Nana (Yoanna) Muskuri is one of the most famous Greek singers, who later became a Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF and the European Parliament. In 2010 she was awarded the Silver Medal of the Parliamentary Fund for her contribution to the development and popularization of Greek culture.
Nana represented her country at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1968, and although she did not win a prize, her song became a hit in many countries. Nana was very loved in France, where the public recognized her as a superstar. Muskuri's last big stage performance took place in Athens, at the Odeon of Heradot Atticus in 2008.
Childhood and youth
Nana was born in Greece on the island of Crete in 1934, on October 13. A few years later, the family moved to Athens, where the girl's father began working as a projectionist. Their house stood next to a cinema, where, in addition to showing films, concerts were held on an open stage. The girl loved to listen to music and attend numerous performances that took place on this stage. Nana's mother was also very fond of music and singing and had a natural beautiful voice, but she did not become a professional singer. From childhood, she instilled in her two daughters a love of music and singing and hoped that they would be able to make a creative career.
Nana and her sister took private lessons in singing and music for some time, but for a long time the family could not pay for the girls' education, so they had to start making music on their own. One of the teachers was impressed by Nana's talent and her voice and offered to give her vocal lessons for free.
In addition to her singing lessons, Nana studied at the Conservatory in Athens. There she mastered many musical directions and singing in different genres. Her teachers were categorically against the girl singing something else besides opera, classical parts, and Nana had to secretly learn jazz, blues and modern music from them.
Creative way
Her first performances took place in a small Greek club, where the famous composer Mimis Plessas drew attention to the singer, who later wrote several solo compositions for Muskuri. With them, she took part in a song festival held in Greece in 1959. For her performance, Nana receives the main prize and from that moment her popularity begins to grow rapidly.
In the future, Nana's creative biography was replenished with cooperation with one of the most famous authors of popular music in Greece - Manos Hadjidakis and Nikos Gatsos. They wrote several hits for the singer, with which she toured the whole world on a tour.
At the Barcelona Festival, Nana wins first prize for one of her popular songs and worldwide recognition. In 1961 she participated in the Berlin Film Festival, where she again won first prize for songs performed in the film "Greece Land of Dreams".
After the success at the festival, Nana begins to study foreign languages in order to present her songs in the language of the country where she is performing. Within a few months, she signed a contract with a French recording company and gave concerts in France. During the late 1960s and early 1970s, Nana was recognized as the best singer in France by music critics and the public. In 1962, Nana performed with Michel Legrand, performing the song "The Umbrellas of Cherbourg".
Soon she was invited to create an album in the USA, where the musician, orchestra leader and producer Quincy Jones became interested in her work. Together with him, she records songs especially for the American public.
A few years later, Muskuri performs at Eurovision, representing his native Greece. She did not manage to win a prize there, but the audience fell in love with the singer very much for her beautiful performance and magnificent voice.
During her creative biography, Nana has performed more than one and a half thousand songs, and her discs have sold 300 million copies.
Personal life
The singer's first husband is Yorgos Petsilas, with whom Nana has lived for more than 10 years. In the marriage, the couple had two children.
The second husband was Andre Chapelle, with whom the singer lives happily to this day in Switzerland.
