Singer Rena Koumioti, famous for the classic hit ‘Stamatise tou Rologiou tous Deiktes’ (stop the clock’s hands) has passed away as announced by the people who manage her Facebook account.

“Rena Koumioti is no longer with us. She ‘passed away’ today at dawn on Monday, 3 April, 2023 after two months of a personal battle for life. But the great performer will always live among us with her songs. Those of us who had the greatest honour of experiencing her in person got to know her ethos, her soul, her modesty and her dignity. A great lady ‘gone’ but she will always be here… The hands of the clock do not stop like that,” the post read.

Who was Rena Koumioti

Rena Koumioti was born on 3 May, 1948 in Nea Ionia, Attica. Her parents were refugees. Her father was a Smyrniot, her mother a Constantinopolite. In 1968 she worked at ‘Apanemia’ where Manolis Mitsias, who had just come down from Thessaloniki, also came. Not a month had passed since she started working in the shop and one night Lefteris Papadopoulos heard her and suggested that she sing with Yannis Poulopoulos on the album ‘The Road’ (O dromos) that they were preparing with Mimis Plessas.

Great collaborations

The first song she sang was ‘Give me your mouth’ (Dmose mou to Stoma Sou), next the well known ‘Swallow’ (Helidonaki) and then ‘First Time’ (Proti Fora). From ‘Apanemia’ she suddenly finds herself working with Yannis Poulopoulos, Stratos Dionysiou and Lefteris Mytilineos in ‘Kan-Kan’. The same year she performs at the ‘REX’ theatre in the acclaimed namesake play ‘Dromos’.

Her discography went on to include songs such as ‘Stop the clock hands’ and ‘Light up my new moon’ by Mimi Plessas, while she sang in the albums ‘Hours’ (Ores) and ‘Sea clover’ (Thalassini Trifilli) by Linos Kokotos. The following summer again worked with Poulopoulos on ‘Athinaia’.

Koumioti also appeared at the ‘Dilina’ venue for three seasons from 1970 and until 1972 with Grigoris Bithikotsis, Stamatis Kokotas, Christakis and George Zambetas.

In 1972, she collaborated with George Dalaras for a series of performances held at the Bournelis Theatre before becoming a main name at ‘Fantasia’ nightclub.

She had another sold-out collaboration with Poulopoulos in Plaka before returning to the stage of ‘Kan-Kan’ with Dionysiou and Zambetas.

In 1974 she went to work in Canada where she met and married her second husband.

In 1983 she returned to Greece and appeared again with Yannis Poulopoulos, Gina Spiliotopoulou and the Athenian company at the popular venue ‘Zygos’.

Koumioti made huge strides at the ‘Iliovasilemata’ live music venue with Zambetas and Mary Linda, later becoming a headliner at the then most popular spot ‘Asteria’ with Kokotas for two consecutive years.

In 1995 she collaborated with Mimis Plessas and since then she had only appeared in selective shows.