Νάνα Μούσχουρη

Nana Mouskouri (Νάνα Μούσχουρη) is legendary Greek singer. Her full name is Ioanna, and her real surname is Mouschouri, but for some reason, it’s always spelled with a "k" everywhere.

Nana Mouskouri was born in Crete in 1934 to an ordinary family. From childhood, she listened to Sinatra, Piaf, Fitzgerald, and others on the radio, sang along, and by the age of 12, she was already taking vocal lessons. Later, her parents sent both Nana and her sister Jenny to study at the Athens Conservatory. Since the parents couldn’t afford tuition for both daughters, they asked the teacher who should continue. His answer was - Jenny has the better voice, but Nana has an inner need to sing. It’s also written in the internet, that a medical examination revealed something unusual about Nana’s vocal cords, some sources claim they were asymmetrical, others that she had just one cord, which contributed to her unique voice.

In 1950, she enrolled in the conservatory, studying classical music with a focus on opera. But then, Nana Mouskouri fell in love with jazz, experiments with the genre, and performing in tavernas. Sure, it clashed with opera and was not the kind of thing encouraged at the conservatory. Eventually, she left, but she kept singing at the Athenian taverna "Τζάκι".

In 1958, Nana Mouskouri met Manos Hadjidakis at "Τζάκι". He saw her talent instantly and persistently offered to collaborate. Her voice and his music were a perfect match, as if made for each other. A year later, she performed "Κάπου υπάρχει η αγάπη μου" at the Greek Song Festival, won first place, and gained public recognition. By 1960, she was collecting awards again.

In 1961, Nana Mouskouri sang the breathtaking song The White Rose of Athens as the soundtrack for documentary film "Traumland der Sehnsucht" ("Dreamland of Longing"). The film was presented at the German film festival in Berlin, and the song became very popular. Nana performed it in German, a language she barely knew at the time, and her voice became the sound of that very dream. The melody, composed by Manos Hadjidakis, was based on a folk song. The White Rose of Athens was translated into seven languages, including Greek, sold millions, and remains one of her most recognizable tunes. Personally, this was the first song of hers I noticed, but I don’t love the German or Greek versions, she has higher and sweeter voice in English, though tastes differ! The Germans adored it so much they asked Nana to keep singing in German, sparking a trend of Greek songs with German lyrics. Hadjidakis, however, didn't like it. Hated.

In 1962, she went to New York and recorded a jazz album titled "The Girl From Greece Sings", the title that says it all. Then Nana moved to Paris, where she met Michel Legrand and recorded in French. She even represented Luxembourg at Eurovision 1963, placing 8th out of 16. And again recordings in different languages followed, along with concerts worldwide. By the end of 1987, she had performed in South Korea, Singapore, Thailand, and Hong Kong.

Throughout her career, Nana Mouskouri sang with everyone — from global stars like Julio Iglesias and Demis Roussos to Greek legends like Sakis Rouvas and Antonis Remos. In 2003 she was 69 in the video, and even in 2008 Nana admitted that while her voice had lost some freshness, she could still hit every note, high or low.
In 2006, Nana Mouskouri announced her retirement. From 2006 to 2008, she gave farewell concerts across Europe, Australia, South America, the U.S., and Canada, culminating in a final performance in 2008 at the theater beneath the Acropolis, where it all began.

Nana Mouskouri is one of the few Greek artists beloved not just in Greece but across all of Europe. She sang in multiple languages, first English (of course), then French, German, Italian, Spanish, Welsh, and even Hebrew, mastering each so flawlessly that she sang without an accent. No other artist has done the same. In over 50 years, she recorded 1,500+ songs, released countless albums, and her discography is endless.

For most, the name Nana Mouskouri brings two things to mind: that magical voice and her iconic glasses. So much so that people even write things like "Nana Mouskouri without glasses!", and let’s not forget Benny Hill’s parody of Nana Mouskouri. Back in 1959, everyone told her to ditch the glasses and go blonde, thank goodness she didn’t. She stayed true to herself and just kept singing.





Text author: Marina Boronina. The text may be used only with reference to this page or the author.