HELENA PAPARZOU

 

Helena Paparizou was born on 31 January 1982 in Boras, Vastergotland, Sweden in a Greek family. In 1985, the family moved back to Greece to live in Volos with relatives because Paparizou had contracted asthma and her lungs could not cope with the cold Scandinavian climate.After two years, she was well enough for the family to return to live in Gothenburg, Sweden. As a result of the trip to Greece, Paparizou spoke Greek as a first language and did not make friends with many Swedish children,because she attended a Greek-language school.

Paparizou performed for the first time in front of a Greek audience when she was eleven, singing Hristos Dantis’ “Moro Mou”. Two years later, Paparizou had decided she wanted to be a singer and began to study Greek music. By the age of fourteen, Paparizou had formed her first group, Soul Funkomatic with three Hispanic teenagers. They played hip hop music while saving money to record songs; they disbanded two years later.On 29 October 1998, thirteen of Paparizou’s close friends died in the Gothenburg nightclub fire during a hip hop party, when sixty-three people died and more than two hundred were injured. She had begged her mother to let her go to the party, but was not allowed to attend. After losing her friends, Paparizou decided to abandon singing. She started classes at the Art Performing School where she studied theater, acting, television and directing.

In 1999, some DJ friends of Paparizou’s brother asked Paparizou to make a demo of the Notis Sfakianakis hit “Opa Opa”, but because the lyrics are written from a male point of view, Paparizou wanted to sing with her childhood friend Nikos Panagiotidis. Some record producers, who were interested in signing a male/female duo to sing covers of traditional Greek songs, contacted Paparizou, who suggested Panagiotidis. The pair formed Antique, and signed to the independent label Bonnier Music. They called themselves “Antique” because it gave the impression of being “classical” and “timeless”, and connoted Paparizou’s association of Greek music with the idea of it being distant, old-fashioned, and something of an acquired taste. Their debut single “Opa Opa” became a hit in Sweden and Norway, eventually entering the top ten in both countries, making “Antique” the first act to reach the Swedish top five with a song sung in Greek. Their later singles “Dinata Dinata”, “Follow Me” and “Moro Mou” also charted in Sweden.

Although relatively unknown in Greece in 2001, the duo entered the Greek national final of the Eurovision Song Contest with the song “(I Would) Die for You”, composed by Nikos Terzis with lyrics by Antonis Pappas. They won joint first place, but as Antique had also won the public vote were declared the overall winners and went to the 2001 Eurovision Song Contest in Copenhagen. Their song won third place with 147 points; the highest Greek Eurovision placing ever. It became their biggest hit in Greece, reaching Platinum status, peaking at number three in Sweden and charting elsewhere. Antique’s Eurovision success led to wider recognition in Greece. They recorded four studio albums—which were only mildly successful—performed a small European and North American tour and collaborated with artists including Keti Garbi and Slavi Trifonov. Paparizou and Panagiotidis then decided to pursue solo careers. Initially, critics of the split accused Paparizou of abandoning her friend for her own career interests. Paparizou said the split was not permanent, but was a mutual decision to try other things, with plans of a reunion in mind.

In late 2003, Paparizou signed a solo recording contract with Sony Music and released her debut single “Anapandites Kliseis”,as a double A-side with “Treli Kardia”. The release reached number one on the Greek Top 50 Singles Chart and was certified Gold by IFPI Greece. From late 2003, Paparizou was the opening act for various artists across Greece, including Antonis Remos and Giannis Spanos, Apostolia Zoi, Nino, Thanos Petrelis, Sakis Rouvas and Giorgos Mazonakis. Later in 2004, the video of “Anapandites Kliseis” won her a MAD Video Music Award for Best Dance Video, and was nominated for Best Video by a New Artist. At the award ceremony, Paparizou sang a duet of the song with its composer Hristos Dantis.

On 27 June 2004, Paparizou released her debut solo album Protereotita, from which the tracks “Anditheseis”, “Katse Kala” and “Stin Kardia Mou Mono Thlipsi” were released as singles. It received mixed reviews from critics. The album earned Paparizou her first Arion Award for Best Female Pop Singer, and the videos for “Katse Kala” and “Treli Kardia” won her MAD Awards for Best Female Video and Best Direction, respectively.

Paparizou moved permanently to Greece in 2004, and after a long selection process led by national broadcaster Hellenic Radio and Television (ERT), she was selected to represent Greece in the Eurovision Song Contest 2005 held in Kiev, Ukraine. ERT originally considered Paparizou as a possible back-up singer for a high-profile artist, but those deals fell through. She said at the time that no-one had wanted her to participate in Eurovision. The song “My Number One”, composed by Dantis with lyrics by him and Natalia Germanou, was chosen by the jury vote and telephone vote in the Greek national final.

 

Although her first name is “Elena”, Paparizou promoted herself as “Helena” in the lead up to her Eurovision appearance to distinguish herself from popular names in other countries. She continues to call herself Helena on all non-Greek promotions and releases, although she prefers to be known as “Elena”. Paparizou toured Europe to promote her Eurovision entry. During this time, she was appointed a Greek Ministry of Tourism ambassador by Dimitris Avramopoulos, the Minister of Tourism. He spent €500,000 in her campaign to promote Greece through merchandise and advertisements that aired throughout Europe.

On 21 May 2005, Paparizou won the Eurovision Song Contest; the first Greek win in its history. Her performance scored 230 points and the maximum 12 points from ten nations. Her performance was also responsible for the highest viewing ratings in Greek television history. Her win provoked mass celebrations on the streets of Athens, and on her return home she was congratulated at a State reception at the Maximos Mansion by the Minister of State Theodoros Roussopoulos, Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis and various government officials. Paparizou’s Eurovision victory transformed her from a relatively minor celebrity to a notable music act, cementing her solo career and giving her wide international exposure. On 14 July she performed at the birthday gala of Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden. While ascending the stage to greet the royal family, King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden stood to embrace Paparizou instead of offering a handshake, causing controversy for putting his hand lower on her back than is socially acceptable. The Royal Court later issued a statement saying that his hand had slipped.

Paparizou toured Europe, performing in all the countries that gave her 12 points. A tour with Nikos Kourkoulis to the Greek diaspora in North America and Australia, followed. Paparizou stated that if she considered doing anything Eurovision-oriented again it be for her birth country Sweden, since she already had her turn with Greece. After performing as an opening act on numerous occasions, Paparizou headlined at Fever for the 2005–06 season, supported by Christos Pazis and with Giorgos Tsalikis.

After Paparizou’s Eurovision win and several reissues, the album certified double Platinum by IFPI Greece.[citation needed] To capitalise on this success, it was reissued as Protereotita: Euro Edition in single and double disc format, and released as a compilation in some European countries as My Number One, which peaked at number 13 in Sweden. The Euro Edition became Paparizou’s first album to reach number one and earned her another Arion award for Best Female Pop Singer. The tracks “My Number One”, “The Light in Our Soul” and “A Brighter Day” were released as singles, which peaked at number one, three and twenty-four respectively in Sweden, and were minor hits in other countries as well. “My Number One” was released in the United States by Moda Records with remixes in August 2006, peaking at number eight on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart. “My Number One” was certified Platinum, and becoming her first number-one airplay hit, while “The Light in Our Soul”/”To Fos Sti Psyhi” peaked at two.

In November 2005, Paparizou released a new CD single “Mambo!”, which peaked at number one on the Greek Singles Chart for 10 weeks and the airplay charts, and gained Platinum status. It is her most successful single to date and was the second highest-selling single of 2005, surpassing “My Number One”. She performed “My Number One” at the MAD VMAs in 2005, and in 2006 won awards for Best Pop Video (“The Light in Our Soul”), Best Video by a Female Artist (“My Number One”), and Artist of the Year (“Mambo!”).[citation needed] The album was reissued for a third time as Protereotita: Euro Edition + Mambo! in November.[citation needed] Paparizou won the European Border Breakers Award at the Midem Festival in Cannes for the international editions of her debut album in 2007.

 

After Paparizou’s Eurovision win and several reissues, the album certified double Platinum by IFPI Greece.[citation needed] To capitalise on this success, it was reissued as Protereotita: Euro Edition in single and double disc format, and released as a compilation in some European countries as My Number One, which peaked at number 13 in Sweden.[45] The Euro Edition became Paparizou’s first album to reach number one and earned her another Arion award for Best Female Pop Singer. The tracks “My Number One”, “The Light in Our Soul” and “A Brighter Day” were released as singles, which peaked at number one, three and twenty-four respectively in Sweden, and were minor hits in other countries as well.[46] “My Number One” was released in the United States by Moda Records with remixes in August 2006, peaking at number eight on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart. “My Number One” was certified Platinum, and becoming her first number-one airplay hit, while “The Light in Our Soul”/”To Fos Sti Psyhi” peaked at two.

In November 2005, Paparizou released a new CD single “Mambo!”, which peaked at number one on the Greek Singles Chart for 10 weeks and the airplay charts, and gained Platinum status. It is her most successful single to date and was the second highest-selling single of 2005, surpassing “My Number One”. She performed “My Number One” at the MAD VMAs in 2005, and in 2006 won awards for Best Pop Video (“The Light in Our Soul”), Best Video by a Female Artist (“My Number One”), and Artist of the Year (“Mambo!”).[citation needed] The album was reissued for a third time as Protereotita: Euro Edition + Mambo! in November.[citation needed] Paparizou won the European Border Breakers Award at the Midem Festival in Cannes for the international editions of her debut album in 2007.

In January 2006, 25 artists including Paparizou formed the group Simmeteho Energa, and recorded a charity single “Eho Ti Dinami” in support of the Greek Cancer Society. It was released as a CD single. The two-disc album contained previously released material and live recordings from her MAD Secret Concert held in December 2005, and formed the first edition of the series.

On 12 April, Paparizou released her second album, Iparhi Logos in Greece where it had a good critical reception.[citation needed] While promoting the album, Paparizou performed the title track at the Arion Music Awards.[50] The album included three hit singles; “Iparhi Logos”, “Gigolo” and “An Ihes Erthi Pio Noris”. It topped the Greek Albums Chart for a number of weeks and was certified platinum by IFPI Greece after seven months, with shipments of 30,000 copies. It also reached number one in Cyprus and was certified Platinum there, with shipments of 6,000 copies. A cover of Celine Dion’s “Just Walk Away” was released as a promo single, with the Greek version of “Mambo!” included. Paparizou won MAD VMAs for Best Video by a Female Artist (“Gigolo”) and Best-Dressed Artist in a Video (“An Ihes Erthi Pio Noris”), from five nominations and opened the show singing “Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In” and “Min Fevgeis”.

The album was also nominated for two Cyprus Music Awards in 2007, where she also performed. The album was reissued in February 2007 as Iparhi Logos: Platinum Edition to include Paparizou’s number one hit “Mazi Sou”, one of two songs she sang for the soundtrack of the television series of the same name, “Fos” from the Barbie kai I Dodeka Vasilopoules soundtrack released in 2006, and her newest hit single, a cover of Voula Georgouti’s rebetiko “Min Fevgeis”, which reached number two. Prior to the reissue, the singles were also released on the EP single Fos, which reached number one on the Greek Top 50 Singles Chart and was certified Gold, making it her fourth consecutive number-one hit on that chart. On 20 May 2006, Paparizou opened the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 in Athens with “My Number One” and later performed “Mambo!”, but ERT ran commercials during the performance so a number of countries missed the song. Paparizou’s song “Heroes” was the official song of, and performed at the 2006 European Athletics Championships in Gothenburg. The single was released in Sweden and Finland, becoming her second number-one hit in the former.

Following Eurovision, Paparizou wanted to start an international career, Her debut English-language album The Game of Love was released on 25 October 2006. By April 2007, it had been released in 14 countries in Europe and in South Africa. In Greece and Cyprus, the album peaked at number one and received Platinum certifications.[citation needed] Because it was considered a “foreign” release, the album was only eligible to chart on the Greek Foreign Albums Chart, which it topped. It also topped the mixed Greek Albums Chart, and was certified platinum by IFPI Greece after 11 weeks on the chart in January 2007, with shipments of 15,000 copies. “Teardrops” was released as the first Greek single from the album, and peaked at number one in Greece. The album managed to peak at #18 in Sweden too. “Mambo!” charted in Sweden, peaked at number 5, helped by a new video that was targeted towards a broader audience. The single was certified Gold in Sweden. Although Paparizou was expected to promote the album abroad that winter, she chose to perform alongside Paschalis Terzis at Iera Odos from 27 October.

In early 2007, Paparizou became the spokesperson for her previous sponsor, Nokia Greece, and released the song “Ola Einai Mousiki” in October 2007 for promotion. She collaborated with retailer Plaisio and released a limited edition MP4 player called “MP4 Total Helena” by Turbo-X, which contained a special compilation and music videos, which were also released as “TH4” MP4 in 2008 along with her new album material and exclusive content.She released a cover of Blind Melon’s “3 Is a Magic Number” in Sweden as part of a television advertisement for a mobile phone company; it peaked at number 18. Paparizou was featured on Greek television presenter Nikos Aliagas’ song “I Zilia Monaksia”—a cover of the Pascal Obispo hit “L’envie d’Aimer”—for his album project Rendez-Vous,[citation needed] and released the song “To Fili Tis Zois” for the soundtrack of the film of the same name. “To Fili Tis Zois” remained at number one for five weeks, becoming her most successful airplay single until 2011, and one of the most successful songs of the late 2000s. It was nominated for four MAD VMAs, winning Best Pop Video, and Paparizou won Artist of the Year for “Mazi Sou” and was nominated for “I Zilia Monaxia”, making six nominations in 2008. The single became the first digital single to be certified Gold in Greece since the marketing trend had become popular in 2006.

Paparizou released her fourth album, Vrisko To Logo Na Zo on 12 June 2008. The tracks “Porta Gia Ton Ourano”, “I Kardia Sou Petra”, “Pirotehnimata”, and “Eisai I Foni” were released as singles. The music video of “Pirotehnimata” was nominated for Sexiest Video and won the sixth MAD Video Music Awards for Best Pop Video and Video of the Year. “I Kardia Sou Petra” won the award for Female Artist of the Year, while “Porta Gia Ton Ourano” was nominated for Artist of the Year. Paparizou promoted a rock-inspired image for the album; a change from her pop/laïko style. The album and its concept received mixed reviews. In its first week, the album was certified Gold, eventually peaked at number one in Greece and was certified Platinum after three months. It became the second best-selling album of the year in both domestic and mixed domains, peaking in Cyprus at number two and was certified Platinum.

To promote the album, two songs were released as digital downloads and promo singles, while Paparizou’s duet version of Spanish group Chambao’s single “Papeles Mojados” was played in some Spanish clubs. In June, Paparizou opened the MAD Video Music Awards 2008 with a remix of “Porta Gia Ton Ourano” with Madonna’s song “4 Minutes “, and was featured in a performance of hip hop group Stavento. Paparizou embarked on her first national tour To Party Arhizei Tour from 2 July to 19 September 2009. The finale concert of the tour, set for Herakleion, Crete three days later, was cancelled because of the weather conditions and instead, Paparizou performed two shows in October 2009 at a club called Anadromes. The tour was attended by 192,000 people in its 29 venues, selling out the Thessaloniki venue.The album was reissued after the tour as The Deluxe Edition in December 2009 and included a video of the show titled Live in Concert, which was also available individually.A further reissue of the album, set to include Paparizou’s newly recorded material including the new single “Tha ‘Mai Allios” and MAD Secret Concert tracks, was scheduled for late 2009, but this was abandoned when the singer recorded a new studio album for 2010.

Paparizou was featured on the Bonnier soundtrack project Alla Himlens Änglar, released in August, where she contributed her first Swedish-language songs “Allt jag vill” (Everything I want) and “Genom krig och kärlek” (Through war and love). On 23 October 2008, she performed with other artists in a concert at the Siemens Arena in Vilnius, Lithuania, that was attended by approximately 10,000 people.From 30 October to 9 April she again performed alongside Paschalis Terzis at Iera Odos with Manos Pirovolakis as the opening act. Paparizou was the main act at the Thalassa: People’s Stage, a concert-themed club stage, from May to September. At this venue she was supported by acts 15.50, Stavento and Loukas Giorkas.Paparizou returned to the stage of MAD Secret Concerts on 26 May, the eighth edition of the series. A video titled MAD Secret Concert Vol.II was released in mid-late 2009. During the winter, Paparizou went to Sweden where she worked on her new album and spent time with her mother. An English-language album had been announced for 2009, however those plans did not materialise because of Paparizo’s father’s sudden death. Three songs were recorded, one of which is a tribute to him. Paparizou joined the new marketing trend of releasing albums with Sunday newspapers; on 28 March her fifth studio album Giro Apo T’ Oneiro was released in the Greek newspaper RealNews, with a physical release the next day in standard and deluxe editions featuring a video. Eleven days later, the album had achieved total shipments of 140, 000 units physically and via the newspaper. Newspaper shipments are not taken into consideration by IFPI, however; in a radio interview in August 2010, Paparizou said that the album had sold enough physical copies to be certified Platinum by IFPI. On 6 November 2010, Paparizou was awarded platinum certification, with shipments of at least 12,000 units of Giro Apo T’ Oneiro by IFPI Greece at the grand opening of the new Metropolis music store at The Mall Athens. The tracks “Tha ‘Mai Allios”, “An Isouna Agapi”, “Psahno Tin Alitheia” and “Girna Me Sto Htes” were released as singles. “Tha ‘Mai Allios”, released a year before the album, became the singer’s first advertisement for the soft drink brand Ivi’s. Paparizou won the MTV Europe Award for Best Greek Act, and received a preliminary nomination for the Best European Act but finished sixth, missing the official nominations by one spot. The video for “Tha ‘Mai Allios” won the MAD Video Music Award for Video of the Year and was nominated for Best Pop Video, while the video for “An Isouna Agapi” won the award for Sexiest Video and received nominations for Female Artist of the Year and Artist of the Year.

On 30 June 2010, Paparizou and Onirama embarked on their joint Fisika Mazi Tour beginning at Theatro Petras as part of the Stone Festival in Petroupoli. However, a surprise inspection by the SDOE at the Kefalonia venue stopped the tour. 8,500 concert tickets had not been stamped and the contract fees of the performing artists had not been submitted. The production was found guilty of tax violations. Paparizou said she had no knowledge of the occurrences and that she had no affiliation, except as a performer, with the production group. At the first MAD Fanatics concert, a tribute to Michael Jackson, Paparizou performed with seven other artists; she closed the show with covers of Jackson’s “Heal the World” and “You Are Not Alone”.During the winter season, Paparizou appeared with Antonis Remos at the Diogenis Studio for a reported fee of €10,000 per night, €4,000 fewer than her previous season of performances.Paparizou was featured on Albert Hammond’s greatest hits album Legend on the tracks “Enredao” and its English-language version, “Tangled Up in Tears”.

 

On 2 February 2011, Paparizou was one of eight acts performing at MAD TV’s first charity fashion music show MADWalk—Greece’s version of the international Fashion Rocks. She represented fashion designer Apostolos Mitropoulos and performed her new single “Baby It’s Over”,which was the lead single from her three-disc compilation Greatest Hits & More. She appeared at the Flight Night Club in Sofia, Bulgaria on 8 February. “Baby It’s Over” debuted at number one the Billboard Greek Digital Singles Chart; it was her fourth number one hit on that chart and her first single to top any Greek chart in three years.It also topped the Greek Airplay Chart for ten non-consecutive weeks, becoming the most successful single of her career. The song won two awards at the 2011 MAD Video Music Awards for Female Artist of the Year and Fashion Icon of the Year. Paparizou was nominated for Artist of the Year and received a fourth nomination for Best Pop Video for “Psahno Tin Alitheia”.The album’s second single, “Love Me Crazy”—released in Greek as “O,ti Niotho Den Allazi”—was released in May 2011, and peaked at number five on the airplay chart. The songs’ lyrics, particularly those of the lead single, caused speculation that Paparizou’s twelve-year relationship with Mavridis had ended, which was proved to be correct.Greatest Hits & More was released on 23 May; it debuted at number two on the Greek Albums Chart where it stayed for three weeks, and was the best-selling domestic album of the week.

Paparizou spent the next six months in Sweden with family and friends. In June 2011, she announced that Mavridis would no longer be her manager and that she had recruited a new team of Swedish collaborators. Her only professional appearances were at a four-date tour to Cyprus. Paparizou wanted to revive her career in Sweden—which had declined since 2006—and to expand her career outside music. She announced a second English-language album and European tour, along with possible participation in Melodifestivalen—which she had turned down in the past. She also considered moving back to Sweden permanently. She also said that any future collaborations with Mavridis in the future would be decided by her label In the third quarter of 2011, Paparizou recorded a duet of the nisiotiko classic “Dari Dari” with Nana Mouskouri for her duet album Tragoudia Apo Ta Ellinika Nisia (Songs from the Greek islands), and was a guest performer at the Mouskouri’s anniversary concert at the Berlin Philharmonic on 29 November. Although she had originally declined offers to perform during the winter season 2011–12, from 18 November she performed as a supporting act for Yiannis Parios in Thessaloniki.

Paparizou made her television debut as a judge on the first season of ANT1’s Dancing on Ice from 6 November to 22 January withshow polarised critics. Following her television debut, Paparizou received offers to appear on Dancing with the Stars, including as a contestant. She instead appeared on the Swedish version, Let’s Dance in early 2012,  partnered with David Watson. Initially considered one of the favourites to win, she received moderate scores and was voted off in the third episode, placing ninth out of ten contestants.

In December, Paparizou released the single “Mr. Perfect”, which peaked at number seven on the digital chart and reached the top 30 in the airplay chart. The song was remixed by Playmen, who with Paparizou performed it along with Joan Jett and the Blackhearts’ “I Hate Myself for Loving You” at the 2012 MADWalk on 2 February 2012. The song’s video earned her three nominations for Best Pop Video, Female Artist of the Year, and Artist of the Year at the 2012 MAD Video Music Awards, while “Baby It’s Over” gained a fourth nomination for MAD 106.2 Track of the Year; she won the awards for Female Artist and Track of the Year. Paparizou performed a cabaret version of Eric Saade’s “Popular” for the final of Melodifestivalen 2012.

At the 2012 MAD Video Music Awards, Paparizou performed a new version of the ballad “Poios” from Vrisko To Logo Na Zo, and was also featured in Playmen’s “All the Time”—a remix of the Eddie Murphy song—along with Courtney and RiskyKidd. The song peaked at number two on the Official Greek Airplay Chart and became the thirty-fourth most played tracks in Greece for 2012. Both songs were released to radio the next day, and from the end of June to mid-August Paparizou toured Greece and Cyprus with Melisses. It was reported that she might perform from late 2012 to early 2013 with Natasa Theodoridou at Votanikos. While Paparizou’s contract with Sony Music Greece had formally ended in early 2011, she remained attached to the label for several months. On 22 June, her A&R representative Giannis Doxas officially announced the end of their collaboration and her departure from the label.

In mid-2012, Paparizou started recording a new album. She said in radio interviews that she was searching for a new style for her upcoming Greek album. She told MTV Greece that the album have 10 tracks. During October she recorded a laiko duet titled Lathos Agapes with Natasa Theodoridou; this peaked at number eleven in the official Greek Airplay Chart by Mediainspector. On 9 November, she performed a live, acoustic version of John Lennon song “Imagine” at a dinner for the 2012 Athens Classic Marathon. On 1 February 2013, Sony Music released digitally in Greek iTunes a second compilation album titled The Love Collection, which consisted of love ballads from previous albums.

In early 2013, Paparizou’s official fan club announced that she had signed a multi-territory deal with Universal Music Group, which has exclusive agreements with labels across the Universal Music Group, including EMI Music Greece and Lionheart Records in Sweden. On 3 June 2013, Paparizou will release her seventh studio album Ti Ora Tha Vgoume? with EMI Music Greece. The album was preceded by two singles: the lead single “Poso M’Aresei” on 19 March and “Ena Lepto” on 15 April. A music video was made for the former, which was released on 17 April. She has also released an English song called “Save Me (This Is an SOS)” on Lionheart Records in Sweden following a six-year absence from the Swedish market.During mid-2013, Paparizou performed at several Greek music festivals to promote her new album “Ti Ora Tha Vgoume?”. An EP, which included four remixes of Save Me (This Is An SOS) by Sound Factory, was released; it reached number 27 on the Swedish Dance Chart.

In February 2013, Paparizou performed as a guest at Greece’s Eurovision national final, singing “My Number One” with Vegas and “Apres Toi” with Vicky Leandros. On 27 May, Paparizou performed at “Gabby Awards 2013” in Hollywood and singing some of Melina Merkouri’s songs.

On 1 February she performed at Melodifestivalen 2014, an event to select Sweden’s entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2014 in Copenhagen. An official announcement was made by the Swedish broadcaster, SVT in November 2013. Paparizou performed “Survivor” in the first heat on 1 February. On 1 March, Paparizou reached the final of Melodifestivalen 2014 after being voted into the top two of the Second Chance round of the competition. In the final, Paparizou came in fourth placeOn 26 March, her third English-language album, titled One Life, was released in Sweden by Lionheart Music Group.Paparizou performed at the semi-final of The Voice of Greece her new single “Don’t Hold Back On Love” on 2 May 2014. “Survivor” was certified gold in Sweden selling over 20,000 copies.

On 14 November up to 13 December 2014, Paparizou joint the Swedish Christmas Tour “Julgalan 2014” in Sweden along with Danny Saucedo, Alcazar, Mattias Andreasson, E-type, Erik Segerstedt, Linda Bengtzing and Albin. On 14 December, Paparizou sang in the Swedish church to celebrate Santa Lucia, which was broadcast by SVT.

In February 2015, Paparizou was featured on the house duo’s HouseTwins single “Love Till It’s Over”,and later released her Greek single Otan Aggeli Klene. On March, Paparizou performed the singles as a guest at the Eurovision Greek Final along with the winning song of the Eurovision Song Contest 2014, “Rise Like a Phoenix”.

On 23 May 2015 Paparizou was the spokesperson for the points of Greece at Eurovision Song Contest 2015. In a bizarre twist, she gave the twelve points not to Cyprus (its representative, John Karayiannis and his song “One Thing I Should Have Done” ended up with ten), but to Italy’s Il Volo with their song “Grande Amore”. On 29 May Paparizou performed “Angel” at the final of “Let’s Dance” in Sweden.

Paparizou joined the Swedish summer tour “Diggiloo” from 6 June to 15 August with Magnus Carlsson, Martin Stenmarck, Charlotte Perrelli, Andreas Johnson, Björn Kjellman, Hanna Hedlund, Oskar Bly, Jessica Andersson and Magnus Johansson. Paparizou made her theatrical debut on the musical “Nine” at Pantheon Music Theatre as ‘Saraghina’.

Paparizou recorded her new song in November 2015. “Misi Kardia” is written by Chris Mazz, Andy Nicolas & Yiannis Doxas and it was exclusively released on 89,8 Dromos FM. The music video was released on 15 February, along with the official release of the song. On 20 March 2016 Paparizou performed in “Dromos Superstar Voices” at BOX Athens with special host the Greek band “Melisses”.

On 25 March 2016 it was officially announced that the song “Pou Pige Tosi Agapi”, previous released on her album Iparhi Logos would be a part of the soundtrack album for the American comedy film “My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2”.

From 26 April up to 6 May 2016, she was the commentator in the Swedish TV show “Inför Eurovision Song Contest” along with Oscar Zia, Njol Badjie and Wiktoria Johansson. Paparizou performed as a special guest star in the “Euroclub” and in the “Eurovision Village” during the Eurovision Song Contest week.

After 3 years of absence at the annual MAD Video Music Awards, Paparizou returned on the VMA’s stage, performing her brand new single “Fiesta”, which was officially released on 4 July and You Are the Only One along with Sergey Lazarev. Paparizou also performed at the semi-final of The X Factor Greece on 1 July, supporting the duo Stereo Soul.

In Summer 2016, Paparizou toured in Greece along with Mironas Stratis and Isaias Matiaba. In September 2016 Paparizou joined “My Way” show in Sweden with Claes Malmberg and Jan Malmsjö.

On 2 November 2016 it was officially announced that Paparizou will be one of the coaches at the third season of The Voice of Greece. The show premiered on Skai TV on 16 November.

The single “Agkaliase Me” was sent to the radios on 9 December 2016. On 28 April, Paparizou released “Haide”, her first ever collaboration with Phoebus. Afterwards, released a digital EP “Extended Summer 2017” which included six tracks alongside the number one hit by her and Anastasios Rammos “An Me Dis Na Kleo’. The music video released in October.

In mid 2017, Paparizou toured Greece and Cyprus along with Despina Vandi in 16 cities in total. Later that year she was back as coach at the fourth season of The Voice in Greece. In December she released her sixth Greek album titled Ouranio Toxo, which was issued by Minos EMI/Universal. According to IFPI Statistics, ‘Ouranio Toxo’ Album peaked at Number 1. In September of the same year Paparizou released her final single Haide (English Version) from Capitol Music Group Sweden. Afterwards her contract expired.

In January 2018, Minos Emi/Universal announced that ‘Etsi ki Etsi’ is Paparizou’s new single, and thus the successor of her Smash hit ‘An me dis na kleo’. The mid-tempo song peaked at Number 5 on Official Greek Airplay. According to the Greek Media, the song ‘Etsi ki Etsi’ was regarded as the 2nd most played song in the radio by a Female Artist for the year (1st being ‘An me dis na kleo’), making Paparizou the most radio played Female Artist in Greece/Cyprus for 2018.

 

An English Version of ‘Etsi ki Etsi’ was released, titled ‘Totally Erased’. Nektarios Tyrakis wrote the lyrics of the English Release. Along with the English Version, Paparizou’s record label (Minos EMI) released an EP which consisted of 6 remixes.

During the Summer, Paparizou toured in Greece & Cyprus with Anastasios Rammos on her side. Further, Paparizou did 6 appearances alongside the Greek star Antonis Remos.

In May 2018, it was announced that Paparizou was nominated for 4 Mad Video Music Awards(a.k.a. Mad VMAs). She won 2 awards in the night; Best Female Adult and Best Collaboration(An me dis na kleo ft. Anastasios Rammos). Paparizou is regarded as being the most awarded Mad VMA artist to date, having a total of 26 awards. During the night Paparizou made 2 appearances; One in which she performed Ouranio Toxo ft. Idra Kayne, and one where she dueted with the Pop-rock Band, Melisses. Melisses & Paparizou performed one of the group’s hit single, ‘Ola moiazoun Kalokairi’. Their duet received mostly positive feedback, surpassing the 18 million views on YouTube making it the most viewed performance of the night.

On 14 September, Serhat released his single “Total Disguise” in collaboration with Paparizou. The song peaked at Number 1 in Greek DJs Dance Chart. In October 2018, Paparizou returned at the Talent Singing Competition ‘The Voice of Greece’ for the 3rd consecutive year (5th season), alongside Rouvas, Mouzourakis & Maraveyas.

Paparizou’s new single called ‘Kati Skoteino’is a ballad & is written by the creators of the song ‘An me dis na kleo’;ARCADE (consisting of Anastasios Rammos, Diveno, Pavlos Manoli, Gaby Russell). The song premiered in Greek Radios on 8 October and was officially released on 15 October. The song was released by Minos EMI/Universal. The song peaked at Number 1 on Greek iTunes and reached the Top 20 of the Official Greek Airplay in just 3 weeks. Paparizou is the only Greek Artist to have managed to have 3 of her songs in the Top 20 of the Greek Airplay for the year 2018.

Paparizou’s latest album ‘Ouranio Toxo’ has been certified Platinum after surpassing the 70 million streams in the digital platforms. In regards to the physical sales, the Album peaked at Number 1, making it the most successful album by a Female Artist for the year 2018 in Greece.

On 3 December, Paparizou released a Christmas song in both Greek & English (Hristougenna Xana – It is Christmas). The song was written by Anastasios A. Papanastasiou and ARCADE. Even without a video clip, the Greek version of the song saw immediate success, peaking at #3 on Greek iTunes and #4 on YouTube Trending videos. It was broadcast exclusively on Skai TV network.[citation needed]

According to Paparizou, “Kati skoteino” serves as the lead single for her next album, which is being produced by Arcade (Anastasios Rammos, Pavlos Manoli, Diveno, and Gaby Russell). The second single ‘Askopa Xenihitia” was released on 26 March 2019 along with a music video. During Summer 2019, Paparizou toured with Marinella, Makedonas and Ivi Adamou in Greece, Cyprus and Germany. Paparizou later took part in the MAD VMAs. On 3 April, Paparizou returned to Sweden to celebrate 20 years of Antique with Nikos Panagiotidis, appearing in several concerts and shows. On 10 June, Paprarizou released her third single titled “Kalokairi Kai Pathos”, sponsored by Carroten. In late 2019, Paparizou returned as coach at The Voice of Greece Season 6. On 19 October she started her lives with Sakis Rouvas and Stelios Rokkos at the Athens nightclub Estate.

In 2020, she released a duet with Sakis Rouvas titled “Etsi Einai I Fasi” and the single “Mila Mou”. On 29 July, she announced that her new album titled Apohrosis and will contain a phase of different kind of music, more in 80’s pop, ballads and greek folk. Her seventh single is out titled Se Xeno Soma a erotic ballad with social message videoclip about LGBT composed by Arcade, Pade and Rene (famous Greek writer). The album was released by Minos EMI on 29 January 2021 with 13 songs in total. In December 2020, Paparizou performed at the MAD Video Music Awards, singing her new duet with Marseaux, “Deja Vu”. At the show, she won the Best Female Adult award. On December 22, Helena made an online concert in favor of Karditsa’s flood victims and tickets prices will be given to hurted people. For 2020 ending she sang a medley of 90’s & 00’s classic hits with Tamta at The Voice of Greece.