Elina Konstantopoulou
Encyclopedia
Maria-Elpida Konstantopoulou (born 11 November 1970) is a Greek singer, probably best known for representing Greece
in the Eurovision Song Contest 1995
.
and studied music and singing in the National Conservatory of Athens. Right after that she started to work as a professional singer at night clubs.
In 1993 she was introduced to Nikos Terzis, who was at the time a young and fresh yet successful composer. They started to work together and Nikos composed 3 songs for her. She immediately signed for a music contract and her first album was out to the stores in 1994. Though a rookie, Elina had the summer hit of Greece in that year. Her song Otan to tilefono htipisei (When the phone rings) was a success.
In 1995 she and Terzis co operated once more. This time they tried and eventually succedeed in representing Greece in the Eurovision Song Contest. The song's title was Pia Prosefhi
(What kind of prayer) and the video clip was shot in Meteora
and was directed by Dafne Tzaferi. The song had a Greek sound and Elina was quite popular during the preparations of the final night in Dublin. She gave a good performance on stage but she did not make it to the top ten. She was awarded 68 points (her top scores included 12pts from Cyprus
and 10pts from Israel
) and she was 12th out of 23 participants. In the summer of 1995, she had her second album - the music to all 12 tracks was composed by Terzis.
She continued to sing and record albums throughout 1990s and in 1997 she had a guest appearance in the Greek series Dio Xenoi and in 1999 she got married. Two years later she had a new single and in 2002 she once again tried to represent Greece in the ESC
. This time she wasn't alone on stage. She was accompanied by the young Cypriot singer Marion Georgiou. Their song, Beautiful Life was among the ten finalists, but it didn't make it to the first five and didn't compete to the final round.
Her relationship with the Eurovision Song Contest didn't stop there. In 2005, she replaced Elena Patroklou and she accompanied Constantinos Christoforou
on stage in Kiev
. Dressed in white she was once more fresh and exotic, but the Cypriot entry was a flop and ranked 18th.
In 2010, she released an album under the title Xekina, which contains Greek covers of songs of Thalía and Cristian Castro.
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
in the Eurovision Song Contest 1995
Eurovision Song Contest 1995
The Eurovision Song Contest 1995 was the 40th Eurovision Song Contest and was held on 13 May 1995 in the Point Theatre in Dublin, Ireland. The presenter was Mary Kennedy. This contest broke the chain of victories that Ireland enjoyed in 1992, 1993, and 1994...
.
Biography
Konstantopoulou was born in AthensAthens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
and studied music and singing in the National Conservatory of Athens. Right after that she started to work as a professional singer at night clubs.
In 1993 she was introduced to Nikos Terzis, who was at the time a young and fresh yet successful composer. They started to work together and Nikos composed 3 songs for her. She immediately signed for a music contract and her first album was out to the stores in 1994. Though a rookie, Elina had the summer hit of Greece in that year. Her song Otan to tilefono htipisei (When the phone rings) was a success.
In 1995 she and Terzis co operated once more. This time they tried and eventually succedeed in representing Greece in the Eurovision Song Contest. The song's title was Pia Prosefhi
Pia Prosefhi
"Pia Prosefhi" was the Greek entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1995, performed in Greek by Elina Konstantopoulou....
(What kind of prayer) and the video clip was shot in Meteora
Meteora
The Metéora is one of the largest and most important complexes of Eastern Orthodox monasteries in Greece, second only to Mount Athos. The six monasteries are built on natural sandstone rock pillars, at the northwestern edge of the Plain of Thessaly near the Pineios river and Pindus Mountains, in...
and was directed by Dafne Tzaferi. The song had a Greek sound and Elina was quite popular during the preparations of the final night in Dublin. She gave a good performance on stage but she did not make it to the top ten. She was awarded 68 points (her top scores included 12pts from Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
and 10pts from Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
) and she was 12th out of 23 participants. In the summer of 1995, she had her second album - the music to all 12 tracks was composed by Terzis.
She continued to sing and record albums throughout 1990s and in 1997 she had a guest appearance in the Greek series Dio Xenoi and in 1999 she got married. Two years later she had a new single and in 2002 she once again tried to represent Greece in the ESC
ESC
-As an abbreviation:* Ecole Supérieure de Commerce, a business school in the French system of "Grandes Ecoles"* Edison State College* Edmonton Ski Club* Electronic stability control* Electronic Systems Center* Electronic speed control...
. This time she wasn't alone on stage. She was accompanied by the young Cypriot singer Marion Georgiou. Their song, Beautiful Life was among the ten finalists, but it didn't make it to the first five and didn't compete to the final round.
Her relationship with the Eurovision Song Contest didn't stop there. In 2005, she replaced Elena Patroklou and she accompanied Constantinos Christoforou
Constantinos Christoforou
Constantinos Christoforou, Greek: Κωνσταντίνος Χριστοφόρου , is a very famous Cypriot singer. He has sung for Cyprus at the Eurovision Song Contest on three occasions, in 1996, 2002 and 2005.-The Years In Cyprus:...
on stage in Kiev
Kiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
. Dressed in white she was once more fresh and exotic, but the Cypriot entry was a flop and ranked 18th.
In 2010, she released an album under the title Xekina, which contains Greek covers of songs of Thalía and Cristian Castro.
Discography
| Year | Title | Certification |
|---|---|---|
| 1993 | San Paramithi | - |
| 1995 | Ti Zoi Mou Litrono | - |
| 1997 | Akouse Me | - |
| 1998 | Enstikto | - |
| 1999 | Tha Allaxo Dedomena | - |
| 2001 | Aftos o Polemos/cd single | - |
| 2010 | Xekina | |