Everything about Anna Vissi totally explained
Anna Vissi (
Greek:
Άννα Βίσση; born
December 20,
1957) is a
Cypriot-
Greek singer, famous mainly in
Greece, and her home country
Cyprus, with success in the
United States as well.
Biography
Childhood & Origins
Vissi was born in 1957, in the village of in
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 Y. Kotsonis opus 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
law at the University of Athens. Her first important collaboration, alongside Georgios Dalaras, was with composer
Stavros Koujioumtzis who composed two songs for Vissi,
S' Agapo and
Sta Chronia tis Ypomonis. 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
In 1977 she went on tour with Georgios Dalaras and Haris Alexiou, giving remarkable concerts with the most famous at Rainbow,
London (June). In the same year, she won the prize for best singer and best song (
As Kanoume Apopse mia 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 songs to select from —
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.
1980s
1980-1982: Eurovision Song Contest
In 1980, Anna took part in the
25th Eurovision Song Contest representing
Greece with the song "
Autostop", finishing 13th with 30 points. Two years later, she represented her native
Cyprus at the
27th Eurovision Song Contest with the song "
Mono I Agapi", which ended 5th with 85 points. Although the song "Mono I Agapi" was written by Anna Vissi herself, many people believe that
Nikos Karvelas had written it. The songs not been released on any album or single until 2006, when both were released on CD single because of Vissi's third Eurovision appearance. The English version of "Mono I Agapi", however, was released as a 7 -inch vinyl back in 1982, with "I'm Gonna Be A Fool for You" as a
b-side.
1983-1990: Nikos Karvelas
In 1983 she married
Nikos Karvelas, a
composer, with whom she collaborated in 1975. After their marriage, she started a close collaboration with her husband. Since 1975, all her releases have become gold or platinum and Anna has been (along with
George Dalaras and
Haris Alexiou) one of the top selling Greek artists. In 1986, she participated at the Cypriot National Final for Eurovision Song Contest, with the song "Thelo Na Gino Star", taking second place. This song is still unreleased today. Some of her most successful albums include
I Epomeni Kinisi,
Tora,
Empnefsi!. In 1988 she made her debut as a radio producer on
ANT1 Radio. Her radio program had the title of one of her songs "Ta Koritsia Einai Atakta" and was aired every weekend. In the same year she participated with the song "Kleo" at the Greek National Final for Eurovision Song Contest, ending third.
Next year, she releases studio album
Fotia (Fire) with leading single "Pseftika". "Pseftika" became the biggest hit of the year, with its mix of ethnic and pop dance elements. She performs in "Diogenis Palace", Athens' biggest night club that time.
1990s
1990-1992: Demones
In the early 1990s, she staged spectacular shows in Greece (along with her husband Nikos Karvelas), starting with her appearances at Diogenis Pallace and then at Rex (presenting the famous Anna Vissi Show). In November 1991, a big dream of Karvelas's and Vissi's came true: Demones, the first Greek rock opera. It was based on a libretto by Stavros Sideras and staged at Atticon Theatre in Athens for two years. Roger Williams was the director and Anna Vissi (Queen, Rozanne), Yannis Samsiaris (Daniel), and John Modinos (Inquisitor) were the leading actors. Critics were flattering while Demones was played on foreign TV stations and attracted the attention of Broadway agents.
1992-1994
A year later in October 1993, she'd 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. The then-president of the Republic of Cyprus,
Glafkos Kleridis, and
Queen Elizabeth II, were amongst the audience. The following years Karvelas and Vissi released albums that became gold and platinum. They included
Lampo! with
Latino influences,
Emis,
Live!,
Re!,
O! Kypros with traditional
Cypriot songs.
1994-1998: Klima Tropiko and Travma
In 1994 she was the hostess on the
ANT1 weekly TV show
Me Agapi, Anna, while one year after she did a concert in Cyprus, supporting the defenses of the island. In 1996 Anna released the double platinum album
Klima Tropiko. After giving more than 40 successful concerts all over
Greece, she mounted a spectacular, three-hour show at the club, Gazi. On
New Year's Eve, by invitation of the Mayor of the city of
Athens, she performed in the Parliament Square in front of more than 20,000 people and all of Greece, via
TV.
In February 1997, Vissi won three Greek Music Awards: Best Female Singer, Best Interpretation, and Biggest Airplay Song. Then, in April, she released
Travma which went gold in 12 days and triple platinum in six months selling over 150,000 units. Following that, she was featured on a magazine cover with pictures of her at the Oscars. She also gave the magazine an interview were she stated that her new Greek CD would be out sometime in 2008.
Vissi started a world tour in January 2007. She traveled to
Australia with
Konstantinos Christoforou and had 3 sold out concerts in
Melbourne and
Sydney and from
April 10,
2007 through
May 1,
2007, she toured North America. She, along with Takis Zahartos performed in
Chicago,
New York,
Atlantic City,
Connecticut (
Foxwoods),
Los Angeles,
Montreal, and
Toronto.
In September 2007,
Sony BMG Greece released a compilation titled
The Essential Anna Vissi. The album contains 17 track, includes some of Anna's biggest hits. It also includes the previously leaked but unofficially released
English song "Is it Safe?".
Vissi continued her world tour in October 2007 with a mini-European 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 November 2007, she held a special charity concert in London at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden with
London Philharmonic Orchestra. She raised £250,000, excluding the entrance tickets costing £200. While in London, she also announced that she's struck an agreement with the
London Philharmonic Orchestra to host exclusive concerts just like the charity concert, in Athens and Thessaloníki in Summer 2008.
Anna is also reportedly working on her new Greek CD with
Nikos Karvelas. According to an interview by while in London, Vissi stated that Greek fans should be patient
"for the album isn't going to be released for quite some time." It has been reported that it'll have a "a rock-tinged influence" and will be her first all-new studio album since her 2005 release
Nylon.
On New Year's Day, Anna kicked off the new year by holding a big concert in her birth town of Larnaca, Cyprus.
Having spent a large portion of 2007 recording a new English album in LA, word began spreading about its details. On the
Myspace of Robin DiMaggio recently it stated
Also I just finished working with the great Anna Vissi playing and producing her, some of her songs include writers such as Glenn Ballard, Diane Warren, Brian Haus to name a few.. Also on the Myspace of Marti Rich, there's an interview with Anna Vissi talking about the production of the new album. That interview is now on YouTube, and is a favorite on Vissi's official YouTube channel by Sony BMG Greece. Also on Mark Needham's website, it lists
"Anna Vissi - Forthcoming album" under
Mix Engineer: Current Mixing Projects. All the people mentioned, are also all based out of L.A. In a recent interview with
Ellinikos FM, Nikos Karvelas was asked about new Anna Vissi work. Karvelas replied that she's currently in the US working on a new very
rock album with non-Greek writers hinting that the new album will be Rock flavored. By November 2007, the English album was reportedly finished. The producer of the album looks to be Robin DiMaggio, while the album will be released in the first half of 2009. Anna will supposedly be shooting a video clip soon for the first single from the new album. It is unknown what record label, or where the album will be released yet. In an interview with fans, Anna talked about the album describing it as
“A rock album with unbelievably nice songs, that some of the biggest people in the USA music industry worked on. It is an album that could only be made in the US, that represents who I am, and I believe that this album will be a big plus in my career so far.” As of February 2008, Anna signed to
Maple Jam Music Group for the Management of the release of her upcoming English album in the US. It is unknown whether she's also signed with their label, to which, Robin DiMaggio is signed. The English album is scheduled to be released in the US in the first half of 2009. Currently she's in the process of meeting with writers and searching for songs. She is also reportedly planning a high profile comeback, and plans to change her look for the album release. It is also rumored to be a double album and that she's talking to Giorgos Theofanous and
Giannis Parios, for them to penn songs for it.
Recently, Vissi, her management,
Sony BMG Greece President, and executives of Maple Jam Music group were seen together at a club in
Athens. Vissi stated that the new English album has been pushed back, and will come out after her Greek album. It is rumored that Anna Vissi has recorded two songs for her up-coming greek album. One is said to be titled "Metalla" (Metals) while the other "Kommatia" (Pieces).
Current Projects
- In Summer 2008, Anna will hold exclusive concerts in Athens and Thessaloníki with the London Philharmonic Orchestra.
- Anna is working on a new Greek album to be released in September 2008. The album has been confirmed to have no participation from Nikos Karvelas, but composers like Nikos Moraitis and Dimitra Galani will participate by giving songs.
- Anna is currently working on a new English album in LA with a 2009 release date. Some of the songwriters include Diane Warren, Glen Ballard, and Brian Hewes, as well as Robbin Di Maggio as producer for some songs, and Mark Needham as mix engineer. No release date has been announced yet, and either has official word from Anna herself. Previously recorded tracks with Nikos Karvelas include English versions of Greeks hits including "Call Me" (Eisai), "Desire" (Agapi Ipervoliki), "Love For Real" (Eho Tosi Agapi) and new Is it Safe? which has appeared on The Essential Anna Vissi.
Trivia
Anna Vissi has sold 9.5 million albums worldwide.[ Since 1995 together she's gone 28x platinum. In 2005, she also enjoyed success in the US, claiming the number one position on the Billboard Dance Charts with "Call Me".
She is often referred to as 'The Greek Madonna' in many countries, but to her Greek-speaking fans, she's known as 'Thea' ('Diva'/'Goddess').
According to Room 210 (Greek Magazine published in 2004) Anna Vissi is considered "A true diva of the Greek musical stage, a role model for all other performers of similar genres and one who determines all the latest music and fashion trends".
By music critics and the media, she's often referred to as "The Queen of Greek Pop".
Anna is one of the best selling female Greek artist of all time with a career spanning over thirty years.
She is one of the owners of the famous bar restaurant Ciro's Pommodoro Pizza, recently opened in Athens, Greece. She also is one of the owners of "Ammos Estiatorio" in New York City.
In 1997 Anna won 7 "Popcorn Greek Music Awards" for her album "Travma".
In April 2008, MAD TV (a Greek music channel and radio station) hosted a competition for its "Greek Week" in which visitors to their website were able to vote for their 10 favourite Greek videos, with the winners being showcased in a special "Greek Top 30 Countdown" on April 20. Anna was the most nominated artist with 13 videos, and managed to secure the #1 position with Treno, and Agapi Ipervoliki came in at #4 when the Top 30 were announced.
She entered the Swedish top-30 with the single Everything in summer 2006, reaching number 24.
Vissi has a daughter named Sofia Karvelas with her ex-husband/composer Nikos Karvelas. She currently lives in the US.
Anna's sister Lia Vissi, is also a singer.
Her album Kravgi is the eighth most successful album ever released in Greece, becoming 6 times platinum. It is the second most successful album in Greece since 1990, after XXX Enthimion of Notis Sfakianakis (7P).
]Discography
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