Elpida Karayiannopoulou , is a Greek

Greeks

The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....

 singer who was one of the most successful singers in Greece and the Greek diaspora

Greek diaspora

The Greek diaspora, also known as Hellenic Diaspora or Diaspora of Hellenism, is a term used to refer to the communities of Greek people living outside the traditional Greek homelands, but more commonly in southeast Europe and Asia Minor...

 in the 1970s and 1980s.

Known professionally as just Elpida, she released 17 original albums in her 25-year recording history, and regularly topped fever chart

Record chart

A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....

s run by the Greek state broadcaster, Ellinikí Radiofonía Tileórasi

Elliniki Radiofonia Tileorasi

The Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation is the Greek state-owned public radio and television broadcasting corporation. It is a member of EBU.Since 70's ERT is part of the Eurovision Song Contest, organized by EBU...

 (ERT). Internationally, she was known for being a two-time entrant to the Eurovision Song Contest

Eurovision Song Contest

The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual competition held among active member countries of the European Broadcasting Union .Each member country submits a song to be performed on live television and then casts votes for the other countries' songs to determine the most popular song in the competition...

, representing Greece in 1979

Eurovision Song Contest 1979

The Eurovision Song Contest 1979 was the 24th Eurovision Song Contest and was held on 31 March 1979 in Jerusalem, Israel. The presenters were Daniel Pe'er and Yardena Arazi, and the event was staged at the International Convention Center. Representing Israel, Gali Atari and Milk and Honey were the...

 with the song "Sokrati

Sokrati

"Sokrati" was the Greek entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1979, performed in Greek by Elpida....

" which placed 8th and Cyprus in 1986

Eurovision Song Contest 1986

The Eurovision Song Contest 1986 was the 31st Eurovision Song Contest and was held on 3 May 1986 in the Grieg Hall in Bergen, Norway. It was the first occasion on which Norway played host to the contest...

 with "Tora Zo

Tora Zo

"Tora Zo" was the Cypriot entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1986, performed in Greek by Elpida....

" which came 20th (and last).

Early life

Elpida Karayiannopoulou was born in Spercheiada

Spercheiada

Spercheiada is a town and a former municipality in the western part of Phthiotis, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Makrakomi, of which it is the seat and a municipal unit...

, Greece

Greece

Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....

; at 14, she moved to Athens with her two older brothers to study. Upon finishing school, she wished to be an architect

Architect

An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...

, but instead began to study topography

Topography

Topography is the study of Earth's surface shape and features or those ofplanets, moons, and asteroids...

 while working at the same time.

Career

Elpida began her singing career in 1970 when she became the singer of an orchestra and subsequently recorded an album with them. In 1972, she participated in Thessaloniki Music Festival with the song "Den Ton Eida" (Δεν τον είδα, I didn't see him) and was introduced to the public. The same year she also recorded her first solo album, which was presented live with fellow singers George Dalaras

George Dalaras

George Dalaras , also possibly spelled as Yorgos or Giorgos Dalaras, is a Greek singer. He is of international fame and has recently been selected as a Goodwill Ambassador for the UN Refugee Agency. He was born in Nea Kokinia, Piraeus. His father was Loukas Daralas, a singer of rebetiko.-Early...

, Giannis Parios

Giannis Parios

- Biography :Yiannis Parios was born Ioannis Varthakouris on the island of Paros .- Discography :*Yiannis Parios *Ti theleis na kano *Anthropina kai kathimerina...

, Tolis Voskopoulos

Tolis Voskopoulos

Apostolos Voskopoulos is one of the legends of modern Greek music. He also starred in many films and played in the Theatre in Athens....

, Giorgos Marinos, Giannis Poulopoulos

Giannis Poulopoulos

Giannis Poulopoulos is a Greek singer-songwriter who had many prominent hits in the Greek music world during the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s...

, Haris Alexiou

Haris Alexiou

Haris Alexiou is a Greek singer. She is considered one of the most popular singers in Greece and has been commercially successful since the 1970s. She has worked with important Greek songwriters and composers, has performed at top musical theatres all over the world and has received several awards...

, and Grigoris Bithikotsis

Grigoris Bithikotsis

Grigoris Bithikotsis was a popular Greek folk singer/songwriter with a career spanning five decades.-Biography:...

. In 1973, ERT deemed Elpida the most popular singer in the country at that time.

Elpida went on to take part in 13 festivals similar to those of Thessaloniki including Tokyo

Tokyo

, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...

 in 1974 where she placed second and the winner of Viña del Mar Festival

Viña del Mar International Song Festival

The Viña del Mar International Song Festival is a music festival held annually during February since 1960 in Viña del Mar, Chile. It is considered the most important musical event in Latin America....

 in Chile

Chile

Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...

 in 1975 with the song "Pos Pes Mou Pos". She received various awards such as the "Reward of Interpretation" in Poland, and a reward for television in Bulgaria

Bulgaria

Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...

. She also made a lot of television appearances in Latin America

Latin America

Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages  – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...

, Spain

Spain

Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...

, Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

, Holland, the Scandinavia

Scandinavia

Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...

n Countries and made several television appearances in Israel

Israel

The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...

.

In 1979, Elpida was chosen to take part in the Eurovision Song Contest

Eurovision Song Contest

The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual competition held among active member countries of the European Broadcasting Union .Each member country submits a song to be performed on live television and then casts votes for the other countries' songs to determine the most popular song in the competition...

 to represent Greece. She sang the song "Sokrati

Sokrati

"Sokrati" was the Greek entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1979, performed in Greek by Elpida....

" (Σωκράτη, Socrates) and placed eighth, receiving 69 points from the 19 participating countries. She released an album in Israel which reached gold sales and in Portugal, which reached #6 in the local charts. Seven years later, she appeared at Eurovision once more, in 1986

Eurovision Song Contest 1986

The Eurovision Song Contest 1986 was the 31st Eurovision Song Contest and was held on 3 May 1986 in the Grieg Hall in Bergen, Norway. It was the first occasion on which Norway played host to the contest...

, but representing Cyprus. She sang "Tora Zo

Tora Zo

"Tora Zo" was the Cypriot entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1986, performed in Greek by Elpida....

" (Τώρα ζω, Now I Live), but with less success than in 1979, only garnering four points, and placing 20th (last).

1988 saw the release of the album Flas from which the song "Opos Se Thelo S'oneirevomai" became a radio hit. In 1994, her sixteenth studio album was released titled Mes Ti Nihta Hathika, with music by Thanasis Kargidis and Panos Falaras.

Personal life

Elpida married in 1979 and gave birth to her first child, a girl named Hera, in 1980. Her second child, Stephanos, was born in 1985 and led to her absence from the music industry for four years as she spent time with her family.

Discography

• 1972: Den Ton Eida
• 1973: Elpida
• 1975: Koita To Fos
• 1975: Epi Skinis
• 1976: Elpida
• 1978: Borei
• 1979: Sokrati
• 1979: Elpida
• 1979: Ta Oraiotera Tragoudia Mou (compilation)
• 1981: Me Tin Elpida
• 1983: Me Logia Apla
• 1987: Flas
• 1988: 16 Apo Ta Oraiotera Tragoudia (compilation)
• 1989: Ela na Paizoume
• 1990: Tragoudontas Tis Epohes, 10
• 1990: Selida 16
• 1992: To Palio Na Legetai
• 1994: Mes Sti Nihta Hathika
• 1994: "Zileia"/"Kameno Harti" (maxi single)
• 1995: To Lathos Kai To Pathos
• 1997: Me Tragoudia Kai Logia ta Oraiotera Mou, 1972-87 (compilation)