Singers Elena Papapanayiotou and Morfoula Iakovidou spoke to Neos Kosmos about their love for music since childhood, how they got to where they are today and their latest singles. Papapanayiotou and Iakovidou stunned audiences around Australia with their powerful voices whilst on World Tour with Nikos Oikonomopoulos.
The rising artists ended the World Tour in Melbourne bathed in the enthusiasm of the Greek-Australian audiences.
“It’s been very significant, the people here are very warm. They’ve been waiting for us for longer and the vibe we feel is beautiful,” said Papapanayiotou.
Their drive from a young age to follow their dreams has led them to success.
“Music has been in my life since I was very young. From kindergarten I wanted to sing and put on shows, then in primary school I liked to explore instruments. I played a little bit of the mandolin in choir, and I then started to learn to play the piano and guitar,” said Elena.
Iakovidou sang with her famous brother Petros Iakovidis as a child where she fell in love with music and found her family to have a strong music encouragement.
“From the day I realised who I was, I started singing. I don’t do anything else in my life. When I was little I liked to sing at home but I loved music and went to music school,” said Morfoula Iakovidou.
The two took different paths to get to their artistic careers. Papapanayiotou started to sing at nightclubs when she was just 17 years old and Iakovidou went on The Voice Greece in 2015 where they were both discovered by popular Greek singer Nikos Vertis.
The Voice played an important role in Elena’s life. “It was a time when we were all watching TV, so it was a really good medium to show who I am and sing and so on. It was really significant as it opened up other doors, and I slowly then had offers to sing in Greece,” and one of them was with Nikos Vertis.
“It was a dream to unite with Nikos Vertis, because now my dream has become a reality and I wish to continue to do so. It was my first cooperation with a major artist where I learnt a lot and was something that when I saw him at concerts I dreamt of being next to him at some point,” she said.
“After that I went to the other Niko, two years ago I was in the audience watching him and singing and then came the moment to collaborate with him and that’s what I mean when I say my dreams have come true.”
In 2019, Iakovidou also sang alongside Vertis at The Yton Music Show, a nightclub in Athens. “It was very beautiful, as it was my first job in Athens. All those years I worked in other cities in Greece and Thessaloniki. So when I got to Athens I was emotional when I sang with Nikos.”
Iakovidou has also toured with other big names including Konstantinos Argyros and of course Niko Oikonomopoulos. “What I got was magical but beyond that it’s beautiful because you get to learn the differences in the artists, you meet people everywhere and it’s great for us because the more we show ourselves the better, and we want to share everything that we do.”
Iakovidou has released three singles, her latest called Den Thelo Na Se Thelo on Panik Records and she will release her new tsifteteli single later this month titled Pali Pali.
Pali Pali is a “dance song and is about a man who doesn’t want me but ends up longing for me.”
She shares a special relationship with her brother, who helps write and create the music and lyrics she wants to share.
“I am lucky that I have him at home because he knows what song I want to write about and he writes exactly the songs that suit me. You know we sit at home and he tells me ‘listen to this that I wrote for you.’ He always creates music that I love.”
Papapanayiotou also has two singles released, her latest titled Den Yparhei Den Mporo inspired by the relevance of the phrase ‘there is no I can’t’ in her life.
The song is about finding a solution and working hard. “If you want to really find a solution, you have to try hard enough and a solution will always happen.”
“Each song of mine has its own story. Personally, I like to listen to the music more than just the lyrics, but of course if the verse does not inspire me then I won’t say it. I like songs that have pain. I like the ones that hurt, and are passionate, not he ‘πολύ happy'” she said.
Supporting Nikos Oikonomopoulos and other Greek artists on tour has given both singers the ability to share and expand their music and voices and will continue to make their dream a reality.
