Antique (duo)
Encyclopedia
Antique was a Greek
singing duo consisting of Elena Paparizou
(Έλενα Παπαρίζου in Greek)
and Nikos Panagiotidis (Νίκος Παναγιωτίδης in Greek)
originating from Sweden
which combined Greek popular music and lyrics with a Nordic dance pop beat. Both Paparizou and Panagiotidis were born and raised in Sweden
by Greek parents. They were the first ever to be nominated for a Swedish Grammis
in the category modern dance with a Greek song. In 2001 Antique were selected to represent Greece at the Eurovision Song Contest
in Copenhagen
with the song "Die for You", sung in a blend of English and Greek, ending with a third place – behind only Estonia
and hosts Denmark
.
's brother asked her to make a demo of the Notis Sfakianakis
hit "Opa Opa
". Paparizou told them that the lyrics are for a man, so she asked to sing it with her childhood friend Nikos Panagiotidis, whom she had met through her siblings at a Greek diaspora celebration in Stockholm
. At that time, some record producers were undergoing a project to sign a duo consisting of a male and a female that would sing covers of traditional Greek hits oriented towards the Greek diaspora
of Sweden, finally coming in contact with Paparizou, who recommended Panagiotidis; they formed Antique and were signed to newly-formed indie label Bonnier Music, settling on the name because it left an impression of being "classic" and "timeless". Paparizou admitted that Greek music
had been something of an acquired taste for her, and that the name "Antique" was probably a reflection of her childhood impression of it being something rather distant and old-fashioned; something that she only really associated with her summer holidays in Greece. Their debut single "Opa Opa
" became a hit amongst the Greeks in Sweden and eventually entered the top ten in Sweden and Norway
, making them the first act to enter into the Swedish top five with a song sung in Greek. Their later singles "Dinata Dinata
","Follow Me
", and "Moro Mou
" also charted well.
Despite being relatively unknown in Greece, the duo entered the national final
to be Greece's representatives in the Eurovision Song Contest 2001
in Copenhagen
, Denmark
with the song "(I Would) Die for You", written by Nikos Terzis with lyrics by Antonis Pappas, placing joint first, but being named the winners by default as they had won the public vote. The song placed third in the actual contest with 147 points; although equaled by the 2004 entry, it was the best placing Greece had ever received until Paparizou won the contest as a solo artist in 2005. The song went on to become their biggest hit in Greece, reaching Platinum status, while it peaked at number three in Sweden, and charted elsewhere. Antique's success in the contest led to them earning recognition in Greece and working there for the rest of their career. In continuation, they recorded four studio albums that achieved mild success, performed a small European tour, and collaborated with artists such as Katy Garbi
and Slavi Trifonov. In 2002, they recorded the song "V-Power" in both English and Greek
versions. The songs were included on the 14-track promotional album released for Royal Dutch Shell
by V2 Records
to promote the premium unleaded gasoline product known as V-Power. Following their course as Antique, Paparizou and Panagiotidis decided to pursue solo careers, although Paparizou maintained that the duo had not disbanded, but rather was taking a break.
Very interestingly, in 2005, two years after the duo disbanding, Elena Paparizou
was selected as a solo this time, to represent Greece yet again at the Eurovision Song Contest 2005
and she was victorious in first place.
Eurovision Song Contest
Greek Pop Corn Music Awards
MAD Video Music Awards
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....
singing duo consisting of 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...
(Έλενα Παπαρίζου in 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 Nikos Panagiotidis (Νίκος Παναγιωτίδης in 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;...
originating from 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....
which combined Greek popular music and lyrics with a Nordic dance pop beat. Both Paparizou and Panagiotidis were born and raised 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....
by Greek parents. They were the first ever to be nominated for a Swedish Grammis
Grammis
The Grammis Awards are the Swedish equivalent of the Grammy Awards. The awards ceremony is generally held each year in February in Stockholm.The awards were established in 1969 and awarded until 1972 when they were cancelled....
in the category modern dance with a Greek song. In 2001 Antique were selected to represent Greece at 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 Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
with the song "Die for You", sung in a blend of English and Greek, ending with a third place – behind only Estonia
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
and hosts Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
.
Career
In 1999, some DJ friends of Elena PaparizouElena 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...
's brother asked her to make a demo of the Notis Sfakianakis
Notis Sfakianakis
Panagiotis Sfakianakis is a Greek singer of laika music, who is one of the most commercially successful artists of all time in Greece and Cyprus. Sfakianakis began his career in 1985, opening at nightclubs for other artists. He was discovered by Sony Greece and released his debut album Proti Fora...
hit "Opa Opa
Opa Opa
"Opa Opa" is a song originally performed by Notis Sfakianakis from his second album Ise Ena Pistoli in 1992. It was written and produced by singer Giorgos Alkaios years earlier, and is one of Sfakianakis' most notable of his early works...
". Paparizou told them that the lyrics are for a man, so she asked to sing it with her childhood friend Nikos Panagiotidis, whom she had met through her siblings at a Greek diaspora celebration in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
. At that time, some record producers were undergoing a project to sign a duo consisting of a male and a female that would sing covers of traditional Greek hits oriented towards the Greek diaspora
Diaspora
A diaspora is "the movement, migration, or scattering of people away from an established or ancestral homeland" or "people dispersed by whatever cause to more than one location", or "people settled far from their ancestral homelands".The word has come to refer to historical mass-dispersions of...
of Sweden, finally coming in contact with Paparizou, who recommended Panagiotidis; they formed Antique and were signed to newly-formed indie label Bonnier Music, settling on the name because it left an impression of being "classic" and "timeless". Paparizou admitted that Greek music
Music of Greece
The music of Greece is as diverse and celebrated as its history. Greek music separates into two parts: Greek traditional music and Byzantine music, with more eastern sounds...
had been something of an acquired taste for her, and that the name "Antique" was probably a reflection of her childhood impression of it being something rather distant and old-fashioned; something that she only really associated with her summer holidays in Greece. Their debut single "Opa Opa
Opa Opa
"Opa Opa" is a song originally performed by Notis Sfakianakis from his second album Ise Ena Pistoli in 1992. It was written and produced by singer Giorgos Alkaios years earlier, and is one of Sfakianakis' most notable of his early works...
" became a hit amongst the Greeks in Sweden and eventually entered the top ten in Sweden and 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...
, making them the first act to enter into the Swedish top five with a song sung in Greek. Their later singles "Dinata Dinata
Dinata Dinata
Dinata is a song from the album Meno Ektos , composed by Ara Dinkjian and sung by Eleftheria Arvanitaki. It mixes the influence of Balkan music with electronics. That song, among the others on Meno Ektos, made Arvanitaki a big name in Greece...
","Follow Me
Follow Me (Antique song)
"Follow Me" is a song released by Antique. The Greek version was released in 2001 from their album Die for You and the CD single was released in 2003.-Music video:thumb|left|200px|Helena Paparizou in the "Follow Me" music video....
", and "Moro Mou
Moro Mou
"Moro Mou" is a song released by Antique and the first single from their album Alli Mia Fora. It was released on March 16, 2002 by V2 Records in Greece and in 2003 by Bonnier Music in Sweden as "My Baby".-Charts:...
" also charted well.
Despite being relatively unknown in Greece, the duo entered the national final
Greece in the Eurovision Song Contest 2001
Greece and Ellinikí Radiofonía Tileórasi chose to host a National Selection with the winner being chosen by televoting and an "expert" jury . Antique was chosen with "Die for You" and placed 3rd at Eurovision.-National final:...
to be Greece's representatives in the Eurovision Song Contest 2001
Eurovision Song Contest 2001
The Eurovision Song Contest 2001 was the 46th Eurovision Song Contest and was held on 12 May 2001 in the Parken Stadium in Copenhagen, Denmark. It was the first time in 36 years that Denmark hosted the Eurovision Song Contest, thanks to the Olsen Brothers' win the previous year in Stockholm...
in Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
with the song "(I Would) Die for You", written by Nikos Terzis with lyrics by Antonis Pappas, placing joint first, but being named the winners by default as they had won the public vote. The song placed third in the actual contest with 147 points; although equaled by the 2004 entry, it was the best placing Greece had ever received until Paparizou won the contest as a solo artist in 2005. The song went on to become their biggest hit in Greece, reaching Platinum status, while it peaked at number three in Sweden, and charted elsewhere. Antique's success in the contest led to them earning recognition in Greece and working there for the rest of their career. In continuation, they recorded four studio albums that achieved mild success, performed a small European tour, and collaborated with artists such as Katy Garbi
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 Slavi Trifonov. In 2002, they recorded the song "V-Power" in both English and 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;...
versions. The songs were included on the 14-track promotional album released for Royal Dutch Shell
Royal Dutch Shell
Royal Dutch Shell plc , commonly known as Shell, is a global oil and gas company headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands and with its registered office in London, United Kingdom. It is the fifth-largest company in the world according to a composite measure by Forbes magazine and one of the six...
by V2 Records
V2 Records
V2 Records is a record label that is owned by Universal Music Group as of October 2007. The label was founded in 1996 by Richard Branson, five years after he sold Virgin Records to EMI....
to promote the premium unleaded gasoline product known as V-Power. Following their course as Antique, Paparizou and Panagiotidis decided to pursue solo careers, although Paparizou maintained that the duo had not disbanded, but rather was taking a break.
After disbanding
Antique disbanded in late 2003 on good terms with both members pursuing solo careers. There are currently no intentions of reuniting the group, although they have both expressed to want to reunite in the future.Very interestingly, in 2005, two years after the duo disbanding, 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...
was selected as a solo this time, to represent Greece yet again at the Eurovision Song Contest 2005
Eurovision Song Contest 2005
The Eurovision Song Contest 2005 was the 50th Eurovision Song Contest, which was held at the Palace of Sports, Kiev, Ukraine. The winner was Greece's My Number One, written by Christos Dantis and Natalia Germanou and performed by Swedish-born Greek singer Elena Paparizou, who scored 230 points,...
and she was victorious in first place.
Studio Albums
| Year | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certifications Music recording sales certification Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,... (sales thresholds) |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SWE Sverigetopplistan Sverigetopplistan, earlier known as Topplistan and Hitlistan and other names, is since October 2007 the Swedish national record chart, based on sales data from Swedish Recording Industry Association .... |
FIN | |||
| 1999 | Mera Me Ti Mera / Opa Opa
|
29 | — | |
| 2001 | Die for You Die for You Die for You, also known as Die for You/Tha Pethaina Gia Sena in the Greek market, is the name of the second studio album by Greek musical group Antique. The album was released on June 19, 2001 by V2 Records. A number of the songs are featured on all three of Antique's follow-up albums... V2 Records V2 Records is a record label that is owned by Universal Music Group as of October 2007. The label was founded in 1996 by Richard Branson, five years after he sold Virgin Records to EMI.... |
16 | — | |
| Me Logia Ellinika Me Logia Ellinika Me Logia Ellinika is the name of the first all-Greek album by Greek musical group Antique. The album was released on December 17, 2001 by V2 Records. The album contains 6 new songs in Greek and 4 new dance remixes. The first single, "Follow Me" was made into a music video and was one of the... V2 Records V2 Records is a record label that is owned by Universal Music Group as of October 2007. The label was founded in 1996 by Richard Branson, five years after he sold Virgin Records to EMI.... |
— | — | ||
| 2003 | Alli Mia Fora Alli Mia Fora Alli Mia Fora is the name of an album by Greek musical group Antique. The album was released in 2003 by V2 Records and it became gold in Greece, their first album to do so... V2 Records V2 Records is a record label that is owned by Universal Music Group as of October 2007. The label was founded in 1996 by Richard Branson, five years after he sold Virgin Records to EMI.... |
— | — | |
| Blue Love Blue Love Blue Love is a compilation album by Antique. The songs are mainly the English versions of the songs featured on Alli Mia Fora. The album was released in Scandinavia by Bonnier Music, and in Greece by V2 Records. It peaked on the Greek Foreign Albums Chart at number one... V2 Records V2 Records is a record label that is owned by Universal Music Group as of October 2007. The label was founded in 1996 by Richard Branson, five years after he sold Virgin Records to EMI.... Bonnier Music |
13 | 31 |
EPs
| Year | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certifications Music recording sales certification Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,... (sales thresholds) |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SWE Sverigetopplistan Sverigetopplistan, earlier known as Topplistan and Hitlistan and other names, is since October 2007 the Swedish national record chart, based on sales data from Swedish Recording Industry Association .... |
FIN | |||
| 2000 | Antique
|
— | — | |
| 2002 | Dance: Re-mixes + Videos
|
— | — |
Compilations
| Year | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certifications Music recording sales certification Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,... (sales thresholds) |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SWE Sverigetopplistan Sverigetopplistan, earlier known as Topplistan and Hitlistan and other names, is since October 2007 the Swedish national record chart, based on sales data from Swedish Recording Industry Association .... |
FIN | |||
| 2003 | Collector's Edition Collector's Edition (album) Collector's Edition is a box set by Swedish-Greek duo Antique. It Includes three discs: Mera Me Ti Mera, Me Logia Ellinika, and Alli Mia Fora...
|
— | — | |
| 2004 | Very Best of Antique
V2 Records V2 Records is a record label that is owned by Universal Music Group as of October 2007. The label was founded in 1996 by Richard Branson, five years after he sold Virgin Records to EMI.... |
47 | — | |
| 2006 | Antique Collection: Hits & Remixes Antique Collection: Hits & Remixes Antique Collection: Hits & Remixes is a compilation album by Swedish-Greek duo Antique containing a variety of their hit songs and a few remixes.-Track listing:# " Die For You"# "Opa Opa"# "Mera Me Ti Mera"# "Follow Me"# "Dinata Dinata"... V2 Records V2 Records is a record label that is owned by Universal Music Group as of October 2007. The label was founded in 1996 by Richard Branson, five years after he sold Virgin Records to EMI.... |
— | — |
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Album | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SWE Sverigetopplistan Sverigetopplistan, earlier known as Topplistan and Hitlistan and other names, is since October 2007 the Swedish national record chart, based on sales data from Swedish Recording Industry Association .... |
NOR VG-lista VG-listen is a Norwegian record chart. It is weekly presented in the newspaper VG and the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation program Topp 20. It is considered the primary Norwegian record chart, charting albums and singles from countries and continent around the world. The data is collected by... |
DEN Tracklisten Tracklisten is a Danish top 40 record chart that is presented every Thursday midnight at .The weekly Danish Singles Chart also known as Track Top-40 combines the 40 best selling tracks from legal music downloads and the sales of music singles on either CD or vinyl... |
SWI | ||||||||||||||||
| 1999 | "Opa Opa Opa Opa "Opa Opa" is a song originally performed by Notis Sfakianakis from his second album Ise Ena Pistoli in 1992. It was written and produced by singer Giorgos Alkaios years earlier, and is one of Sfakianakis' most notable of his early works... " |
5 | 9 | — | 51 | Mera Me Ti Mera | |||||||||||||
| "Dinata Dinata Dinata Dinata Dinata is a song from the album Meno Ektos , composed by Ara Dinkjian and sung by Eleftheria Arvanitaki. It mixes the influence of Balkan music with electronics. That song, among the others on Meno Ektos, made Arvanitaki a big name in Greece... " |
8 | 19 | — | — | |||||||||||||||
| 2000 | "Mera Me Ti Mera Mera Me Ti Mera (song) "Mera Me Ti Mera" is a single released by Antique. It reached #45 on the Swedish singles chart.-Track listing:# "Mera Me Ti Mera" - 3:13# "Mera Me Ti Mera" - 5:08... " |
45 | — | — | — | ||||||||||||||
| 2001 | "Die for You" | 3 | 9 | 15 | 75 | Die for You | |||||||||||||
| "Ligo Ligo Ligo Ligo "Ligo Ligo" is a single released by Antique.-Track listing:# "Ligo Ligo" - 3:26# "Ligo Ligo" - 3:41# "Ligo Ligo" - 7:51# "Ligo Ligo" - 6:16# "Ligo Ligo" - 5:49... " |
48 | — | — | — | |||||||||||||||
| 2002 | "Follow Me Follow Me (Antique song) "Follow Me" is a song released by Antique. The Greek version was released in 2001 from their album Die for You and the CD single was released in 2003.-Music video:thumb|left|200px|Helena Paparizou in the "Follow Me" music video.... " |
15 | — | — | — | ||||||||||||||
| 2003 | "Moro Mou Moro Mou "Moro Mou" is a song released by Antique and the first single from their album Alli Mia Fora. It was released on March 16, 2002 by V2 Records in Greece and in 2003 by Bonnier Music in Sweden as "My Baby".-Charts:... " |
3 | — | — | — | Alli Mia Fora | |||||||||||||
| "Time to Say Goodbye" | 13 | — | — | — | Blue Love | ||||||||||||||
| "List of Lovers" | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||||||
| "—" denotes the single failed to chart or was not released to that country | |||||||||||||||||||
Videography
- 1999: "Opa Opa"
- 1999: "Opa Opa" (International)
- 1999: "Dinata Dinata"
- 2000: "Mera Me Ti Mera"
- 2001: "(I Would) Die for You"
- 2001: "(I Would) Die for You/Tha Pethaina Gia Sena"
- 2001: "Follow Me"
- 2001: "Why? (Mellan)" (feat. Slavi Trifonov)
- 2002: "Follow Me (O,ti Theleis)"
- 2002: "Me Logia Ellinika"
- 2002: "Kainourgia Agapi"
- 2003: "Alli Mia Fora"
- 2003: "Moro Mou"
- 2003: "Moro Mou (My Baby)"
Awards
GrammisGrammis
The Grammis Awards are the Swedish equivalent of the Grammy Awards. The awards ceremony is generally held each year in February in Stockholm.The awards were established in 1969 and awarded until 1972 when they were cancelled....
- Best Modern Dance Song ("Opa Opa", 2000, nominated)
Eurovision Song Contest
- 3rd place, 147 points (2001)
Greek Pop Corn Music Awards
- Best Group (2001, won)
MAD Video Music Awards
- Best Dressed Artist in a Video (Elena Paparizou in "Alli Mia Fora", 2004, nominated)