Eleni Foureira (Greek: Ελένη Φουρέιρα; born Entela Fureraj, Greek: Εντέλα Φουρεράι; 7 March 1987) is an Albanian-born Greek singer. She began her music career in 2007 as a member of the Greek girl group Mystique, pursuing a solo career after the group disbanded in 2009. She has released five studio albums since.
Foureira signed a solo contract with Universal Music Greece and released her self-titled debut album in 2010. She later signed with Minos EMI, and went on to release her second and third studio albums Ti Poniro Mou Zitas and Anemos Agapis in 2012 and 2014, respectively. Both albums were well-received in Greece and Cyprus. Foureira left Minos EMI in 2015, and signed with Panik Records. Her fourth studio album Vasilissa was released in December 2017.
After being rejected several times in her efforts to represent Greece,[1] Foureira represented Cyprus in the Eurovision Song Contest 2018 with the song "Fuego". She was one of three ethnically Albanian competitors.[2] On 8 May 2018, she qualified from the first semi-final to the grand final, where she finished second with 436 points, thereby achieving Cyprus' best Eurovision result to date.
In 2019, Foureira released the EP Gypsy Woman, followed in 2020 by the release of singles "Yayo", "Temperatura" and "Light It Up". In 2021, she hosted the Greek talent show House of Fame - La Academia at Skai TV. Afterwards, she collaborated with Greek rapper MadClip on the song "Mporei", which became one of the biggest hits of the year in Greece. The song "Aeraki (To Thiliko)" followed with similar success. On 3 June 2022, she released her fifth studio album, called Poli_Ploki; in 2024, the deluxe edition of it was released.
Early life
Eleni Foureira was born Entela Fureraj on 7 March 1987 in Fier, then part of the People's Socialist Republic, present Albania.[3] Her mother is a seamstress, while her father works in construction.[4] She has three siblings: Ioanna, Margarita, and Giorgos. Foureira grew up in the Eastern Orthodox faith, and has a grandfather who was from Greece.[5] When she was four years old, the family moved to the city of Vlorë, and later moved to Greece due to the 1997 Albanian civil unrest.[5][6] While living in Albania, the family had electricity for only two hours a day, and left for Greece after their home was hit with bullets.[5] Upon arriving in Greece, Foureira and her family settled in Athens.[5]
Foureira began pursuing music at a young age, learning how to play the guitar and later working in a theatre for three years.[7]
Career
2007–2009: Early career and Mystique
Foureira began her music career as a member of the girl group Mystique. She was discovered by Andreas Giatrakos, and the group also consisted of Alkmini Chatzigianni and Maria Makri.[8] They released their debut single "Se alli selida" in 2007, and later achieved success with the single "Min kaneis pos de thymasai" featuring Greek hip hop group NEVMA the following year. They broke up in 2009.
Foureira performing live in 2013.
2010–2018: Pursuit of a solo career
After Mystique broke up, Foureira signed a solo contract with Universal Music Greece, the same label as Mystique. She appeared on the charity program Just the Two of Us, hosted by Mega Channel. She tied for first place along with singer Panagiotis Petrakis.[9] Foureira released her self-titled debut studio album in December 2010.[10] Afterwards, she signed with Minos EMI. Her second album Ti Poniro Mou Zitas was released in 2012, while her third Anemos agapis was released in 2014. From 2015 to 2016, she starred as Sofia in the musical Barbarella: the 80's Musical in Athens, alongside other Greek pop stars such as Ivi Adamou and Katy Garbi.[11][12][13][14] Following the release of Anemos agapis, she left Minos EMI and signed with Panik Records. She was a judge on season three of the Greek version of So You Think You Can Dance. Her fourth studio album Vasilissa was released in 2017.[15]
In February 2018, it was confirmed that Foureira would represent Cyprus in the Eurovision Song Contest 2018 with the song "Fuego".[24] The song was composed by Greek-Swedish songwriter Alex Papaconstantinou.[25][26] Foureira was seen as one of three ethnic Albanians competing that year, each of them representing different countries. Foureira posed with Albanian contestant Eugent Bushpepa, making the crossed hands gesture denoting the double eagle of the Flag of Albania. In response, nationalist Greeks spoke out against Foureira, saying she should be removed from the contest, but Cyprus continued to support her.[2] On 8 May 2018, she qualified from the first semi-final to the grand final.[27][28] In the final held on 12 May 2018, she finished as the runner-up to winner Netta from Israel, having received the fifth most votes from the international juries and the second most votes from the public televoting process; this marked Cyprus' best Eurovision placement in history.[29][30]
2018–present: Post-Eurovision success
Shortly after Eurovision 2018, Eleni signed a record deal with Sony Music.[31] By doing so, she became only the second Greek artist to sign an international deal with a major record label after Helena Paparizou (who won the Eurovision Song Contest 2005).[32][33] In late June, she released her Greek single "Caramela", which topped the Digital Single Chart. In mid-October, she released the non-album single "Tómame", which was also number one hit.[34] Towards the end of the year, it was announced that "Fuego" has been certified platinum in Spain,[35] and gold in Norway and Sweden, becoming Eleni's first song to achieve this.[36][37]
On 17 May 2019, Eleni released her first international project, an extended play titled Gypsy Woman (EP), which includes the song "El Ritmo Psicodelico" as the lead single.[38] To further promote her studio project, she embarked on a European tour in various cities in Greece, Spain, and the United Kingdom.[39][40] Around the same time, during the Host Broadcaster press conference of the Eurovision Song Contest 2019, Foureira was announced as one of the four artists from previous contests that will perform as an interval act in the final, where she performed the 2007 runner-upVerka Serduchka's song "Dancing Lasha Tumbai".[41] Throughout the rest of the year, she mostly took part in collaborations with artists such as Kaan and Snoop Dogg,[42][43] and Claydee.[44][45] In March 2020, she released the electropop and R&B single Yayo.[46][47][48] In June, she released a Greek single "Temperatura", which was later accompanied with a Spanish version.[49][50]
In December 2019, she performed as a surprise guest at Festivali i Këngës 58, the Albanian national selection contest for Eurovision, held in Tirana, Albania. After performing a medley of her own songs and international hits, she sang a few Albanian folk songs alongside TV presenter Alketa Vejsiu, accompanied with a monologue in the Albanian language on her Albanian roots, since she moved from Albania during her childhood.[51]
Towards the end of 2020, Eleni Foureira released two dance-pop, electropop, nu-disco, and synth-pop records "Light It Up" (in October)[52][53][54] and "Dokimase Me" (in December), both of which contain 1980s and retrofuturism tropes.[55][56] Around the same time, during a live stream on her official Instagram account, the singer revealed that her forthcoming second extended play, entitled Light It Up, is set for release in early 2021.[57] In May 2021 she released a song with Greek rapper MadClip, titled "Mporei",[58] which was awarded as the best duet at Super Music Awards
Eleni Foureira as Eurovision Song Contest 2024 opening act
In May 2022, she collaborated on "Mono Esy Kai Ego" with Greek singer Konstantinos Argiros. On 3 June 2022, Foureira released her fifth studio album, Poli Ploki, preceded by the singles "Mporei" and "Aeraki (To Thiliko)".[59]
Starting on 27 May 2023, Foureira embarked on the "Reborn Tour", which took place in stadiums and major theaters in Greece, Cyprus and abroad.[60] On April 16 of the same year, she announced via Instagram that the deluxe version of the album had achieved diamond certification.[61] This made her the first female Greek artist to have a diamond album in the region.[62] A special evening was prepared for the new record with the participation of CEO of Panik Records, Giorgos Arsenakos, who delivered the diamond plaque to Foureira that night.[63][64] She was featured in APON's song, "Gdysou", which was released on 18 November 2023.[65] The music video to "Gydsou" premiered on 17 January 2024.[66]
On 7 May 2024, she performed as one of the opening acts, alongside Chanel Terrero and Eric Saade, in the first semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2024.[67] After her performance in Eurovision 2024, she started to tease her new single "Aeroplano",[68] which was produced by Beyond and released on 24 May 2024.[69] On 21 June, the remix with rapper Fy was released. She performed this remix along with her next single, "Aristourgima", at the MAD Vmas, where Eleni Foureira won the awards for Best Performer and Best Duet (for "Gdysou" with Apon) on 19 June.[70] The music video for the remix was directed by Yannis Michelopoulos and released on 4 July.[71] The MAD Video Music Awards were televised on 7 July, the same night "Aristourgima" written by Arcade and Foxy Lee, was released.[72] In August, she was featured on the song "10'" on Saske' [el] album Get Loved or Die Tryin'.[73]
Personal life
Relationships
Since 2017, she has been in a relationship with Alberto Botía, a Spanish footballer who was playing in Greece for the team Olympiacos F.C. at the time.[74][75] On 13 November 2022, Foureira announced her pregnancy via her Instagram account.[76] She gave birth to a baby boy, whom they later baptized Ermis, on 7 February 2023.[77][78][79]
Origins
Since the beginning of her career, the Greek media have speculated on Foureira's ancestral origins. As a member of Mystique, she claimed to be Brazilian.[80] She later claimed that her father was from Athens and her mother from Ioannina, although she had some Mexican ancestry as well.[81][82] In 2018, Foureira confirmed that she became a Greek citizen through descent,[5] and also declared that her grandfather was Greek.[83]
In 2013, it was reported by the Greek media that Foureira was born in Albania and that her birth name was Entela Fureraj.[84] Foureira did not comment on the reports until 2014, when she confirmed them.[85] She claimed that she did not reveal her origin in order to be accepted in the music industry in Greece. She continued claiming she never understood the issue, since she always felt Greek and she has received only Greek education.[86] Andreas Giatrakos, who discovered Foureira and recruited her to join Mystique, later stated that he wanted Foureira to be proud of her origin and would not have rejected her if he knew she was born in Albania.[8]
During the Eurovision Song Contest 2018, Foureira made the Albanian patriotic eagle gesture in a photo with Albanian singer Eugent Bushpepa. The image went viral in Albania and Greece, being well-received in the former but causing controversy in the latter.[87]
^Ελένη Φουρέιρα: Ήρθα 8 ετών στην Ελλάδα από την Αλβανία. Newsbeast.gr (in Greek). 14 March 2016. Archived from the original on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 15 March 2018. Ο παππούς μου είναι Έλληνας, αισθάνομαι Ελληνίδα. Αν έβγαινα τότε και έλεγα πως είμαι Βόρειο- Ηπειρώτισσα πάλι θα με έκριναν. Είπα ότι γεννήθηκα στην Αλβανία και αυτό είναι όλο
_(cropped).jpg)
