Anna Vissi
Encyclopedia
Anna Vissi known as Anna Vishy in Cypriot Greek
, is a Greek-Cypriot 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 signed 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 hybrid 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 fourth highest ranked singer.
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).
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.
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. The English version of "Mono I Agapi", however, was released as a 7-inch single in 1982, titled "Love Is A Lonely Weekend". It's b-side I'm Gonna Be A Fool for You remains unreleased on cd.
, 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.
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. Vissi described it as an "artistic achievement" in her career; however, the play received mostly negative reviews from professional critics and contributed to the relatively unsuccessful period Vissi faced in the early 1990s. Vissi has defended the play, saying "I did something important and advanced for the Greek music scene!" but admitted that she lost a lot of money from the production. She is considering modernizing and relaunching the production in the 2010s. 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 vindicated 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.
. 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.
.
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 internationally-distributed English-language album Everything I Am
, which although started as ambition effort to launch an international career. 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. A week after its release in Greece
, 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
.
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. The production and Vissi's performance was received tepidly by critics and its commercial performance was mediocre. 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
.
, 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.
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.
, 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. Although the show was fully crowded in its first few performances, it was negatively affected by the financial crisis and did not meet attendance expectations overall, despite being highly anticipated and receiving an extensive promotional campaign. After the run in Athens the show moved to Thessaloniki
on April 3, 2010 with spectacular opening night attendance.
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 the cost was estimated at 100 thousand euros. 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 Nicosia,28/9 Larnaca,30/9 Paphos)
On 5th of November Vissi will perform in Stuttgart,Germany.
Anna Vissi on 12th of November awarded by Hellenic Charity Ball who recognized the brightest arts and entertainment luminaries in the Greek-American community.The ceremony take place in San Francisco.
Cypriot Greek
The Cypriot dialect of Modern Greek, known as Kypriaka , Cypriot Greek is spoken by 750,000 people in Cyprus and diaspora Greek Cypriots.Cypriot Greek is distinct enough that it can be classified as a distinct dialect of the Standard Greek....
, is a Greek-Cypriot recording artist and actress. Born in Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
, she studied music at conservatories and performed locally before moving to the professional scene in Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
in 1973, where she signed 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
As Kanoume Apopse Mian Arhi
As Kanoume Apopse Mian Arhi is the title of the debut studio album by singer Anna Vissi, released in Greece and Cyprus by Minos in 1977.-Album information:...
. Since the 1980s, Vissi began a nearly exclusive collaboration with songwriter Nikos Karvelas
Nikos Karvelas
Nikos Karvelas is a Greek songwriter, producer and singer. He has sold millions of records as a producer and is most recognizable for his three-decade-long collaboration with Anna Vissi, while some of his other well-known collaborations include Sakis Rouvas. Karvelas has released multiple...
, 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
Sony Music Entertainment
Sony Music Entertainment ' is the second-largest global recorded music company of the "big four" record companies and is controlled by Sony Corporation of America, the United States subsidiary of Japan's Sony Corporation....
. 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
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
and dance
Dance music
Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement...
elements into Greek laïko
Laïko
Laïkó ), is a Greek music genre. Also called folk song or urban folk music , in its plural form is a Greek music genre which has taken many forms over the years...
and entehno, she became one of the most prominent portrayers of the laïko-pop hybrid genre and culture that was thriving from the mid 1990s into the mid 2000s. She landed her biggest commercial success with Fotia
Fotia
Fotia is the name of a Greek album by singer Anna Vissi. It was released in Greece and Cyprus in 1989 by CBS Greece. The album is entirely composed and written by Nikos Karvelas. The album reached platinum status...
(1989), followed by the double Kravgi
Kravgi
- International Editions :The album was also released in Turkey and in Australia and New Zealand. In Australia and New Zealand the album kept its original track listing. In Turkey it was released as a 17-track album...
(2000), which became the best-selling album of the 2000s
2000s
File:2000s decade montage3.png|From left, clockwise: The World Trade Center towers, in the wake of the September 11 attacks; the Euro enters into European currency in 2002; a statue of Saddam Hussein being toppled during the Iraq War; U.S. troops heading toward an army helicopter during the War in...
decade and eighth best-selling of all time in terms of units, while five others – Kitrino Galazio
Kitrino Galazio
Kitrino Galazio is the title of the second studio album by Greek singer Anna Vissi, released in Greece and Cyprus in 1979 by EMI Greece. It is her first album after her departure from Minos, her previous record label...
(1979), I Epomeni Kinisi
I Epomeni Kinisi
I Epomeni Kinisi is the name of a Greek album by singer Anna Vissi released in Greece and Cyprus in 1986 by CBS Greece. This album is all written by Nikos Karvelas. In spite of her previous albums, it featured a clear pop sound, very distinctive of Vissi's next albums...
(1985), Klima Tropiko
Klima Tropiko
Klima Tropiko is the name of a Greek album by singer Anna Vissi released in Greece and Cyprus in February 1996...
(1996), Travma
Travma
Travma is the name of a Greek album by singer Anna Vissi released in Greece and Cyprus on April 14, 1997. In Greece it became Gold within 12 days and 3x Platinum within 6 months.The album also includes a duet with fellow Greek pop star Sakis Rouvas....
(1997), and Antidoto
Antidoto
Antidoto is the name of a Greek album by singer Anna Vissi released in Greece and Cyprus in 1998. The album reached 3x Platinum status and is the first album in Greek music history to sell 80,000 copies in the first week of its release...
(1998) – have also achieved six figure sales. She has also had several radio hits, including her signature song
Signature song
A signature song is the one song that a popular and well-established singer or band is most closely identified with or best known for, even if they have had success with a variety of songs...
"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
Call Me (Anna Vissi song)
"Call Me" is a song by Greek-Cypriot singer Anna Vissi, originally released in 2003 in Greek as "Eisai" . Written by Nikos Karvelas, "Call Me" was released in October 2004 as a promo track for radio stations in the U.S. and DJs by Nicky Kalliongis on his record label Moda Records. It was later...
", which made her the first Greek or Cypriot artist to top the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play Chart
Hot Dance Club Play
The Hot Dance Club Songs chart is a weekly national survey of the songs that are most popular in U.S. dance clubs...
and has also represented Greece in the Eurovision Song Contest
Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual competition held among active member countries of the European Broadcasting Union .Each member country submits a song to be performed on live television and then casts votes for the other countries' songs to determine the most popular song in the competition...
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
Alpha TV
Alpha TV is a Greek terrestrial channel . The station features a mix of Greek and foreign shows with an emphasis on entertainment programs. The studios are located near Athens...
ranked Vissi as the second top-certified female artist in Greece in the phonographic era (since 1960), behind Haris Alexiou
Haris Alexiou
Haris Alexiou is a Greek singer. She is considered one of the most popular singers in Greece and has been commercially successful since the 1970s. She has worked with important Greek songwriters and composers, has performed at top musical theatres all over the world and has received several awards...
, while Forbes
Forbes
Forbes is an American publishing and media company. Its flagship publication, the Forbes magazine, is published biweekly. Its primary competitors in the national business magazine category are Fortune, which is also published biweekly, and Business Week...
listed her as the 15th most powerful and influential celebrity in Greece and fourth highest ranked singer.
Childhood and origins
Anna Vissi was born on December 20, 1957, in PylaPyla
Pyla is a village in Larnaca District, Cyprus. It is one of only four villages located within the United Nations Buffer Zone, the other three being Athienou, Troulloi and Deneia. Pyla is located in the eastern part of the island, adjacent to the British Sovereign Base Area of Dhekelia...
near Larnaca
Larnaca
Larnaca, is the third largest city on the southern coast of Cyprus after Nicosia and Limassol. It has a population of 72,000 and is the island's second largest commercial port and an important tourist resort...
, Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
. 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
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, where she was able to pursue her studies at the National Conservatory. She would eventually appear with a number of well-known Greek
Greeks
The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....
singers, such as George Dalaras
George Dalaras
George Dalaras , also possibly spelled as Yorgos or Giorgos Dalaras, is a Greek singer. He is of international fame and has recently been selected as a Goodwill Ambassador for the UN Refugee Agency. He was born in Nea Kokinia, Piraeus. His father was Loukas Daralas, a singer of rebetiko.-Early...
, Haris Alexiou
Haris Alexiou
Haris Alexiou is a Greek singer. She is considered one of the most popular singers in Greece and has been commercially successful since the 1970s. She has worked with important Greek songwriters and composers, has performed at top musical theatres all over the world and has received several awards...
, and Vasilis Papakonstantinou
Vasilis Papakonstantinou
Vasilis Papakonstantinou is a Greek singer known mostly for his work in Greek rock. Most of his songs have gained considerable popularity, mainly in Greece and Cyprus.- Early life :...
, in the famous nightclubs of Plaka
Plaka
Pláka is the old historical neighborhood of Athens, clustered around the northern and eastern slopes of the Acropolis, and incorporating labyrinthine streets and neoclassical architecture. Plaka is built on top of the residential areas of the ancient town of Athens...
, in Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
. During this time she also studied the law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
at the University of Athens. Her first important collaboration, alongside George Dalaras
George Dalaras
George Dalaras , also possibly spelled as Yorgos or Giorgos Dalaras, is a Greek singer. He is of international fame and has recently been selected as a Goodwill Ambassador for the UN Refugee Agency. He was born in Nea Kokinia, Piraeus. His father was Loukas Daralas, a singer of rebetiko.-Early...
, was with composer Stavros Koujioumtzis
Stavros Koujioumtzis
Stavros Kouyioumtzis, also Kougioumtzis, Kouyoumtzis, or Koujioumtzis, is one of the most significant Greek music composers of the 20th century....
. 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
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
composers such as Mikis Theodorakis
Mikis Theodorakis
Mikis Theodorakis is one of the most renowned Greek songwriters and composers. Internationally, he is probably best known for his songs and for his scores for the films Zorba the Greek , Z , and Serpico .Politically, he identified with the left until the late 1980s; in 1989, he ran as an...
(1974/1975), Georgios Hadjinassios (1974), Doros Giorgiadis (1974), Nikos Karvelas
Nikos Karvelas
Nikos Karvelas is a Greek songwriter, producer and singer. He has sold millions of records as a producer and is most recognizable for his three-decade-long collaboration with Anna Vissi, while some of his other well-known collaborations include Sakis Rouvas. Karvelas has released multiple...
(who later became her husband; 1975) and Mihalis Terzis (1976).
Late 1970s: Career beginnings
In 1977 she went on tour with George DalarasGeorge Dalaras
George Dalaras , also possibly spelled as Yorgos or Giorgos Dalaras, is a Greek singer. He is of international fame and has recently been selected as a Goodwill Ambassador for the UN Refugee Agency. He was born in Nea Kokinia, Piraeus. His father was Loukas Daralas, a singer of rebetiko.-Early...
and Haris Alexiou
Haris Alexiou
Haris Alexiou is a Greek singer. She is considered one of the most popular singers in Greece and has been commercially successful since the 1970s. She has worked with important Greek songwriters and composers, has performed at top musical theatres all over the world and has received several awards...
, giving concerts with the most notable at the Rainbow, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
(June). In the same year, she released her first studio album named As Kanoume Apopse Mian Arhi
As Kanoume Apopse Mian Arhi
As Kanoume Apopse Mian Arhi is the title of the debut studio album by singer Anna Vissi, released in Greece and Cyprus by Minos in 1977.-Album information:...
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
Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki , historically also known as Thessalonica, Salonika or Salonica, is the second-largest city in Greece and the capital of the region of Central Macedonia as well as the capital of the Decentralized Administration of Macedonia and Thrace...
(Palais des Sports). In 1978 she was proposed by ERT (Greek National Television) to represent Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
at the 23rd Eurovision Song Contest
Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual competition held among active member countries of the European Broadcasting Union .Each member country submits a song to be performed on live television and then casts votes for the other countries' songs to determine the most popular song in the competition...
. 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
Tania Tsanaklidou
Soultana Tsanaklidou is a Greek artist, both singer and actress, who represented Greece in the Eurovision Song Contest 1978.-Biography:...
went to the contest. Her second album Kitrino Galazio
Kitrino Galazio
Kitrino Galazio is the title of the second studio album by Greek singer Anna Vissi, released in Greece and Cyprus in 1979 by EMI Greece. It is her first album after her departure from Minos, her previous record label...
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 ContestEurovision Song Contest 1980
The Eurovision Song Contest 1980 was the 25th Eurovision Song Contest and was held on 19 April 1980 in The Hague. The presenter was Marlous Fluitsma, although each song was introduced by a presenter from the nation represented...
representing Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
with the song Autostop
Autostop
"Autostop" was the Greek entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1980, performed in Greek by Anna Vissi and The Epikouri....
("Hitch-Hike"), finishing 13th with 30 points. In the same year she released her third album Nai
Nai (Anna Vissi album)
Nai is the name of a Greek album by singer Anna Vissi. It is her third studio album and includes the soundtrack of the TV series Methismeni Politeia. It was released in Greece and Cyprus in 1980 by EMI Greece...
("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
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
at the 27th Eurovision Song Contest
Eurovision Song Contest 1982
The Eurovision Song Contest 1982 was the 27th Eurovision Song Contest and was held on 24 April 1982 in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, United Kingdom. The presenter was Jan Leeming. The opening of the contest showed a map of Europe, with the translation "Where is Harrogate?" popping up on-screen from...
with the song she composed herself, Mono I Agapi
Mono I Agapi
"Mono I Agapi" was the Cypriot entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1982, performed in Greek by Anna Vissi...
("Only love"), which ended fifth with 85 points scoring Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
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. The English version of "Mono I Agapi", however, was released as a 7-inch single in 1982, titled "Love Is A Lonely Weekend". It's b-side I'm Gonna Be A Fool for You remains unreleased on cd.
1983–1989: Collaboration and marriage to Nikos Karvelas
In May 1983, she married Nikos KarvelasNikos Karvelas
Nikos Karvelas is a Greek songwriter, producer and singer. He has sold millions of records as a producer and is most recognizable for his three-decade-long collaboration with Anna Vissi, while some of his other well-known collaborations include Sakis Rouvas. Karvelas has released multiple...
, a composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
, 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
Nikos Karvelas
Nikos Karvelas is a Greek songwriter, producer and singer. He has sold millions of records as a producer and is most recognizable for his three-decade-long collaboration with Anna Vissi, while some of his other well-known collaborations include Sakis Rouvas. Karvelas has released multiple...
. 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
Sony Music Entertainment
Sony Music Entertainment ' is the second-largest global recorded music company of the "big four" record companies and is controlled by Sony Corporation of America, the United States subsidiary of Japan's Sony Corporation....
, a collaboration that lasts until today. In March 1984, she released Na 'Hes Kardia
Na 'Hes Kardia
Na 'hes Kardia is the name of the sixth album by Greek singer Anna Vissi. Released in 1984, it was her first album under CBS Greece. It featured 12 laika songs, the music of whom was written by her then-husband Nikos Karvelas. Lyricists of the album were Karvelas, Vissi herself and Sarantis...
("If You Had a Heart"). The album was certified gold. The following year her seventh album Kati Simveni
Kati Simveni
Kati Simveni is the name of a Greek album by singer Anna Vissi. The album was released in Greece and Cyprus by CBS Greece in 1985. This album includes her signature song "Dodeka". The album reached gold status.-Background:...
("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
I Epomeni Kinisi
I Epomeni Kinisi is the name of a Greek album by singer Anna Vissi released in Greece and Cyprus in 1986 by CBS Greece. This album is all written by Nikos Karvelas. In spite of her previous albums, it featured a clear pop sound, very distinctive of Vissi's next albums...
("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
Tora (Anna Vissi album)
Tora is the name of a 1988 music album by singer Anna Vissi. It was released in Greece and Cyprus by CBS Greece.-Reception:The lead single "1988 Ki Akoma S' Agapo" was well received by radio stations, rising to the top of the charts. The song is considered a classic Greek ballad and a pop standard...
("Now") and in December the album Empnefsi!
Empnefsi!
Empnefsi! is the name of a Greek album by singer Anna Vissi. It was released in Greece and Cyprus in December 1988 by CBS Greece. It featured ten pop songs, written by her then-husband Nikos Karvelas. The album reached Gold status...
("Inspiration!") which went gold.
In 1988, she made her debut as a radio producer on ANT1
ANT1
Antenna, better known as ANT1, is a television network airing in Greece and Cyprus. The alternate spelling is play on words in Greek; ena is the Greek number 1, thus ANT1 is pronounced the same as Antenna . It launched on 31 December 1989, the same year as rival Mega Channel, and is owned by...
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
Fotia
Fotia is the name of a Greek album by singer Anna Vissi. It was released in Greece and Cyprus in 1989 by CBS Greece. The album is entirely composed and written by Nikos Karvelas. The album reached platinum status...
(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
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
with Nikos Karvelas
Nikos Karvelas
Nikos Karvelas is a Greek songwriter, producer and singer. He has sold millions of records as a producer and is most recognizable for his three-decade-long collaboration with Anna Vissi, while some of his other well-known collaborations include Sakis Rouvas. Karvelas has released multiple...
, with appearances at "Diogenis Palace" and then at "Rex". In November 1991, Vissi and Karvelas
Nikos Karvelas
Nikos Karvelas is a Greek songwriter, producer and singer. He has sold millions of records as a producer and is most recognizable for his three-decade-long collaboration with Anna Vissi, while some of his other well-known collaborations include Sakis Rouvas. Karvelas has released multiple...
starred in the first Greek rock opera, Daimones
Daimones
Daimones is a soundtrack album of the first ever Greek rock opera starring Anna Vissi, released by Sony Music in Greece only. The storyline and lyrics are written by Stavros Sideras.-Disc 1:# "Ahrimam"# "Pare Me"# "Vasanise"...
("Demons"). It was based on a libretto by Stavros Sideras and staged at Attikon Theater in Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
for two years. Roger Williams
Roger Williams
-People:* Roger Williams , Welsh soldier of fortune* Roger Williams , English theologian, co-founder of Rhode Island* Roger Williams , US actor...
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. Vissi described it as an "artistic achievement" in her career; however, the play received mostly negative reviews from professional critics and contributed to the relatively unsuccessful period Vissi faced in the early 1990s. Vissi has defended the play, saying "I did something important and advanced for the Greek music scene!" but admitted that she lost a lot of money from the production. She is considering modernizing and relaunching the production in the 2010s. 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
Limassol
Limassol is the second-largest city in Cyprus, with a population of 228,000 . It is the largest city in geographical size, and the biggest municipality on the island. The city is located on Akrotiri Bay, on the island's southern coast and it is the capital of Limassol District.Limassol is the...
, Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
, during the celebrations for the Commonwealth Day. Then-president of the Republic of Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
, Glafkos Clerides, and Queen Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
, were amongst the audience.
The following years, Karvelas
Nikos Karvelas
Nikos Karvelas is a Greek songwriter, producer and singer. He has sold millions of records as a producer and is most recognizable for his three-decade-long collaboration with Anna Vissi, while some of his other well-known collaborations include Sakis Rouvas. Karvelas has released multiple...
and Vissi released the albums Lambo
Lambo (Anna Vissi album)
Lambo is the name of an album by Greek singer Anna Vissi, released in Greece and Cyprus in 1992. The single "Lambo" prompted the mambo dance trend in Greece...
(1992), Emeis
Emeis
Emeis is the name of a Greek album jointly recorded by singers Anna Vissi and Nikos Karvelas. It was released in Greece and Cyprus in 1992 by Sony Music Greece. It has achieved gold status...
(1992), Live!
Live! (Anna Vissi album)
Anna Vissi Live! is the name of a live Greek album by singer Anna Vissi. It is her first live album and was released in Greece and Cyprus in December 1993. It was recorded in Zoom night club, in Plaka, Athens. The reason for its release was to celebrate the 20 years of Anna Vissi's career...
(1993), Re!
Re!
Re! is the name of a Greek album by singer Anna Vissi released in Greece and Cyprus on December 24, 1994. It was recorded in London at Whitfield Street Recording Studios and released by Sony Music Greece. It is the most acoustic album Vissi has released up to date. It was repackaged in 1995 to...
(1994), and O! Kypros
O! Kypros
O! Kypros is the name of a Greek album by singer Anna Vissi released in Greece and Cyprus in 1995. The music featured is traditional Cypriot songs and is a dedication to her parents...
(1995), an album with traditional Cypriot
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
songs.
In 1994, she was the hostess on the ANT1
ANT1
Antenna, better known as ANT1, is a television network airing in Greece and Cyprus. The alternate spelling is play on words in Greek; ena is the Greek number 1, thus ANT1 is pronounced the same as Antenna . It launched on 31 December 1989, the same year as rival Mega Channel, and is owned by...
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 vindicated 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
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
, supporting the defenses of the island.
1996–1998: Klima Tropiko, Travma, and Antidoto
In February 1996, Vissi released the triple-platinum album Klima TropikoKlima Tropiko
Klima Tropiko is the name of a Greek album by singer Anna Vissi released in Greece and Cyprus in February 1996...
. 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
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, 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
Travma
Travma is the name of a Greek album by singer Anna Vissi released in Greece and Cyprus on April 14, 1997. In Greece it became Gold within 12 days and 3x Platinum within 6 months.The album also includes a duet with fellow Greek pop star Sakis Rouvas....
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
New Year's Eve
New Year's Eve is observed annually on December 31, the final day of any given year in the Gregorian calendar. In modern societies, New Year's Eve is often celebrated at social gatherings, during which participants dance, eat, consume alcoholic beverages, and watch or light fireworks to mark the...
, 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
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
and Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
. In March 1998, Vissi broke a record, winning seven Greek Music Awards for her album Travma
Travma
Travma is the name of a Greek album by singer Anna Vissi released in Greece and Cyprus on April 14, 1997. In Greece it became Gold within 12 days and 3x Platinum within 6 months.The album also includes a duet with fellow Greek pop star Sakis Rouvas....
.
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
Travma
Travma is the name of a Greek album by singer Anna Vissi released in Greece and Cyprus on April 14, 1997. In Greece it became Gold within 12 days and 3x Platinum within 6 months.The album also includes a duet with fellow Greek pop star Sakis Rouvas....
, with a bonus CD containing songs from previous albums, only in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
Antidoto
Antidoto is the name of a Greek album by singer Anna Vissi released in Greece and Cyprus in 1998. The album reached 3x Platinum status and is the first album in Greek music history to sell 80,000 copies in the first week of its release...
, 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
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
, with the presidential orchestra of the Russian Confederacy (Telethon) and continued with two concerts in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, in February 1999 (Forum Music Theatre, Palladium Theatre). Shortly after, there was also a mini-tour in the U.S.A.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, giving concerts in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, Atlantic City, Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
and New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
(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
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, Vissi performed a mini-concert for her fans at the Virgin Megastore
Virgin Megastore
Virgin Megastores is an international chain of record shops, founded by Sir Richard Branson on London's Oxford Street in early 1971. Virgin Megastores are best described today as entertainment retailers....
in Times Square
Times Square
Times Square is a major commercial intersection in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, at the junction of Broadway and Seventh Avenue and stretching from West 42nd to West 47th Streets...
. 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.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
2000–2001: Everything I Am and Kravgi
Followed by a short break from music, in April 2000 Vissi performed at London'sLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
Royal Albert Hall
Royal Albert Hall
The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall situated on the northern edge of the South Kensington area, in the City of Westminster, London, England, best known for holding the annual summer Proms concerts since 1941....
, at the so-called "millennium show," singing in front of people from Sony International, marketing managers from Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, and fans from the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
On May 13, 2000, she performed as a special guest star in her native Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
, at the 49th annual Miss Universe Pageant which took place at the Eleftheria Stadium in Nicosia
Nicosia
Nicosia from , known locally as Lefkosia , is the capital and largest city in Cyprus, as well as its main business center. Nicosia is the only divided capital in the world, with the southern and the northern portions divided by a Green Line...
. She sang for the very first time her song "On a Night Like This
On a Night like This
"On a Night Like This" is a song by Australian recording artist and songwriter Kylie Minogue, taken from her seventh studio album Light Years . The song was released as a CD Single on 25 September 2000, and was released digitally after the physical release date...
", a song later made famous by Australian singer Kylie Minogue
Kylie Minogue
Kylie Ann Minogue, OBE - often known simply as Kylie - is an Australian singer, recording artist, songwriter, and actress. After beginning her career as a child actress on Australian television, she achieved recognition through her role in the television soap opera Neighbours, before commencing...
and included in Minogue's album Light Years.
Some months later, her first international single was released titled "Everything I Am
Everything I Am
Everything I Am is the title of the debut English-language album by Greek singer Anna Vissi. It was created under Vissi's affiliation with Sony Music Entertainment international who granted her collaboration with successful American songwriters and producers...
", containing the original version and three remixes of the song (Almighty Mix, Eiffel 65 RMX, Groove Brothers Remix), and a song with both Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
and English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
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
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
), that cost 80,000,000 drachmas ($310,000).
Apart from the English-language single, she also released the Greek-language single "Agapi Ipervoliki
Agapi Ipervoliki
"Agapi Ipervoliki" is a single from the 7x Platinum album Kravgi by Greek pop singer Anna Vissi, released in 2000 prior to the album release. It was released as a maxi single with five more songs from the album obtaining 4x Platinum status in Greece and the same in Cyprus...
" 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
Nikos Karvelas
Nikos Karvelas is a Greek songwriter, producer and singer. He has sold millions of records as a producer and is most recognizable for his three-decade-long collaboration with Anna Vissi, while some of his other well-known collaborations include Sakis Rouvas. Karvelas has released multiple...
and the boy band ONE
One (band)
ONE was a boy band that first appeared in 1999, recognized as both Greece and Cyprus's very first boy band. The band was formed by leading Cypriot-Greek composer Giorgos Theofanous who got them signed with Minos EMI and wrote all their music and lyrics, and consisted of Constantinos Christoforou,...
, with Shaun Fernandez as the choreographer.
In September 2000, she gave a charity concert at the GSP Stadium in Nicosia
Nicosia
Nicosia from , known locally as Lefkosia , is the capital and largest city in Cyprus, as well as its main business center. Nicosia is the only divided capital in the world, with the southern and the northern portions divided by a Green Line...
, 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 internationally-distributed English-language album Everything I Am
Everything I Am
Everything I Am is the title of the debut English-language album by Greek singer Anna Vissi. It was created under Vissi's affiliation with Sony Music Entertainment international who granted her collaboration with successful American songwriters and producers...
, which although started as ambition effort to launch an international career. It contained twelve songs by Russ Ballard, Mark Taylor, Graham Stack, Steve Torch, Paul Stanley, Tina Shafer, Julian Harris, Danielle Gerber and Nikos Karvelas
Nikos Karvelas
Nikos Karvelas is a Greek songwriter, producer and singer. He has sold millions of records as a producer and is most recognizable for his three-decade-long collaboration with Anna Vissi, while some of his other well-known collaborations include Sakis Rouvas. Karvelas has released multiple...
. Producers of the album were Brian Rawling, Ric Wake and Peter Asher. A week after its release in Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, the album reached gold status (20,000+ copies), while Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, and Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
started to promote it with little success.
In November 2000, Kravgi
Kravgi
- International Editions :The album was also released in Turkey and in Australia and New Zealand. In Australia and New Zealand the album kept its original track listing. In Turkey it was released as a 17-track album...
was released. It was a double album with 24 new songs and included a duet with Katy Garbi
Katy Garbi
Katerina 'Katy' Garbi is a Greek singer active in Greece and Cyprus, with some popularity in Turkey. Her career has spanned over 20 years and is marked by several multi-platinum releases. Garbi was one of the most successful artists of the 1990s...
. 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
Despina Vandi
Despina Malea , known by her stage name Despina Vandi , is a Greek singer. Born in Tübingen near Stuttgart, West Germany, Vandi's family returned to Kavala, Greece when she was six years old and she later enrolled at the University of Thessaloniki, but eventually dropped out to begin a career in...
's Gia
Gia (album)
Gia is an album by Greek singer Despina Vandi that was originally released on December 19, 2001 by Heaven Music. Since release, it has been re-released several times, and has become one of the best-selling album of all time...
(2001) has sold 200 thousand copies (400 thousand units) rather than the reported 170 thousand.
Some months later, she started appearances with Garbi
Katy Garbi
Katerina 'Katy' Garbi is a Greek singer active in Greece and Cyprus, with some popularity in Turkey. Her career has spanned over 20 years and is marked by several multi-platinum releases. Garbi was one of the most successful artists of the 1990s...
and ONE
One (band)
ONE was a boy band that first appeared in 1999, recognized as both Greece and Cyprus's very first boy band. The band was formed by leading Cypriot-Greek composer Giorgos Theofanous who got them signed with Minos EMI and wrote all their music and lyrics, and consisted of Constantinos Christoforou,...
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
New Year's Eve
New Year's Eve is observed annually on December 31, the final day of any given year in the Gregorian calendar. In modern societies, New Year's Eve is often celebrated at social gatherings, during which participants dance, eat, consume alcoholic beverages, and watch or light fireworks to mark the...
.
Just before Easter
Easter
Easter is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to the Canonical gospels, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Day or Easter Sunday...
, a second single off her international album was released. It was called "Still in Love with You
Still In Love With You (song)
"Still In Love With You" is the second single from the international album Everything I Am by Greek singer Anna Vissi, which was released in early January 2001. This single featured the song "Still In Love With You", which became a hit in many European countries, especially the Netherlands...
" 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
Bucharest
Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....
(Unirii square, nearby river Dambovitei) along with the No Smoking band and the cinema director and producer Emir Kusturica
Emir Kusturica
Emir Nemanja Kusturica , is a Serbian filmmaker, actor and musician, recognized for several internationally acclaimed feature films...
. 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
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
(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
Kravgi
- International Editions :The album was also released in Turkey and in Australia and New Zealand. In Australia and New Zealand the album kept its original track listing. In Turkey it was released as a 17-track album...
.
2002–2004: Mala, X, and Paraksenes Eikones
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
in Auschwitz, between Mala Zimetbaum
Mala Zimetbaum
Malka Zimetbaum, also known as "Mala" Zimetbaum or "Mala the Belgian" , was a young Belgian woman of Polish Jewish descent, known for her escape from the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp and the resistance she displayed at her execution following the escape's failure.- Early life and...
and Edward Galiñski. The play, which was staged at Pallas Theatre in Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
, it was written by Karvelas
Nikos Karvelas
Nikos Karvelas is a Greek songwriter, producer and singer. He has sold millions of records as a producer and is most recognizable for his three-decade-long collaboration with Anna Vissi, while some of his other well-known collaborations include Sakis Rouvas. Karvelas has released multiple...
, directed by Giannis Kakleas and was accompanied by a symphony orchestra conducted by Giorgos Niarhos. Mala premiered on January 19. The production and Vissi's performance was received tepidly by critics and its commercial performance was mediocre. The musical was also shown on Mega Channel
Mega Channel
Mega Channel, also known as Mega TV or just Mega, is a major television network in Greece. Teletypos S.A. was founded in 1989 under the name Teletypos Television Programmes S.A...
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
X (Anna Vissi album)
X is the name of a Greek album by singer Anna Vissi released 2002 in Greece and Cyprus by Sony Music Greece. The album reached 2x platinum in Greece and 2x platinum in Cyprus...
, which was produced by George De Angelis. Shortly after, the album was featured on CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
's Music Room, where they talked about how the album reached number one in Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
. 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
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
, performing with Yiannis Parios.
In May 2003, Vissi performed with Nikos Karvelas
Nikos Karvelas
Nikos Karvelas is a Greek songwriter, producer and singer. He has sold millions of records as a producer and is most recognizable for his three-decade-long collaboration with Anna Vissi, while some of his other well-known collaborations include Sakis Rouvas. Karvelas has released multiple...
and Irini Merkouri at "Boom" in Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki , historically also known as Thessalonica, Salonika or Salonica, is the second-largest city in Greece and the capital of the region of Central Macedonia as well as the capital of the Decentralized Administration of Macedonia and Thrace...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
. On July 15, 2003, Vissi gave a concert at "A Plaz Voulas/Apollonies Aktes", with special guest star Nikos Karvelas
Nikos Karvelas
Nikos Karvelas is a Greek songwriter, producer and singer. He has sold millions of records as a producer and is most recognizable for his three-decade-long collaboration with Anna Vissi, while some of his other well-known collaborations include Sakis Rouvas. Karvelas has released multiple...
.
In September 2003, Vissi gave another concert in Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
, at the Tzirion Stadium in Limassol
Limassol
Limassol is the second-largest city in Cyprus, with a population of 228,000 . It is the largest city in geographical size, and the biggest municipality on the island. The city is located on Akrotiri Bay, on the island's southern coast and it is the capital of Limassol District.Limassol is the...
, to celebrate her 30-year old career. At the same year, she was awarded with a prize for her whole contribution from the Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
Paralympic Organization, while a square in Larnaca
Larnaca
Larnaca, is the third largest city on the southern coast of Cyprus after Nicosia and Limassol. It has a population of 72,000 and is the island's second largest commercial port and an important tourist resort...
was named after her. She also met and talked with the president of the Republic of Cyprus, in the Presidential Palace, in Nicosia
Nicosia
Nicosia from , known locally as Lefkosia , is the capital and largest city in Cyprus, as well as its main business center. Nicosia is the only divided capital in the world, with the southern and the northern portions divided by a Green Line...
.
Just before 2004, on December 5, 2003, Vissi released the double album Paraksenes Eikones
Paraksenes Eikones
Paraksenes Eikones is the name of a Greek album by singer Anna Vissi released in Greece and Cyprus on December 5, 2003. The album featured the song "Eisai" that later became Call Me in English and which topped the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play in 2005...
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
Hi-5 (Greek band)
Hi-5 was a Greek - Cypriot pop girl band consisting of female vocalists Marlen Angelidou, Irini Psichrami, Frosso Papacharalambous, Shaya and Nancy Stergiopoulou, who were the winners of the Greek version of the popular talent show Popstars. The band had a large fanbase in Greece and Cyprus. They...
.
2004–2005: "Call Me" and Nylon
On March 31, 2004, Vissi performed in the Liberty Square in NicosiaNicosia
Nicosia from , known locally as Lefkosia , is the capital and largest city in Cyprus, as well as its main business center. Nicosia is the only divided capital in the world, with the southern and the northern portions divided by a Green Line...
, at a concert part of the celebrations for Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
's entry at the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
, after an official invitation from the Republic of Cyprus. In May 2004, she went on a small tour in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, with Labis Livieratos (with whom she collaborated in the early '90s), while in July, her album Paraksenes Eikones
Paraksenes Eikones
Paraksenes Eikones is the name of a Greek album by singer Anna Vissi released in Greece and Cyprus on December 5, 2003. The album featured the song "Eisai" that later became Call Me in English and which topped the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play in 2005...
was re-released with a bonus CD single called Remixes 2004
Remixes 2004
"Remixes 2004" is a single by Greek pop singer Anna Vissi, which was released in the summer of 2004 and included in the repackaged edition of her album Paraksenes Eikones, which was also released at the same time. This single featured the song "Eisai" which is the original version of the...
, which went gold.
On August 29, 2004, Vissi performed at the closing ceremony of the XXVIII Olympiad
2004 Summer Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team...
, in Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
. She then gave a concert in Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
on September 3, at the GSP Stadium in Nicosia
Nicosia
Nicosia from , known locally as Lefkosia , is the capital and largest city in Cyprus, as well as its main business center. Nicosia is the only divided capital in the world, with the southern and the northern portions divided by a Green Line...
, where she sang for the first time her new English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
song called "Call Me".
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, for the preparation and promotion of her single "Call Me
Call Me (Anna Vissi song)
"Call Me" is a song by Greek-Cypriot singer Anna Vissi, originally released in 2003 in Greek as "Eisai" . Written by Nikos Karvelas, "Call Me" was released in October 2004 as a promo track for radio stations in the U.S. and DJs by Nicky Kalliongis on his record label Moda Records. It was later...
". In the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, the single was released by Moda Records
Moda Records
Moda Records is a record label servicing hip hop, urban, rap, dance and pop music artists. Spearheaded by Nicky Kalliongis, Moda Records has been since its inception on the forefront of discovering alternate methods to producing music in addition to directing artists’ careers.-Artists:Anna Vissi,...
, 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
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
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
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
and released "Call Me
Call Me (Anna Vissi song)
"Call Me" is a song by Greek-Cypriot singer Anna Vissi, originally released in 2003 in Greek as "Eisai" . Written by Nikos Karvelas, "Call Me" was released in October 2004 as a promo track for radio stations in the U.S. and DJs by Nicky Kalliongis on his record label Moda Records. It was later...
" 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
Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola is a carbonated soft drink sold in stores, restaurants, and vending machines in more than 200 countries. It is produced by The Coca-Cola Company of Atlanta, Georgia, and is often referred to simply as Coke...
Sound-Wave", which was held in Mykonos
Mykonos
Mykonos is a Greek island, part of the Cyclades, lying between Tinos, Syros, Paros and Naxos. The island spans an area of and rises to an elevation of at its highest point. There are 9,320 inhabitants most of whom live in the largest town, Mykonos, which lies on the west coast. The town is also...
. 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
Nylon (Anna Vissi album)
Nylon is the name of a Greek album by singer Anna Vissi, released in Greece and Cyprus on September 28, 2005, and subsequently in select European countries and Taiwan...
. The album went platinum within 24 hours of its release and peaked at number one on the IFPI
IFPI
The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry is the organisation that represents the interests of the recording industry worldwide. It is a not-for-profit members' organisation registered in Switzerland...
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
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
. The dual disc version featured special footage from her and Nikos Karvelas
Nikos Karvelas
Nikos Karvelas is a Greek songwriter, producer and singer. He has sold millions of records as a producer and is most recognizable for his three-decade-long collaboration with Anna Vissi, while some of his other well-known collaborations include Sakis Rouvas. Karvelas has released multiple...
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
Dance
Dance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....
, ballads and hip-hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
. On November 24, 2005, Vissi started performances at "Votanikos" club in Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
with Goin' Through, Dimitris Korgialas and Despina Olympiou, which lasted until March 2006.
2006–2007: Eurovision Song Contest and World Tour
Greek national broadcaster ERTElliniki Radiofonia Tileorasi
The Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation is the Greek state-owned public radio and television broadcasting corporation. It is a member of EBU.Since 70's ERT is part of the Eurovision Song Contest, organized by EBU...
chose Vissi to represent Greece in the Eurovision Song Contest 2006
Greece in the Eurovision Song Contest 2006
Anna Vissi represented Greece in the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 with her song "Everything". The Greek national broadcaster, Ellinikí Radiofonía Tileórasi , internally selected Vissi to represent the country at the contest, which took place in Athens after Greece's win at the 2005 contest with the...
. There were four candidate songs, which she sang during a song selection show on March 14, 2006 at "Votanikos" club. The Greek
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
viewers used televote and SMS
Short message service
Short Message Service is a text messaging service component of phone, web, or mobile communication systems, using standardized communications protocols that allow the exchange of short text messages between fixed line or mobile phone devices...
messages along with a panel of judges to choose the song Vissi would sing in the Eurovision Song Contest 2006
Eurovision Song Contest 2006
The Eurovision Song Contest 2006 was the 51st Eurovision Song Contest, held at the Olympic Indoor Hall in Athens, Greece on 18 May and 20 May 2006 . The hosting national broadcaster of the contest was Ellinikí Radiofonía Tileórasi . The Finnish band Lordi won the contest with the song "Hard Rock...
. Two of the competing songs, were composed by Nikos Karvelas
Nikos Karvelas
Nikos Karvelas is a Greek songwriter, producer and singer. He has sold millions of records as a producer and is most recognizable for his three-decade-long collaboration with Anna Vissi, while some of his other well-known collaborations include Sakis Rouvas. Karvelas has released multiple...
, namely "Everything
Everything (Anna Vissi song)
"Everything" was the song chosen by Greece as its entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 in Athens.-At Eurovision:It finished in 9th position with 128 points...
" 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
Dimitris Kontopoulos
Dimitris Kontopoulos is one of the most famous Greek music composers known for his dance-pop music.-Personal life:Dimitris Kontopoulos was born in Athens, Greece on November 9, 1971...
. "Everything" was selected as the entry song of Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, winning 47,79% of the votes. The day after the final, Vissi filmed the song's music video. Her previous record label, Minos EMI
Minos EMI
Minos EMI is the domestic trade name of EMI Music Greece, a record company in Greece. It is the Greek record label division of the British-based, multinational EMI Group....
, released a CD single of her two prior Eurovision entries "Autostop
Autostop
"Autostop" was the Greek entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1980, performed in Greek by Anna Vissi and The Epikouri....
" and "Mono I Agapi
Mono I Agapi
"Mono I Agapi" was the Cypriot entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1982, performed in Greek by Anna Vissi...
", shortly after.
After the filming of the song's music video was completed, Vissi embarked on a promotional tour across Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
starting on April 12, 2006 with Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. She also visited Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
, Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
, Albania
Albania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
, Serbia & Montenegro, Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, and ended her tour on May 10, 2006 in Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
.
On April 19, 2006 she released a CD single for her Eurovision entry "Everything
Everything (Anna Vissi song)
"Everything" was the song chosen by Greece as its entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 in Athens.-At Eurovision:It finished in 9th position with 128 points...
". It featured the original version of "Everything" and a remix of it by DJ Valentino and Christodoulos Siganos. She then also re-released Nylon
Nylon (Anna Vissi album)
Nylon is the name of a Greek album by singer Anna Vissi, released in Greece and Cyprus on September 28, 2005, and subsequently in select European countries and Taiwan...
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
Jean-Paul Gaultier
Jean Paul Gaultier , born 24 April 1952 in Arcueil, Val-de-Marne, France) is a French haute couture fashion designer. Gaultier was the creative director of Hermès from 2003 to 2010. In the past, he has hosted the television series Eurotrash....
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
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
). The other eight songs were all qualified from the semi-final. Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
won the contest with the rock band Lordi
Lordi
Lordi is a Finnish hard rock/heavy metal band, formed in 1996 by the band's lead singer, songwriter and costume-designer, Mr. Lordi. The band is known for wearing monster masks and using pyrotechnics during concerts...
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
Lordi
Lordi is a Finnish hard rock/heavy metal band, formed in 1996 by the band's lead singer, songwriter and costume-designer, Mr. Lordi. The band is known for wearing monster masks and using pyrotechnics during concerts...
had also expressed their liking of the Greek song in interviews, too.
Following the contest, "Everything
Everything (Anna Vissi song)
"Everything" was the song chosen by Greece as its entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 in Athens.-At Eurovision:It finished in 9th position with 128 points...
" was released in Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
on May 24, 2006, by Sony BMG Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
. It had already been released in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
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
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
's Royal Albert Hall
Royal Albert Hall
The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall situated on the northern edge of the South Kensington area, in the City of Westminster, London, England, best known for holding the annual summer Proms concerts since 1941....
on May 27, 2006. She also had a concert on September 8, 2006 at G.S.P. Stadium in Nicosia
Nicosia
Nicosia from , known locally as Lefkosia , is the capital and largest city in Cyprus, as well as its main business center. Nicosia is the only divided capital in the world, with the southern and the northern portions divided by a Green Line...
, Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
, which kick-started her Greek mini-tour. The tour was called The Best of Anna Vissi 2006 and was covered by Alpha TV
Alpha TV
Alpha TV is a Greek terrestrial channel . The station features a mix of Greek and foreign shows with an emphasis on entertainment programs. The studios are located near Athens...
.
In the fall of 2006, she embarked on a Greek mini-tour, performing around Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
in sold-out concerts, as well as Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
with Goin' Through.
In the beginning of 2007, Vissi moved to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
to start work on an English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
album. In February 2007, she accompanied longtime friend Patricia Field
Patricia Field
Patricia Field is an American costume designer, stylist and fashion designer.-Life and career:Field was born in 1941 in New York City to Greek and Armenian parents, who emigrated from Lesvos, Greece. She was raised in Astoria, Queens and has claimed credit for inventing the modern legging for...
to the Academy Awards
Academy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
ceremony in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, United States.
Vissi also embarked on a world tour in January 2007. She traveled to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
with Konstantinos Christoforou and had three concerts in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
and Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, and from April 10, 2007 through May 1, 2007, she toured North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
. Along with Takis Zacharatos, she performed in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, Atlantic City, Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
(Foxwoods), Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, and Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
. Vissi continued her tour in October 2007 with a European mini-tour. The concerts included Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
and Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
with her concert in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
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
The Essential Anna Vissi
The Essential Anna Vissi is the latest compilation album by Greek singer Anna Vissi which was released in many markets around the world. It was made available on most national iTunes stores in early September 2007...
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
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
song Is it Safe?.
In November 2007, she held a special charity concert in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
for the "Oinoussian Benevolent Fund". It was held at the "Royal Opera House" in Covent Garden with the London Philharmonic Orchestra
London Philharmonic Orchestra
The London Philharmonic Orchestra , based in London, is one of the major orchestras of the United Kingdom, and is based in the Royal Festival Hall. In addition, the LPO is the main resident orchestra of the Glyndebourne Festival Opera...
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 LarnacaLarnaca
Larnaca, is the third largest city on the southern coast of Cyprus after Nicosia and Limassol. It has a population of 72,000 and is the island's second largest commercial port and an important tourist resort...
, Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
. 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.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
music industry worked on. It is an album that could only be made in the U.S.A.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, 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
Maple Jam Music Group
Maple Jam Music Group is an artist management/publicity group started by Greg Ladanyi, Starr Andreeff and Mike Renault in 2007 and based in Los Angeles . The group is notable for signing Hollywood Undead, Anna Vissi, Type O Negative and Robin DiMaggio....
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
MySpace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
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
Grosvenor House Hotel
Grosvenor House is a large and luxurious hotel. The iconic Mayfair, London hotel is owned by the Sahara Group. The name has also been licensed to a property in Dubai....
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
A bonus track from the Greek album was released on October 29, 2008, along with its music video. The song, titled To Parelthon Mou
To Parelthon Mou
"To Parelthon Mou" is a song by Anna Vissi, and the main theme song from the Greek film Bank Bang. "To Parelthon Mou", Vissi's first new song since 2006, was released in the end of October 2008 to radios and as a digital download, and in November on the official soundtrack...
("My Past"), is the title track to the Greek film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
Bank Bang, released in December 2008. The music video for the song was filmed on October 22, 2008, at The Mall Athens
The Mall Athens
The Mall Athens is a major shopping mall in Athens, Greece. It was the first of the kind to be constructed in Greece and one of the largest shopping and leisure centres in Southeastern Europe....
. With Cosmote
Cosmote
COSMOTE is the largest mobile network operator in Greece, with 7.9 million subscribers. The company is headquartered in Athens and it is a fully owned subsidiary of the Hellenic Telecommunications Organization , the incumbent telecommunications provider in Greece...
sponsoring the album, three songs from the album were released on November 26, 2008, exclusively on the Cosmote
Cosmote
COSMOTE is the largest mobile network operator in Greece, with 7.9 million subscribers. The company is headquartered in Athens and it is a fully owned subsidiary of the Hellenic Telecommunications Organization , the incumbent telecommunications provider in Greece...
online music store.
Vissi's Greek album Apagorevmeno
Apagorevmeno
Apagorevmeno is Greek singer Anna Vissi's 25th studio album, released in Greece and Cyprus on December 9, 2008 by Sony BMG Greece. It is Vissi's first studio album since 2005 and the first since her 1981 self-titled album to not include any songs or input by Nikos Karvelas...
was released on December 9, 2008, including songs by Patrick Leonard
Patrick Leonard
Patrick Raymond Leonard is an American songwriter, keyboardist and music producer, known for his longtime collaboration with Madonna on many different recordings....
, Adam Cohen, Kara DioGuardi
Kara DioGuardi
Kara Elizabeth DioGuardi is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, music publisher, A&R executive, composer and TV personality. She writes music primarily in the light pop-rock, dance, and R&B genres. DioGuardi has worked with many popular artists; her songs have appeared on more than 159...
, Glen Ballard
Glen Ballard
Glen Ballard is an American songwriter and record producer, best known for co-writing and producing Alanis Morissette's Jagged Little Pill , which won Grammy Award for "Best Rock Album", and "Album of the Year" amongst others, and is ranked by the Rolling Stone amongst The 500 Greatest Albums of...
, Dan Wilson
Dan Wilson (musician)
Daniel Dodd "Dan" Wilson is a multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, Grammy-winning songwriter and producer...
, Yiannis Kefonedes and Vissi herself. The production of this album was done by Vissi herself, Greg Ladanyi
Greg Ladanyi
Greg Ladanyi was an American record producer and recording engineer, known for his work with many musicians, including Jackson Browne, Warren Zevon, Type O Negative, The Church, Anna Vissi, Toto, Fleetwood Mac, Hollywood Undead, Don Henley and Jeff Healey.-Biography:Ladanyi co-produced the Behind...
, Patrick Leonard
Patrick Leonard
Patrick Raymond Leonard is an American songwriter, keyboardist and music producer, known for his longtime collaboration with Madonna on many different recordings....
, CJ Vanston and Yiannis Kefonedes. It was the first album since 1983 not to include any songs and, generally, any input by Nikos Karvelas
Nikos Karvelas
Nikos Karvelas is a Greek songwriter, producer and singer. He has sold millions of records as a producer and is most recognizable for his three-decade-long collaboration with Anna Vissi, while some of his other well-known collaborations include Sakis Rouvas. Karvelas has released multiple...
. 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
Apagorevmeno
Apagorevmeno is Greek singer Anna Vissi's 25th studio album, released in Greece and Cyprus on December 9, 2008 by Sony BMG Greece. It is Vissi's first studio album since 2005 and the first since her 1981 self-titled album to not include any songs or input by Nikos Karvelas...
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
Piracy
Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence at sea. The term can include acts committed on land, in the air, or in other major bodies of water or on a shore. It does not normally include crimes committed against persons traveling on the same vessel as the perpetrator...
, 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
Despina Vandi
Despina Malea , known by her stage name Despina Vandi , is a Greek singer. Born in Tübingen near Stuttgart, West Germany, Vandi's family returned to Kavala, Greece when she was six years old and she later enrolled at the University of Thessaloniki, but eventually dropped out to begin a career in...
, and Sakis Rouvas
Sakis Rouvas
Anastasios "Sakis" Rouvas II , often referred to mononymously as Sakis, is a Greek musician, television and film artist, businessman, and former pole vaulter who is one of the most successful and influential entertainers of all time in Greece and Cyprus...
, Anna Vlavianou of To Vima
To Vima
To Vima is a Greek daily newspaper first published in 1922 by Dimitris Lambrakis, the father of Christos Lambrakis. It is owned by Lambrakis Press Group, a group which also publishes the newspaper Ta Nea, amongst others in its fold of publications...
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
Elena Paparizou
Eleni "Elena" Paparizou , usually referred to abroad as Helena Paparizou, is a Greek-Swedish singer and occasional songwriter, who was born and raised in Sweden by Greek parents. She began her career there in 1999 as a member of the duo Antique, while she also worked briefly as a model for a...
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
Peggy Zina
Kalliopi Zina , known professionally as Peggy Zina, is a Greek singer. Peggy Zina made her discographic debut in 1995 with her self-titled album. She has since released ten studio albums and is a high-profile artist in the Greek music industry...
.
On February 24, 2009, Vissi re-newed her contract with Sony Music Greece
Sony Music Entertainment
Sony Music Entertainment ' is the second-largest global recorded music company of the "big four" record companies and is controlled by Sony Corporation of America, the United States subsidiary of Japan's Sony Corporation....
.
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
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
during the summer, instead, while she did not rule out a summer tour around Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
. The tour began in July 2009 and all appearances were sold-out throughout Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
. The tour ended with a concert at GSP Stadium in Nicosia
Nicosia
Nicosia from , known locally as Lefkosia , is the capital and largest city in Cyprus, as well as its main business center. Nicosia is the only divided capital in the world, with the southern and the northern portions divided by a Green Line...
, Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
, 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
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
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. Although the show was fully crowded in its first few performances, it was negatively affected by the financial crisis and did not meet attendance expectations overall, despite being highly anticipated and receiving an extensive promotional campaign. After the run in Athens the show moved to Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki , historically also known as Thessalonica, Salonika or Salonica, is the second-largest city in Greece and the capital of the region of Central Macedonia as well as the capital of the Decentralized Administration of Macedonia and Thrace...
on April 3, 2010 with spectacular opening night 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
Agapi Einai Esi
Agapi Einai Esi is the 26th studio album by Greek recording artist Anna Vissi, released in Greece and Cyprus on 17 December 2010 by Sony Music Greece as a covermount with Real News...
". 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
Agapi Einai Esi
Agapi Einai Esi is the 26th studio album by Greek recording artist Anna Vissi, released in Greece and Cyprus on 17 December 2010 by Sony Music Greece as a covermount with Real News...
" 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
Sakis Rouvas
Anastasios "Sakis" Rouvas II , often referred to mononymously as Sakis, is a Greek musician, television and film artist, businessman, and former pole vaulter who is one of the most successful and influential entertainers of all time in Greece and Cyprus...
for a concert series at Athinon Arean
Athens Arena
Athens Arena is a grand music venue in Athens, Greece. It is a large-scale convention centre and concert hall, designed to host up to 3,000 people seated. It is owned by the Papatheoharis Group. Artists featured in the Arena are Marinella , Antonis Remos Sakis Rouvas and greek superstar Anna Vissi...
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
Documentary
A documentary is a creative work of non-fiction, including:* Documentary film, including television* Radio documentary* Documentary photographyRelated terms include:...
called "Oso Eho Foni" on Alpha TV
Alpha TV
Alpha TV is a Greek terrestrial channel . The station features a mix of Greek and foreign shows with an emphasis on entertainment programs. The studios are located near Athens...
on March 30, 2011. Described as a rockumentary
Rockumentary
The term rockumentary is a neologism denoting a documentary about rock music or its musicians. The term was used by Bill Drake in the 1969 History of Rock & Roll radio broadcast, and by Rob Reiner in the 1984 mockumentary film This Is Spinal Tap....
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
David A. Stewart
David Allan Stewart , often known as Dave Stewart, is an English musician, songwriter and record producer, best known for his work with Eurythmics. He is usually credited as David A. Stewart, to avoid confusion with other musicians named "Dave Stewart".-Early life:Stewart was born in Sunderland,...
. Vissi performed a charity concert at the OACA
Athens Olympic Sports Complex
The Olympic Athletic Center of Athens "Spiros Louis" or OACA , is a sport facilities complex located at Marousi, northeast Athens, Greece...
stadium on 15 April 2011 to raise money to save the amateur league Panathinaikos football team. Vissi herself did not get paid but the cost was estimated at 100 thousand euros. 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 Nicosia,28/9 Larnaca,30/9 Paphos)
On 5th of November Vissi will perform in Stuttgart,Germany.
Anna Vissi on 12th of November awarded by Hellenic Charity Ball who recognized the brightest arts and entertainment luminaries in the Greek-American community.The ceremony take place in San Francisco.
Studio albums
- As Kanoume Apopse Mian ArhiAs Kanoume Apopse Mian ArhiAs Kanoume Apopse Mian Arhi is the title of the debut studio album by singer Anna Vissi, released in Greece and Cyprus by Minos in 1977.-Album information:...
(1977) - Kitrino GalazioKitrino GalazioKitrino Galazio is the title of the second studio album by Greek singer Anna Vissi, released in Greece and Cyprus in 1979 by EMI Greece. It is her first album after her departure from Minos, her previous record label...
(1979) - NaiNai (Anna Vissi album)Nai is the name of a Greek album by singer Anna Vissi. It is her third studio album and includes the soundtrack of the TV series Methismeni Politeia. It was released in Greece and Cyprus in 1980 by EMI Greece...
(1980) - Anna Vissi (1981)
- Eimai To Simera Kai Eisai To Hthes (1982)
- Na 'Hes KardiaNa 'Hes KardiaNa 'hes Kardia is the name of the sixth album by Greek singer Anna Vissi. Released in 1984, it was her first album under CBS Greece. It featured 12 laika songs, the music of whom was written by her then-husband Nikos Karvelas. Lyricists of the album were Karvelas, Vissi herself and Sarantis...
(1984) - Kati SimveniKati SimveniKati Simveni is the name of a Greek album by singer Anna Vissi. The album was released in Greece and Cyprus by CBS Greece in 1985. This album includes her signature song "Dodeka". The album reached gold status.-Background:...
(1985) - I Epomeni KinisiI Epomeni KinisiI Epomeni Kinisi is the name of a Greek album by singer Anna Vissi released in Greece and Cyprus in 1986 by CBS Greece. This album is all written by Nikos Karvelas. In spite of her previous albums, it featured a clear pop sound, very distinctive of Vissi's next albums...
(1986) - ToraTora (Anna Vissi album)Tora is the name of a 1988 music album by singer Anna Vissi. It was released in Greece and Cyprus by CBS Greece.-Reception:The lead single "1988 Ki Akoma S' Agapo" was well received by radio stations, rising to the top of the charts. The song is considered a classic Greek ballad and a pop standard...
(1987) - Empnefsi!Empnefsi!Empnefsi! is the name of a Greek album by singer Anna Vissi. It was released in Greece and Cyprus in December 1988 by CBS Greece. It featured ten pop songs, written by her then-husband Nikos Karvelas. The album reached Gold status...
(1988) - FotiaFotiaFotia is the name of a Greek album by singer Anna Vissi. It was released in Greece and Cyprus in 1989 by CBS Greece. The album is entirely composed and written by Nikos Karvelas. The album reached platinum status...
(1989) - EimaiEimaiEimai is the name of a Greek album by singer Anna Vissi released in Greece and Cyprus in 1990 by CBS Greece.-Background:The song "Perimeno Tilefonima Sou" is dedicated to the musical The Phantom of the Opera by Andrew Lloyd Webber...
(1990) - EmeisEmeisEmeis is the name of a Greek album jointly recorded by singers Anna Vissi and Nikos Karvelas. It was released in Greece and Cyprus in 1992 by Sony Music Greece. It has achieved gold status...
(1992) - LamboLambo (Anna Vissi album)Lambo is the name of an album by Greek singer Anna Vissi, released in Greece and Cyprus in 1992. The single "Lambo" prompted the mambo dance trend in Greece...
(1992) - Re!Re!Re! is the name of a Greek album by singer Anna Vissi released in Greece and Cyprus on December 24, 1994. It was recorded in London at Whitfield Street Recording Studios and released by Sony Music Greece. It is the most acoustic album Vissi has released up to date. It was repackaged in 1995 to...
(1994) - O! KyprosO! KyprosO! Kypros is the name of a Greek album by singer Anna Vissi released in Greece and Cyprus in 1995. The music featured is traditional Cypriot songs and is a dedication to her parents...
(1995) - Klima TropikoKlima TropikoKlima Tropiko is the name of a Greek album by singer Anna Vissi released in Greece and Cyprus in February 1996...
(1996) - TravmaTravmaTravma is the name of a Greek album by singer Anna Vissi released in Greece and Cyprus on April 14, 1997. In Greece it became Gold within 12 days and 3x Platinum within 6 months.The album also includes a duet with fellow Greek pop star Sakis Rouvas....
(1997) - AntidotoAntidotoAntidoto is the name of a Greek album by singer Anna Vissi released in Greece and Cyprus in 1998. The album reached 3x Platinum status and is the first album in Greek music history to sell 80,000 copies in the first week of its release...
(1998) - Everything I AmEverything I AmEverything I Am is the title of the debut English-language album by Greek singer Anna Vissi. It was created under Vissi's affiliation with Sony Music Entertainment international who granted her collaboration with successful American songwriters and producers...
(2000) - KravgiKravgi- International Editions :The album was also released in Turkey and in Australia and New Zealand. In Australia and New Zealand the album kept its original track listing. In Turkey it was released as a 17-track album...
(2000) - XX (Anna Vissi album)X is the name of a Greek album by singer Anna Vissi released 2002 in Greece and Cyprus by Sony Music Greece. The album reached 2x platinum in Greece and 2x platinum in Cyprus...
(2002) - Paraksenes EikonesParaksenes EikonesParaksenes Eikones is the name of a Greek album by singer Anna Vissi released in Greece and Cyprus on December 5, 2003. The album featured the song "Eisai" that later became Call Me in English and which topped the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play in 2005...
(2003) - NylonNylon (Anna Vissi album)Nylon is the name of a Greek album by singer Anna Vissi, released in Greece and Cyprus on September 28, 2005, and subsequently in select European countries and Taiwan...
(2005) - ApagorevmenoApagorevmenoApagorevmeno is Greek singer Anna Vissi's 25th studio album, released in Greece and Cyprus on December 9, 2008 by Sony BMG Greece. It is Vissi's first studio album since 2005 and the first since her 1981 self-titled album to not include any songs or input by Nikos Karvelas...
(2008) - Agapi Einai Esi (2010)
Live albums
- Live!Live! (Anna Vissi album)Anna Vissi Live! is the name of a live Greek album by singer Anna Vissi. It is her first live album and was released in Greece and Cyprus in December 1993. It was recorded in Zoom night club, in Plaka, Athens. The reason for its release was to celebrate the 20 years of Anna Vissi's career...
(1993) - Live (2004)
Filmography
| Television | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Title | Role | Notes and Awards |
| 1994 | Me Agapi, Anna (With Love, Anna) |
Herself/Host | Variety show |
| 2011 | Anna Vissi: Oso Exo Foni (Anna Vissi: As Long As I Have Voice) |
Herself/Host | First Reality Show In Greece |
| Theater | |||
| Year | Title | Role | Notes and Awards |
| 1991 | Daimones Daimones Daimones is a soundtrack album of the first ever Greek rock opera starring Anna Vissi, released by Sony Music in Greece only. The storyline and lyrics are written by Stavros Sideras.-Disc 1:# "Ahrimam"# "Pare Me"# "Vasanise"... (Demons) |
Queen/Rozanne | First Greek Rock Opera Rock opera A rock opera is a work of rock music that presents a storyline told over multiple parts, songs or sections in the manner of opera. A rock opera differs from a conventional rock album, which usually includes songs that are not unified by a common theme or narrative. More recent developments include... |
| 1993 | Ode To The Gods Ode to the Gods Ode to the Gods is the name of an English soundtrack album to Stavros Sideras' 1993 one-act opera of the same name starring Greek Cypriot singer Anna Vissi. It is Anna Vissi’s first English soundtrack album and was released in Cyprus and Greece in 1993 by Cypriot record company All Records. Vissi’s... |
Aphrodite Aphrodite Aphrodite is the Greek goddess of love, beauty, pleasure, and procreation.Her Roman equivalent is the goddess .Historically, her cult in Greece was imported from, or influenced by, the cult of Astarte in Phoenicia.... |
One Act Opera Opera Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance... |
| 2002 | Mala – I Mousiki Tou Anemou (Mala – The Music Of The Wind) |
Mala Zimetbaum Mala Zimetbaum Malka Zimetbaum, also known as "Mala" Zimetbaum or "Mala the Belgian" , was a young Belgian woman of Polish Jewish descent, known for her escape from the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp and the resistance she displayed at her execution following the escape's failure.- Early life and... |
Opera Opera Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance... |
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)
- Etsi Apla Cyprus Tour (2011)
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