In today's blog entry I would like to feature Elena Paparizou as an exemplary Greek women who is making her sisters proud across the world with her exceptional endeavors as a fellow Greek women
Eleni "Elena" Paparizou[1] (Greek: Έλενα Παπαρίζου, pronounced [ˈelena papaˈrizu]; born 31 January 1982) often known internationally as Helena Paparizou, is a Greek singer and occasional songwriter, who was born and raised in Sweden. She began her career in 1999 as a member of the duo Antique, while she also worked briefly as a model for a Swedish-Greek brand. After rising to recognition in Greece following their participation in the Eurovision Song Contest 2001, they witnessed commercial success until Paparizou embarked on a solo career in 2003 and released her debut album Protereotita (2004), with emphasis on more pop sounds in addition to the more traditional Greek laïko genre. Paparizou then won the Eurovision Song Contest 2005 for Greece for the first time in the contest's history, with the song "My Number One", something which significantly contributed to her career. Following the Eurovision success, her album was certified double Platinum and received two Arion Music Awards, while she also briefly attempted a career beyond Greece with English-language material to mild success. Her three subsequent albums Iparhi Logos (2006), The Game of Love (2006) and Vrisko To Logo Na Zo (2008) all reached Platinum sales and received some accolades, with the former receiving another Arion. Her fifth studio album, Giro Apo T'Oneiro was released in March 2010. In March 2010, Alpha TV ranked Paparizou at number 14 on their list of the "30 Most Successful Greek Female Artist of the Past 50 Years", based on the most certifications awarded by IFPI, totaling seven Platinum and four Gold records. She has been certified for the sales of at least 150 thousand albums and a further 50 thousand singles by IFPI GreeceVocal style
Especially following the disbandment of Antique, Paparizou's voice was characterized as possessing a "deep, sensual" tone.[85] Paparizou possesses a mezzo-soprano vocal range; from her Antique years up until 2005, she performed in a vocal range of C4 to B♭6.[86] Some critics have argued whether pop or laiko material best suits the artist vocally; both Mastorakis and Zervas of Music Corner maintained that she was passable in both,[80][81] with Zervas being most commending of her vocal abilities in the dance-pop genre, adding that in her live covers of "Don't Speak" and "Just Walk Away" she gave her best vocal performance.[81] Nitro criticized Paparizou's musical abilities overall, saying that if the world was fair, it would be widely acknowledged that she "has simply a pretty face, while the voice behind that belongs to a less pretty singer."[87] In 2008, Evianna Nikoleri noticed an improvement in Paparizou's voice, suggesting that Vrisko To Logo Na Zo contained her best vocal performance on an album.[77] Makis Kalamaris, who believed the album to be quite mediocre, saying it was based mostly on "beatless rock scratches and mellow ballads", said that Paparizou saved most of the material just with her interpretation of it.[78] However, in a number of tracks, most notably from that album, Paparizou's vocals were criticized for oversinging in an attempt to show her full volume and yelling excessively as a result of pushing her range to reach high notes.[77][78] This was most notably observed on the tracks "Eisai I Foni" and "Den Tha 'Mai 'Do", with Nikoleri saying that with the idea that yelling is synonymous with singing well she was doing her voice injustice.[77]
Paparizou at one point during her youth she followed Buddhism, but eventually began following the Greek Orthodox religion once again as she believes it suits her better.[20] She has been involved in a long term relationship with fellow Swedish-born Greek Toni Mavridis,[105] whom she was introduced to as a musician by a friend of her sister's at a restaurant called Mykonos when she was only 17, while Mavridis is 11 years her senior.[4][7] Mavridis became an impresario for Antique and has written songs on all of Paparizou's solo albums, while he also serves as her manager. Mavridis had approached Paparizou for only one month before their relationship commenced and she left her parents' home to live with him in Stockholm. The two had a traditional Greek engagement celebration with their relatives on December 24, 2000 and have been engaged since;[4] however, Paparizou has said that Mavridis has never officially proposed to her and that she would prefer that he do this in the Western tradition of going down on one knee.[106] They bought a home together in the Athens suburb of Glyfada in 2006.[7][107] Mavridis has suggested the idea of the two getting married in Las Vegas, Nevada,[108] while Paparizou has also already chosen a koumbara, her good friend Roxani.[7] On many occasions, Paparizou has commented on starting a family with Mavridis; in 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,"[109] while in Nitro she said "No [Mavridis is not my first relationship], but I think he 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."[7]
