Gia (song)
Encyclopedia
"Gia" is a techno
/dance pop track recorded by Greek singer Despina Vandi
. It was originally released as the first single off her 2001 multi-platinum Greek album also of the same name. Vandi signed with Ultra Records
for the international release of the track, and in 2003 a CD single was made available in many markets, following by a 2004 US re-issued which included a new English language version.
"Gia" (A Greek meaning for the word "Hi") is best known for its blending of Arabian drums, Modern Laika, Eurodance
-influenced techno beats and bilingual lyrics. It is also the first foreign-language Dance recording to top the Billboard
Hot Dance Airplay
chart, where it peaked at number one in 2004.
"Gia" stayed on the charts of Billboard for 12 weeks and made Vandi one of the six artists that stayed so many weeks on the charts for 2004.
The track has also been mashed-up with another Vandi single, "Come Along Now
", which was released in 2004 as "Come Along Now Vs. Gia". It is featured on the Ministry of Sound
's "The Annual 2005".
According to the Greek "Chart Show" and IFPI, the song is in the third position in the Top 30 with the best songs of the most successful Greek artists during 2000-2009.
of the song was directed by Kostas Kapetanidis
and was set in a temple with Vandi and four male dancers and featured a young child. In 2003, a new video was made for the Greek-English release of the song, which was also directed by Kapetanidis and was shot in Morocco
.
Techno
Techno is a form of electronic dance music that emerged in Detroit, Michigan in the United States during the mid to late 1980s. The first recorded use of the word techno, in reference to a genre of music, was in 1988...
/dance pop track recorded by Greek singer Despina Vandi
Despina Vandi
Despina Malea , known by her stage name Despina Vandi , is a Greek singer. Born in Tübingen near Stuttgart, West Germany, Vandi's family returned to Kavala, Greece when she was six years old and she later enrolled at the University of Thessaloniki, but eventually dropped out to begin a career in...
. It was originally released as the first single off her 2001 multi-platinum Greek album also of the same name. Vandi signed with Ultra Records
Ultra Records
Ultra Records is an American independent electronic dance music record label. Ultra was formed in New York City in 1995 by former Polygram and Virgin Records executive Patrick Moxey, who is still currently the owner...
for the international release of the track, and in 2003 a CD single was made available in many markets, following by a 2004 US re-issued which included a new English language version.
"Gia" (A Greek meaning for the word "Hi") is best known for its blending of Arabian drums, Modern Laika, Eurodance
Eurodance
Eurodance is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in the late 1980s or early 1990s primarily in Europe. It combines many elements from House, Techno, Hi-NRG and especially Italo-Disco...
-influenced techno beats and bilingual lyrics. It is also the first foreign-language Dance recording to top the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Hot Dance Airplay
Hot Dance Airplay
Dance/Mix Show Airplay is a monitored electronic dance music radio chart that is featured weekly in Billboard magazine. The chart came about as a result of the small but influential impact of electronic dance music on the radio in the United States and the stations that program it...
chart, where it peaked at number one in 2004.
"Gia" stayed on the charts of Billboard for 12 weeks and made Vandi one of the six artists that stayed so many weeks on the charts for 2004.
The track has also been mashed-up with another Vandi single, "Come Along Now
Come Along Now
"Come Along Now" is a song by Greek singer Despina Vandi released by Heaven Music in 2004. In the spring of 2004, Phoebus teamed up with Coca-Cola to compose the tune that will accompany all of Coca-Cola’s activities in its Olympic Sponsorship agreement...
", which was released in 2004 as "Come Along Now Vs. Gia". It is featured on the Ministry of Sound
Ministry of Sound
Ministry of Sound London, commonly referred to as simply Ministry of Sound or MoS, is a nightclub based in London, United Kingdom and an associated record label. It was ranked fourth in the 2010 DJ Magazine top 100 clubs poll 2010. As well as the nightclub in London, there is another in Egypt and...
's "The Annual 2005".
According to the Greek "Chart Show" and IFPI, the song is in the third position in the Top 30 with the best songs of the most successful Greek artists during 2000-2009.
Music video
The original music videoMusic video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
of the song was directed by Kostas Kapetanidis
Kostas Kapetanidis
Konstantinos Kapetanidis, sometimes credited as Costas Kapetanidis, is a Greek music video director who is associated with the production company Anosi S.A...
and was set in a temple with Vandi and four male dancers and featured a young child. In 2003, a new video was made for the Greek-English release of the song, which was also directed by Kapetanidis and was shot in Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
.
Track listing
- US vinyl (12)
- Gia (DJ Gregory Remix)
- Gia (Milk & Sugar Remix)
- Gia (Bass Bumpers Extended Remix)
- Gia (Level K Remix)
- Greece & US CD single
- Gia (Bass Bumpers Radio Edit) - 3:00
- Gia (Original) - 4:09
- Gia (Milk & Sugar Radio Edit) - 3:19
- Gia (DJ Gregory Remix) - 7:59
- Everything I Dreamed - 3:18
- Gia (Video)
- US EP
- "Gia" (Radio Edit)
- "Gia" (Milk & Sugar Radio Edit)
- "Gia" (Original Mix)
- "Gia" (Extended Mix)
- "Gia" (Milk & Sugar Remix)
- "Gia" (DJ Gregory Remix)
- "Gia" (Level K Remix)
Release history
| Country | Release date | Format |
|---|---|---|
| Greece | ||
| Worldwide | ||
| United States | EP | |
| CD single |
Charts
| Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot Dance Radio Airplay | 1 |
| BBC Radio 1 | Record of the Week |
| UK Music Week The Upfront Club Top 40 | 1 |
| Dance Airplay of Australia | 1 |
| Dance Floor Charts (MTV) | 1 |
| Greece IFPI Top 50 Singles | 1 |
| Belgium Singles Top 50 (Wallonia) | 3 |
| Romania Airplay Singles Top 100 | 8 |
| US Billboard Hot Dance Singles Sales Hot Dance Singles Sales Hot Dance Singles Sales is a chart released weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States, established in 1985. It measures the sale of commercially released singles that deal with dance music and remixes... |
18 |
| Finland Top 20 Singles | 20 |
| Sweden Top 60 Singles | 25 |
| Australia Top 50 Singles | 35 |
| Germany Singles Top 100 | 36 |
| US Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play | 39 |
| Australia Club Charts | 41 |
| Belgium Singles Top 50 (Flanders) | 42 |
| Netherlands Singles Charts | 55 |
| Europe Official Top 100 Singles | 56 |
| UK Singles Top 75 | 63 |
| Switzerland Top 100 Singles | 73 |