve.

Just before Easter, a second single off her international album was released. It was called "Still in Love with You" and contained remixes (Radio Edit, Soda Club Radio Mix, Soda Club Mix, Soda Club TV Track), with production by Brian Rawling.

On June 6, 2001, she was the main singer in a production in Bucharest (Unirii square, nearby river Dambovitei) along with the No Smoking band and the cinema director and producer Emir Kusturica. The concert (2001, Peace Odyssey) included a multimedia show, opening with a water screen. More than 150,000 people were present. Kusturica along with producer and director Angelos Hadjiandreou undertook the artistic direction of the event, marrying music with the most modern expression of art.

Three months later, on September 5, 2001, she gave a concert in Cyprus (GSP Stadium), singing in front of more than 18,000 viewers, for more than three hours where she was awarded for the seven-times platinum ''Kravgi''.

2002–2004: ''Mala'', ''X'', and ''Paraksenes Eikones''

In early 2002, Vissi starred in the musical ''Mala - I Mousiki Tou Anemou'', based on a true love story that took place during World War II in Auschwitz, between Mala Zimetbaum and Edward Galiñski. The play, which was staged at Pallas Theatre in Athens, it was written by Karvelas, directed by Giannis Kakleas and was accompanied by a symphony orchestra conducted by Giorgos Niarhos. ''Mala'' premiered on January 19 and received positive reviews, mostly. The musical was also shown on Mega Channel a year later. An album containing the songs performed at the play was also released and charted, reaching gold status in Greece and platinum in Cyprus.

In late 2002, Vissi released the album ''X'', which was produced by George De Angelis. Shortly after, the album was featured on CNN's ''Music Room'', where they talked about how the album reached number one in Greece. The album quickly reached number one on the IFPI charts, and was certified 2x platinum. In the winter of 2002-2003, she was working at "Fever" club in Athens, performing with Yiannis Parios.

In May 2003, Vissi performed with Nikos Karvelas and Irini Merkouri at "Boom" in Thessaloniki, Greece. On July 15, 2003, Vissi gave a concert at "A Plaz Voulas/Apollonies Aktes", with special guest star Nikos Karvelas.

In September 2003, Vissi gave another concert in Cyprus, at the Tzirion Stadium in Limassol, to celebrate her 30-year old career. At the same year, she was awarded with a prize for her whole contribution from the Cyprus Paralympic Organization, while a square in Larnaca was named after her. She also met and talked with the president of the Republic of Cyprus, in the Presidential Palace, in Nicosia.

Just before 2004, on December 5, 2003, Vissi released the double album ''Paraksenes Eikones'' which went 2x platinum in six months. This was Vissi's first album since 1981's ''Anna Vissi'' that included songs written by other composers besides Nikos Karvelas. The album produced many hits. To promote the album, she started appearing at "Diogenis Studio" for the winter season 2003-2004, with Konstantinos Christoforou, Nino and girl band Hi-5.

2004–2005: "Call Me" and ''Nylon''

On March 31, 2004, Vissi performed in the Liberty Square in Nicosia, at a concert part of the celebrations for Cyprus's entry at the European Union, after an official invitation from the Republic of Cyprus. In May 2004, she went on a small tour in England and the United States, with Labis Livieratos (with whom she collaborated in the early '90s), while in July, her album ''Paraksenes Eikones'' was re-released with a bonus CD single called ''Remixes 2004'', which went gold.

On August 29, 2004, Vissi performed at the closing ceremony of the XXVIII Olympiad, in Athens. She then gave a concert in Cyprus on September 3, at the GSP Stadium in Nicosia, where she sang for the first time her new English song called "Call Me".

On December 20, 2004, Vissi released a live album and DVD, which went platinum in its first week of release. It sold 40 thousand copies. After that concert, she moved to the United States, for the preparation and promotion of her single "Call Me". In the United States, the single was released by Moda Records, which, during its collaboration with Vissi, was called Vanilla/Moda Records. It features twelve remixes, and went to number one on the Billboard Hot Dance Music Club Play chart and number two on the Billboard Hot Dance Airplay chart. Vissi then performed at the legendary Copacabana in New York for the KTU PartyGras. During the winter and through to the summer of 2005, she went around to clubs as part of her Mini-U.S.A. Tour to promote "Call Me". Some of the clubs included "Central", "Mirage", "DNA", "The Sound Garden" and "Studio 9".

In July 2005, Vissi returned to Greece and released "Call Me" as a CD single by Sony BMG, along with a new English-language song titled "Lie". The single reached number one on the IFPI singles charts and achieved gold certification. In that same month, Vissi started recording her new Greek album. In August 2005, Anna took to the stage of the "Coca-Cola Sound-Wave", which was held in Mykonos. There she sang her new English song ''Lie'' and surprised fans and media by appearing on stage with half her head shaved. This performance was considered by many her comeback to the Greek music scene after being absent for more than a year.

On September 27, 2005, Vissi released a new Greek album titled ''Nylon''. The album went platinum within 24 hours of its release and peaked at number one on the IFPI Greek Top 50 albums chart, selling 40 thousand copies. Shortly after, in October 2005, the album was released as a dual disc, the first ever to be released in Greece. The dual disc version featured special footage from her and Nikos Karvelas in the studio. In the album, there is a song featuring the lead singer of the Greek hip-hop band Goin' Through called ''Erota I Polemo'' ("Love or War"). The album is different than other albums Vissi had released up to then, with a more rock feel to it, as well as a mix of other genres including rock, dance, ballads and hip-hop. On November 24, 2005, Vissi started performances at "Votanikos" club in Athens, Greece with Goin' Through, Dimitris Korgialas and Despina Olympiou, which lasted until March 2006.

2006–2007: Eurovision Song Contest and World Tour

Greek national broadcaster ERT chose Vissi to represent Greece in the Eurovision Song Contest 2006. There were four candidate songs, which she sang during a song selection show on March 14, 2006 at "Votanikos" club. The Greek viewers used televote and SMS messages along with a panel of judges to choose the song Vissi would sing in the Eurovision Song Contest 2006. Two of the competing songs, were composed by Nikos Karvelas, namely "Everything" and "Who Cares about Love", with Vissi herself penning the lyrics to "Everything". The third song, "A Beautiful Night", was written by composing group Pigassos, while the last song, "Welcome to the Party", was written by Greek composer Dimitris Kontopoulos. "Everything" was selected as the entry song of Greece, winning 47,79% of the votes. The day after the final, Vissi filmed the song's music video. Her previous record label, Minos EMI, released a CD single of her two prior Eurovision entries "Autostop" and "Mono I Agapi", shortly after.

After the filming of the song's music video was completed, Vissi embarked on a promotional tour across Europe starting on April 12, 2006 with Russia. She also visited Malta, Cyprus, Albania, Serbia & Montenegro, Romania, Spain, Netherlands, Sweden, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Belgium, and ended her tour on May 10, 2006 in Israel.

On April 19, 2006 she released a CD single for her Eurovision entry "Everything". It featured the original version of "Everything" and a remix of it by DJ Valentino and Christodoulos Siganos. She then also re-released ''Nylon'' as ''Nylon: Euro-Edition'', which includes all of the songs from her album ''Nylon'', as well as the entry song "Everything" in original, remixed and karaoke version. ''Euro Edition'' also contains the three other Greek Eurovision Preselection songs: "Beautiful Night", "Who Cares About Love" and "Welcome to the Party", which has entered the playlist of American satellite radio station "Sirius Beat".

During the contest, Vissi performed in the 16th spot of the night and appeared alone on stage, wearing a Jean-Paul Gaultier outfit. Although she had been one of the favorites during the pre-contest period, she only managed to get 9th place with 128 points (hers was one of the two pre-qualified entries to finish in the top 10, the other being Romania). The other eight songs were all qualified from the semi-final. Finland won the contest with the rock band Lordi and their song ''Hard Rock Hallelujah''. In interviews prior to the contest, she had stated that if there was anyone she would like to lose to, it would be the Finnish entry. Lordi had also expressed their liking of the Greek song in interviews, too.

Following the contest, "Everything" was released in Finland on May 24, 2006, by Sony BMG Finland. It had already been released in Sweden and it peaked at 24. It featured a different cover, than the original single. The dual disc version of ''Nylon'' was also re-released with the Eurovision single. Vissi gave a concert at London's Royal Albert Hall on May 27, 2006. She also had a concert on September 8, 2006 at G.S.P. Stadium in Nicosia, Cyprus, which kick-started her Greek mini-tour. The tour was called ''The Best of Anna Vissi 2006'' and was covered by Alpha TV.

In the fall of 2006, she embarked on a Greek mini-tour, performing around Greece in sold-out concerts, as well as Cyprus with Goin' Through.

In the beginning of 2007, Vissi moved to Los Angeles, United States to start work on an English album. In February 2007, she accompanied longtime friend Patricia Field to the Academy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles, California, United States.

Vissi also embarked on a world tour in January 2007. She traveled to Australia with Konstantinos Christoforou and had three concerts in Melbourne and Sydney, and from April 10, 2007 through May 1, 2007, she toured North America. Along with Takis Zacharatos, she performed in Chicago, New York City, Atlantic City, Connecticut (Foxwoods), Los Angeles, Montreal, and Toronto. Vissi continued her tour in October 2007 with a European mini-tour. The concerts included Amsterdam and Brussels with her concert in Paris being cancelled without an explanation. During the tour, she stated that she was only half way through her world tour.

In September 2007, Sony BMG released a compilation titled ''The Essential Anna Vissi'' in select markets. The album contains seventeen tracks, including some of Vissi's biggest hits. It also includes the previously leaked, but unofficially released English song ''Is it Safe?''.

In November 2007, she held a special charity concert in London for the "Oinoussian Benevolent Fund". It was held at the "Royal Opera House" in Covent Garden with the London Philharmonic Orchestra and she raised £250,000, excluding the entrance tickets costing £200.

2008–2009: ''Apagorevmeno''

On New Year's Day, Vissi kicked off the new year by holding a big concert in Larnaca, Cyprus. Vissi spent a large portion of 2007 and 2008 recording her new English album. In an interview with fans, Vissi talked about the album, describing it as ''“a rock album with unbelievably nice songs, that some of the biggest people in the U.S.A. music industry worked on. It is an album that could only be made in the U.S.A., that represents who I am, and I believe that this album will be a big plus in my career so far.”'' It was revealed that the album will be released in the first half of 2009.

In February 2008, Vissi signed to Maple Jam Music Group for the management of the release of her upcoming Greek and English albums. In April 2008, MAD TV hosted a competition for its "Greek Week" in which visitors to their website were able to vote for their ten favorite Greek music videos, with the winners being showcased in a special "Greek Top 30 Countdown" on April 20. Vissi was the most nominated artist with thirteen music videos, and managed to secure the number one position with ''Treno'', while ''Agapi Ipervoliki'' came in at number four when the top 30 were announced.

On June 28, 2008, Vissi posted the song "Diri Dakta", that had been recorded previously, on her official MySpace profile for her fans; the song did not appear on her new album. Later in the year, on October 4, 2008, Vissi held a charity gala at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London.

A bonus track from the Greek album was released on October 29, 2008, along with its music video. The song, titled ''To Parelthon Mou'' ("My Past"), is the title track to the Greek film ''Bank Bang'', released in December 2008. The music video for the song was filmed on October 22, 2008, at The Mall Athens. With Cosmote sponsoring the album, three songs from the album were released on November 26, 2008, exclusively on the Cosmote online music store.

Vissi's Greek album ''Apagorevmeno'' was released on December 9, 2008, including songs by Patrick Leonard, Adam Cohen, Kara DioGuardi, Glen Ballard, Dan Wilson, Yiannis Kefonedes and Vissi herself. The production of this album was done by Vissi herself, Greg Ladanyi, Patrick Leonard, CJ Vanston and Yiannis Kefonedes. It was the first album since 1983 not to include any songs and, generally, any input by Nikos Karvelas. The reason she gave for this in an interview with "Down Town" magazine was that the two had got tired of each other, but clarified that this did not rule out a collaboration in the future. The album was certified gold in the first week of release, and reached number one on its second week on the charts before settling at 2x platinum status. In August 2009, ''Apagorevmeno'' became the first album to have four top 10 singles on the official Greek download chart by Billboard since the launch of the chart. As of April 2009, the album has sold 27 thousand copies. As with ''Nylon'', it was cited as a relative commercial failure by ''Eleftheros Typos'' and furthered the commercial decline Vissi had faced in the 2000s. Although this was partially due to hardships faced by the Greek music industry including piracy, the financial crisis, and changing musical tastes, leading to a general decline of the laiko-pop scene and image-based singers, in an article about the "golden trio" of Greek pop, consisting of Vissi, Despina Vandi, and Sakis Rouvas, Anna Vlavianou of ''To Vima'' noted Vissi as having "the most vociferous" decline of the group. She cited several reasons for this, such as Vissi's unsuccessful result at Eurovision and long absences from Greece in pursuit of a career abroad at a relatively advanced age, leading to her losing a portion of her established Greek fanbase. Additionally, while in previous years the supposed rivalry between Vissi and Vandi drew heavy media attention, with the public curious as to who would come out on top, she cited Elena Paparizou as replacing both artists as top contemporary female in the latter half of the decade. Haris Simvoulidis of Avopolis also alleged that on ''Apagorevmeno'' Vissi appeared to be attempting to catch up to her contemporaries, Paparizou and Peggy Zina.

On February 24, 2009, Vissi re-newed her contract with Sony Music Greece.

Vissi had originally planned to start appearances at "Athinon Arena" in February 2009, as part of her comeback and for promotion of the new album, however, she decided to hold a big concert in Athens during the summer, instead, while she did not rule out a summer tour around Greece. The tour began in July 2009 and all appearances were sold-out throughout Greece. The tour ended with a concert at GSP Stadium in Nicosia, Cyprus, on September 25, 2009; overall, the tour was a success for Vissi, who had not performed for the Greek audience in four years.

On November 16, 2009, ''Apagorevmeno'' was re-released as ''Apagorevmeno+'' with 3 new songs and two remixes in special ecological packaging. Vissi started appearances at "Athinon Arena" on November 6, 2009 with Greek band Ble, Yiorgos Sambanis, Mario, Vera Boufi, Elissavet Spanou, Michalis Zeis and DJ Dim Trik. The show was named "The Fabulous Show", after her then-latest single, ''Fabulous'', which was included in ''Apagorevmeno+''. The show marked the big comeback of Anna Vissi in the nightlife of Athens after four years of absence and received great reviews. Vissi was on stage for almost 4 hours every Friday and Sunday until closing night on March 20, 2010 in a fully crowded Athinon Arena. After the successful run in Athens the show moved to Thessaloniki on April 3, 2010 with spectacular attendance.

2010–2011: English-language album, ''Agapi Einai Esi'', and ''Oso Eho Foni''

It is known that Vissi has been working on an English-Language album since 2008. At first it was supposed to be released in 2009 but Vissi wanted to finish her concert series in Athinon Arena prior to releasing the album. Vissi stated in an interview that the works in her English-Language album are still on and that this album will feature Karvela's English songs, too. The album has now a tentative 2011 release date.

On October 9, 2010, Vissi released the single "Agapi Einai Esi". The music and lyrics are by Nikos Karvelas, the song being their first collaboration in four years. On October 24, she released a three-track CD single titled "Agapi Einai Esi" packaged with newspaper "Real News" nationwide, while on December 19 she released the new studio album ''Agapi Einai Esi''. For the winter season 2010–11, Vissi teamed up with Sakis Rouvas for a concert series at Athinon Arean called Face2Face, beginning on 15 October. This marked their first appearance and collaboration together since they both appeared together at club Chaos in 1996, as well as being Vissi's second year in a row appearing at Athinon Arena. The show extended to 19 March (as Rouvas was scheduled for surgery prior to his Easter solo shows) and was the most successful show of the season. In late December 2010, Vissi launched a songwriting contest for amateur writers to submit songs to her, which lasted until mid-February 2011.

Vissi will be debuting a documentary called "Oso Eho Foni" on Alpha TV on March 30, 2011. Described as a rockumentary by Vissi, she first confirmed she was filming with director and friend Christine Crokos in July 2010. The show, which Vissi has stated is not a reality show, will focus on Vissi's everyday life and include footage from the last three years, including her proceeds recording album, practicing with Rouvas for the Face2Face show, and meetings with Jean Paul Gaultier and Dave Stewart. Vissi performed a charity concert at the OACA stadium on 15 April 2011 to raise money to save the amateur league Panathinaikos football team. Vissi herself did not get paid but 100 thousand euros went to her label. The tickets printed were for the stadium's entire capacity of 20 thousand, although the team's managers only expected 10-12 thousand Panathinaikos fans to attend, which would result in a 200 thousand euro profit which would be enough to pay the athletes to the end of May. In the end, there were less than five thousand attendees and the concert actually ended up placing the team 60 thousand euros in debt. On 27 April, Vissi gave a charity concert for the Sophia Foundation in Nicosia. In May 2011, Vissi will be embarking on a North American & Canadian tour. On May in interview in Los Angeles said that she will do a concerts in Germany and Cyprus. On 15 June Vissi start the European Tour and the first concert will take place in Limassol and on 17th in Bucharest. On September Vissi start her Cyprus Tour 2011 ''Etsi Apla'' in four concerts(25/9 Limassol,27/9 Larnaca,28 Paphos,30/9 Nicosia)

Discography

Studio albums

''As Kanoume Apopse Mian Arhi'' (1977)

''Kitrino Galazio'' (1979)

''Nai'' (1980)

''Anna Vissi'' (1981)

''Eimai To Simera Kai Eisai To Hthes'' (1982)

''Na 'Hes Kardia'' (1984)

''Kati Simveni'' (1985)

''I Epomeni Kinisi'' (1986)

''Tora'' (1987)

''Empnefsi!'' (1988)

''Fotia'' (1989)

''Eimai'' (1990)

''Emeis'' (1992)

''Lambo'' (1992)

''Re!'' (1994)

''O! Kypros'' (1995)

''Klima Tropiko'' (1996)

''Travma'' (1998)

''Antidoto'' (1998)

''Everything I Am'' (2000)

''Kravgi'' (2000)

''X'' (2002)

''Paraksenes Eikones'' (2003)

''Nylon'' (2005)

''Apagorevmeno'' (2008)

''Agapi Einai Esi'' (2010)

Live albums

''Live!'' (1993)

''Live'' (2004)

Filmography

Television
! Year	! Title	! Role	! Notes and Awards
1994	''Me Agapi, Anna'' (With Love, Anna)	Herself/Host	Variety show
Theater
! Year	! Title	! Role	! Notes and Awards
1991	''Daimones''(Demons)	Queen/Rozanne	First Greek Rock Opera
1993	''Ode To The Gods''	Aphrodite	One Act Opera
2002	''Mala - I Mousiki Tou Anemou''(Mala - The Music Of The Wind)	Mala Zimetbaum

Tours

20 Years Live Tour (1993)

Klima Tropiko Tour (1996)

Travma World Tour (1997)

World Tour Europe & U.S.A (1998–1999)

Kravgi Australian Tour (2002)

2004 World Tour (2004)

Best Of Anna Vissi Tour (2006)

2007 World Tour (2007)

Apagorevmeno Summer Tour (2009) Australian Tour (2010) World Tour U.S.A,Canada & Europe Tour (2011)

Awards

See also

List of Greeks

List of Cypriots

List of number-one dance hits (United States)

List of artists who reached number one on the US Dance chart

References

External links

Official Website

Official Website run by Anna Vissi

Sony Music artist profile

Category:1957 births * Category:Arion Music Awards winners Category:Cypriot actors Category:Cypriot composers Category:Cypriot Eurovision Song Contest entrants Category:Cypriot female singers Category:Cypriot pop singers Category:Cypriot songwriters Category:English-language singers Category:Eurovision Song Contest entrants of 1980 Category:Eurovision Song Contest entrants of 1982 Category:Eurovision Song Contest entrants of 2006 Category:Greek Cypriot people Category:Greek dance musicians Category:Greek Eurovision Song Contest entrants Category:Greek Pop Corn Music Awards winners Category:People from Larnaca Category:Living people Category:MAD Video Music Awards winners Category:Modern Greek-language singers Category:Sony Music Greece artists Category:Thessaloniki Song Festival winners

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