Eleni Foureira

Eleni Foureira is a Greek pop singer and dancer known for her soaring, passionate vocals and thunderous electropop songs. She was born in the Albanian city of Fier in 1987 and then moved to Greece with her family during her early childhood due to civil conflict in her home country. Foureira was raised in Athens, where she developed an interest in music and the arts. She learned how to play guitar while at school, and later worked at a theater during her teens. She began her music career at the age of 20 when she joined the Greek pop/dance trio Mystique with fellow performers Alkmini Chatzigianni and Maria Makri. They made their debut in 2007 with the single “Se Alli Selida.” The track was featured on their only album, Μazi, released in 2008 via Universal. The record also included the follow-up single “Min Kaneis Pos de Thymasai,” which featured a guest performance from Greek hip-hop outfit NEVMA. Mystique disbanded in 2009, and Foureira went on to develop a solo career with Universal and put out her eponymous debut LP in 2010. She then signed with the Athens-based Minos EMI and put out her sophomore effort, Ti Poniro Mou Zitas, in 2012. She remained with the label for the release of her third outing, 2014′s Anemos Agapis. Taking a break from music for a couple years, she kept busy artistically by performing in the musical show Barbarella: The 80s Musical in Athens from 2015 to 2016. Eleni then returned to music, departing from Minos EMI and signing with Panik Entertainment Group. The label put out her fourth record, Vassilissa, in 2017. Having made several prior attempts to represent Greece in the annual Eurovision Song Contest, Foureira was ultimately selected to represent Cyprus in the 2018 contest. Her entry was the single “Fuego” and took her from the semifinal to the grand final, where she finished second out of 26. ~ Rob Wacey