Eleni Foureira

Eleni Foureira
Ελένη Φουρέιρα
Eleni Foureira at the Eurovision Song Contest 2018
Born	Entela Fureraj (1987-03-07) 7 March 1987 (age 34) Fier, Albania
Citizenship	Greek[1]
Musical career
Origin	Athens, Greece
Genres	Laïko pop dance-pop
Occupation(s)	Singer actress dancer
Instruments	Vocals
Years active	2007–present
Labels	Universal Music Greece Minos EMI Panik Records Sony Music
Website	www.elenifoureira.gr
Musical artist

Eleni Foureira (Greek: Ελένη Φουρέιρα; born 7 March 1987) is a Greek singer and dancer. She began her music career in 2007 as a member of the Greek girl group Mystique, before pursuing a solo career after the group disbanded in 2009.

Eleni Foureira signed a solo contract with Universal Music Greece and released her self-titled debut album in 2010, which received a platinum certification in Greece. She later signed with Minos EMI, and went on to release her second and third studio albums Ti Poniro Mou Zitas and Anemos Agapis in 2012 and 2014, respectively. Both albums were well-received in Greece and Cyprus. Foureira left Minos EMI in 2015, and signed with Panik Records. Her fourth studio album Vasilissa was released in December 2017.

She represented Cyprus in the Eurovision Song Contest 2018 with the song "Fuego". On 8 May 2018 she qualified from the first semi-final to the grand final, where she finished second with 436 points, the best result Cyprus has ever achieved in the contest.

In 2019, she released the EP, Gypsy Woman, to commercial success in Europe. This was followed in 2020 by the release of singles "Yayo", "Temperatura" and "Light It Up", with the latter serving as the lead single of her sophomore extended play.

Her repertoire consists mostly of laïko, pop, and dance-pop music.

Early life[]

Foureira was born in Fier, Albania as Entela Fureraj. Her mother is a seamstress, while her father works in construction.^[2] She has three siblings: Ioanna, Margarita, and Giorgos. Foureira grew up in the Eastern Orthodox faith, and has a grandfather who was from Greece.^[1] When she was four years old, the family moved to the city of Vlorë, and later moved to Greece due to the 1997 Albanian civil unrest.^[1][3] While living in Albania, the family had electricity for only two hours a day, and left for Greece after their home was hit with bullets.^[1] Upon arriving in Greece, Foureira and her family settled in Athens.^[1]

Foureira began pursuing music at a young age, learning how to play guitar and later working in a theatre for three years.^[4]

Career[]

2007–2009: Early career and Mystique[]

Foureira began her music career as a member of the girl group Mystique. She was discovered by Andreas Giatrakos, and the group also consisted of Alkmini Chatzigianni and Maria Makri.^[5] They released their debut single "Se alli selida" in 2007, and later achieved success with the single "Min kaneis pos de thymasai" featuring Greek hip hop group NEVMA the following year. They later broke up in 2009.

2010–2018: Pursuit of a solo career[]

Foureira performing live in 2013.

After the break up of Mystique in 2009, Foureira signed a solo contract with Universal Music Greece, the label which Mystique was signed to as well. She later appeared on the charity program Just the Two of Us, hosted by Mega Channel. She managed to win first place along with singer Panagiotis Petrakis.^[6] Foureira released her self-titled debut studio album in December 2010, which went on to become certified platinum in Greece.^{[7][failed verification]} Afterwards, she signed with Minos EMI. Her second album Ti Poniro Mou Zitas was released in 2012, while her third Anemos agapis was released in 2014. From 2015 to 2016, she starred as Sofia in the musical Barbarella: the 80's Musical in Athens, alongside other Greek pop stars such as Ivi Adamou and Katy Garbi.^{[8][9][10][11]} Following the release of Anemos agapis, she left Minos EMI and signed with Panik Records. She was a judge on season three of the Greek version of So You Think You Can Dance. Her fourth studio album Vasilissa was released in 2017.^[12]

Eurovision Song Contest 2018[]

Foureira performing "Fuego" at Eurovision 2018.

Foureira has made several attempts to represent Greece in the Eurovision Song Contest. In 2010, she took part in the Greek national final for the Eurovision Song Contest 2010 with Manos Pyrovolakis, performing the song "Kivotos tou Noe". They placed second behind Giorgos Alkaios.^[13][14] In 2013, she performed "Wild Dances" with Ruslana at Eurosong 2013 – a MAD show.^[15][16] She later considered taking part in Eurosong 2015 - NERIT & MAD show, but ultimately did not.^[17] She once again attempted to represent Greece in the Eurovision Song Contest 2016 with the song "Come Tiki Tam", but was rejected by Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation (ERT).^[18][19] In 2017, she was rejected by the broadcaster for the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 once again.^[20]

In February 2018, it was confirmed that Foureira would represent Cyprus in the Eurovision Song Contest 2018 with the song "Fuego".^[21] The song was composed by Greek-Swedish songwriter Alex Papaconstantinou.^[22][23] On 8 May 2018, she qualified from the first semi-final to the grand final.^[24][25] In the final held on 12 May 2018, she finished as the runner-up to winner Netta from Israel, having received the fifth most votes from the international juries and the second most votes from the public televoting process; this marked Cyprus' best Eurovision placement in history.^[26][27]

2018–present: Post-Eurovision success and international breakthrough[]

Shortly after her performance at the Eurovision Song Contest 2018, Eleni signed a record deal with Sony Music.^[28] By doing so, she become only the second Greek artist to sign an international deal with a major record label after Helena Paparizou (who won the Eurovision Song Contest 2005).^[29][30] In late June, she released her Greek single "Caramela", which topped the Digital Single Chart. In mid-October, she released the non-album single "Tómame", which was also number one hit.^[31] Towards the end of the year, it was announced that "Fuego" has been certified platinum in Spain,^[32] and gold in Norway and Sweden, becoming Eleni's first song to achieve this.^[33][34]

On 17 May 2019, Eleni released her first international project, an extended play titled Gypsy Woman (EP), which includes the song "El Ritmo Psicodelico" as the lead single.^[35] To further promote her studio project, she embarked on a European tour in various cities in Greece, Spain, and the United Kingdom.^[36][37] Around the same time, during the Host Broadcast press conference of the Eurovision Song Contest 2019, Foureira was announced as one of the four artists from previous contests that will perform at the finals of the show, where performed the 2007 runner-up Verka Serduchka's song "Dancing Lasha Tumbai".^[38] Throughout the rest of the year, she mostly took part in collaborations with artists such as Kaan and Snoop Dogg,^[39][40] and Claydee.^[41][42] In March 2020, she released the electropop and R&B single Yayo.^[43][44][45] In June, she released a Greek single "Temperatura", which was later accompanied with a Spanish version.^[46][47]

In December 2019, she performed as a surprise guest at the Albanian national selection for Eurovision, in Tirana, Albania. After performing a medley of her own songs and international hits, she sang a few Albanian folk songs alongside TV presenter Alketa Vejsiu, accompanied with a monologue on her Albanian roots, since she moved from Albania during her childhood.^[48]

Towards the end of 2020, Eleni Foureira released two dance-pop, electropop, nu-disco, and synth-pop records "Light It Up" (in October)^[49][50][51] and "Dokimase Me" (in December), both of which contain 1980s and retrofuturism tropes.^[52][53] Around the same time, during a live stream on her official Instagram account, the singer revealed that her forthcoming second extended play, entitled Light It Up, is set for release in early 2021.^[54] At May 2021 she released a song with Greek rapper MadClip, titled “Mporei”.^[55] After she won “Best Female Modern” at the 2021 Mad VMAs, she released a greek single, named “Aeraki (To Thiliko)”. The same summer she announced at an interview 2 albums that are on the way (a Greek one and an English EP). She said that one of them will be released this winter.

Personal life[]

Origin controversy[]

Since the beginning of her career, the Greek media have speculated on Foureira's ancestral origins. As a member of Mystique, she claimed to be Brazilian.^[56] She later claimed that her father was from Athens and her mother from Ioannina, although she had some Mexican ancestry as well.^[57][58] In 2010, reports of Foureira attempting to become a naturalized Greek citizen further increased speculation regarding her origins. In 2018, Foureira confirmed that she became a Greek citizen through descent.

In 2013, it was reported by the Greek media that Foureira was born in Albania and that her birth name was Entela Fureraj.^[59] Foureira did not comment on the reports until 2014, when she confirmed them.^[60] She claimed that she did not reveal her origin in order to be accepted in the music industry in Greece. She continued claiming she never understood the issue, since she always felt Greek and she has received only Greek education.^[61] Andreas Giatrakos, who discovered Foureira and recruited her to join Mystique, later stated that he wanted Foureira to be proud of her origin and would not have rejected her if he knew she was born in Albania.^[5] She was reluctant to call herself a Northern Epirote; instead, she said that she was born in Albania.^[62][63]

During the Eurovision Song Contest 2018, Foureira made the Albanian patriotic eagle gesture in a photo with Albanian singer Eugent Bushpepa. The image went viral in Albania and Greece, being well-received in the former but causing controversy in the latter.^[64] Later, she declared that she loves Greece as it is the country where she lives and where she grew up, so the controversy was unnecessary.

Discography[]

Studio albums[]

• Eleni Foureira (2010)
• Ti Poniro Mou Zitas (2012)
• Anemos Agapis (2014)
• Vasilissa (2017)

EPs[]

• Gypsy Woman (2019)
• Light It Up (2021)

Filmography[]

Awards and nominations[]

References[]