Antique is a Greek singing duo consisting of

Helena Paparizou Helena Paparizou (; , ; born 31 January 1962) is a Swedish-born Greek singer, songwriter and television personality. Born and raised in Sweden to Greeks, Greek parents, she enrolled in various arts schools before launching a career in Sweden in ...

(; born 1982) and Nikos Panagiotidis (; born 1978), originating from Sweden and combining Greek popular music and lyrics with a Nordic dance-pop beat. Both Paparizou and Panagiotidis were born and raised in Sweden by Greek parents. They were the first ever to be nominated for a Swedish Grammis in the category modern dance with a Greek song. In

2001 The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a Participants in ...

, Antique were selected to represent Greece at the

Eurovision Song Contest The Eurovision Song Contest (), sometimes abbreviated to ESC and often known simply as Eurovision, is an international songwriting competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), featuring participants representing pr ...

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

with the song " Die for You", sung in a blend of English and Greek, ending with a third place – only behind

Estonia Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, a ...

and hosts

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark ...

. This group is famous in

Scandinavian countries Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Swede ...

Cyprus Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is geo ...

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

and

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

. After 19 years of hiatus the group reunited in March 2022 in Greece releasing a cover hit song from 90's meant to be their comeback in music industry.

Career

In 1999, some DJ friends of

's brother asked her to make a demo of the

Notis Sfakianakis Panagiotis "Notis" Sfakianakis ( el, Νότης Σφακιανάκης; born 2 November 1959) is a Greek singer of folk music, and is one of the most commercially successful artists of all time in Greece and Cyprus. Sfakianakis began his career i ...

hit "

Opa Opa "Opa Opa" is a song by Greek singer Notis Sfakianakis, released as a single from his second album ''Ise Ena Pistoli'' in 1992. Opa Opa is a laïko dance song and was written and produced by singer Giorgos Alkaios in 1999. The song has been co ...

". Paparizou told them that the lyrics are for a man, so she asked to sing it with her childhood friend Nikos Panagiotidis, whom she had met through her siblings at a Greek diaspora celebration in

Stockholm Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...

. At that time, some record producers were undergoing a project to sign a duo consisting of a male and a female that would sing covers of traditional Greek hits oriented towards the

Greek diaspora The Greek diaspora, also known as Omogenia ( el, Ομογένεια, Omogéneia), are the communities of Greeks living outside of Greece and Cyprus (excluding Northern Cyprus). Such places historically include Albania, North Macedonia, parts of ...

of Sweden, finally coming in contact with Paparizou, who recommended Panagiotidis; they formed Antique and were signed to newly formed indie label

Bonnier Music Cosmos Music, formerly Bonnier Amigo Music Group (BAMG), is an independent record company based in Stockholm, Sweden. Bonnier Amigo Music Group was formed in 2001 when the record company and distributor Amigo Musik merged with the record com ...

, settling on the name because it left an impression of being "classic" and "timeless". Paparizou admitted that

Greek music The music of Greece is as diverse and celebrated as its History of Greece, history. Greek music separates into two parts: Greek folk music, Greek traditional music and Byzantine music. These compositions have existed for millennia: they originat ...

had been something of an acquired taste for her, and that the name "Antique" was probably a reflection of her childhood impression of it being something rather distant and old-fashioned; something that she only really associated with her summer holidays in Greece. Elena Paparizou's Biography on

Alpha TV Alpha TV is a Greek free-to-air channel, being one of the biggest stations in Greece. The station features a mix of Greek and foreign shows with an emphasis on information. The studios are located in Kifissia and Pallini. Alpha TV is owned by Alp ...

's "Kafes Me Tin

Eleni Menegaki Eleni Menegaki ( el, Ελένη Μενεγάκη; born October 29, 1969), is a Greek TV presenter. In 2010, ''Forbes'' ranked Menegaki as the second-most powerful and influential celebrity in Greece and top-ranked female. Career Television M ...

". ''

'', 17 April 2008. Retrieved on 23 April 2008 Their debut single "

" became a hit amongst the Greeks in Sweden and eventually entered the top ten in Sweden and

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

, making them the first act to enter into the Swedish top five with a song sung in Greek. Their later singles "

Dinata Dinata "Dinata" or "Dynata" is a song from the album '' Meno Ektos''; its music was composed by Ara Dinkjian, its lyrics written by Lina Nikolakopoulou and it was first sung by Eleftheria Arvanitaki while Arto Tuncboyaciyan features in non verbal singi ...

", " Follow Me", and "

Moro Mou "Moro Mou" (My Baby) is a song released by Greek-Swedish duo Antique. It was released in March 2003 in Sweden as the first single from their album '' Alli Mia Fora''. It was released on March 16, 2002, by V2 Records in Greece Greece,, or , ...

" also charted well.

Eurovision Song Contest 2001

Despite being relatively unknown in Greece, the duo entered the national final to become Greece's representatives in the

Eurovision Song Contest 2001 The Eurovision Song Contest 2001 was the 46th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Copenhagen, Denmark, following the country's victory at the with the song "Fly on the Wings of Love" by Olsen Brothers. Organised by the E ...

, Denmark with the song " (I Would) Die for You", written by Nikos Terzis with lyrics by Antonis Pappas, placing joint first, but being named the winners by default as they had won the public vote. The song placed third in the actual contest with 147 points; although equaled by the 2004 entry, it was the best placing Greece had ever received until Paparizou won the contest as a solo artist in 2005. The song went on to become their biggest hit in Greece, reaching Platinum status, while it peaked at number three in Sweden and Greece, and charted elsewhere. Antique's success in the contest led to them earning recognition in Greece and working there for the rest of their career. In continuation, they recorded four studio albums that achieved mild success, performed a small European tour, and collaborated with artists such as

Katy Garbi Katerina "Katy" Garbi ( el, Κατερίνα "Καίτη" Γαρμπή, ; born 8 June 1961) is a Greek singer active in Greece and Cyprus, with some popularity in Turkey. Her career has spanned over 35 years with over 2 million records sold in Gr ...

and

Slavi Trifonov Stanislav Todorov Trifonov ( bg, Станислав Тодоров Трифонов; born 18 October 1966), known as Slavi Trifonov ( bg, Слави Трифонов), is a Bulgarian TV host, musician and politician. Trifonov is mainly active i ...

. In 2002, they recorded the song "V-Power" in both English and

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

versions. The songs were included on the 14-track promotional album released for

Royal Dutch Shell Shell plc is a British multinational oil and gas company headquartered in London, England. Shell is a public limited company with a primary listing on the London Stock Exchange (LSE) and secondary listings on Euronext Amsterdam and the New Yo ...

V2 Records V2 Records (or V2 Music; V2 being an abbreviation for Virgin 2) is a record label that was purchased by Universal Music Group in 2007 and sold to IASin 2013. In the Benelux, V2 operates separately from PIAS, as the label bought itself out from ...

to promote the premium unleaded gasoline product known as ''

V-Power Shell V-Power is the brand name given to Shell's enhanced high specification fuels for road motor vehicles including Shell V-Power Nitro+ and Shell V-Power Diesel. Introduced in Italy in 2001, Shell relaunched the fuel in March 2008, under the n ...

''. Antique disbanded in late 2003 on good terms with both members pursuing solo careers. Elena Paparizou won the

Eurovision Song Contest 2005 The Eurovision Song Contest 2005 was the 50th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Kyiv, Ukraine, following the country's victory at the with the song "Wild Dances" by Ruslana. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (E ...

representing Greece with "

My Number One "My Number One" is a song recorded by Greek-Swedish singer Helena Paparizou, written by Manos Psaltakis, Christos Dantis, Natalia Germanou and produced by Christos Dantis. It was the at the Eurovision Song Contest 2005, held in Kyiv, awarding ...

". There are currently no intentions of reuniting the group, although they have both expressed to want to reunite in the future. ''London Greek Radio''. Retrieved on April 8, 2008

2019–present: New material

Antique reunited 16 years after the group's hiatus for a special anniversary concert on July 13, 2019, in Sweden, performing live their greatest hits for Swedish audience. In Cyprus at Super Music Awards, Panagiotidis awarded Paparizou for Best Female Adult artist. In March 2022 Antique covered a song from the 1990s titled ''Ti Ti'' by

Giorgos Alkaios Giorgos Alkaios (Greek: Γιώργος Αλκαίος; born 24 December 1971) is a Greek recording artist. His career began in 1989 after appearing on a Greek reality show. Following a brief period of stage acting, Alkaios dedicated himself to m ...

, to be released in April 2022. On July 2, 9, 23 Antique performed at Vi Som Alskar 90 talet 2022 concert festival in Sweden performing some of their hit singles. On November 17, Antique attended

Het Grote Songfestivalfeest ''Het Grote Songfestivalfeest'' () is a Dutch television concert programme starring artists of the Eurovision Song Contest, produced by PilotStudio in collaboration with the Dutch broadcaster AVROTROS and held at the Ziggo Dome in Amsterdam. Th ...

singing ''Die For You'' which took place in Ziggo Dome arena in

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

, while it will be broadcast at a later time by the public broadcaster of the Netherlands.

Discography

* ''

Mera Me Ti Mera ''Mera Me Ti Mera'' (Greek: ''Μέρα με τη μέρα''; en, Day by Day) or ''Opa Opa'' (in Scandinavia) is the debut album by Greek musical group Antique. The album was released in 1999 by V2 Records in Greece, and by Bonnier Music in Scan ...

'' (1999) * '' Die for You'' (2001) * ''

Me Logia Ellinika ''Me Logia Ellinika'' (Greek: ''Με Λόγια Ελληνικά''; en, With Greek Words) is the first all-Greek album by Greek musical group Antique. The album was released in December 2001 by V2 Records. The album contains 6 new songs in Gr ...

'' (2002) * '' Alli Mia Fora'' (2003) * '' Blue Love'' (2003)

Tours

*European Tour *North American Tour *Rex 2001-02 *Apollonas 2002 *We Who Love 90's Festival (Sweden) 2019 *We Who Love 90's Festival (Sweden) 2022

Awards

Grammis The Grammis are music awards presented annually to musicians and songwriters in Sweden. The oldest Swedish music awards, they were instituted as a local equivalent of the Grammy Awards given in the United States. The awards ceremony is generall ...

* Best Modern Dance Song ("Opa Opa", 2000, nominated) Eurovision Song Contest * 3rd place, 147 points (2001) ''Pop Corn'' Music Awards * Best Group (2001, won) * Best Dance Song (2001, "(I Would) Die for You", nominated) ''Planeta TV Music Awards * Best Pop video (2003, "Why?", win) MAD Video Music Awards * Best Dressed Artist in a Video (Elena Paparizou in "Alli Mia Fora", 2004, nominated)

References

External links

Helena Paparizou official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Antique Bonnier Amigo Music Group artists Eurovision Song Contest entrants for Greece Eurovision Song Contest entrants of 2001 Swedish musical duos Helena Paparizou Greek pop music groups Musical groups established in 1999 Musical groups disestablished in 2003 V2 Records artists Pop-folk music groups Modern Greek-language singers English-language singers from Italy English-language singers from Greece English-language singers from Germany English-language singers from Sweden 1999 establishments in Sweden 2003 disestablishments in Sweden