Vicky Leandros
| Vicky Leandros | |
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Vicky Leandros in Cologne, 2008
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Vassiliki Papathanasiou |
| Also known as | Vicky Leandros |
| Born | 23 August 1949 (disputed year of birth) |
| Origin | Palaiokastritsa, Corfu, Greece |
| Genres | Pop |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, politician |
| Years active | 1965–present |
| Website | Official website |
Vassiliki, Baroness von Ruffin (born Vassiliki Papathanasiou, Greek: Βασιλική Παπαθανασίου, 23 August 1949 or 1952 (disputed year of birth), known by her stage name Vicky Leandros, is a Greek singer with a long international career. She is the daughter of singer, musician, and composer, Leandros Papathanasiou (also known as Leo Leandros as well as Mario Panas). In 1972, she achieved worldwide fame after winning the Eurovision Song Contest with the song, "Après Toi", while representing the country of Luxembourg.
On 15 October 2006, Vassiliki von Ruffin was elected town councillor of the Greek harbour town of Piraeus on the Pasok list. Her task concerned the Cultural and International development of Piraeus. She was also Deputy Mayor of Piraeus. It was announced in June 2008 that Leandros decided to leave her position in Greek politics with immediate effect, stating that she had underestimated the work load and time needed to fulfill her political obligations and that it had become impossible to combine those duties with her singing career.
Leandros was born in Palaiokastritsa, Corfu. Her father wanted to expand his career and went to Germany while she grew up at her grandmother's house until the age of eight. In 1958 her parents took her to Germany where she stayed with her father permanently after her parents' divorce. She revealed her talent at a young age while taking guitar, music, dance, ballet and voice lessons.
In 1965, Leandros released her first single "Messer, Gabel, Schere, Licht". This was the beginning of a successful career for her with her father as composer, manager and producer. In 1967, she received an offer to sing for Luxembourg at the Eurovision Song Contest with the song "L'amour est bleu". She finished in fourth place but the song became one of the biggest worldwide hits of the year and was covered by other artists. She was shortly singing in eight languages with her albums, singles and EPs being sold all over the world.
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