Despina Olympiou (
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 ...
: Δέσποινα Ολυμπίου, ; born 17 October 1975), also known as Dena Olympiou, is a
Greek-Cypriot
Greek Cypriots or Cypriot Greeks ( el, Ελληνοκύπριοι, Ellinokýprioi, tr, Kıbrıs Rumları) are the ethnic Greeks, Greek population of Cyprus, forming the island's largest Ethnolinguistic group, ethnolinguistic community. Accordin ...
singer, famous in her homeland as well as in Greece. She
represented Cyprus in the
Eurovision Song Contest 2013
The Eurovision Song Contest 2013 was the 58th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Malmö, Sweden, following the country's victory at the with the song "Euphoria" by Loreen. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EB ...
in
Malmö
Malmö (, ; da, Malmø ) is the largest city in the Swedish county (län) of Scania (Skåne). It is the third-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg, and the sixth-largest city in the Nordic region, with a municipal populat ...
, Sweden.
Early life and education
Olympiou was born and raised in
Limassol
Limassol (; el, Λεμεσός, Lemesós ; tr, Limasol or ) is a city on the southern coast of Cyprus and capital of the district with the same name. Limassol is the second largest urban area in Cyprus after Nicosia, with an urban population ...
, Cyprus. She made her first steps in music in Cyprus. She moved to London and attended the
Trinity College of Londοn where she studied piano and
music theory
Music theory is the study of the practices and possibilities of music. ''The Oxford Companion to Music'' describes three interrelated uses of the term "music theory". The first is the "rudiments", that are needed to understand music notation (ke ...
.
Career
1992–2001: Start of career
She started her music career in 1992. A year later she moved to
Athens
Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...
,
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 ...
, where she had a cooperation with
Yiannis Parios
Yiannis Parios ( el, Γιάννης Πάριος) is a Greek singer, with a career spanning five decades.
Biography
Yiannis Parios was born Ioannis Varthakouris (Ιωάννης Βαρθακούρης) on the island of Paros. He made his firs ...
. Olympiou has also cooperated with other Greek music artists, including
Haris Alexiou
Haris Alexiou ( el, Χάρις Αλεξίου, ; born 27 December 1950 in Thebes, Greece as Hariklia Roupaka, el, Χαρίκλεια Ρουπάκα, ) is a Greek singer. She is considered one of the most popular singers in Greece and has been co ...
,
Michalis Hatzigiannis
Michalis Hatzigiannis (Greek: Μιχάλης Χατζηγιάννης; born 5 November 1978) is a Greek-Cypriot singer, musician, and record producer. From 2000 to 2010, he received over 30 sales certifications in Greece, making him one of the ...
,
Dimitris Mitropanos
Dimitris Mitropanos ( el, Δημήτρης Μητροπάνος; 2 April 1948 – 17 April 2012) was a Greek singer. He was renowned for his mastery of Laïkó, a Greek music style.
Biography
Mitropanos lived in his native city of Trikala in n ...
,
Mimis Plessas
Mimis Plessas ( el, Μίμης Πλέσσας; born 12 October 1924) is a Greek composer born in Athens. He began his career in 1952 and has written music for over 100 films, television and radio programs, and theatrical events. He has worked wit ...
,
Pandelis Thalassinos
Pantelis Thalassinos ( el, Παντελής Θαλασσινός) is a Greeks, Greek singer and songwriter.
Biography
He was born in Keratsini, Piraeus (regional unit), Piraeus on 11 June 1958. His father, Michalis, hailed from the island of Ch ...
and
Marios Tokas
Marios Tokas ( el, Μάριος Τόκας) (8 June 1954 – 27 April 2008) was a Cypriot composer of traditional music born in Limassol, Cyprus. During the 1974 invasion, he fought as a soldier against the Turkish invaders. In 1975, he went to At ...
.
She first appeared on the George Sarri album ''Ftaine oi Aponoi Kairoi'' with the song ''"I kounia mas"'' ("Our Swing"). Olympiou also appeared on the album ''Emeis oi Ellines'' with the song ''"Pros rakosillektes kai sinodiporous"'' and on the
Pandelis Thalassinos
Pantelis Thalassinos ( el, Παντελής Θαλασσινός) is a Greeks, Greek singer and songwriter.
Biography
He was born in Keratsini, Piraeus (regional unit), Piraeus on 11 June 1958. His father, Michalis, hailed from the island of Ch ...
album ''Ap' tin Tilo os tin Thraki'' with four songs.
Olympiou's first album, ''Ton Mation sou i Kalimera'', includes music by
Pandelis Thalassinos
Pantelis Thalassinos ( el, Παντελής Θαλασσινός) is a Greeks, Greek singer and songwriter.
Biography
He was born in Keratsini, Piraeus (regional unit), Piraeus on 11 June 1958. His father, Michalis, hailed from the island of Ch ...
, Manoli Lidaki, Gerasimos Andreatos.
2002–2006: Universal Music, ''Vale Mousiki'', ''Exoume Logo'' and ''Auto Ine Agapi''
In 2002, she signed to the
Universal Greece label.
In June 2003, Olympiou started her cooperation with
Michalis Hatzigiannis
Michalis Hatzigiannis (Greek: Μιχάλης Χατζηγιάννης; born 5 November 1978) is a Greek-Cypriot singer, musician, and record producer. From 2000 to 2010, he received over 30 sales certifications in Greece, making him one of the ...
with the CD single ''Vale Mousiki'' with music by Hatzigiannis and lyrics by Eleana Vrachali. The album included a duet with Hatzigiannis, ''"Na 'soun allios"'', which was very successful. A year later the CD became platinum.
A year later, she released her second album with the name ''Exoume Logo''. In 2005, Olympiou released her new album, ''Auto ine Agapi'' (''This Is Love''), including twelve songs written by Giorgos and Alexandros Pantelia (from Kitrina Podilata), apart from one song which was written by Lina Dimopoulou. The first single from the album was ''"Kapote"''.
2007–2012: ''Pes to Dinata'', ''Mazi Xorista'', ''Mia stigmi''
In the spring of 2007, she released the CD single ''Pes to Dinata'', which was very successful both in Greece and Cyprus.
Later Olympiou released her album, ''Mazi Xorista'' once again cooperating with Michalis, with lyrics by Eleana Vrachali and Nikos Moraitis. The album was re-released in 2008, this time gold, and includes the song ''"Pes to Dinata"'', ''"Mazi Xorista"'' and her duet with Michalis Hatzigiannis, ''"O Paradisos (Den Ftiahtike Gia Mas)"''. The album also includes the new song ''"Omorfa Psemata"'', written by Michalis Hatzigiannis and Nikos Moraitis.
At the 2008
MAD Video Music Awards
The MAD Video Music Awards is a Greek award show presented by the MAD TV. The awards honor the year's biggest achievements in music, voted by the viewers of Mad television. Winners receive an authentic Mad designed award with the graphics of that ...
, she won the Best Duet award for the song ''"O Paradisos"''. In 2010, she releases her album entitled 'Mia stigmi', which became one of the most successful albums of that year, reaching Gold status in Cyprus. Considered as the most mature work by Despina, again penned by Michalis Hatzigiannis, included many hit singles like 'Pano stin agapi' which became a huge summer hit, 'Adynamia' and a very sentimental ballad entitled 'Mi m'agapas'.
In 2012, Despina collaborated with
Stereo Mike on a new hit single entitled 'Den s' afino apo ta matia mou', a duet that met great success in Cyprus and Greece, and marked her first steps without Michalis Hatzigiannis on her side.
2013: Eurovision Song Contest 2013
![ESC2013 - Cyprus 01](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/56/ESC2013_-_Cyprus_01.JPG)
On 1 February 2013,
Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation
Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation ( gr, Ραδιοφωνικό Ίδρυμα Κύπρου , tr, Kıbrıs Radyo Yayın Kurumu), or CyBC (ΡΙΚ, KRYK), is Cyprus' public broadcasting service. It transmits island-wide on four radio and two domestic ...
announced that Olympiou had been internally selected to
represent Cyprus in the
Eurovision Song Contest 2013
The Eurovision Song Contest 2013 was the 58th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Malmö, Sweden, following the country's victory at the with the song "Euphoria" by Loreen. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EB ...
, held in
Malmö
Malmö (, ; da, Malmø ) is the largest city in the Swedish county (län) of Scania (Skåne). It is the third-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg, and the sixth-largest city in the Nordic region, with a municipal populat ...
, Sweden. On 14 February, the Greek language song "
An me thimasai" (Αν με θυμάσαι) was presented as the Cypriot Contest entry. An English acoustic version and Spanish version were also prepared for promotional purposes. Olympiou competed in the first semi-final of the Contest on 14 May 2013, however, she failed to qualify to the final, getting the fifteenth place with eleven points.
Stereo Mike, the singer who Olympiou collaborated with on "Den s'afino apo ta matia mou", had also
represented Greece in the
Eurovision Song Contest 2011
The Eurovision Song Contest 2011 was the 56th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Düsseldorf, Germany, following the country's victory at the with the song "Satellite" by Lena. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union ...
, held in
Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf ( , , ; often in English sources; Low Franconian and Ripuarian: ''Düsseldörp'' ; archaic nl, Dusseldorp ) is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second-largest city in th ...
, Germany, along with
Loukas Giorkas
Loukas Yorkas () born in Aradippou, Cyprus, on 18 October 1986, is a Greek Cypriots, Cypriot singer and the winner of the first season of the Greek version of the television talent series ''The X Factor (Greece), The X Factor''. In September 2009 ...
, with the song "
Watch My Dance".
Relationships
From 2003 to April 2009, Olympiou was in a relationship with
Michalis Hatzigiannis
Michalis Hatzigiannis (Greek: Μιχάλης Χατζηγιάννης; born 5 November 1978) is a Greek-Cypriot singer, musician, and record producer. From 2000 to 2010, he received over 30 sales certifications in Greece, making him one of the ...
.
From 2012 until now, Olympiou is in a relationship with Panos Doukas. They had a son named Christos, born in September 2017.
Discography
Albums
* ''Ton Mation Sou I Kalimera'' (2000)
* ''Echoume Logo'' (2004)
* ''Afto Einai Agapi'' (2005)
* ''Mazi Chorista'' (2007)
* ''Mazi Horista '' (2008)
* ''Mia stigmi'' (2009)
Singles
* ''Vale Mousiki'' (2003)
* ''Pes to Dynata'' (2007)
* ''Den S' Afino Ap Ta Matia Mou'' feat. Stereo Mike (2012)
* ''Na Eisai Kala'' (2012)
* ''
An Me Thimase'' (2013)
* ''Stathera'' (2014)
* ''An Voulitho Na S' Arnitho'' (2014)
* ''Harisma Sou'' (2016)
* ''Girna Se Mena'' (2016)
* ''Panta Erhete I Avgi'' (2017)
* ''Opou Mas Paei I Kardia'' (2017)
* ''Mi Skeftis Xana'' (2020)
* ''Apousia'' (2021)
See also
*
List of Cypriots
*
List of dance-pop artists
This is a list of notable dance-pop artists.
0–9
* 1 Girl Nation
*13 Stories
*2 Unlimited
*3OH!3
A
* Aaliyah
* Paula Abdul
* Ace of Base
*Christina Aguilera
* Alcazar
*AlunaGeorge
*A-L-X
*Ambitious Lovers
* Anastacia
*Annie
*Aqua
* David ...
*
Music of Greece
The music of Greece is as diverse and celebrated as its history. Greek music separates into two parts: Greek traditional music and Byzantine music. These compositions have existed for millennia: they originated in the Byzantine period and Greek ...
*
Music of Cyprus
The music of Cyprus includes a variety of traditional, Western classical and Western popular genres. Cypriot traditional music is similar to the traditional music of Greece with Turkish and Arab influences, and includes dances like sousta, syr ...
Awards and nominations
Arion Music Awards
The Arion Music Awards (Greek : ''Μουσικά Βραβεία Αρίων'') were the Greek music industry's awards program from 2002 to 2007. The organizer was IFPI along with Mega Channel (2002–06) and ANT1 (2007). The awards were named after ...
MAD Video Music Awards
The MAD Video Music Awards is a Greek award show presented by the MAD TV. The awards honor the year's biggest achievements in music, voted by the viewers of Mad television. Winners receive an authentic Mad designed award with the graphics of that ...
References
External links
*
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Olympiou, Despina
1975 births
20th-century Greek women singers
21st-century Greek women singers
Cypriot expatriates in Greece
21st-century Cypriot women singers
Cypriot pop singers
Eurovision Song Contest entrants for Cyprus
Dance musicians
Eurovision Song Contest entrants of 2013
Greek pop singers
Living people
Singers from Athens
People from Limassol
Universal Music Greece artists
Greek Cypriot singers