Despina Vandi

Despina Vandi began her steps to stardom 10 years ago while studying psychology, philosophy and education at the Aristoteleio University of Thessaloniki. Her rapid ascent to fame started when she drew the attention of the famous Greek singer Vassilis Karras, who gave her the opportunity to perform with him every night at his club in Thessaloniki. Soon after she signed her first recording deal.

Her debut album 'Γέλα Μου' (Smile At Me) was released in 1994 under the Minos-EMI label. Her first moment in the spotlight came with her first hit single 'Αδιέξοδο' (No Way Out), a duet with Greek superstar Yiannis Parios. 'Εσένα Περιμένω' (It's You I’m Waiting For), her second album, was composed by Toni Kontaxaki and was a turning point for Despina as its success cemented her image as a pop icon. Featuring several songs which were to become hit singles, this steadily built her reputation and large fan base.

In December 1997, she teamed up with acclaimed Greek songwriter/producer Phoebus, in what was to prove a very successful partnership. The result was the release of her third studio album, 'Δέκα Εντολές' (Ten Commandments), which marked a defining moment in her musical development. In 1998, Despina collaborated with Phoebus again, achieving two hit singles to precede her fourth solo album, released in early 2000. Entitled 'Προφητείες' (Prophecies), the album achieved gold status on its first day of release and platinum status within a month. Despina's new single, 'Υποφέρω' (I Suffer), went six-times platinum (over 300,000 copies sold) and remains the biggest-selling single in Greece to date, as well as an international hit.

In the autumn of 2001, Despina and Phoebus signed with Heaven Music, a dynamic new record company, which is part of Greece's largest media group. Her 2001 album, 'Gia' (Hi), went quadruple-platinum in an astounding 11 days, and earned her a World Music Award as the World's Best-Selling Greek Artist of 2002 - the first Greek, actually living and working in Greece, to achieve that. By January 2003, the remix single 'Ante Gia' climbed the Greek charts as remarkably as its predecessors, as did its follow-up single, 'Opa-Opa'.