Eleni Foureira
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Eleni Foureira ( el, Ελένη Φουρέιρα; born Entela Fureraj; 7 March 1987) is a naturalised Greek, Albanian singer and dancer. She began her music career in 2007 as a member of the Greek girl group Mystique, pursuing a solo career after the group disbanded in 2009. She released five studio albums since. Foureira signed a solo contract with Universal Music Greece and released her self-titled debut album in 2010. She later signed with Minos EMI, and went on to release her second and third studio albums '' Ti Poniro Mou Zitas'' and ''Anemos Agapis'' in 2012 and 2014, respectively. Both albums were well-received in
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 ...
and
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 ge ...
. Foureira left Minos EMI in 2015, and signed with Panik Records. Her fourth studio album '' Vasilissa'' was released in December 2017. After being rejected several times in her efforts to represent Greece, Foureira represented Cyprus in the
Eurovision Song Contest 2018 The Eurovision Song Contest 2018 was the 63rd edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Lisbon, Portugal, following the country's victory at the with the song " Amar pelos dois" by Salvador Sobral. Organised by the European ...
with the song " Fuego". She was one of three ethnically Albanian competitors. On 8 May 2018, she qualified from the first semi-final to the grand final, where she finished second with 436 points, thereby achieving Cyprus' best Eurovision result to date. In 2019, Foureira released the EP '' Gypsy Woman'', followed in 2020 by the release of singles "Yayo", "Temperatura" and "Light It Up". In 2021, she hosted the Greek talent show '' House of Fame - La Academia'' at
Skai TV Skai TV (Greek: ΣΚΑΪ) is a Greek free-to-air television network based in Piraeus. It is part of the Skai Group, one of the largest media groups in the country. It was relaunched in its present form on 1 April 2006 in the Athens metropolit ...
. Afterwards, she collaborated with Greek rapper
MadClip Mad Clip (born Panagiotis Peter Anastasopoulos, ; May 25, 1987 – September 2, 2021) was an American-Greek rapper and songwriter. He released many songs such as "Dealer", "Kotera", "Sinthikes", which have grossed more than ten million pageviews ...
on the song "Mporei", which became one of the biggest hits of the year in Greece. The song "Aeraki (To Thiliko)" followed with similar success. On June 3rd 2022, Eleni released her fifth studio album called “Poli_Ploki”.


Early life

Foureira was born as Entela Fureraj on 7 March 1987 in
Fier Fier (; sq-definite, Fieri) is the seventh most populous city of the Republic of Albania and seat of Fier County and Fier Municipality. It is situated on the bank of Gjanica River in the Myzeqe Plain between the Seman in the north, the Vjos ...
,
Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...
. Her mother is a seamstress, while her father works in construction. She has three siblings: Ioanna, Margarita, and Giorgos. Foureira grew up in the
Eastern Orthodox Eastern Orthodoxy, also known as Eastern Orthodox Christianity, is one of the three main branches of Chalcedonian Christianity, alongside Catholicism and Protestantism. Like the Pentarchy of the first millennium, the mainstream (or " canonical ...
faith, and has a grandfather who was from
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 ...
. When she was four years old, the family moved to the city of
Vlorë Vlorë ( , ; sq-definite, Vlora) is the third most populous city of the Republic of Albania and seat of Vlorë County and Vlorë Municipality. Located in southwestern Albania, Vlorë sprawls on the Bay of Vlorë and is surrounded by the foo ...
, and later moved to Greece due to the Albanian Civil War in 1997. While living in Albania, the family had electricity for only two hours a day, and left for Greece after their home was hit with bullets. Upon arriving in Greece, Foureira and her family settled in
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 ...
. Foureira began pursuing music at a young age, learning how to play
guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected strin ...
and later working in a
theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perform ...
for three years.


Career


2007–2009: Early career and Mystique

Foureira began her music career as a member of the girl group Mystique. She was discovered by Andreas Giatrakos, and the group also consisted of Alkmini Chatzigianni and Maria Makri. They released their debut single "Se alli selida" in 2007, and later achieved success with the single "Min kaneis pos de thymasai" featuring Greek hip hop group NEVMA the following year. They broke up in 2009.


2010–2018: Pursuit of a solo career

After Mystique broke up, Foureira signed a solo contract with Universal Music Greece, the same label as Mystique. She appeared on the charity program ''
Just the Two of Us Just or JUST may refer to: __NOTOC__ People * Just (surname) * Just (given name) Arts and entertainment * ''Just'', a 1998 album by Dave Lindholm * "Just" (song), a song by Radiohead * "Just", a song from the album ''Lost and Found'' by Mudvayne ...
'', hosted by
Mega Channel MEGA Channel, also known as MEGA TV or just MEGA, is a television network in Greece, that broadcasts a mix of foreign and Greek programming. It is the first and the oldest private television network in Greece. History Mega Channel (1989–2018) ...
. She tied for first place along with singer Panagiotis Petrakis. Foureira released her self-titled debut studio album in December 2010. Afterwards, she signed with Minos EMI. Her second album '' Ti Poniro Mou Zitas'' was released in 2012, while her third ''Anemos agapis'' was released in 2014. From 2015 to 2016, she starred as Sofia in the musical '' Barbarella: the 80's Musical'' in
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 ...
, alongside other Greek pop stars such as
Ivi Adamou Ivi Adamou ( el, Ήβη Αδάμου, ; born 24 November 1993) is a Greek-Cypriot singer. She was born and raised in Agia Napa, Cyprus and currently resides in Alexandroupoli, Greece. Adamou rose to recognition in Greece and Cyprus following he ...
and
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 ...
. Following the release of ''Anemos agapis'', she left Minos EMI and signed with Panik Records. She was a judge on season three of the Greek version of ''
So You Think You Can Dance ''So You Think You Can Dance'' is a franchise of reality television shows in which contestants compete in dance. The first series of the franchise, created by '' Idols'' producers Simon Fuller and Nigel Lythgoe, premiered in July 2005 and ha ...
''. Her fourth studio album '' Vasilissa'' was released in 2017.


Eurovision Song Contest 2018

Foureira has made several attempts to represent Greece in the Eurovision Song Contest. In 2010, she took part in the Greek national final for the
Eurovision Song Contest 2010 The Eurovision Song Contest 2010 was the 55th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Oslo, Norway, following the country's victory at the with the song " Fairytale" by Alexander Rybak. Organised by the European Broadcasting U ...
with Manos Pyrovolakis, performing the song "Kivotos tou Noe". They placed second behind
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 ...
. In 2013, she performed "
Wild Dances "Wild Dances" is a single by Ukrainian singer-songwriter Ruslana. The song, representing , won the Eurovision Song Contest 2004 held in Istanbul with a score of 280 points. A Ukrainian-language version called "Dyki tantsi" () was released in Rus ...
" with
Ruslana Ruslana Stepanivna Lyzhychko ( uk, Руслана Степанівна Лижичко, ''Ruslana Lyzhychko''; born 24 May 1973), known mononymously as Ruslana, is a World Music Award and Eurovision Song Contest winning recording artist, holdi ...
at Eurosong 2013 – a MAD show. She later considered taking part in Eurosong 2015 - NERIT & MAD show, but ultimately did not. She once again attempted to represent Greece in the Eurovision Song Contest 2016 with the song "Come Tiki Tam", but was rejected by
Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation The Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation ( el, Ελληνική Ραδιοφωνία Τηλεόραση AE, Ellinikí Radiofonía Tileórasi SA) or ERT () is the state-owned public radio and television broadcaster of Greece. History Overview ERT b ...
(ERT). In 2017, she was rejected by the broadcaster for the
Eurovision Song Contest 2017 The Eurovision Song Contest 2017 was the 62nd edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Kyiv, Ukraine, following the country's victory at the with the song "1944" by Jamala. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and ...
once again. In February 2018, it was confirmed that Foureira would represent
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 ge ...
in the
Eurovision Song Contest 2018 The Eurovision Song Contest 2018 was the 63rd edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Lisbon, Portugal, following the country's victory at the with the song " Amar pelos dois" by Salvador Sobral. Organised by the European ...
with the song " Fuego". The song was composed by Greek-Swedish songwriter Alex Papaconstantinou. Foureira was seen as one of three ethnic Albanians competing that year, each of them representing different countries. Foureira posed with Albanian contestant
Eugent Bushpepa Eugent Bushpepa (; born 2 July 1984), also known by his alternative name Gent Bushpepa, is an Albanian singer, songwriter and composer. Regarded as one of the most popular modern rock musicians in the Albanian-speaking world, he is noted for hi ...
, making the
crossed hands The crossed hands gesture is a hand signal that denotes Albania in International Sign. Known as shenja e flamurit (flag sign) in Albanian, it is sometimes referred to as the "eagle gesture" and is a symbol used by ethnic Albanians in Albania, Ko ...
gesture denoting the double eagle of the
Flag of Albania The flag of Albania ( sq, Flamuri i Republikës së Shqipërisë) is a red flag with a silhouetted black double-headed eagle in the center. The red stands for bravery, strength, valour and bloodshed, while the Eagle represents the sovereign sta ...
. In response, nationalist Greeks spoke out against Foureira, saying she should be removed from the contest, but Cyprus continued to support her. On 8 May 2018, she qualified from the first semi-final to the grand final. In the final held on 12 May 2018, she finished as the runner-up to winner
Netta ''Netta'' is a genus of diving ducks. The name is derived from Greek ''Netta'' "duck". Unlike other diving ducks, the ''Netta'' species are reluctant to dive, and feed more like dabbling ducks. These are gregarious ducks, mainly found on fres ...
from
Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
, having received the fifth most votes from the international juries and the second most votes from the public televoting process; this marked Cyprus' best Eurovision placement in history.


2018–present: Post-Eurovision success

Shortly after Eurovision 2018, Eleni signed a record deal with
Sony Music Sony Music Entertainment (SME), also known as simply Sony Music, is an American multinational music company. Being owned by the parent conglomerate Sony Group Corporation, it is part of the Sony Music Group, which is owned by Sony Entertainme ...
. By doing so, she become only the second Greek artist to sign an international deal with a major record label after Helena Paparizou (who 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 ...
). In late June, she released her Greek single " Caramela", which topped the Digital Single Chart. In mid-October, she released the non-album single " Tómame", which was also number one hit. Towards the end of the year, it was announced that " Fuego" has been certified platinum in Spain, and gold in Norway and Sweden, becoming Eleni's first song to achieve this. On 17 May 2019, Eleni released her first international project, an
extended play An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record.
titled
Gypsy Woman (EP) ''Gyspy Woman'' is the first extended play by Greek singer Eleni Foureira. Hit Channel reported on 14 May 2019. that the EP was going to be released exclusively to Spotify on 17 May 2019 with 5 tracks, a cover of Crystal Waters 1991 song " Gypsy ...
, which includes the song "El Ritmo Psicodelico" as the lead single. To further promote her studio project, she embarked on a European tour in various cities in Greece, Spain, and the United Kingdom. Around the same time, during the Host Broadcaster press conference of the
Eurovision Song Contest 2019 The Eurovision Song Contest 2019 was the 64th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Tel Aviv, Israel, following the country's victory at the 2018 contest with the song " Toy" by Netta. Organised by the European Broad ...
, Foureira was announced as one of the four artists from previous contests that will perform as an interval act in the final, where she performed the 2007 runner-up
Verka Serduchka Andriy Mykhailovych Danylko ( uk, Андрі́й Миха́йлович Дани́лко; born 2 October 1973), better known as his drag persona Verka Serduchka ( uk, Вє́рка Сердю́чка, links=no, ; russian: Ве́рка Серд ...
's song "
Dancing Lasha Tumbai Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its reperto ...
". Throughout the rest of the year, she mostly took part in collaborations with artists such as Kaan and Snoop Dogg, and
Claydee Klejdi Lupa (Greek: Κλέιντι Λούπα; born 7 June 1985), known professionally as Claydee, is a Greek-Albanian singer, songwriter and producer. He has produced works that fall into the dance-pop, RnB and house music categories. His son ...
. In March 2020, she released the electropop and R&B single Yayo. In June, she released a Greek single "Temperatura", which was later accompanied with a Spanish version. In December 2019, she performed as a surprise guest at
Festivali i Këngës 58 The Festivali i Këngës 2019 was the 58th edition of the annual Albanian music competition Festivali i Këngës. It was organised by Radio Televizioni Shqiptar (RTSH) at the Pallati i Kongreseve in Tirana, Albania, and consisted of two semi-fi ...
, the Albanian national selection contest for Eurovision, held in
Tirana Tirana ( , ; aln, Tirona) is the capital and largest city of Albania. It is located in the centre of the country, enclosed by mountains and hills with Dajti rising to the east and a slight valley to the northwest overlooking the Adriatic Sea ...
, Albania. After performing a medley of her own songs and international hits, she sang a few Albanian folk songs alongside TV presenter
Alketa Vejsiu Alketa Vejsiu (born 19 January 1984) is an Albanian television presenter, entrepreneur, model, producer and singer. Career Television * ''Gjeniu i Vogël'' * ''Dancing with the Stars Albania'' * ''X Factor'' * ''Dance with Me'' * ''Your F ...
, accompanied with a monologue in the
Albanian language Albanian ( endonym: or ) is an Indo-European language and an independent branch of that family of languages. It is spoken by the Albanians in the Balkans and by the Albanian diaspora, which is generally concentrated in the Americas, Europ ...
on her Albanian roots, since she moved from Albania during her childhood. Towards the end of 2020, Eleni Foureira released two dance-pop, electropop, nu-disco, and synth-pop records "Light It Up" (in October) and "Dokimase Me" (in December), both of which contain
1980s File:1980s replacement montage02.PNG, 420px, From left, clockwise: The first Space Shuttle, ''Columbia'', lifts off in 1981; US president Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev ease tensions between the two superpowers, leading to the ...
and
retrofuturism Retrofuturism (adjective ''retrofuturistic'' or ''retrofuture'') is a movement in the creative arts showing the influence of depictions of the future produced in an earlier era. If futurism is sometimes called a "science" bent on anticipatin ...
tropes. Around the same time, during a
live stream Livestreaming is streaming media simultaneously recorded and broadcast in real-time over the internet. It is often referred to simply as streaming. Non-live media such as video-on-demand, vlogs, and YouTube videos are technically streamed, but n ...
on her official Instagram account, the singer revealed that her forthcoming second extended play, entitled ''Light It Up'', is set for release in early 2021. At May 2021 she released a song with Greek rapper
MadClip Mad Clip (born Panagiotis Peter Anastasopoulos, ; May 25, 1987 – September 2, 2021) was an American-Greek rapper and songwriter. He released many songs such as "Dealer", "Kotera", "Sinthikes", which have grossed more than ten million pageviews ...
, titled "Mporei", which was awarded as the best duet at Super Music Awards In May 2022, she collaborated on "Mono Esy Kai Ego" with Greek singer Konstantinos Argiros. On 3 June 2022, Foureira released her fifth studio album, ''Poli Ploki'', preceded by the singles "Mporei" and "Aeraki (To Thiliko)".


Personal life


Relationships

Since 2017, she has been in a relationship with Alberto Botía, a Spanish footballer who was playing in Greece for
Olympiacos F.C. Olympiacos Club of Fans of Piraeus ( el, Ολυμπιακός Σ.Φ.Π. ), known simply as Olympiacos or Olympiacos Piraeus, is a Greek professional football club based in Piraeus, Attica. Part of the major multi-sport club Olympiacos CFP ('' ...
at the time. On November 13 2022, Eleni Foureira announced her pregnancy via her Instagram account.


Origin controversy

Since the beginning of her career, the Greek media have speculated on Foureira's ancestral origins. As a member of Mystique, she claimed to be Brazilian. She later claimed that her father was from
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 ...
and her mother from Ioannina, although she had some Mexican ancestry as well. In 2018, Foureira confirmed that she became a Greek citizen through
descent Descent may refer to: As a noun Genealogy and inheritance * Common descent, concept in evolutionary biology * Kinship, one of the major concepts of cultural anthropology **Pedigree chart or family tree ** Ancestry ** Lineal descendant **Heritag ...
, and also declared that her grandfather was Greek. In 2013, it was reported by the Greek media that Foureira was born in Albania and that her birth name was Entela Fureraj. Foureira did not comment on the reports until 2014, when she confirmed them. She claimed that she did not reveal her origin in order to be accepted in the music industry in Greece. She continued claiming she never understood the issue, since she always felt Greek and she has received only Greek education. Andreas Giatrakos, who discovered Foureira and recruited her to join Mystique, later stated that he wanted Foureira to be proud of her origin and would not have rejected her if he knew she was born in Albania. During the
Eurovision Song Contest 2018 The Eurovision Song Contest 2018 was the 63rd edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Lisbon, Portugal, following the country's victory at the with the song " Amar pelos dois" by Salvador Sobral. Organised by the European ...
, Foureira made the Albanian patriotic eagle gesture in a photo with Albanian singer
Eugent Bushpepa Eugent Bushpepa (; born 2 July 1984), also known by his alternative name Gent Bushpepa, is an Albanian singer, songwriter and composer. Regarded as one of the most popular modern rock musicians in the Albanian-speaking world, he is noted for hi ...
. The image went viral in Albania and Greece, being well-received in the former but causing controversy in the latter.


Discography

*''Eleni Foureira'' (2010) *'' Ti Poniro Mou Zitas'' (2012) *'' Anemos Agapis'' (2014) *'' Vasilissa'' (2017) *''
Gypsy Woman (EP) ''Gyspy Woman'' is the first extended play by Greek singer Eleni Foureira. Hit Channel reported on 14 May 2019. that the EP was going to be released exclusively to Spotify on 17 May 2019 with 5 tracks, a cover of Crystal Waters 1991 song " Gypsy ...
'' (2019) *''Poli_Ploki'' (2022)


Filmography


Awards and nominations


References


External links


Official website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Foureira, Eleni 1987 births Albanian emigrants to Greece Greek people of Albanian descent Eastern Orthodox Christians from Albania Eastern Orthodox Christians from Greece Eurovision Song Contest entrants for Cyprus Eurovision Song Contest entrants of 2018 Greek laïko singers Greek dance musicians Greek female dancers 21st-century Albanian women singers 21st-century Greek women singers Albanian pop singers Greek pop singers Greek stage actresses Living people MAD Video Music Awards winners Minos EMI artists Naturalized citizens of Greece Panik Records artists People from Fier Singers from Athens Universal Music Greece artists