Nana Mouskouri facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Nana Mouskouri OQ
Mouskouri in 1966
Background information
Birth name	Ιωάννα Μούσχουρη (Ioánna Moúschouri)
Born	(1934-10-13) 13 October 1934 (age 90) Chania, Crete, Greece
Genres	Jazz, pop, easy listening, folk, Greek folk, world music
Occupation(s)	Singer
Instruments	Vocals
Years active	1958–2008 2011–present
Labels	Fontana, Polydor, Mercury, Verve, Philips, PolyGram, Universal Music France
Associated acts	Quincy Jones, Harry Belafonte, Manos Hadjidakis, Mikis Theodorakis, Michel Legrand, Demis Roussos, Julio Iglesias, Mireille Mathieu, Charles Aznavour

Ioanna "Nana" Mouskouri (born 13 October 1934) is a famous Greek singer and former politician. She is known for her clear voice and for wearing her signature black-rimmed glasses. Throughout her long career, she has released over 200 albums. She has sung in at least thirteen languages, including Greek, French, English, German, and Spanish.

Nana Mouskouri became very popular in Europe with her song "The White Rose of Athens." She first recorded it in German as "Weiße Rosen aus Athen." This song was a huge hit, selling over one million copies.

In 1963, she represented Luxembourg in the Eurovision Song Contest with the song "À force de prier". She also became friends with composer Michel Legrand. This led her to record the theme song for the Oscar-nominated film The Umbrellas of Cherbourg. From 1968 to 1976, Nana hosted her own TV show called Presenting Nana Mouskouri on the BBC. Her ability to sing in many languages and her unique look made her an international star.

"Je chante avec toi Liberté" (meaning "I sing with you, Liberty"), recorded in 1981, is one of her biggest hits. She sang it in at least five languages. Another popular song, "Only Love", was the theme song for the TV series Mistral's Daughter in 1984. It became her only UK hit single, reaching number two in 1986.

In 1993, Mouskouri became a spokesperson for UNICEF, helping children around the world. From 1994 to 1999, she was also a Member of the European Parliament for Greece. In 2006, she was a special guest at the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 final. She was introduced as the best-selling artist of all time. In 2015, she received the Echo Music Prize for her amazing achievements in music.

Early Life and Musical Beginnings

Nana Mouskouri was born on 13 October 1934 in Chania, Crete, Greece. Her father, Constantinos, worked as a film projectionist, and her mother, Aliki, was an usher at the same cinema. When Nana was three, her family moved to Athens.

Nana and her older sister, Eugenía, both went to the Athens Conservatoire to study music. Nana showed great musical talent from a young age. Her parents could only afford to send one child to continue their studies. Their tutor said that while her sister had a better voice, Nana had a deeper need to sing. Nana has mentioned that she has only one working vocal cord. She believes this might explain her unique singing voice, which could range from a deep alto to a bright coloratura mezzo.

Nana's childhood was difficult due to the German Nazi occupation of Greece. Her father joined the resistance movement in Athens. Nana started singing lessons when she was 12. She listened to singers like Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, and Édith Piaf on the radio.

In 1950, she was accepted into the Conservatoire. She studied classical music, focusing on opera. After eight years, her friends encouraged her to try jazz music. She began singing with their jazz group at night. However, her Conservatory professor found out. He stopped her from taking her final exams because jazz was not considered classical music.

Nana left the Conservatoire and started performing at the Tzaki club in Athens. She sang jazz, often performing songs by Ella Fitzgerald. In 1957, she recorded her first song, "Fascination." In 1958, she met Greek composer Manos Hadjidakis. He was impressed by her voice and offered to write songs for her.

In 1959, Nana performed Hadjidakis' song "Κάπου υπάρχει η αγάπη μου" (meaning "Somewhere my love exists") at the first Greek Song Festival. The song won first prize, and Nana began to gain recognition. The next year, two more of Hadjidakis' songs performed by Nana also won first prize at the festival. She then signed a recording contract with Paris-based Philips-Fontana.

In 1961, Nana sang for a German documentary about Greece. This led to the German song Weiße Rosen aus Athen ("White Roses from Athens"). This song became a huge success, selling over a million copies in Germany. It was later translated into many languages and became one of her most famous songs.

Personal Life

Nana Mouskouri has been married twice. Her first marriage was at age 25 to Yorgos (George) Petsilas, a guitarist in her band. They had two children, Nicolas (born 1968) and Hélène (born 1970). They divorced when Nana was 39. Later, she started a relationship with her record producer, André Chapelle. They eventually married on January 13, 2003. They mostly live in Switzerland.

International Career and Success

In 1960, Nana Mouskouri moved to Paris. She sang Luxembourg's entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1963, "À force de prier". Even though it placed eighth, the song was a commercial success. It helped her win the important Grand Prix du Disque award in France. French composer Michel Legrand noticed her. He wrote two major French hits for her: "Les Parapluies de Cherbourg" (1964) and "L'Enfant au Tambour" (1965).

In 1962, she met Quincy Jones, a famous American musician. He convinced her to go to New York City to record a jazz album called The Girl from Greece Sings. She also had a hit in the United Kingdom with "My Colouring Book." In 1965, she released her second English album, Nana Sings. American singer Harry Belafonte liked the album and invited her to tour with him in 1966. They even recorded a duet album together.

During the tour, Belafonte suggested Nana remove her signature black-rimmed glasses on stage. She was so upset that she almost quit the show. Belafonte eventually agreed to let her perform with her glasses. On September 15, 1965, Nana appeared on American television for the first time with Harry Belafonte on the Danny Kaye Show.

Nana's 1967 French album Le jour où la colombe made her a superstar in France. This album included many popular French songs. That same year, she performed at the famous Olympia concert theatre in Paris. She sang French pop, Greek folk, and Hadjidakis' songs.

Her success across Europe led to the BBC inviting her to host a TV series called Presenting Nana Mouskouri starting in 1968. The show featured British, American, and French pop, folk, and classical music. It also had guest stars from around the world. Nana's fluent English introductions to her songs and her unique look made her very popular. The series ran until 1976.

Nana also hosted her own shows for French and German TV. Her popularity as a multilingual TV personality made her a truly international star. In 1969, her first British album, Over and over, reached number 10 on the UK charts. Many of her albums sold very well in the UK during the early 1970s.

During the 1970s, Nana recorded several hit songs in German. She also continued to release best-selling records in France. In 1974, she received a plaque in Australia for selling twenty Gold Records. Her fame spread to Japan and Taiwan. In Taiwan, her album Nana's book of songs (1974) became especially popular among students.

Later Career and Impact

In 1979, Nana released Roses and Sunshine, an English album with folk and country songs. It was popular in Canada. In 1981, she had a worldwide hit with "Je chante avec toi Liberté", which was translated into many languages. In 1984, she returned to Greece for the first time since 1962. She performed for a large audience at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus.

In 1985, Nana recorded "Only Love," the theme song for the American TV series Mistral's Daughter. It reached number 2 in the UK charts. The song was also a hit in its French, Italian, Spanish, and German versions. That same year, she had a major hit in Spanish-speaking countries with "Con Toda el Alma."

In 1987, she released five albums in different languages. The next year, she released The Classical Nana, which featured classical songs and opera excerpts. By the end of 1987, she had performed concerts across Asia.

Nana's 1991 English album, Only Love: The Best of Nana Mouskouri, became her best-selling album in the United States. She spent much of the 1990s touring the world. Her albums from this period included spiritual music, Spanish songs, and movie songs. Falling in Love featured two duets with Harry Belafonte.

In 1993, she recorded Hollywood, an album of famous film songs. This album was a tribute to cinema and reminded her of her childhood memories. She recorded several more albums in the mid-1990s, including Nana Latina (with duets with Julio Iglesias) and Return to Love. In 1997, she held a special "Concert for Peace" in New York.

Helping Others and Politics

Nana Mouskouri was named a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in October 1993. She took over from actress Audrey Hepburn. Her first mission for the United Nations was to Bosnia to help children affected by the war. She then gave concerts to raise money in Sweden and Belgium.

She was also a Member of the European Parliament for Greece from 1994 to 1999. She represented the centre-right New Democracy party. She resigned in 1999, partly because she felt she was not suited for the daily work of a politician.

Recent Years

Nana Mouskouri, waiting for an interview in 2006

Nana Mouskouri lives in Switzerland with her husband, André Chapelle. Before her retirement in 2008, she performed hundreds of concerts every year. In 2004, her French record company released a large 34-CD box set of her songs. In 2006, she made a guest appearance at the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 in Greece.

She announced her retirement plans in 2006. From 2005 to 2008, she went on a farewell concert tour around the world. On July 23 and 24, 2008, Nana gave her final "Farewell Concert" performances at the ancient Herodes Atticus Theatre in Athens, Greece. The stadium was packed with fans and important guests.

The ancient Herodes Atticus Theatre, in Athens, Greece

In 2010, during Greece's financial crisis, Nana Mouskouri announced she would give up her pension to help her country recover. She said it was painful to see her country struggling.

In late 2011, Nana released two new CDs. One featured songs of the Greek Islands, and the other had duets with French singers. In November 2011, she sang at a concert in Berlin to celebrate the 50th anniversary of "The White Rose of Athens." She then toured Germany in 2012. At age 80, she began a three-year "Happy Birthday Tour." In 2018, she booked a five-month "Forever Young Tour" across Europe and North America.

In 2015, she received another Echo Music Prize for her lasting impact on music. Despite her "farewell tour," she still makes occasional TV appearances, especially in Germany.

Notable Achievements and Awards

Nana Mouskouri has achieved great success in music around the world.

• In the UK, her albums Passport (1976) and The Magic of Nana Mouskouri (1977) were certified Gold.
• In France, her albums Nana Mouskouri 1 (1987) and Master Serie Vo. 1 (1987) both received Gold certifications.
• In Germany, her album In New York the Girl from Greece Sings received 5× Gold. Several other albums also received Gold certifications.
• In the US, her album Only Love - The Best of Nana Mouskouri reached No. 141 on the Billboard 200 chart.
• In Canada, her album Je Chante Avec Toi Liberte was certified Platinum in 1985 for selling over 100,000 copies.
• In 2003, the Arion Greek Music Awards gave her a Lifetime Achievement Award.
• In 2015, the Echo Awards also honored her with a Lifetime Achievement Award.
• In 1992, Spin magazine noted that Nana Mouskouri sold two million records worldwide each year. They also said she had released about 800 albums in seven languages.
• In 1996, she received a special Platinum Europe Award. Her single "White Roses from Athens" sold over 1.5 million copies within six months of its release in 1961.

Images for kids

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  Nana Mouskouri with her first husband Georges Petsilas in the Netherlands in 1971

See also

• List of Greek musical artists
• List of multilingual bands and artists
• List of people from Crete