Mihalis (album)
Encyclopedia
Mihalis is a studio album by Greek-Cypriot
singer Mihalis Hatzigiannis. Released in Germany
on August 13, 2010 on Universal Music Germany
via the label We Love Music, the album marks Hatzigiannis' first English-language album and eleventh overall studio album. The album contains twelve songs, along with a bonus song available exclusively on iTunes store
. Seven of the songs are English translations of his past Greek
hits. A pan-European release is planned throughout the fall.
, with a release in the United States
to follow. Plans later shifted, and in 2009 Hatzigiannis signed with Universal Music Germany
via We Love Music to launch his album from Germany, along with pan-European distribution via Universal Music Netherlands
, an international distribution arm of Universal Music Group
.
The album was mostly produced with Swedish-based Lionheart Music, an affiliate of Universal Music Sweden
, which collaborates with sister company, Universal Music Greece
, which is Hatzigiannis' native label.
In September 2009, Hatzigiannis released the first single from the album titled "More Than Beautiful" in Germany
. The single also premiered on radio stations in Greece through Love Radio on September 16, 2009. A two track CD-Single of "More Than Beautiful" was planned to be released on April 2, 2010, although it was later cancelled.
In July 2010, Hatzigiannis released "Everyone Dance", the English version of the Greek hit "Heria Psila" with English lyrics by Rea Garvey
of Reamonn
. Hatzigiannis had previously collaborated with Rea Garvey and Reamonn for a performance of the song Tonight
at the 2007 MAD Video Music Awards. A video for "Everyone Dance" was shot in the Aegean
, and released on July 19, 2010. On July 30, 2010, Hatzigannis released "Everyone Dance" as a two track CD-Single in Germany.
The single was followed up with the released of the full length album on August 13, 2010. The iTunes
release of the album also included an exclusive bonus song titled "Kiss on the Breeze".
"Everyone Dance"
called the album dull and outdated. She found that the album proves that there are still strong differences between what is considered current music across the nations of the EU. She went on to say, however, that since the album includes many of his past hits translated into English, it makes it difficult to bring them up to date. She also felt that some of the dance songs on the album could be compared to hits by Enrique Iglesias
from 2000. Die Welt
gave the album two out of five stars, questioning whether a singer could become an international star if launched from Germany. LetMeEntertainYou.de criticized the terribly placed touch of Greek instruments in some songs, saying that it seems Hatzigiannis wants to remind listeners of his origin in spite of the English lyrics. They further went on to state that although the album is primarily written and produced by Scandinavian songwriters, they still somehow seem already known. Despite these concerns, LetMeEntertainYou.de went on to say that Hatzigiannis' inescapable accent and love songs like "One in a Million" might charm women more. Further, they praised his voice, calling it strong, also stating that the album's attractive appearance and Hatzigiannis' "southern charm" makes the album stand out despite other releases on the German charts. Mbeat Magazine stated that Hatzigiannis seemed like he could keep up in the mainstream and international radio world.
. Hatzigiannis will be appearing on morning show "Morgenmagazin" on ARD
on August 20, 2010 as well as special morning show "Fernsehgarten" on ZDF
on August 22, 2010 for promotion of his album. The album was officially released in Greece and Cyprus on September 28, 2010.
Greek Cypriots
Greek Cypriots are the ethnic Greek population of Cyprus, forming the island's largest ethnolinguistic community at 77% of the population. Greek Cypriots are mostly members of the Church of Cyprus, an autocephalous Greek Orthodox Church within the wider communion of Orthodox Christianity...
singer Mihalis Hatzigiannis. Released in 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...
on August 13, 2010 on Universal Music Germany
Universal Music Group
Universal Music Group is an American music group, the largest of the "big four" record companies by its commanding market share and its multitude of global operations...
via the label We Love Music, the album marks Hatzigiannis' first English-language album and eleventh overall studio album. The album contains twelve songs, along with a bonus song available exclusively on iTunes store
ITunes Store
The iTunes Store is a software-based online digital media store operated by Apple. Opening as the iTunes Music Store on April 28, 2003, with over 200,000 items to purchase, it is, as of April 2008, the number-one music vendor in the United States...
. Seven of the songs are English translations of his past Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
hits. A pan-European release is planned throughout the fall.
Background
Hatzigiannis first revealed his intentions of releasing an English-language album in early 2007. Initial plans were for the album to include a few of his Greek hits translated into English, and to launch the album in the United KingdomUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, with a release in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
to follow. Plans later shifted, and in 2009 Hatzigiannis signed with Universal Music Germany
Universal Music Group
Universal Music Group is an American music group, the largest of the "big four" record companies by its commanding market share and its multitude of global operations...
via We Love Music to launch his album from Germany, along with pan-European distribution via Universal Music Netherlands
Universal Music Group
Universal Music Group is an American music group, the largest of the "big four" record companies by its commanding market share and its multitude of global operations...
, an international distribution arm of Universal Music Group
Universal Music Group
Universal Music Group is an American music group, the largest of the "big four" record companies by its commanding market share and its multitude of global operations...
.
The album was mostly produced with Swedish-based Lionheart Music, an affiliate of Universal Music Sweden
Universal Music Group
Universal Music Group is an American music group, the largest of the "big four" record companies by its commanding market share and its multitude of global operations...
, which collaborates with sister company, Universal Music Greece
Universal Music Group
Universal Music Group is an American music group, the largest of the "big four" record companies by its commanding market share and its multitude of global operations...
, which is Hatzigiannis' native label.
In September 2009, Hatzigiannis released the first single from the album titled "More Than Beautiful" in 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...
. The single also premiered on radio stations in Greece through Love Radio on September 16, 2009. A two track CD-Single of "More Than Beautiful" was planned to be released on April 2, 2010, although it was later cancelled.
In July 2010, Hatzigiannis released "Everyone Dance", the English version of the Greek hit "Heria Psila" with English lyrics by Rea Garvey
Rea Garvey
Raymond Michael "Rea" Garvey is an Irish singer-songwriter, guitarist and frontman of the German rock/pop band Reamonn....
of Reamonn
Reamonn
Reamonn is a German rock and pop band. They have recorded six albums.-History:In 1997, Rea Garvey left his band The Reckless Pedestrians and home town of Tralee, Ireland to go to Germany with not a lot of money and a demo CD in his pocket...
. Hatzigiannis had previously collaborated with Rea Garvey and Reamonn for a performance of the song Tonight
Tonight (Reamonn song)
"Tonight" is a pop song by the German band Reamonn. It was released on July 7, 2006 from their fifth studio album Wish.-Charts performance:...
at the 2007 MAD Video Music Awards. A video for "Everyone Dance" was shot in the Aegean
Aegean Sea
The Aegean Sea[p] is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea located between the southern Balkan and Anatolian peninsulas, i.e., between the mainlands of Greece and Turkey. In the north, it is connected to the Marmara Sea and Black Sea by the Dardanelles and Bosporus...
, and released on July 19, 2010. On July 30, 2010, Hatzigannis released "Everyone Dance" as a two track CD-Single in Germany.
The single was followed up with the released of the full length album on August 13, 2010. The iTunes
ITunes Store
The iTunes Store is a software-based online digital media store operated by Apple. Opening as the iTunes Music Store on April 28, 2003, with over 200,000 items to purchase, it is, as of April 2008, the number-one music vendor in the United States...
release of the album also included an exclusive bonus song titled "Kiss on the Breeze".
Track listing
Singles
"You're More Than Beautiful"- The first single from the album was "You're More Than Beautiful". The single was released in September 2009, while Love Radio also premiered the song in Greece on September 16, 2009. A two track CD-Single of "More Than Beautiful" was planned to be released on April 2, 2010, although it was cancelled.
"Everyone Dance"
- The second single from the album is "Everyone Dance", the English version of the Greek hit "Heria Psila" (Hands in the air) with English lyrics by Rea GarveyRea GarveyRaymond Michael "Rea" Garvey is an Irish singer-songwriter, guitarist and frontman of the German rock/pop band Reamonn....
of ReamonnReamonnReamonn is a German rock and pop band. They have recorded six albums.-History:In 1997, Rea Garvey left his band The Reckless Pedestrians and home town of Tralee, Ireland to go to Germany with not a lot of money and a demo CD in his pocket...
; it was released in July 2010. Hatzigiannis had previously collaborated with Rea Garvey and Reamonn in the English-Greek duet "Tonight-Simera" in mid-2007. A video for "Everyone Dance" was shot in the Aegean SeaAegean SeaThe Aegean Sea[p] is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea located between the southern Balkan and Anatolian peninsulas, i.e., between the mainlands of Greece and Turkey. In the north, it is connected to the Marmara Sea and Black Sea by the Dardanelles and Bosporus...
, and released on July 19, 2010. On July 30, 2010, Hatzigannis released "Everyone Dance" as a two track CD-Single in Germany. The song was also included on the compilation "Ballerman Hits 2010" which peaked at number 5 in Switzerland and number 4 in Austria. The song debut at number 95 on Germany's official Top 100 Singles ChartMedia Control ChartsThe official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie...
.
Reception
Critical reaction to Mihalis was mixed. Sabine Metzger of Monsters and CriticsMonsters and Critics
Monsters and Critics is a web-only entertainment/celebrity news and review publication with movie, DVD, video game, and music reviews, along with political commentary as well as coverage of world news, technology, sports, and science.- Background :...
called the album dull and outdated. She found that the album proves that there are still strong differences between what is considered current music across the nations of the EU. She went on to say, however, that since the album includes many of his past hits translated into English, it makes it difficult to bring them up to date. She also felt that some of the dance songs on the album could be compared to hits by Enrique Iglesias
Enrique Iglesias
Enrique Iglesias is a Spanish pop music singer, a son of singer Julio Iglesias.Enrique started his musical career on Mexican label Fonovisa...
from 2000. Die Welt
Die Welt
Die Welt is a German national daily newspaper published by the Axel Springer AG company.It was founded in Hamburg in 1946 by the British occupying forces, aiming to provide a "quality newspaper" modelled on The Times...
gave the album two out of five stars, questioning whether a singer could become an international star if launched from Germany. LetMeEntertainYou.de criticized the terribly placed touch of Greek instruments in some songs, saying that it seems Hatzigiannis wants to remind listeners of his origin in spite of the English lyrics. They further went on to state that although the album is primarily written and produced by Scandinavian songwriters, they still somehow seem already known. Despite these concerns, LetMeEntertainYou.de went on to say that Hatzigiannis' inescapable accent and love songs like "One in a Million" might charm women more. Further, they praised his voice, calling it strong, also stating that the album's attractive appearance and Hatzigiannis' "southern charm" makes the album stand out despite other releases on the German charts. Mbeat Magazine stated that Hatzigiannis seemed like he could keep up in the mainstream and international radio world.
Release and promotion
Prior to the album's release, Universal Music Germany released a promotional television trailer of Hatzigiannis, as well as launching a German-language website. Both the TV commercial and the website emphasized Hatzigiannis' Greek sales and platinum albums. An exclusive bonus song was also included with the purchase of the album from the iTunes music storeITunes Store
The iTunes Store is a software-based online digital media store operated by Apple. Opening as the iTunes Music Store on April 28, 2003, with over 200,000 items to purchase, it is, as of April 2008, the number-one music vendor in the United States...
. Hatzigiannis will be appearing on morning show "Morgenmagazin" on ARD
ARD (broadcaster)
ARD is a joint organization of Germany's regional public-service broadcasters...
on August 20, 2010 as well as special morning show "Fernsehgarten" on ZDF
ZDF
Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen , ZDF, is a public-service German television broadcaster based in Mainz . It is run as an independent non-profit institution, which was founded by the German federal states . The ZDF is financed by television licence fees called GEZ and advertising revenues...
on August 22, 2010 for promotion of his album. The album was officially released in Greece and Cyprus on September 28, 2010.
Release history
| Region | Date | Label | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| Austria Austria Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the... |
August 13, 2010 | Universal Music Universal Music Group Universal Music Group is an American music group, the largest of the "big four" record companies by its commanding market share and its multitude of global operations... |
CD Compact Disc The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,... , Digital download Music download A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment... |
| 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... |
Universal Music, We Love Music | ||
| Switzerland Switzerland Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition.... |
Universal Music | ||
| Greece Greece Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe.... |
Digital download | ||
| September 28, 2010 | CD | ||
| 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... |
CD |