Lia Vissi
Encyclopedia
Olympia Vissi (born 20 December 1955) is a Greek Cypriot singer, songwriter
, composer
and politician
, most notable for her two participations in the Eurovision Song Contest
and being older sister of Greek Cypriot singer Anna Vissi
.
twice. In 1979
, she was a supporting singer for Elpida
, representing Greece
and 1984 saw Vissi participate in the Cypriot national song contest with the song Chtes, which came second.
Finally, in 1985
she represented Cyprus
in the contest as a solo singer, singing her own composition To Katalava Arga
, to which she also penned the lyrics. The Cypriot entry came 16th out of 19 songs, receiving 15 points, including 8 (rather than the usual maximum 12) from Greece. Interestingly, Cyprus also gave Greece only 8 points this year and total score of the Greek entry also totalled 15, but due to different score composition, the Eurovision scoring rules determined the Greek entry was eventually place higher.
Vissi took part in the 1991 Greek final for Eurovision, singing the anthem Agapi ti Gi. She was placed second behind Sophia Vossou
. In 1992, Greek television decided not to televise the national final. Vissi submitted a song for consideration, Kapios, and found herself voted into second place yet again.
In 2006
, Vissi embarked on a political career, running for a seat in the House of Representatives of Cyprus
in the June 21st elections. She represented the Democratic Rally
in the Larnaca District
but, despite the fact that her sister Anna had her widely-publicized third Eurovision Song Contest performance
the night before, she was not elected.
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
, 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...
and politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
, most notable for her two participations 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...
and being older sister of Greek Cypriot singer Anna Vissi
Anna Vissi
Anna Vissi , known as Anna Vishy in Cypriot Greek, is a Greek-Cypriot recording artist and actress...
.
Career
Vissi participated in the Eurovision Song ContestEurovision 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...
twice. In 1979
Eurovision Song Contest 1979
The Eurovision Song Contest 1979 was the 24th Eurovision Song Contest and was held on 31 March 1979 in Jerusalem, Israel. The presenters were Daniel Pe'er and Yardena Arazi, and the event was staged at the International Convention Center. Representing Israel, Gali Atari and Milk and Honey were the...
, she was a supporting singer for Elpida
Elpida
Elpida Karayiannopoulou , is a Greek singer who was one of the most successful singers in Greece and the Greek diaspora in the 1970s and 1980s....
, representing Greece
Greece in the Eurovision Song Contest
Greece has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 32 times since 1974, with the exception of 1975, 1982, 1984, 1986, 1999 and 2000. Greece won for the first time in 2005 with "My Number One" song by Elena Paparizou. Following the introduction of a semi-final round for the 2004 contest, Greece...
and 1984 saw Vissi participate in the Cypriot national song contest with the song Chtes, which came second.
Finally, in 1985
Eurovision Song Contest 1985
The Eurovision Song Contest 1985 was the 30th Eurovision Song Contest and was held on 4 May 1985 in Gothenburg, Sweden. The presenter was Lill Lindfors, and Norwegian duo Bobbysocks! was the winner of this Eurovision with the song "La det swinge"....
she represented Cyprus
Cyprus in the Eurovision Song Contest
Cyprus made its debut in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1981. Cyprus' best result, fifth place, has been achieved on three occasions: in 1982 with Anna Vissi, 1997 with Hara & Andreas Constantinou, and 2004 with Lisa Andreas....
in the contest as a solo singer, singing her own composition To Katalava Arga
To Katalava Arga
"To Katalava Arga" was the Cypriot entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1985, performed in Greek by Lia Vissi....
, to which she also penned the lyrics. The Cypriot entry came 16th out of 19 songs, receiving 15 points, including 8 (rather than the usual maximum 12) from Greece. Interestingly, Cyprus also gave Greece only 8 points this year and total score of the Greek entry also totalled 15, but due to different score composition, the Eurovision scoring rules determined the Greek entry was eventually place higher.
Vissi took part in the 1991 Greek final for Eurovision, singing the anthem Agapi ti Gi. She was placed second behind Sophia Vossou
Sophia Vossou
Sophia Vossou is a Greek singer best known abroad for representing Greece at the Eurovision Song Contest 1991 where she placed 13th with the song "I Anixi".-Biography:...
. In 1992, Greek television decided not to televise the national final. Vissi submitted a song for consideration, Kapios, and found herself voted into second place yet again.
In 2006
Cypriot legislative election, 2006
Parliamentary elections were held in Cyprus on 21 May 2006. AKEL and the Democratic Rally both won 18 of the 56 seats. Voter turnout was 89.0%.-Results:...
, Vissi embarked on a political career, running for a seat in the House of Representatives of Cyprus
House of Representatives of Cyprus
The House of Representatives is the parliament of Cyprus. It has 59 members elected for a five year term, 56 members by proportional representation and 3 observer members representing the Maronite, Latin and Armenian minorities...
in the June 21st elections. She represented the Democratic Rally
Democratic Rally
The Democratic Rally , is a centre-right political party in Cyprus, led by Nicos Anastasiades.The party was founded on 4 July 1976 by veteran politician Glafkos Klerides. Clerides served as Cyprus president from 1993 until 2003....
in the Larnaca District
Larnaca District
Larnaca District is one of the six districts of Cyprus. Its main town is Larnaca. A small part of the district was occupied by the Turkish army in 1974....
but, despite the fact that her sister Anna had her widely-publicized third Eurovision Song Contest performance
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...
the night before, she was not elected.