Despina Vandi
| Despina Vandi | |
|---|---|
Despina Vandi in 2007.
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Despina Malea |
| Born |
22 July 1969 Tübingen, West Germany |
| Origin | Kavala, Greece |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) |
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| Instruments | Vocals |
| Years active | 1994–present |
| Labels | |
| Associated acts | Phoebus |
| Website | despinavandi |
Despina Vandi (Greek: Δέσποινα Βανδή, pronounced [ðesˈpina ˈvanði]), born as Despina Malea (Δέσποινα Μαλέα) on 22 July 1969, is a Greek singer of Pontic Greek ancestry. Born in Tübingen near Stuttgart, Germany, Vandi's family returned to Kavala, Greece when she was six years old. After moving to Athens in the early 1990s, Vandi signed with Minos EMI and released two albums Gela Mou (1994) and Esena Perimeno (1996). She then began an exclusive collaboration with songwriter/producer Phoebus and struck commercial success with her third album, Deka Endoles (1997), followed by the multi-platinum Profities (1999), where she established a more "pop" stage performance style and image, becoming one of the most prominent portrayers of the laïko/pop genre.
Her single "Ipofero" (2000) became the best-selling single of all-time in Greece. Following Phoebus' departure from Minos EMI, Vandi followed him to the newly formed independent label Heaven Music and released Gia (2001), which became and remains her biggest commercial success, as well as one of the best-selling albums of all time in Greece and Cyprus. Vandi also released the album abroad and the self-titled single "Gia", topping the US Billboard Hot Dance Airplay and making her the first Greek artist to top a Billboard chart. She returned with Stin Avli Tou Paradeisou (2004), which was certified multi-platinum and became her fourth album to achieve six-figure sales. In 2007 10 Hronia Mazi, a ten-year celebration of her collaboration with Pheobus was released, followed by her eighth studio album C'est La Vie. In 2012 she released the album Allaxa, which was certified 2x platinum sales and has been her first double platinum record since 2005.
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