Elena Paparizou

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Elena Paparizou
Έλενα Παπαρίζου

Elena Paparizou performing in Kalamata as part of her Arhizei To Party tour on July 2, 2008.
Background information
Birth name Elena Paparizou
Also known as Helena Paparizou
Born January 31, 1982 (1982-01-31) (age 27)
Borås, Västergötland, Sweden
Origin Stockholm, Sweden
Genre(s) Contemporary laïka, pop-folk, dance-pop
Occupation(s) Singer-songwriter
Instrument(s) Vocals
Years active 1999–present
Label(s) Sony Music Greece (2003-present),
Bonnier Amigo (2005-present),
Moda (2006),
AATW (2006)
Associated acts Antique
Website helenapaparizou.com

Elena Paparizou (Greek: Έλενα Παπαρίζου; born January 31, 1982) often known internationally as Helena Paparizou, is a Greek-Swede singer and occasional songwriter. She is best known for winning the Eurovision Song Contest 2005 for Greece with the song "My Number One" and being a former member of the duo Antique.

Contents

[edit] Biography

[edit] Early life

Elena Paparizou was born on January 31, 1982 in Borås, Västergötland, Sweden, the youngest child of Greek immigrant parents Georgios and Evfrosini "Froso" Paparizou. Her father is from Volos and her mother is from Karditsa. She has a sister named Areti, known as "Rita" and a brother named Konstantinos, known as "Dinos".[1] In 1985 the family moved to Greece to live in Volos with relatives because Paparizou suffered from asthma and her lungs could not endure the cold Scandinavian climate. Two years later, the problem was resolved and the family moved back to Sweden to live in the town of Örgryte, Gothenburg.[1] Thus, she spoke Greek as a first language. As a child, she did not hang out with many Swedish kids[2] and the school she attended was a Greek-language school.[1] Throughout childhood she continued suffering from a breathing problem which she still suffers from today.[2] Paparizou told Greek magazine, NITRO that she was once rushed to the hospital and felt like she had left her body at least two times when she was younger.[2] Still today, she says she sometimes loses her breath while on stage and carries an inhaler.[2]

Paparizou became interested in the arts at a young age and her parents soon involved her in singing, dancing and acting training in combination with her academic studies at school. At age 7, she started lessons in piano, ballet, and traditional dances. By age 13, Paparizou had realized she wanted to become a singer, and decided to take a serious approach in preparation for it.[2] She sang for the first time in front of a Greek audience at the community center performing Christos Dantis' "Moro Mou". Her first experiences were with Greek music at her Greek School. At the age of 14, Paparizou formed her first group called Soul Funkomatic along with three Latin American kids.[2] The group only played hip-hop music, and saved up money to record songs. Two years later when Paparizou was 16, the group disbanded. On October 29, 1998, 13 of Paparizou's close friends died in the Gothenburg nightclub fire during a hip-hop party that left 63 people dead and more than 200 injured. Paparizou had previously begged her mother to let her go to the party but was denied.[3] After losing her friends, Paparizou decided to abandon singing, and she started classes at the Art Performing School where she studied theater, acting, television, and directing. In 1999, some DJ friends of her brother asked her to make a demo of "Opa Opa".[3] Paparizou told them that the lyrics are for a man, so she asked to sing it with childhood friend Nikos Panagiotidis,[3][4] whom she had met through her friends at a Greek diaspora celebration.[1]

[edit] Antique

Main article: Antique (duo)

[edit] 1999-2003

Paparizou with Nikos Panagiotidis as Antique.

In 1999, some record producers in Sweden 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 in Sweden. They came in contanct with Paparizou for this purpose and she recommended her childhood friend and fellow Greek-Swede Nikos Panagiotidis.[1] At the age of 17, Paparizou joined Panagiotidis to form Antique.[5] The duo settled on the name 'Antique' because it left an impression of being "classic" and "ancient"[1] and signed their first record deal with new-found Swedish indie record label Bonnier Music. Their debut single, a cover of the Notis Sfakianakis's hit "Opa Opa", became a hit amongst the Greeks in Sweden and eventually entered the top ten across Scandinavia. Antique became the first act to enter into the Swedish top five with a song sung in Greek.[5] The song achieved gold certification following its August 1999 release in Sweden. Their following single "Dinata Dinata", a remix cover of Eleftheria Arvanitaki, also charted, along with both "Follow Me" and "Moro Mou" in later years.[5]

Despite being unkown in Greece, the duo entered the national final to be Greece's representatives in the Eurovision Song Contest 2001 with the song "(I Would) Die For You", written by successful Greek composer Nikos Terzis with lyrics by Antonis Pappas.[1] After passing the semi-final, the duo managed to place in joint first place with Kay Connοrs, but ultimately ended up being the winners by default as they had acheived more votes from the public vote. The duo performed the song in Copenhagen, Denmark and reached third place; although equaled by Sakis Rouvas's entry "Shake It" in 2004, it was Greece's highest place in the contest until Paparizou won the contest as a solo artist in 2005. The song went on to become a their biggest hit in Greece, reaching platinum status, while it peaked at number 3 in Sweden.

Antique's success in the Eurovision Song Contest led to them becoming known in Greece and they would eventually move to Greece to base the remainder of their career there. In continuation, they recorded four studio albums that acheived mild success, played a small European tour, and collaborated with some other artists, such as Katy Garbi and Slavi Trifonov. Paparizou has admitted that Greek music had been something of an acquired taste for her, saying 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.[2] Following their course as Antique, Paparizou and Panagiotidis decided to pursue solo careers.

[edit] Solo career

[edit] 2003-2004: Protereotita

Antique broke up in late 2003, reportedly on good terms as the band had run its natural course, with both members attempting solo careers. She signed a solo recording contract with Sony Music Greece and released her first solo single "Anapandites Kliseis", a song written especially for her by singer/songwriter Christos Dantis.[6] The single was a double A-side with "Treli Kardia" and peaked at number one for two weeks on the Greek Top 50 Singles Chart, eventually earning a gold certification. It was later re-recorded in English as "I Don't Want You Here Anymore".

During the winter of 2003-2004, Paparizou appeared as an opening act for Antonis Remos, one of Greece's most successful artists, at the Studio Pireos nightclub.[7] In spring 2004, she released her first solo record, Protereotita from which "Anditheseis", "Katse Kala", and "Stin Kardia Mou Mono Thlipsi" were released as singles, earning some radio success. Although the origianl album received only mild success, it achieved double platinum certification in Greece and platinum in Cyprus after the two repackagements were released due to Paparizou's Eurovision Song Contest victory. In promotion for the album, Paparizou was the opening act to the spring season show at Thalassa, sharing the stage with three other young artists, Apostolia Zoi, Nino, and Thanos Petrelis.

Paparizou then performed as the opening act at Fever for Sakis Rouvas, one of the most successful Greek artists, who she also performed with, as well as popular laïka artist Giorgos Mazonakis. The show had some of the highest attendance and best critical reception of the season.

[edit] 2005: Eurovision Song Contest

Paparizou performing "My Number One" for Greece in the Eurovision Song Contest 2005.

Paparizou ended up spending more time in Greece, and after a long selection process led by national broadcaster Hellenic Radio and Television (ERT), Paparizou was internally selected as Greece's representative in the Eurovision Song Contest 2005 in Kiev, Ukraine after approaching the network.[8] Paparizou had not been an original choice of the broadcaster, who had been trying to secure a high profile artist and thus she was viewed as a possible back-up when the other deals were not materialized.[9] Paparizou said that at the time, noone had wanted her to participate in Eurovision..[10] Four songs were presented to the Greek public. She performed My Number One, composed by Christos Dantis with lyrics by Dantis and Natalia Germanou, "Let's Get Wild", written by Douglas Carr, and "OK" written by Christodoulos Siganos and Valentino on the Greek national final, with My Number One winning both the televote and jury vote. The fourth song was called "The Light in Our Soul", but it was later disqualified due to it being released prior to the contest, thus breaking the rules. Paparizou went on tour across Europe to promote the song and performed 19th in a field of 24, with the performance being choreographed by Fokas Evangelinos, who also previously choreographed Rouvas' third placed entry in 2004 and with backing vocals provided by Cypriot former Eurovision entrant Alex Panayi. The song finally won the contest with 230 points, bringing the contest to Greece for the first time in history. Following the contest, the single reached platinum and gold status in Greece and Sweden respectively, peaking at number one in both countries. Paparizou stated that should she ever consider doing anything Eurovision orientated again it would have to be for her birth country of Sweden,[11] since she already had her turn with Greece.

Paparizou re-released debut album Protereotita in Greece, with a second disc containing her Eurovision entrants, and English versions to previous songs. The 10 track CD was also available separately for those who already owned her debut album. The Euro Edition release became Paparizou's first number one, where it stayed for eight weeks and gained platinum status. The Euro Edition was released internationally as a compilation of the candidate Eurovision entrants and songs from her debut album in Scandinavia, Switzerland, Poland, Russia, Hungary, Slovenia, the Netherlands and Turkey under the title, My Number One. Singles from the album were successful mainly in Sweden and less in some other countries, while the album itself was a mild success in Sweden, peaking at number 13 and being uncertified.

In the summer and fall of 2005, Paparizou toured in Australia and North America with Greek artist Nikos Kourkoulis, for the Greek diaspora in those regions. She was also named the official ambassador of the Greek Ministry of Tourism, and "My Number One" was used as backing music to their international television advert.

In the fall of 2005, Paparizou went to studios and recorded a new CD single called "Mambo!". The CD single stayed on the Greek charts at number 1 for 10 weeks, including Christmas week, and reached platinum status, while the song itself also peaked at number one on the airplay charts, remaining her most successful single to date. The single was also released in Sweden in April 2006 and became gold, peaking at number 5 on the charts. Paparizou's debut album was re-issued for a third time in Greecem marking the fifth version of the album, which contained the "Mambo!" CD single in addition to the original album and Euro Edition, finally being certified double platinum in 2006. After serving as an opening act for many other artists, Paparizou performed at Votanikos in her first role as a main performer along with Anna Vissi.

[edit] 2006-2007: Iparhi Logos and The Game of Love

At the end of 2005, Paparizou went back to studio to work on her second Greek language album and her first official English language album. Paparizou's second album, Iparhi Logos, was released in Greece on 12 April 2006. Prior to the release, Paparizou sang the title track at the Arion Music Awards where she won for "Best Female Pop Singer". The album consists of two discs, the first featuring 12 tracks, including songs from the Mambo! EP, and the second featuring four new tracks, nine live tracks from her MAD Secret Concert, and a remix of the title track. The video for the single Iparhi Logos aired on the day the album was released. Gigolo was later released as the third single from the album, and fared well on Greek radios. Iparhi Logos went to number one and reached platinum status in Greece after seven months.

On 20 May 2006, Paparizou opened the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 in Athens with "My Number One" as the secondary opening act, following Foteini Darra. She later sang "Mambo!" to promote her song internationally, however, ERT ran commercials during the performance and thus it was not broadcast in many nations. She then presented the award to the winners Lordi. During a press interview Paparizou stated that "Mambo!" and "Gigolo" would be released in English as she attempted to pursue her international career. Paparizou already released Mambo! in Sweden on a two track CD single peaking at number 5 on the charts. Sweden is the first of many countries in which Paparizou will be releasing Mambo!. "Mambo!" was released in Austria, Switzerland, Poland, Turkey, and Spain. Other records companies in France, the United Kingdom, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, Japan were scheduled to promote the song. The Scandinavian promotion of the song was from Bonnier Music. A new video was filmed for the song that was targeted towards a broader audience.[12] The song charted in a few countries, but received only moderate success outside of Sweden, peaking at number 18 in Belgium and 54 in Europe and there was no official release date for a European release materialized. The promo of Mambo! was released in the UK on 13 November by UK record company AATW (All Around The World). A remix of Mambo! was included on the Dancemania CD which was released in the United Kingdom on 4 September. However, the single failed to make any impact on the UK Charts, entering for one week at number 185. On the APC All Time 1000 Tracks in Europe, Mambo! came in at 351, having spent a total of 37 weeks on the chart.

Paparizou's song "Heroes" was released in Sweden and Finland on August 7 and was the official song of the 2006 European Athletics Championship in Gothenburg, where she also performed it at the event. On 22 August, My Number One was released in the United States by Moda Records. The CD single contains 10 mixes and the radio edit, peaking at number 8 on the Bilboard Hot Dance Club Play chart. "Mambo!" was also planned to be released there, however, as this single and the others of Paparizou's album did not earn much success outside of Sweden, the release of "Mambo!" in the US by Moda became an aborted project. Thus, the single was made available only through the US iTunes store.

Paparizou's debut English-language album The Game of Love, was released in some parts of Europe and in South Africa in late 2006. [13] [14] In Greece and Cyprus, the album quickly went to number one and received platinum certifications in both countries. The album was helped by the promotion of the singles which were previously released from Iparhi Logos, while the new single from the album "Teardrops" peaked at number one in Greece. However, the album failed to impress in other markets, failing to chart in many countries. Originally, the album was to be released all over Europe and possibly in the US as an attempt at an international career for Paparizou, however, the release date of the album was pushed back numerous times, and by April 2007 the album had been released in only 14 countries. The album contains six songs from her Greek-language album Iparhi Logos translated into English, with a further 6 new songs and a cover of Manos Hadjidakis. While "Teardrops" was the third single from the album in Greece, "The Game of Love" was scheduled to be the next international single, set for release in spring of 2007, however, the release of the single in Sweden was cancelled as the album's second single "Gigolo" peaked at number 11, becoming her second lowest charting single there, while the album itself peaked at number 18 in Sweden, becoming her lowest charting album there since Antique's debut album, Mera Me Ti Mera

On 21 January 2007, Paparizou was awarded with a "European Border Breaker Award" at the MIDEM Festival in Cannes, France. She was one of the ten new artists who received the awards which were created by the European Union in 2003 and are given every year to ten artists who manage to have success with their first album abroad. Paparizou won the award for her success with her first solo album Protereotita: Euro-Edition.[15]

In spring 2007, Paparizou recorded two tracks for the soundtrack to the Greek television series Mazi Sou, including the theme song to the series. It became a hit in Greece, with the track has spent several weeks atop the Greek radio airplay chart. Another radio single, "Min Fevgeis", was released to radios on 23 April.

In May 2007, Paparizou re-released her album Iparhi Logos as Iparhi Logos: Platinum Edition with the seven track CD Single "Fos" including the hit "Mazi Sou". Paparizou released "Fos" as a separate CD Single four days before the re-packaging.[16] "Fos", went straight to number one in Greece following its release, making it Paparizou's fourth number one hit there.[17]. The CD single was certified gold in its 12th week charting at number 2.

On 19 June 2007, Paparizou attended the Cyprus Music Awards where she was nominated for two awards: "Best Female Singer", and "Album of the Year" with Iparhi Logos, though she did not win either.[18] A few days later, Paparizou attended the 2007 Mad Video Music Awards held on 25 June 2007 where she was nominated for five awards.[19] They included "Best Pop Video" ("Gigolo"), "Best Female Video" ("Gigolo"), "Video of the Year" ("Gigolo"), "Artist of the Year", and "Best outfit in a Video" ("An Eihes Erthi Pio Noris"). She won two awards for the "Best Female Video" and the one for the "Best outfit in a Video".[20] Paparizou participated in the show singing the song "Let the Sunshine In" and her song "Min Fevgeis".

Paparizou released the song "3 is a magic number" in Sweden as part of a Swedish television advertisement for a mobile phone company. The song was originally a hit from Blind Melon back in 1996. The song immediately entered the charts in Sweden and stayed there for five weeks peaking at number 18.[21]

In fall 2007, Paparizou released a new song titled "To Fili Tis Zois" in Greece as the soundtrack to the film of the same name. The song stayed at the number one position on iTunes Greece for many weeks. It also reached number one on the official "Nielsen Greece Top 20 Chart" for Radio Airplay for five weeks. The song was a big hit on Greek radios, and became one of the most listened songs of 2007. Paparizou also recorded a duet with popular TV presenter Nikos Aliagas called "I Zilia Monaksia" for his album "Nikos Aliagas & Friends: Rendez-Vous", which was certified gold. The song is a cover of the Pascal Obispo's hit " L' envie D' Aimer".

In early 2007, Paparizou had signed a contract to be the new face of Nokia Greece. For the promotion, Paparizou released the song "Ola Einai Mousiki" as part of their new advertising campaign for 2008. In January 2008, along with Sony BMG Greece, she teamed up with retailer Plaisio and released a special edition MP4 player called "MP4 Total Helena" (2GB) by Turbo-X. The MP4 player comes with a special "Greatest Hits compilation with 12 songs and five music videos only available with the purchase of the MP4 player.[22]

[edit] 2008–present: Vrisko To Logo Na Zo and English album

Elena Paparizou receiving the gold certification for Vrisko To Logo Na Zo.

In early 2008, Paparizou started work on her Greek album Vrisko To Logo Na Zo, which was released on June 12, 2008.[23][24] The first single off of the album, "Porta Gia Ton Ourano", was released on April 8, 2008, while the second single, "I Kardia Sou Petra", was released on June 2, 2008 to radio stations all over the Greece.[25][26] The album received gold certification only one week after its release and Paparizou was awarded the gold disc on June 25, 2008.[27] On July 7, 2008 the album reached number one on the Greek Albums Chart and remained on the chart for 11 weeks.[28]

At the 2008 Mad Video Music Awards held at the end of June, Paparizou was nominated for six awards. The song "To Fili Tis Zois" was nominated in four categories: "Best Pop Video", "Most Played Artist", "Artist of the Year", and "Best Video by a Female Artist". The song "Mazi sou" and the song "Zilia Monaksia" featuring Nikos Aliagas were nominated in the categories "Most Played Artist" and "Best Duet", respectively.[29] She two awards for "Best Pop Video" and "Artist of the Year".[30]

In July 2008, Paparizou launched a summer tour, her first large-scale tour, by visiting 29 cities all over Greece to promote the album. In an interview with Santorini FM, Paparizou announced that the tour would be shown on Alpha TV in December 2008.[31][32] In July, Paparizou once again collaborated with retailer Plaisio through a promotion that included a special edition MP4 player called "TH4" MP4 by Turbo-X. The MP4 player came preloaded with Paparizou's new album, two bonus music videos and an exclusive backstage video.[33] In August 2008, Paparizou was also featured on the soundtrack to the Swedish movie Arn- Riket vid vägens slut where she contributed the Swedish language songs "Allt jag vill" and "Genom krig och kärlek", her first Swedish language recordings.[34]

After almost two months, it was announced on September 1, 2008 that the album Vrisko To Logo Na Zo was certified platinum, and Paparizou received the award at a certification party held on September 16, 2008.[35] On October 23, 2008, Paparizou appeared in Lithuania where she held a concert at the Siemens Arena in Vilnius, attended by approximately 10,000 people. She performed a majority of the set list from her summer tour and also some of her English songs from earlier in her career.[36][37]

On October 30, 2008, Paparizou started appearances four nights a week with Pashalis Terzis at club Iera Odos which extended until January 2009.[38] On December 22, 2008, "Pirotehnimata", the third single from Vrisko To Logo Na Zo, was released along with a remix to radio stations, peaking at number 8. Originally scheduled to be released in mid-September,[35] the single's release was pushed back due to continued strong airplay of "I Kardia Sou Petra", which reached number one on the charts. The video clip for "Pirotehnimata" was filmed at Iera Odos in front of the music hall's large LCD screen. A repackaged box set edition of Vrisko To Logo Na Zo was also released as Vrisko To Logo Na Zo: Deluxe Edition on December 22, 2008, and featured the original CD along with a bonus DVD of the summer tour.[39] The summer tour was also released individually on DVD on the same date and was also aired on Alpha Channel on December 30, 2008. "Eisai I Foni" was released along with a music video on February 25, 2009 as the fourth single from Vrisko To Logo Na Zo. The video was produced using Paparizou's performance of the song at Theatro Vrahon "Melina Merkouri" during her 2008 summer tour.[40]

In an interview with Kosmoradio 95.1 during her summer tour, Paparizou stated that she would soon start work on a new English language album with a release slated for 2009.[41][42]

Following the end of her performances at Iera Odos in late April, Paparizou moved to club Thalassa on April 30 where she is performing for the summer.[43] On April 10, 2009, Paparizou released the single "Tha 'mai Allios", a new song, not included on her most recent album. It was composed by DonK with lyrics by Eleana Vrahali.[44][45][43]

[edit] Current projects

  • Paparizou will be releasing a new English language album in 2009.
  • She will be releasing a repackaged edition of her latest album "Vrisko Ton Logo Na Zo" in Autumn.The album will contain some new tracks and songs from the Mad Secret Concert.

[edit] Personal life

Elena Paparizou

Paparizou has been involved in a long term relationship with fellow Swedish-born Greek Toni Mavridis.[46] They met at her hangout at a Greek restaurant in Sweden called Mykonos when she was only 17, when a friend of her sister introduced them.[1][3] Toni is a song writer, and has written songs on all of Paparizou's solo albums, while he is also her business manager and served as a manager for Antique. Mavridis had approached Paparizou for about one month before their relationship started and she left her parents' home in Gothenburg to move in with him in Stockholm. The two had a traditional Greek engagement celebration with their relatives on December 24, 2000 and have been engaged since.[1] However, Paparizou has said that Mavridis has never officially proposed to her.[47]

Paparizou and Mavridis bought a house together in the Athens suburb of Glyfada in 2006.[3][48] Greek media had suggested that Paparizou is pregnant and that the two are ready to get married many times, but it has all turned out false. Paparizou also frequently calls Mavridis her "husband", and his parents her "in-laws", stirring up rumors, though the two aren't married yet and have not settled on a date. She has also already picked out a 'koumbara' (an important part of the Orthodox wedding, almost like a maid of honor), which is her good friend Roxani.[3] In an interview with Downtown Magazine, Mavridis suggested the idea of the two getting married in Las Vegas, Nevada.[49]

On many occasions, Paparizou has commented on starting a family with Mavridis. When asked about family in the Greek magazine "Celebrity", Paparizou was quoted as saying "I believe that family is the most natural thing, the thing I want in my life. And what is my preference? To not have kids so I can continue my career? One day it will end. I cannot be on stage everyday, like I am now at 25." [50] In May 2008 in the Greek Magazine Nitro, Paparizou was asked if Mavridis was her first relationship, to which Paparizou was quoted as saying "No, but I think it is my last. He is the person I want to have kids with. I think he is the best father they could have. If I don't have kids with him, then I will adopt." [3]

Paparizou's father died suddenly on December 25, 2008 of a heart attack during the family's Christmas Day celebrations. Paparizou stopped her performances at Iera Odos to fly to Sweden for the funeral and resumed her show after one week. In June 2009, Paparizou stated in the Greek magazine Big Fish, that she believes that her father would have lived if the ambulance had been prompt.[10]

Paparizou also revealed in Big Fish that at one pointed she had converted to Buddhism but converted back to the Greek Orthodox religion as she believes it suits her.[10] While in Pink! Woman she also revealed that she had recently undergone breast augmentation surgery after wishing to do so for a while.[51]

[edit] Fashion sense

In her dedication note in The Game of Love, she gives credit to Al Giga, her image maker, for making her love fashion and, even more, herself. She also thanks Roberto Cavalli for his input. The silver sandal on the elder chair in her Game of Love photo shot is from him. It says his name on the label, though one needs good eyes to read it. She is the winner of the award for "Best Outfit in a (Music)Video" from MAD TV Awards 2007. Helena has taken up more of a rock like style. An example is in the video for "Porta Gia Ton Ourano". Paparizou wears a wire chain style nose piercing linking from her nose to her ear, it appears.

[edit] Languages

According to Paparizou, she is fluent in Greek, Swedish, and English, and although she does not speak, in high school she studied French and Spanish. She has mentioned during an interview on Rythmos 94.9 that her dream would be to make a song with lyrics containing words in every language in the world. An example is her hit single "Heroes" which contains words in three different languages. In an interview on Orange fm 93.2 Elena said that she has started studying Persian and Finnish.

[edit] 'Elena' versus 'Helena'

The correct spelling of her first name is a subject of confusion. In Greek, there used to be an accent called a spiritus asper accent to indicate the 'h' sound (just as the 'h' in 'Helena'). This was abolished centuries ago, and the Greek name 'Έλενα' was already pronounced 'Elena' at the time of Paparizou's birth. The spelling with the spiritus asper however was maintained in a system known as polytonic orthography which, having no vocal significance, finally ceased to be used 30 years ago.

Paparizou on the other hand, was born in Sweden where the name's version 'Helena' exists, and Swedes transliterated her name as 'Helena'. That is to say, Paparizou's name is Elena, but has been misspelled 'Helena'. Even though many Swedes misspell it, her official name has been registered by Swedish authorities as 'Elena', which has also been used by her and previously by media in Sweden.

Her name has always been spelled 'Elena' during her career in Greece, but in Sweden, and in all countries except Greece as her second appearance in Eurovision (in 2005) approached, the spelling 'Helena' grew more common, and she herself admitted in a Swedish interview that she chose to spell her name with an 'H' for Eurovision and on her 2005 album for people in other countries not to confuse her name with other common names such as 'Jelena' or 'Chelena'.[52] Her official website is helenapaparizou.com, and the 'h' appears on all official releases outside of Greece. The singer, however, has made it known that her name is correctly written as 'Elena', and this is how she prefers to be known.[53] The 'H' is only used on international releases.

[edit] Discography

Main article: Elena Paparizou discography

[edit] Tours

  • 2005: My Number One and Mera Me Ti Mera Tour (with Nikos Kourkoulis)
  • 2008: Arhizei To Party

[edit] Awards

Main article: List of awards and nominations received by Elena Paparizou

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Maravegias, Ilias (2008-02-17). "Κάνοντας μόδα τη Eurovision" (in Greek). Espresso News. http://espressonews.gr/default.asp?pid=79&la=1&catid=3&artid=597669&pg=1. Retrieved on 2009-07-14. 
  2. ^ a b c d e f g "Έλενα Παπαρίζου". http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=caDFJDe2img. (Greek) Elena Paparizou's Biography on Alpha TV's "Kafes Me Tin Eleni Menegaki". Alpha TV, 17 April 2008. Retrieved on 23 April 2008
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Kazoni, Sonia (May 2008). "Έλενα Παπαρίζου: Baby Tiger". Nitro Magazine: p. 248.  (Greek)
  4. ^ "ΒΙΟΓΡΑΦΙΚΟ Ελενα Παπαρίζου". http://www.mad.tv/artists/?id=628&m=bio.  MAD TV. Retrieved on 2 February 2008 (Greek)
  5. ^ a b c Ankeny, Jason. "Elena Paparizou Biography". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:apftxqldldke~T1. Retrieved on 2008-10-28. 
  6. ^ "Η Ελενα Παπαρίζου στη Sony Music" (in Greek). MAD TV. 2004-01-15. http://beta.mad.tv/news/new.php?id=14496. Retrieved on 2008-09-21. 
  7. ^ "Με Γιάννη Σπανό συνεχίζει ο Ρέμος" (in Greek). MAD TV. 2004-03-08. http://beta.mad.tv/news/new.php?id=14976. Retrieved on 2008-09-21. 
  8. ^ Phillips, Roel (2005-01-22). "Helena Paparizou to represent Greece". ESCToday. http://esctoday.com/news/read/3661. Retrieved on 2008-09-23. 
  9. ^ Bakker, Sietse (2004-11-28). "ERT excludes Despina Vandi from selection". ESCToday. http://esctoday.com/news/read/3406. Retrieved on 2008-09-23. 
  10. ^ a b c Nikolaou, Mihalis (2009-06-22). "Ο πατέρας μου θα ζούσε αν το ασθενοφόρο έφτανε έγκαιρα" (in Greek). Big Fish. http://helenapaparizouingreece.blogspot.com/2009/06/wwwyupigr.html. Retrieved on 2009-07-14. 
  11. ^ Konstantopoulos, Fotis (2009-05-26). "Next time it will be only with Sweden, said Helena". Oikotimes. http://www.oikotimes.com/v2/index.php?file=articles&id=5872. Retrieved on 2009-05-28. 
  12. ^ "Information on some of the places Mambo will be released by MadTV". http://www.mad.tv/news/?id=22245.  MadTV.gr (Greek)
  13. ^ "Information on the new album "The Game of Love" by MadTV". http://www.mad.tv/news/?id=22600.  MadTV.gr (Greek)
  14. ^ "Details of the new album 'The Game of Love' from MadTV". http://www.mad.tv/news/?id=22795.  MadTV.gr (Greek)
  15. ^ Kasapoglou, Yiorgos (2006-11-22). "European Union rewards Helena Paparizou". ESCToday. http://www.esctoday.com/news/read/6802. Retrieved on 2008-09-20. 
  16. ^ "Διπλό "χτύπημα" για την Έλενα" (in Greek). MAD TV. 2007-05-27. http://beta.mad.tv/news/new.php?id=25386. Retrieved on 2008-09-20. 
  17. ^ "Fos (Φως) hits number 1". http://paparizou-news.blogspot.com/2007/06/fos-fws-is-number-one.html.  Paparizou-news.blogspot.com (English)
  18. ^ "ΟΙ ΥΠΟΨΗΦΙΟΙ" (in Greek). Galaxy Productions. http://www.cyprus-musicawards.com/cyprus-musicawards/candidates.html. Retrieved on 2008-09-19. 
  19. ^ "ΥΠΟΨΗΦΙΟΤΗΤΕΣ" (in Greek). MAD TV. http://www.videomusicawards.gr/2007/?folder=vote&page=main. Retrieved on 2008-09-20. 
  20. ^ "Winners" (in Greek). MAD TV. 2007-06-25. http://www.videomusicawards.gr/2007/?folder=vote&page=winners&PHPSESSID=5186f13b3741e7095955297c4e1b10d5. Retrieved on 2008-09-20. 
  21. ^ "Helena Paparizou - 3 Is a Magic Number (song)". SwedishCharts. 2008-08-16. http://www.swedishcharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Helena+Paparizou&titel=3+Is+A+Magic+Number&cat=s. Retrieved on 2008-09-16. 
  22. ^ "MP4 Total Helena". http://www.plaisio.gr/product.aspx?product=1043471.  Plasio.gr (Greek)
  23. ^ "Η ΕΛΕΝΑ ΠΑΠΑΡΙΖΟΥ ΣΤΟΝ ORANGE 93.2". http://www.orange932.fm/news/paparizou.html. (Greek) Orange 93.2. Retrieved on 3 June 2008
  24. ^ "Η καινούργια δουλεία της Έλενας Παπαρίζου...". http://music.net.cy/mousika_nea/june2008/3-6/elena_paparizou.htm. (Greek) Music.net.cy, 3 June 2008. Retrieved on 4 June 2008
  25. ^ "Helena Paparizou is back!!"". http://www.sonybmg.gr/page/news/news_artists.asp?id=111. (Greek) SONY BMG. Retrieved on 2 April 2008.
  26. ^ "ΒΡΙΣΚΩ ΤΟ ΛΟΓΟ ΝΑ ΖΩ!". http://www.sonybmg.gr/page/news/news_artists.asp?id=129. (Greek) Sony BMG, 2 June 2008. Retrieved on 3 June 2008
  27. ^ "Η 'χρυσή' απονομή της Έλενας" (in Greek). MAD TV. 2008-06-29. http://beta.mad.tv/news/new.php?id=31199. Retrieved on 2008-09-16. 
  28. ^ "Έλενα Παπαρίζου - Kick Off Party!"" (in Greek). SferaRadio. 2007-07-16. http://www.sfera.gr/default.asp?news_id=69. Retrieved on 2008-07-16. 
  29. ^ Nominatios 2008
  30. ^ Winners of 2008
  31. ^ "Helena Paparizou records her new album; on tour in June". http://www.oikotimes.com/v2/index.php?file=articles&id=2829.  Oikotimes
  32. ^ Balalas (2008-08-18). Interview with Elena Paparizou. Santorini FM. Retrieved on 2008-09-15.
  33. ^ "Turbo-X TH4". http://www.plaisio.gr/promo.aspx?show=TH4.  Plasio.gr (Greek)
  34. ^ Floras, Stella (2008-09-06). "Greece: Helena Paparizou in Sweden and Spain". ESCToday. http://esctoday.com/news/read/12255. Retrieved on 2008-09-06. 
  35. ^ a b "Απονομή πλατινένιου δίσκου για την Έλενα". http://www.mad.tv/news/?id=32871.  MAD.TV (Greek)
  36. ^ Supranavicius, Alekas (2008-11-01). "Helena's concert in Lithuania, a total success". Oikotimes. http://www.oikotimes.com/v2/index.php?file=articles&id=4268. Retrieved on 2008-11-02. 
  37. ^ Petkūnaitė, Astra (2008-10-24). "Helena Paparizou: linkiu rasti plačiai atvertas duris į dangų" (in Lithuanian). Alfa. http://www.alfa.lt/straipsnis/c94162. Retrieved on 2008-11-02. 
  38. ^ "Τερζής/ Παπαρίζου: Ιερά Οδός" (in Greek). MAD TV. 2008-10-27. http://www.mad.tv/news/new.php?id=33740. Retrieved on 2009-01-04. 
  39. ^ Fisher, Luke (2008-12-16). "New Helena 'delux' album out next week". Oikotimes. http://www.oikotimes.com/v2/index.php?file=articles&id=4581. Retrieved on 2009-01-04. 
  40. ^ "To επόμενο single της Έλενας Παπαρίζου μόνο στο Mad" (in Greek). MAD TV. 2009-02-24. http://www.mad.tv/section/news/36323/news/To+%CE%B5%CF%80%CF%8C%CE%BC%CE%B5%CE%BD%CE%BF+single+%CF%84%CE%B7%CF%82+%CE%88%CE%BB%CE%B5%CE%BD%CE%B1%CF%82+%CE%A0%CE%B1%CF%80%CE%B1%CF%81%CE%AF%CE%B6%CE%BF%CF%85+%CE%BC%CF%8C%CE%BD%CE%BF+%CF%83%CF%84%CE%BF+Mad. Retrieved on 2009-02-24. 
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[edit] See also

[edit] External links

Awards and achievements
Preceded by
Thalassa		 Greece in the Eurovision Song Contest
(As Antique)
2001		 Succeeded by
Michalis Rakintzis
Preceded by
Sakis Rouvas		 Greece in the Eurovision Song Contest
2005		 Succeeded by
Anna Vissi
Preceded by
Ruslana		 Winner of the Eurovision Song Contest
2005		 Succeeded by
Lordi
v • d • e
Elena Paparizou
Albums
Protereotita (2004)  · Iparhi Logos (2006)  · The Game of Love (2006)  · Vrisko To Logo Na Zo (2008)
CD singles
"Anapandites Kliseis" (2003)  · "My Number One" (2005)  · "The Light in Our Soul"1 (2005)  · "A Brighter Day"1 (2005)  · "Mambo!" (2005)  · "Heroes"1 (2006)  · "Gigolo" (2006)  · "Fos" (2007)
Video albums
Soundtracks
Mazi Sou (2007)  · To Fili Tis Zois (2007)
Tours
Related articles
1 Released internationally only.
v • d • e
Antique
Elena Paparizou · Nikos Panagiotidis
Albums
Mera Me Ti Mera/Opa Opa (1999) · Die for You (2001) · Me Logia Ellinika (2001) · Alli Mia Fora (2003) · Blue Love (2003)
EPs
Antique EP (2000) · Antique Dance (2002)
CD Singles
Compilation Albums
Related articles
v • d • e
Eurovision Song Contest winners
1950s
1960s
1970s
1980s
1990s
2000s
v • d • e
Selected participants in Congratulations: 50 Years of the Eurovision Song Contest
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elena_Paparizou"
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