Helena Paparizou

1999–2003: Antique era

In 1999, some DJ friends of Paparizou's brother asked Paparizou to make a demo of the Notis Sfakianakis hit "Opa Opa",^[6] but because the lyrics are written from a male point of view, Paparizou wanted to sing with her childhood friend Nikos Panagiotidis.^[3][6][7] Some record producers, who were interested in signing a male/female duo to sing covers of traditional Greek songs, contacted Paparizou, who suggested Panagiotidis.^[3] The pair formed Antique, and signed to the independent label Bonnier Music.^[8] They called themselves "Antique" because it gave the impression of being "classical" and "timeless",^[3] and connoted Paparizou's association of Greek music with the idea of it being distant, old-fashioned, and something of an acquired taste.^[4] Their debut single "Opa Opa" became a hit in Sweden and Norway, eventually entering the top ten in both countries,^[9] making "Antique" the first act to reach the Swedish top five with a song sung in Greek.^[8] Their later singles "Dinata Dinata", "Follow Me" and "Moro Mou" also charted in Sweden.^[8]

Although relatively unknown in Greece in 2001,^[4][10] the duo entered the Greek national final of the Eurovision Song Contest with the song "(I Would) Die for You", composed by Nikos Terzis with lyrics by Antonis Pappas. They won joint first place, but as "Antique" had also won the public vote were declared the overall winners and went to the 2001 Eurovision Song Contest in Copenhagen.^[3] Their song won third place with 147 points; the highest Greek Eurovision placing at the time.^[11] It became their biggest hit in Greece, reaching Platinum status, peaking at number three in Sweden and charting elsewhere.^[12] Antique's Eurovision success led to wider recognition in Greece. They recorded four studio albums—which were only mildly successful—performed a small European and North American tour and collaborated with artists including Katy Garbi and Slavi Trifonov.^{[citation needed]} Paparizou and Panagiotidis then decided to pursue solo careers.^[3] Initially, critics of the split accused Paparizou of abandoning her friend for her own career interests. Paparizou said the split was not permanent, but was a mutual decision to try other things, with plans of a reunion in mind.^[13]

2003–2005: Solo career, Protereotita, Eurovision Song Contest, and international recognition

In late 2003, Paparizou signed a solo recording contract with Sony Music and released her debut single "Anapandites Kliseis",^[14] as a double A-side with "Treli Kardia". The release reached number one on the Greek Top 50 Singles Chart and was certified Gold by IFPI Greece.^[15] From late 2003, Paparizou was the opening act for various artists across Greece, including Antonis Remos and Giannis Spanos,^[16] Apostolia Zoi, Nino, Thanos Petrelis,^[17] Sakis Rouvas and Giorgos Mazonakis.^[18][19] Later in 2004, the video of "Anapandites Kliseis" won her a MAD Video Music Award for Best Dance Video, and was nominated for Best Video by a New Artist. At the award ceremony, Paparizou sang a duet of the song with its writer Christos Dantis.^[20]

On 27 June 2004, Paparizou released her debut solo album Protereotita, from which the tracks "Anditheseis", "Katse Kala" and "Stin Kardia Mou Mono Thlipsi" were released as singles.^[21] It received mixed reviews from critics. The album earned Paparizou her first Arion Award for Best Female Pop Singer, and the videos for "Katse Kala" and "Treli Kardia" won her MAD Awards for Best Female Video and Best Direction, respectively.^[22]

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• Greece wins 2005 Eurovision song contest

Paparizou moved permanently to Greece in 2004,^[23] and after a long selection process led by national broadcaster Hellenic Radio and Television (ERT), she was selected to represent Greece in the Eurovision Song Contest 2005 held in Kyiv, Ukraine.^[24] ERT originally considered Paparizou as a possible back-up singer for a high-profile artist, but those deals fell through.^[25] She said at the time that no-one had wanted her to participate in Eurovision.^[26] The song "My Number One", composed by Manos Psaltakis with lyrics by Christos Dantis and Natalia Germanou, was chosen by the jury vote and telephone vote in the Greek national final.^[27][28]

Although her first name is "Elena", Paparizou promoted herself as "Helena" in the lead up to her Eurovision appearance to distinguish herself from popular names in other countries. She continues to call herself Helena on all non-Greek promotions and releases,^[29] although she prefers to be known as "Elena".^[30] Paparizou toured Europe to promote her Eurovision entry.^[31] During this time, she was appointed a Greek Ministry of Tourism ambassador by Dimitris Avramopoulos, the Minister of Tourism. He spent €500,000 in her campaign to promote Greece through merchandise and advertisements that aired throughout Europe.^[31][32][33]

On 21 May 2005, Paparizou won the Eurovision Song Contest; the first Greek win in its history. Her performance scored 230 points and the maximum 12 points from ten nations. Her performance was also responsible for the highest viewing ratings in Greek television history.^[34] Her win provoked mass celebrations on the streets of Athens,^[35] and on her return home she was congratulated at a State reception at the Maximos Mansion by the Minister of State Theodoros Roussopoulos, Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis and various government officials.^[36][37][38] Paparizou's Eurovision victory transformed her from a relatively minor celebrity to a notable music act, cementing her solo career and giving her wide international exposure.^[4][10][39] On 14 July she performed at the birthday gala of Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden. While ascending the stage to greet the royal family, King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden stood to embrace Paparizou instead of offering a handshake, causing controversy for putting his hand lower on her back than is socially acceptable. The Royal Court later issued a statement saying that his hand had slipped.^[40]

Paparizou toured Europe, performing in all the countries that gave her 12 points. A tour with Nikos Kourkoulis to the Greek diaspora in North America and Australia, followed.^[41] Paparizou stated that if she considered doing anything Eurovision-oriented again it be for her birth country Sweden,^[42] since she already had her turn with Greece. After performing as an opening act on numerous occasions, Paparizou headlined at Fever for the 2005–06 season, supported by Christos Pazis and with Giorgos Tsalikis.^[43]

After Paparizou's Eurovision win and several reissues, the album certified double Platinum by IFPI Greece.^{[citation needed]} To capitalise on this success, it was reissued as Protereotita: Euro Edition in single and double disc format, and released as a compilation in some European countries as My Number One, which peaked at number 13 in Sweden.^[44] The Euro Edition became Paparizou's first album to reach number one and earned her another Arion award for Best Female Pop Singer. The tracks "My Number One", "The Light in Our Soul" and "A Brighter Day" were released as singles, which peaked at number one, three and twenty-four respectively in Sweden, and were minor hits in other countries as well.^[45] "My Number One" was released in the United States by Moda Records with remixes in August 2006, peaking at number eight on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart.^[46] "My Number One" was certified Platinum, and becoming her first number-one airplay hit, while "The Light in Our Soul"/"To Fos Sti Psyhi" peaked at two.

In November 2005, Paparizou released a new CD single "Mambo!", which peaked at number one on the Greek Singles Chart for 10 weeks and the airplay charts, and gained Platinum status. It is her most successful single to date and was the second highest-selling single of 2005, surpassing "My Number One". She performed "My Number One" at the MAD VMAs in 2005, and in 2006 won awards for Best Pop Video ("The Light in Our Soul"), Best Video by a Female Artist ("My Number One"), and Artist of the Year ("Mambo!").^{[citation needed]} The album was reissued for a third time as Protereotita: Euro Edition + Mambo! in November.^{[citation needed]} Paparizou won the European Border Breakers Award at the Midem Festival in Cannes for the international editions of her debut album in 2007.^[47]

2006–2007: Iparhi Logos, The Game of Love, and various soundtracks

In January 2006, 25 artists including Paparizou formed the group Simmeteho Energa, and recorded a charity single "Eho Ti Dinami" in support of the Greek Cancer Society. It was released as a CD single. The two-disc album contained previously released material and live recordings from her MAD Secret Concert held in December 2005, and formed the first edition of the series.^[48]

On 12 April, Paparizou released her second album, Iparhi Logos in Greece where it had a good critical reception.^{[citation needed]} While promoting the album, Paparizou performed the title track at the Arion Music Awards.^[49] The album included three hit singles; "Iparhi Logos", "Gigolo" and "An Ihes Erthi Pio Noris". It topped the Greek Albums Chart for a number of weeks and was certified platinum by IFPI Greece after seven months, with shipments of 30,000 copies.^[50] It also reached number one in Cyprus and was certified Platinum there, with shipments of 6,000 copies.^[21] A cover of Celine Dion's "Just Walk Away" was released as a promo single, with the Greek version of "Mambo!" included. Paparizou won MAD VMAs for Best Video by a Female Artist ("Gigolo") and Best-Dressed Artist in a Video ("An Ihes Erthi Pio Noris"), from five nominations and opened the show singing "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In" and "Min Fevgeis".^[51][52]

The album was also nominated for two Cyprus Music Awards in 2007, where she also performed.^[53] The album was reissued in February 2007 as Iparhi Logos: Platinum Edition to include Paparizou's number one hit "Mazi Sou", one of two songs she sang for the soundtrack of the television series of the same name, "Fos" from the Barbie kai I Dodeka Vasilopoules soundtrack released in 2006, and her newest hit single, a cover of Voula Georgouti's rebetiko "Min Fevgeis", which reached number two.^[54] Prior to the reissue, the singles were also released on the EP single Fos, which reached number one on the Greek Top 50 Singles Chart and was certified Gold, making it her fourth consecutive number-one hit on that chart.^[55] On 20 May 2006, Paparizou opened the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 in Athens with "My Number One" and later performed "Mambo!", but ERT ran commercials during the performance so a number of countries missed the song. Paparizou's song "Heroes" was the official song of, and performed at the 2006 European Athletics Championships in Gothenburg. The single was released in Sweden and Finland, becoming her second number-one hit in the former.^[56]

Following Eurovision, Paparizou wanted to start an international career, Her debut English-language album The Game of Love was released on 25 October 2006. By April 2007, it had been released in 14 countries in Europe and in South Africa.^[57][58] In Greece and Cyprus, the album peaked at number one and received Platinum certifications.^{[citation needed]} Because it was considered a "foreign" release, the album was only eligible to chart on the Greek Foreign Albums Chart, which it topped.^[59] It also topped the mixed Greek Albums Chart,^[60] and was certified platinum by IFPI Greece after 11 weeks on the chart in January 2007, with shipments of 15,000 copies.^[61] "Teardrops" was released as the first Greek single from the album, and peaked at number one in Greece.^{[citation needed]}. The album managed to peak at No. 18 in Sweden too.^{[citation needed]} "Mambo!" charted in Sweden, peaked at number 5, helped by a new video that was targeted towards a broader audience. The single was certified Gold in Sweden.^[62] Although Paparizou was expected to promote the album abroad that winter, she chose to perform alongside Paschalis Terzis at Iera Odos from 27 October.^[63]

In early 2007, Paparizou became the spokesperson for her previous sponsor, Nokia Greece, and released the song "Ola Einai Mousiki" in October 2007 for promotion.^{[citation needed]} She collaborated with retailer Plaisio and released a limited edition MP4 player called "MP4 Total Helena" (2GB) by Turbo-X, which contained a special compilation and music videos,^[64] which were also released as "TH4" MP4 in 2008 along with her new album material and exclusive content.^[65] She released a cover of Blind Melon's "3 Is a Magic Number" in Sweden as part of a television advertisement for a mobile phone company; it peaked at number 18.^[66] Paparizou was featured on Greek television presenter Nikos Aliagas' song "I Zilia Monaksia"—a cover of the Pascal Obispo hit "L'envie d'Aimer"—for his album project Rendez-Vous,^{[citation needed]} and released the song "To Fili Tis Zois" for the soundtrack of the film of the same name. "To Fili Tis Zois" remained at number one for five weeks, becoming her most successful airplay single until 2011, and one of the most successful songs of the late 2000s.^[67] It was nominated for four MAD VMAs, winning Best Pop Video, and Paparizou won Artist of the Year for "Mazi Sou" and was nominated for "I Zilia Monaxia", making six nominations in 2008.^[68][69] The single became the first digital single to be certified Gold in Greece since the marketing trend had become popular in 2006.^{[citation needed]}

2008–2010: Vrisko To Logo Na Zo, Giro Apo T' Oneiro, and headlining tours

Paparizou released her fourth album, Vrisko To Logo Na Zo on 12 June 2008.^[70][71] The tracks "Porta Gia Ton Ourano", "I Kardia Sou Petra", "Pirotehnimata", and "Eisai I Foni" were released as singles. The music video of "Pirotehnimata" was nominated for Sexiest Video and won the sixth MAD Video Music Awards for Best Pop Video and Video of the Year. "I Kardia Sou Petra" won the award for Female Artist of the Year, while "Porta Gia Ton Ourano" was nominated for Artist of the Year.^[72][73] Paparizou promoted a rock-inspired image for the album; a change from her pop/laïko style. The album and its concept received mixed reviews.^[74][75] In its first week, the album was certified Gold,^[76] eventually peaked at number one in Greece and was certified Platinum after three months.^[77] It became the second best-selling album of the year in both domestic and mixed domains,^[78][79] peaking in Cyprus at number two and was certified Platinum.^[80]

To promote the album, two songs were released as digital downloads and promo singles, while Paparizou's duet version of Spanish group Chambao's single "Papeles Mojados" was played in some Spanish clubs. In June, Paparizou opened the MAD Video Music Awards 2008 with a remix of "Porta Gia Ton Ourano" with Madonna's song "4 Minutes", and was featured in a performance of hip hop group Stavento.^[81] Paparizou embarked on her first national tour To Party Arhizei Tour from 2 July to 19 September 2009. The finale concert of the tour, set for Herakleion, Crete three days later, was cancelled because of the weather conditions and instead, Paparizou performed two shows in October 2009 at a club called Anadromes.^[82] The tour was attended by 192,000 people in its 29 venues, selling out the Thessaloniki venue.^[83] The album was reissued after the tour as The Deluxe Edition in December 2009 and included a video of the show titled Live in Concert, which was also available individually.^[84] A further reissue of the album, set to include Paparizou's newly recorded material including the new single "Tha 'Mai Allios" and MAD Secret Concert tracks, was scheduled for late 2009, but this was abandoned when the singer recorded a new studio album for 2010.^[85]

Paparizou was featured on the Bonnier soundtrack project Alla Himlens Änglar, released in August, where she contributed her first Swedish-language songs "Allt jag vill" (Everything I want) and "Genom krig och kärlek" (Through war and love). On 23 October 2008, she performed with other artists in a concert at the Siemens Arena in Vilnius, Lithuania, that was attended by approximately 10,000 people.^[86][87] From 30 October to 9 April she again performed alongside Paschalis Terzis at Iera Odos with Manos Pirovolakis as the opening act.^[88] Paparizou was the main act at the Thalassa: People's Stage, a concert-themed club stage, from May to September. At this venue she was supported by acts 15.50, Stavento and Loukas Giorkas.^[89][90][91] Paparizou returned to the stage of MAD Secret Concerts on 26 May, the eighth edition of the series.^[92] A video titled MAD Secret Concert Vol.II was released in mid-late 2009. During the winter, Paparizou went to Sweden where she worked on her new album and spent time with her mother.^[93] An English-language album had been announced for 2009,^[94][95] however those plans did not materialise because of Paparizo's father's sudden death. Three songs were recorded, one of which is a tribute to him.^[96]

Paparizou joined the new marketing trend of releasing albums with Sunday newspapers; on 28 March her fifth studio album Giro Apo T' Oneiro was released in the Greek newspaper RealNews,^[97] with a physical release the next day in standard and deluxe editions featuring a video.^[97] Eleven days later, the album had achieved total shipments of 140, 000 units physically and via the newspaper.^[98][99] Newspaper shipments are not taken into consideration by IFPI, however; in a radio interview in August 2010, Paparizou said that the album had sold enough physical copies to be certified Platinum by IFPI.^[100] On 6 November 2010, Paparizou was awarded platinum certification, with shipments of at least 12,000 units of Giro Apo T' Oneiro by IFPI Greece at the grand opening of the new Metropolis music store at The Mall Athens.^[101] The tracks "Tha 'Mai Allios", "An Isouna Agapi", "Psahno Tin Alitheia" and "Girna Me Sto Htes" were released as singles. "Tha 'Mai Allios", released a year before the album, became the singer's first advertisement for the soft drink brand Ivi's.^{[89][102][103]} Paparizou won the MTV Europe Award for Best Greek Act, and received a preliminary nomination for the Best European Act but finished sixth, missing the official nominations by one spot.^[104][105] The video for "Tha 'Mai Allios" won the MAD Video Music Award for Video of the Year and was nominated for Best Pop Video, while the video for "An Isouna Agapi" won the award for Sexiest Video and received nominations for Female Artist of the Year and Artist of the Year.^[106]

On 30 June 2010, Paparizou and Onirama embarked on their joint Fisika Mazi Tour beginning at Theatro Petras as part of the Stone Festival in Petroupoli.^[107] However, a surprise inspection by the SDOE at the Kefalonia venue stopped the tour. 8,500 concert tickets had not been stamped and the contract fees of the performing artists had not been submitted. The production was found guilty of tax violations. Paparizou said she had no knowledge of the occurrences and that she had no affiliation, except as a performer, with the production group.^[108] At the first MAD Fanatics concert, a tribute to Michael Jackson, Paparizou performed with seven other artists; she closed the show with covers of Jackson's "Heal the World" and "You Are Not Alone".^[109] During the winter season, Paparizou appeared with Antonis Remos at the Diogenis Studio for a reported fee of €10,000 per night,^[110] €4,000 fewer than her previous season of performances.^[111] Paparizou was featured on Albert Hammond's greatest hits album Legend on the tracks "Enredao" and its English-language version, "Tangled Up in Tears".^{[citation needed]}

2011–2012: Greatest Hits & More, Swedish comeback and TV shows

On 2 February 2011, Paparizou was one of eight acts performing at MAD TV's first charity fashion music show MADWalk—Greece's version of the international Fashion Rocks. She represented fashion designer Apostolos Mitropoulos and performed her new single "Baby It's Over",^[112][113] which was the lead single from her three-disc compilation Greatest Hits & More.^{[112][114][115]} She appeared at the Flight Night Club in Sofia, Bulgaria on 8 February.^[116] "Baby It's Over" debuted at number one the Billboard Greek Digital Singles Chart; it was her fourth number one hit on that chart and her first single to top any Greek chart in three years.^[117] It also topped the Greek Airplay Chart for ten non-consecutive weeks, becoming the most successful single of her career.^[118][119] The song won two awards at the 2011 MAD Video Music Awards for Female Artist of the Year and Fashion Icon of the Year.^[120] Paparizou was nominated for Artist of the Year and received a fourth nomination for Best Pop Video for "Psahno Tin Alitheia".^[121] The album's second single, "Love Me Crazy"—released in Greek as "O, ti Niotho Den Allazi"—was released in May 2011,^[122] and peaked at number five on the airplay chart.^[123] The songs' lyrics, particularly those of the lead single, caused speculation that Paparizou's twelve-year relationship with Mavridis had ended, which was proved to be correct.^[124][125] Greatest Hits & More was released on 23 May; it debuted at number two on the Greek Albums Chart where it stayed for three weeks, and was the best-selling domestic album of the week.

Paparizou spent the next six months in Sweden with family and friends.^[125][126] In June 2011, she announced that Mavridis would no longer be her manager and that she had recruited a new team of Swedish collaborators.^[127] Her only professional appearances were at a four-date tour to Cyprus.^[127] Paparizou wanted to revive her career in Sweden—which had declined since 2006—and to expand her career outside music.^{[127][128][129]} She announced a second English-language album and European tour, along with possible participation in Melodifestivalen—which she had turned down in the past.^[129] She also considered moving back to Sweden permanently.^[129] She also said that any future collaborations with Mavridis in the future would be decided by her label.^[128] In the third quarter of 2011, Paparizou recorded a duet of the nisiotiko classic "Dari Dari" with Nana Mouskouri for her duet album Tragoudia Apo Ta Ellinika Nisia (Songs from the Greek islands),^[130] and was a guest performer at the Mouskouri's anniversary concert at the Berlin Philharmonic on 29 November.^[131] Although she had originally declined offers to perform during the winter season 2011–12, from 18 November she performed as a supporting act for Yiannis Parios in Thessaloniki.^[132]

Paparizou made her television debut as a judge on the first season of ANT1's Dancing on Ice from 6 November to 22 January withshow polarised critics. Following her television debut, Paparizou received offers to appear on Dancing with the Stars, including as a contestant. She instead appeared on the Swedish version, Let's Dance in early 2012,^[133] partnered with David Watson.^[134] Initially considered one of the favourites to win, she received moderate scores and was voted off in the third episode, placing ninth out of ten contestants.^[135]

In December, Paparizou released the single "Mr. Perfect", which peaked at number seven on the digital chart and reached the top 30 in the airplay chart.^[136] The song was remixed by Playmen, who with Paparizou performed it along with Joan Jett and the Blackhearts' "I Hate Myself for Loving You" at the 2012 MADWalk on 2 February 2012.^[137] The song's video earned her three nominations for Best Pop Video, Female Artist of the Year, and Artist of the Year at the 2012 MAD Video Music Awards, while "Baby It's Over" gained a fourth nomination for MAD 106.2 Track of the Year; she won the awards for Female Artist and Track of the Year.^[138] Paparizou performed a cabaret version of Eric Saade's "Popular" for the final of Melodifestivalen 2012.

At the 2012 MAD Video Music Awards, Paparizou performed a new version of the ballad "Poios" from Vrisko To Logo Na Zo, and was also featured in Playmen's "All the Time"—a remix of the Eddie Murphy song—along with Courtney and RiskyKidd. The song peaked at number two on the Official Greek Airplay Chart and became the thirty-fourth most played tracks in Greece for 2012.^[139] Both songs were released to radio the next day, and from the end of June to mid-August Paparizou toured Greece and Cyprus with Melisses.^[140] It was reported that she might perform from late 2012 to early 2013 with Natasa Theodoridou at Votanikos.^[141] While Paparizou's contract with Sony Music Greece had formally ended in early 2011, she remained attached to the label for several months. On 22 June, her A&R representative Giannis Doxas officially announced the end of their collaboration and her departure from the label.^[142]

In mid-2012, Paparizou started recording a new album. She said in radio interviews that she was searching for a new style for her upcoming Greek album. She told MTV Greece that the album have 10 tracks. During October she recorded a laiko duet titled Lathos Agapes with Natasa Theodoridou; this peaked at number eleven in the official Greek Airplay Chart by Mediainspector. On 9 November, she performed a live, acoustic version of John Lennon song "Imagine" at a dinner for the 2012 Athens Classic Marathon. On 1 February 2013, Sony Music released digitally in Greek iTunes a second compilation album titled The Love Collection, which consisted of love ballads from previous albums.^[143]

2013–2015: Ti Ora Tha Vgoume?, One Life, and Nine The Musical

In early 2013, Paparizou's official fan club announced that she had signed a multi-territory deal with Universal Music Group, which has exclusive agreements with labels across the Universal Music Group, including EMI Music Greece and Lionheart Records in Sweden. On 3 June 2013, Paparizou will release her seventh studio album Ti Ora Tha Vgoume? with EMI Music Greece. The album was preceded by two singles: the lead single "Poso M'Aresei" on 19 March and "Ena Lepto" on 15 April. A music video was made for the former, which was released on 17 April. She has also released an English song called "Save Me (This Is an SOS)" on Lionheart Records in Sweden following a six-year absence from the Swedish market.^[144] During mid-2013, Paparizou performed at several Greek music festivals to promote her new album "Ti Ora Tha Vgoume?". An EP, which included four remixes of Save Me (This Is An SOS) by Sound Factory, was released; it reached number 27 on the Swedish Dance Chart.

In February 2013, Paparizou performed as a guest at Greece's Eurovision national final, singing "My Number One" with Vegas and "Apres Toi" with Vicky Leandros.^[145] On 27 May, Paparizou performed at "Gabby Awards 2013" in Hollywood and singing some of Melina Merkouri's songs.^[146]

On 1 February she performed at Melodifestivalen 2014, an event to select Sweden's entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2014 in Copenhagen.^[147] An official announcement was made by the Swedish broadcaster, SVT in November 2013.^[148] Paparizou performed "Survivor" in the first heat on 1 February.^[149] On 1 March, Paparizou reached the final of Melodifestivalen 2014 after being voted into the top two of the Second Chance round of the competition.^[150] In the final, Paparizou came in fourth place.^[151] On 26 March, her third English-language album, titled One Life, was released in Sweden by Lionheart Music Group.^[152] Paparizou performed at the semi-final of The Voice of Greece her new single "Don't Hold Back On Love" on 2 May 2014. "Survivor" was certified gold in Sweden selling over 20,000 copies.

On 14 November up to 13 December 2014, Paparizou joint the Swedish Christmas Tour "Julgalan 2014" in Sweden along with Danny Saucedo, Alcazar, Mattias Andreasson, E-type, Erik Segerstedt, Linda Bengtzing and Albin.^[153] On 14 December, Paparizou sang in the Swedish church to celebrate Santa Lucia, which was broadcast by SVT.^[154]

In February 2015, Paparizou was featured on the house duo's HouseTwins single "Love Till It's Over",^[155] and later released her Greek single Otan Aggeli Klene.^[156] On March, Paparizou performed the singles as a guest at the Eurovision Greek Final along with the winning song of the Eurovision Song Contest 2014, "Rise Like a Phoenix".

On 23 May 2015 Paparizou was the spokesperson for the points of Greece at Eurovision Song Contest 2015. In a bizarre twist, she gave the twelve points not to Cyprus (its representative, John Karayiannis and his song "One Thing I Should Have Done" ended up with ten), but to Italy's Il Volo with their song "Grande Amore".^[157] On 29 May Paparizou performed "Angel" at the final of "Let's Dance" in Sweden.

Paparizou joined the Swedish summer tour "Diggiloo" from 6 June to 15 August with Magnus Carlsson, Martin Stenmarck, Charlotte Perrelli, Andreas Johnson, Björn Kjellman, Hanna Hedlund, Oskar Bly, Jessica Andersson and Magnus Johansson.^[158] Paparizou made her theatrical debut on the musical "Nine" at Pantheon Music Theatre as 'Saraghina'.^[159]

2016–2018: Ouranio Toxo, The Voice of Greece, and Swedish residency

This section of a biography of a living person does not include any references or sources. (April 2021)

Paparizou recorded her new song in November 2015. "Misi Kardia" is written by Chris Mazz, Andy Nicolas & Yiannis Doxas and it was exclusively released on 89,8 Dromos FM.^[160] The music video was released on 15 February, along with the official release of the song. On 20 March 2016 Paparizou performed in "Dromos Superstar Voices" at BOX Athens with special host the Greek band "Melisses".

On 25 March 2016, it was officially announced that the song "Pou Pige Tosi Agapi", previous released on her album Iparhi Logos would be a part of the soundtrack album for the American comedy film "My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2".^[161]

From 26 April up to 6 May 2016, she was the commentator in the Swedish TV show "Inför Eurovision Song Contest" along with Oscar Zia, Njol Badjie and Wiktoria Johansson.^[162] Paparizou performed as a special guest star in the "Euroclub" and in the "Eurovision Village" during the Eurovision Song Contest week.

After 3 years of absence at the annual MAD Video Music Awards, Paparizou returned on the VMA's stage, performing her brand new single "Fiesta", which was officially released on 4 July and You Are the Only One along with Sergey Lazarev. Paparizou also performed at the semi-final of The X Factor Greece on 1 July, supporting the duo Stereo Soul.

In Summer 2016, Paparizou toured in Greece along with Mironas Stratis and Isaias Matiaba. In September 2016 Paparizou joined "My Way" show in Sweden with Claes Malmberg and Jan Malmsjö.^[163]

On 2 November 2016 it was officially announced that Paparizou would be one of the coaches at the third season of The Voice of Greece. The show premiered on Skai TV on 16 November.

The single "Agkaliase Me" was sent to the radios on 9 December 2016. On 28 April, Paparizou released "Haide", her first ever collaboration with Phoebus. Afterwards, released a digital EP "Extended Summer 2017" which included six tracks alongside the number one hit by her and Anastasios Rammos "An Me Dis Na Kleo'. The music video released in October.

In mid 2017, Paparizou toured Greece and Cyprus along with Despina Vandi in 16 cities in total. Later that year she was back as coach at the fourth season of The Voice in Greece. In December she released her sixth Greek album titled Ouranio Toxo, which was issued by Minos EMI/Universal. According to IFPI Statistics, 'Ouranio Toxo' Album peaked at Number 1. In September of the same year Paparizou released her final single Haide (English Version) from Capitol Music Group Sweden. Afterwards her contract expired.^[164]

In January 2018, Minos Emi/Universal announced that 'Etsi ki Etsi' is Paparizou's new single, and thus the successor of her Smash hit 'An me dis na kleo'. The mid-tempo song peaked at Number 5 on Official Greek Airplay. According to the Greek Media, the song 'Etsi ki Etsi' was regarded as the 2nd most played song in the radio by a Female Artist for the year (1st being 'An me dis na kleo'), making Paparizou the most radio played Female Artist in Greece/Cyprus for 2018.

An English Version of 'Etsi ki Etsi' was released, titled 'Totally Erased'. Nektarios Tyrakis wrote the lyrics of the English Release. Along with the English Version, Paparizou's record label (Minos EMI) released an EP which consisted of 6 remixes.

During the Summer, Paparizou toured in Greece & Cyprus with Anastasios Rammos on her side. Further, Paparizou did 6 appearances alongside the Greek star Antonis Remos.

In May 2018, it was announced that Paparizou was nominated for 4 Mad Video Music Awards(a.k.a. Mad VMAs). She won 2 awards in the night; Best Female Adult and Best Collaboration(An me dis na kleo ft. Anastasios Rammos). Paparizou is regarded as being the most awarded Mad VMA artist to date, having a total of 26 awards. During the night Paparizou made 2 appearances; One in which she performed Ouranio Toxo ft. Idra Kayne, and one where she dueted with the Pop-rock Band, Melisses. Melisses & Paparizou performed one of the group's hit single, 'Ola moiazoun Kalokairi'. Their duet received mostly positive feedback, surpassing the 18 million views on YouTube making it the most viewed performance of the night.

On 14 September, Serhat released his single "Total Disguise" in collaboration with Paparizou. The song peaked at Number 1 in Greek DJs Dance Chart. In October 2018, Paparizou returned at the Talent Singing Competition 'The Voice of Greece' for the 3rd consecutive year (5th season), alongside Rouvas, Mouzourakis & Maraveyas.

Paparizou's new single called 'Kati Skoteino'is a ballad & is written by the creators of the song 'An me dis na kleo';ARCADE (consisting of Anastasios Rammos, Diveno, Pavlos Manoli, Gaby Russell). The song premiered in Greek Radios on 8 October and was officially released on 15 October. The song was released by Minos EMI/Universal. The song peaked at Number 1 on Greek iTunes and reached the Top 20 of the Official Greek Airplay in just 3 weeks. Paparizou is the only Greek Artist to have managed to have 3 of her songs in the Top 20 of the Greek Airplay for the year 2018.

Paparizou's latest album 'Ouranio Toxo' has been certified Platinum after surpassing the 70 million streams in the digital platforms. In regards to the physical sales, the Album peaked at Number 1, making it the most successful album by a Female Artist for the year 2018 in Greece.

On 3 December, Paparizou released a Christmas song in both Greek & English (Hristougenna Xana - It is Christmas). The song was written by Anastasios A. Papanastasiou and ARCADE. Even without a video clip, the Greek version of the song saw immediate success, peaking at No. 3 on Greek iTunes and #4 on YouTube Trending videos. It was broadcast exclusively on Skai TV network.^{[citation needed]}

2019–present: Apohrosis, Antique reunion, tours and Eurovision

This section of a biography of a living person does not include any references or sources. (April 2021)

"Kati skoteino" was released in October 2018 as the lead single of Paparizou's seventh album Apohrosis (2021), which was produced by the group Arcade, consisting of Anastasios Rammos, Pavlos Manoli, Diveno, Gaby Russell and Loukas Damianakos. The second single 'Askopa Xenihitia" was released on 26 March 2019 along with a music video. During Summer 2019, Paparizou toured with Marinella, Makedonas and Ivi Adamou in Greece, Cyprus and Germany. Paparizou later took part in the MAD VMAs.^[164] On 3 April, Paparizou returned to Sweden to celebrate 20 years of Antique with Nikos Panagiotidis, appearing in several concerts and shows. On 10 June, she released her third single titled "Kalokairi Kai Pathos", sponsored by Carroten. In late 2019, Paparizou returned as coach at The Voice of Greece Season 6. On 19 October she started her live shows with Sakis Rouvas and Stelios Rokkos at the Athens nightclub Estate.

In 2020, she released a duet with Sakis Rouvas titled "Etsi Einai I Fasi" and the single "Mila Mou". On 29 July, she announced that Apohrosis would contain a phase of different kind of music, more in 80's pop, ballads and Greek folk. Her seventh single for the album was "Se Xeno Soma", an erotic ballad with social message videoclip about LGBT composed by Arcade, Padé (Loupasakis Pantelis) and Rene (famous Greek writer). Apohrosis was released by Minos EMI on 29 January 2021 with 13 songs in total. In December 2020, Paparizou performed at the MAD Video Music Awards, singing her new duet with Marseaux, "Deja Vu". At the show, she won the Best Female Adult award. On 13 February, she won Season 7 of The Voice of Greece as a mentor marking her first win at the talent show since she joined in 2016. On 22 May, she performed at the Eurovision Song Contest 2021 held in Rotterdam, Netherlands as an interval act alongside other Eurovision winners. In Summer 2021, she went on a tour to promote Apohrosis alongside Tamta. On 25 June, she performed for three songs at the MAD VMAs: "Gia Pia Agapi" feat Anastasios Rammos, "Mi" and a "Twist In My Sobriety" cover with fellow Greek singer Joanne. She also won the Best Female Adult award. Four years after Paparizou's last project in Sweden, she returned with an English song "Day and Night" produced by and featuring Magnus Carlsson; the song was released on 4 June 2021. In September, she returned to the set of The Voice of Greece for Season 8. At the end of 2021, Paparizou released her next English song "Lightning", performing it on MAD WALK 2021.

For 2022 Helena Paparizou opens a new music era returning to her international hits abroad like "Lightning". On March Helena and Nikos Panagiotidis reunited as Antique after 19 years covering Ti Ti song by Giorgos Alkaios that became hit during 90's. In summer Antique performed at 'We Who Love 90's' Festival in Sweden while Helena started her summer tour in Greece. On 11 April, Stelios Rokkos released a song featuring Helena titled Kommatia (Pieces). On 27 April, Helena sang at Night at Rhythm 9.49 fm songs from her discography. In September she has booked some live appearances for first time in Odeon of Herodes Atticus with Marios Frangoulis. The 9th Season for The Voice of Greece begun on SKAI TV and was completed in March 2023. In November Helena did her comeback at Votanikos residency show next to Giorgos Sabanis and Anastasia for first time collaboration on stage until March 11, 2023. Paparizou released a remake version on her 2004 hit song Katse Kala produced by Arcade featuring Marseaux and Joanne. On the occasion of the World Mental Health Day on October 10, UNICEF Greece and its First Goodwill Ambassador, Helena Paparizou, joined their forces and re-released the song The Light in Our Soul, in collaboration with Spyros Lambrou children's choir, aiming to raise public awareness about mental health issues and eliminate the stigma that unfortunately still accompanies people facing them. On November 17, Helena performed My Number One along with dancers doing the same choreography bringing back nostalgia from 2005. The event was held in Amsterdam, one of the biggest Eurovision Parties, called Het Grote Songfestivalfeest, with guests in many Eurostars. Just before the end of 2022, in 9 December Paparizou started a new music chapter in her career releasing a new power ballad song titled Fevgo written by Giorgos Sabanis & Eleana Vrahali.

Paparizou was the spokesperson for the Greek jury in the final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2024.^[165] She was also part of the interval act of the second semi-final in the same contest.^[166]

One of her most recent performances was at the MadWalk 2024 with her brand new single Update.^[167]

Influences

Paparizou has said that her parents had no musical background and the only person in her family who sang was her paternal grandmother, who inspired Paparizou to sing. Paparizou's first musical experiences were with international music—predominantly musical; her musical roots are in traditional Greek music such as laiko and rebetiko because she was exposed to the music of Vassilis Tsitsanis, Markos Vamvakaris, Stelios Kazantzidis, Mimis Plaisas, and Giannis Spanos.^[2] As a child, Paparizou considered those genres to be distant and old-fashioned, and associated them with her summer holidays in Greece.^[4] In her teenage years, she listened to a broad range of music, including R&B and soul.^[168] Her biggest musical influences were female pop singers, including Madonna, Céline Dion, Tina Turner and Janet Jackson.^[5] Later, she was influenced by her frequent collaborator Paschalis Terzis, who taught her to improve her technical vocal skills. Paparizou has also stated that she was a big fan of the Eurovision Song Contest for years before she first participated in 2001.

Music and themes

During her solo career, Paparizou has changed her musical style from laiko, to pop and rock-inspired styles on a whim.^[39] Some critics attribute this to a lack of personal style and following trends for commercial success rather than as an artistic expression.^[169][170] Paparizou has been known to follow the trends of international female pop stars;^[169] music critics have compared songs like "The Light in Our Soul" to Celine Dion, "Let's Get Wild" to Anastacia,^[171] "Gigolo" and "Carpe Diem (Seize the Day)" to Shakira,^[172][173] "Somebody's Burning (Put the Fire Out)" to Beyoncé Knowles,^[173] and "Dancing Without Music" to Kylie Minogue c. Aphrodite (2010).^[174] She had also great reputation in Italy.

Similar to Antique's work, all of Paparizou's albums have included cover versions and translations. Following Antique's blending of traditional Greek music with Nordic disco sounds, Paparizou's debut solo album Protereotita focused on pop sounds and laiko, and the songs were directed towards the club market. Giorgos Mastorakis of Music Corner stated that despite the image change, the album was similar to those of Antique, being described as "pop moments (with keen laiko ... 'garnish')". The album featured songs from both Greek and Swedish writers, which according to Mastorakis, led to the album's sound varying. The stylistically interesting songs from the album includes the title track, which followed an R&B style, while the song "Katse Kala" was described as having an "original sound."^[175]

Following her Eurovision win, Paparizou's popularity increased and she was often promoted as a pop singer by the media. In his review of the Euro Edition of Protereotita, Pavlos Zervas of Music Corner was impressed with the album and said that its contemporary style could potentially be an international hit, supporting the singer more so in English-language recordings. In his review of Iparhi Logos, Zervas said that apart from Sakis Rouvas—Greece's pop performer—Paparizou was the only artist supporting the pop/dance genre so well in Greece. He also said that anything that she chose to sing would become a hit. He used Paparizou to illustrate that big name producers like Giorgos Theofanous and Phoebus are not needed to create hits. Zervas said that the numerous covers were the album's strong point, while "Gigolo" was characterized by "witty" lyrics in an overall pattern that followed her hit "Mambo!" and previous hits. He said that the album's laiko material contradicted the pop songs and made her overall sound less focused. ^[176]

Paparizou's second English-language album The Game of Love was anticipated by Greek consumers and featured a similar sound to Iparhi Logos; over half of the album's material was taken from the latter album. Zervas also reviewed this album, saying that it contained many different styles such as dance, hip hop, slow jams and Latin, following a typical recipe of American music. Zervas said that international female pop singers did not have much above Paparizou, and that the album's success would depend solely upon promotion efforts, although internationally affiliated record companies were less impressed. Zervas' impression was that while he believed in the material's potential, he thought that if Paparizou continued her current trends and performance style at laiko nightclubs, her ambitions for an international career would come to a disappointment.^[169]

For Vrisko To Logo Na Zo, her fourth album, Paparizou minimized the laiko influences and changed to a pop/rock sound and image in contrast to her previous albums. Evianna Nikoleri of Music Corner said that the album was carefully crafted and had a good, European-like production. For Giro Apo T' Oneiro, Paparizou worked with the same group she had two years before, with small changes. She toned down the image she had created with her previous album; while many of the songs have rock influences and some songs include dance-pop and pop-folk, electronic and lounge music elements, with an overall pop theme.^[177][178]

Paparizou has written two tracks on all of her studio albums except Iparhi Logos; she also wrote the lyrics of the Antique song "Why?". These writing ventures were mostly collaborations with at least one other songwriter. She contributed lyrics to "Treli Kardia" (Protereotita), "Carpe Diem" and "Teardrops" (The Game of Love), and "Mathe Prota N'agapas" (Vrisko To Logo Na Zo), while she made her first musical contributions to Vrisko To Logo Na Zo, "Den Tha 'Mai 'Do" and "Filarakia" (Giro Apo T' Oneiro)—her first solo writing credit.^[179]

Around 2013, Paparizou released her fifth Greek-language album titled Ti Ora Tha Vgoume?. The music theme of this cd was similar to her previous with more pop, ballads and folk modern songs. Her next English album One Life followed pure pop sound while Ouranio Toxo in 2017 was a total bunch of mix kinds like pop, dance, ballads, folk and more containing in total 21 tracks.

Vocal style

Paparizou has the vocal range of mezzo-soprano; from her Antique years until 2005, she performed in a vocal range of C₃ to B♭₅.^[180] Her vocal timbre has been described as "deep, sensual", "dramatic" and "metallic".^{[181][182][183]} Critics have frequently debated over whether laïko or pop material best suits her voice; while some found her equal in both genres, Greek critics tended to prefer her pop and dance repertoire and often that in English. This was partially caused by expectations arising from Paparizou's Swedish upbringing and Eurovision win. Also, having been raised abroad, her accent in English was different than that of a native Greek speaker.^{[174][175][176][184]} Native listeners of Western music contradicted this view; Swedish critic Dan Backman of Svenska Dagbladet said that Paparizou was no exception to the rule that musical artists sound better in their native languages, describing her vocal performances as "expressive" in Greek and "bland" in English. He also consistently selected her pure laïko songs, such as "Stin Kardia Mou Mono Thlipsi", "I Zoi Sou Zari", "M'angaliazei To Skotadi" and "O, ti Axizi Einai I Stigmes", as suiting her voice best; he said it may possess "the right dramatic nerve" for the style.^[182][185]

A writer for Nitro was skeptical of Paparizou's musical ability, writing in a piece titled "If the World Was Fair" that her image and the aid of backing vocalists should be recognized as playing a significant role for Paparizou.^[186] Pavlos Zervas of Music Corner wrote favourably of her voice; he said that on the Euro Edition EP, it was "adaptable" and "pliable" to the necessities of each of the songs, from the ballads to the uptempo ones.^[184] Critic Georgia Laimou of Eleftheros Typos disagreed with Zervas. Laimou found her deliveries monotonous and possessing no nuances between songs and styles. She also said that Paparizou's limited range meant she had to repeat a similar set of notes.^[187] Paparizou's tendency to strain her voice through oversinging—specifically shouting—which grew worse with age has been a common complaint.^{[169][170][187][188]} Laimou said that particularly after her Eurovision victory, Paparizou sang with a new-found confidence and force.^[187] Circa 2008, critics noticed an improvement in her voice and said that the album Vrisko To Logo Na Zo contained her best vocal performance.^[169]

Compared to her previous simplistic tunes, Vrisko To Logo Na Zo presented Paparizou with more challenging material.^[189] However, as the difficulty of the songs progressed, her excessive shouting became noticeable as a result of having to push her voice further because of insufficient volume and high notes. Although most critics agree that her "vigorous"^[190] interpretations reduce the quality of her songs, on occasion her style has served to augment the entertainment factor. Kalamaris, who said her 2008 and 2010 albums were very dull and mediocre, wrote that Paparizou was "able to give life to even the most boring tracks with her delivery".^[170][174]

Fashion and style

During her career with Antique, Paparizou had a simplistic look, representing a young girl; after going solo she made a transition into a more feminine and sexualized style.^[39] Paparizou was known for wearing revealing clothes, which was a contrast from her "good girl" image.^[10] Her signature look was hot pants, showcasing her legs as her most prominent physical feature.^[191] She also wore mini-dresses and five-inch high heels.^[4] To promote her album Vrisko To Logo Na Zo, Paparizou adopted a rock-inspired image, appearing aggressive in dark tones of clothing and make-up.^[192] The look was completed with multiple piercings, including her ears, tongue and most notably her nostril, on which she wore a wire chain connected to her ear piercing.

Evianna Nikoleri said that Paparizou was following the concurrent trend of pop/laiko female singers promoting a rock image—a trend she credited to Despina Vandi. Makis Kalamaris of Avopolis also said Paparizou's new image was for mainstream success rather than artistic expression, and added that Paparizou—knowing her limitations—was slowly easing into it rather than suddenly presenting a rock persona. Kalamaris also said that Paparizou was probably the only Greek female singer able to imitate the trends of international females without singing in skiladiko clubs and cloning herself into Madonna, which made her stand out against the concurrent mainstream scene.^[193] Paparizou's make-up artist Giannis Marketakis stated that Paparizou always gives input to her look and fashion, and closely follows fashion trends.^[192] Paparizou said that she avoids extremes in her fashion choices.^[183] In The Game of Love, Paparizou gives credit to her stylist Al Giga for making her love fashion and herself, while she also acknowledges Roberto Cavalli—who has provided most of her wardrobe since Eurovision 2005—for his input.^[194]

Public image

Paparizou established a public image described as that of the "Greek every-girl" or the "girl next door", making her an icon for teenagers.^{[107][183][195]} Her songs have become a staple for young people during auditions at reality music shows such as Greek Idol, and she has inspired younger artists such as Idol runner-up Nicole Paparistodimou.^[196] Paparizou became known for the way she approached the media; she has been known to apologize in her interviews, laugh throughout, and "embodies the good girl and not the femme fatale, she wants to be likeable" and projects an image of "child-woman", staying family-friendly.^[10] During her role as a television personality, Paparizou became known for frequent outbursts of cackling laughter.^[197]

Paparizou has spoken candidly to reporters about her personal life, plastic surgery, and weight.^[4] She has been referred to as an "anti-star";^[183] A biography of Paparizou on Alpha TV's Kafes Me Tin Eleni stated that her appeal was not her voice, her songs or her body, but that she represents the qualities and limitations of the average person.^[4] Paparizou has said that she likes to present herself in moderation;^[183] she ranked her star power in the Greek star system as moderate, the level she finds appropriate for artists. She also said she believed her public image would never be able to overcome that of the girl next door in the eyes of the Greek public.^[183] E! Entertainment Television described her as "sultry", ranking her at number 16 on their 25 Sexiest Women and 25 Sexiest Pop Divas of 2008,^[198] making her one of only two Greek celebrities—along with Kostas Martakis—to be featured on one of the network's lists. In 2009, she underwent breast augmentation at the age of 26 after wishing to do so since she was 18—the first Greek celebrity to admit having done so.^[183][199]

Paparizou performed as the main act at the artistic portion of the Athens Pride 2010 LGBT event.^[200] She has had promotional deals with Skechers, Nokia, Organics Hair Care and Ivi, and through record label association has promoted Sony Ericsson in both Greece and Sweden, TIM Hellas, Vivodi, and Coca-Cola.^{[citation needed]} Ivi reportedly selected her to be the face of its "Fersou Fisika" (act natural) campaign because she represented qualities such as freshness, naturalness, authenticity, goodwill and humor.^[201]

In 2008, Paparizou—who was known for her slim figure—was scrutinized for gaining weight during the 2007–08 season when she took a break from performing. Paparizou said she had gained 10 kilograms (22 lb); however she had already lost 7 kilograms (15 lb).^[202] She had previously stated that she gains at least that amount every time she goes on a break and that she could possibly gain up to 15 kilograms (33 lb).^[203] In 2006, she said she was dissatisfied with discriminative ideals towards both men and women, and threatened to gain weight the following year.^[203][204] This was followed by another weight gain in 2009. As the media became more concerned with her weight, Paparizou expressed her disapproval of this, stating "I am a singer, not a model."^[205] Paparizou also faced scrutiny for her weight during Eurovision 2001, where media reported that she suffered from anorexia nervosa. Paparizou said that for her appearance in the contest, she had lost too much weight, dropping to 51 kilograms (112 lb).^[206]

Television

Theater

Concert tours

Concert residencies