Nana Mouskouri, is a global pop music icon, and one of the most recognizable and beloved singers of her generation (recognized by her signature black-rimmed glasses). Mouskouri is fluent in multiple languages (Greek, French, English, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese and others) which allowed her to sing in several languages and reach audiences all over Europe, the Americas, and even Asia.
During the span of her music career, she has released over 200 albums and singles in at least twelve different languages, including Greek, French, English, German, Dutch, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Hebrew, Welsh, Mandarin Chinese, and Corsican.
Nana Mouskouri was raised by a modest family on the island of Crete. Her family moved to Athens when Nana was 3 years old. Nana Mouskouri took singing lessons form a young age regularly, despite a flaw in her vocal cords. During the German occupation, her family no longer had the financial means to pay for her lessons but her teacher saw that she had a certain talent and continued to give her lessons free of charge. She was accepted to the Athens Conservatory, where she studied for eight years and familiarized herself with other styles of music such as jazz and blues.
She was invited to the Greek Song Festival in 1958 and landed many contracts. She received awards for Addio and Weisse Rosen aus Athen (The White Rose of Athens) at the BerlinBiennale in 1960. Since then her success has soared to international heights and she has sold millions albums.
“Everywhere I see stories about my country going bankrupt. And people are aggressive about it. It’s frightening.
And it’s painful for me. Nobody wants their country to be treated badly. It’s frustrating and very sad.”
Nana Mouskouri moved to Geneva in 1974. She was a European Deputy for Greece from 1994 to 1999 and she was also appointed as a UNICEF ambassador at the United Nation’s Children’s Fund with its European headquarters in Geneva.
Mouskouri is one of the best-selling recording artists of all time having released over 200 albums in over 12 different languages. She has sold in excess of 350 million albums worldwide and she is the biggest-selling female artist of all time.
