Elli Kokkinou facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Elli Kokkinou
Background information
Native name	Έλλη Κοκκίνου
Birth name	Ellie Papathanasopoulou
Born	(1970-07-24) 24 July 1970 (age 55) Athens, Greece
Genres	Contemporary laïka, folk, dance-pop
Labels	Heaven Sony Greece The Spicy Effect Cobalt Panik Records

Elli Kokkinou (Greek: Έλλη Κοκκίνου) is a famous Greek singer. She was born on July 24, 1970. Elli is one of the most popular singers in Greece today. She has performed with many other well-known Greek artists. Some of these include Anna Vissi, Sakis Rouvas, and Despina Vandi. Her albums have sold over 135,000 copies in Greece. This shows how much her music is loved.

Elli's Music Journey

Early Life and First Steps in Music

Elli Kokkinou grew up in a family that loved music. From a very young age, Elli was interested in music. She was also part of her school's dance group. Her father encouraged her to listen to jazz music. Her mother preferred more popular music like disco.

When she was five, Elli started ballet lessons. At home, she would sing and dance for her parents. Soon after, she began learning classical guitar. She then took acoustic and electric guitar lessons for three more years. Elli was also good at sports. For six years before finishing school, she was on a water ski team. She even won third place in a big Greek championship.

After school, Elli formed her first band called "Anonimi," which means "Anonymous." At the same time, she studied graphic design and art history.

Starting Her Professional Career

In 1990, Elli Kokkinou began her professional music career. She worked with the famous musician Kostas Tournas. Soon, she started performing with many big names in music clubs. These included Antonis Vardis, Tolis Voskopoulos, and Anna Vissi. Elli also sang backing vocals for other artists' albums.

In 1992, Elli moved to Los Angeles, USA. She studied voice and piano for two years at the Musicians Institute of Technology. This gave her the chance to learn from top music teachers. In 1994, she finished her studies and returned to Greece.

First Albums: Kapia Mera and Epikindyna Paihnidia

In 1996, Elli Kokkinou signed a contract with Sony Music Greece. In 1998, she released her first CD single called Kapia Mera (Someday). The music was by Antonis Vardis.

In 1999, Elli released her first full album, Epikindyna Paihnidia (Dangerous Games). In 2000, her second album, Andriki Kolonia (Male Cologne), came out. The song "Pao Pao" from this album became a big hit.

Big Success with Sto Kokkino

In 2002, Elli signed with Heaven Music. The next year, she started working with the popular songwriter Phoebus. In May 2003, she released the album Sto Kokkino (In Red). This album was one of the most successful in Greece that year. It sold so well that it became "double platinum." This means it sold a huge number of copies. It was also very popular in Turkey.

Because Sto Kokkino was so successful, her old label, Sony Music, released a collection of her best songs called Paradinomai (I'm Surrendering). In 2004, Sto Kokkino was re-released as Sto Kokkino Platinum Edition. This new version had four extra songs and a DVD. The new songs quickly became hits. This helped the album reach its "2x platinum" status.

In April 2005, Elli Kokkinou won an international award. The "Union of Journalists of Turkey" gave her the "Best New International Artist" award. This was because her songs from Sto Kokkino were very popular in Turkey.

Nikos Kourkoulis, Elli Kokkinou & Natassa Theodoridou performing in 2006

Album ... and Eilikrina

After touring in the United States and Australia, Elli returned in 2005. She started recording new songs with Phoebus. On November 10, 2005, she released her fourth album called .... It became "gold" on the day it was released. Soon after, it reached "platinum" status.

The album was re-released on November 13, 2006, as Ki' Allo Platinum Edition (More). This version had 4 new songs and a bonus DVD. It included a duet with Thanos Petrelis.

On April 1, 2007, Elli announced she was leaving Heaven Music. She wanted more creative control over her music. In July 2007, she signed with her first label, Sony BMG Greece.

In November 2007, she released her fifth album, Eilikrina (Honestly). This album reached number 2 on the Greek music charts. The main song, "Lypamai Eilikrina," also became very popular on the radio. The album quickly became "gold."

New Music and Tours

In November 2008, Kokkinou released a song called "Mi Ta Paratas." This song was for the Greek film "O Ilias Tou 16ou." She also recorded "Demenes" for the Barbie movie "I Barbie Kai To Diamantenio Kastro."

In March 2009, she released a digital song called "Pame Ksana" (Let's Go Again). In June 2009, Elli started performing live again at a club called Romeo. This was her first time on stage in a year. In October 2009, Kokkinou went on a tour in North America. It was a very successful tour for a Greek female singer.

Greek Idol and Ta Genethlia Mou

On December 11, 2009, Elli Kokkinou signed a new five-year contract. She joined Phoebus's new record label, The Spicy Effect. This meant they would work together again on her new album. In January 2010, she released a digital song called "Ontos" (Indeed).

In July 2010, Kokkinou started a summer tour across Greece and Cyprus with Despina Vandi. For the winter, she performed with Vasilis Karras. They even had a duet song together.

In October 2010, it was announced that Elli Kokkinou would be a judge on season 2 of the reality singing show Greek Idol. The show started in February 2011.

On December 9, 2011, she released her album Ta Genethlia Mou (My Birthday). This was her first album since Eilikrina in 2007. It was also her first album with The Spicy Effect. The album had fifteen songs and became "platinum" in March 2012.

In May 2012, Elli opened an English language nursery school called Happy Faces. It is in the Athens suburb of Glyfada. She said she wanted to create a happy, colorful place that felt like home for children.

In September 2012, Elli won an award at the Balkan Music Awards. Her song "Eroteftika" was named "Best Song in the Balkans from Republic of Greece for 2011." On October 15, 2012, Elli released a new song called "Kardia Apo Giali" (Heart of Glass). This song quickly became number one on many radio stations in Greece.

Elli's Personal Life

In 2000, Elli Kokkinou started dating her manager, Panayiotis Vassiliadis. They got married in September 2007. She became a stepmother to his three children. In December 2007, she announced she was expecting her first child. In May 2008, Elli gave birth to a boy. In March 2010, Elli and her son moved to a new house. Soon after, she and Panayiotis announced their divorce. From September 2010 to summer 2017, she was dating Greek basketball player Georgios Bogris.

Elli Kokkinou comes from the village of Epitalio.

Discography

Studio Albums

These albums were released and charted in Greece and Cyprus.

CD Singles

Compilations

Digital Singles

Filmography

Television Appearances

Music Videos

See also

In Spanish: Elli Kokkinu para niños