Kalomoira

Kalomoira in the semifinals of the Eurovision Song Contest 2008

Kalomoira ( Greek Καλομοίρα , born January 31, 1985 in West Hempstead , New York ; actually Marie Carol Sarantis ), alternative transcription Kalomira , is a Greek - American singer . She represented Greece at the Eurovision Song Contest 2008 in Belgrade .

Life

Kalomoira was born Marie Carol Sarantis in New York State in 1985 . The daughter of two Greek-American restaurant owners grew up in Nassau County with her sister. Even in her youth, Kalomoira was enthusiastic about music. She played the viola for nine years and appeared in the school's own theater and musical productions, in which she sang and danced. First success paved the "Homecoming Queen" of her high school a second place in a music competition of the local radio station WBLI Radio . Small appearances in television shows followed suit where Sarantis addition to well-known American artists like Jessica Simpson or LL Cool J appeared. She later studied for a semester at the renowned Adelphi University in her hometown.

The breakthrough as a musician came for Sarantis at the age of 19 when she took part in the selection process for the casting show Fame Story 2 , the Greek version of Fame Academy in New York City . Although she only spoke English, she was chosen from among two hundred participants and went to Greece. There Sarantis became known to a broad television audience through the three-month casting show and interpreted songs by Greek artists such as Marinella as well as international artists, including Barbra Streisand ( Woman in Love ), Madonna ( La Isla Bonita ) and Britney Spears ( Oops! ... I Did It Again ). With a Greek song and the Madonna title Express Yourself , Sarantis was finally able to win the finale of Fame Story 2, which is endowed with 200,000 euros .

The victory in Fame Story 2 was followed by a record deal with the Greek label Heaven Music , as well as the first album Kalomoira (2004), titled after the Greek version of her first name Marie Carol , under which she has appeared since then. For the album, which contained both Greek and English-language titles, the singer received a gold record and an award for best young singer . A tour in Greece with the other casting candidates as well as the collaboration with well-known Greek artists such as Despina Vandi , Elli Kokkinou or Constantinos Christoforou followed. A year later Kalomoira released her second album Paizeis? (Παίζεις; 2005), in which she was involved in texts and music. In 2006 she followed her third album I Kalomoira pai sinema (Η Καλομοίρα πάει σινεμά), which contains modernized pieces of music from classical Greek films.

At the end of 2007, the Greek state radio broadcaster ERT selected Kalomoira as the official candidate for the Greek preliminary decision for the Eurovision Song Contest 2008 (ESC) in Belgrade . With the English-language R&B number Secret Combination , from the album of the same name, which was released in 2008, she won the final on February 27, 2008 against Kostas Martakis and the singer Chrispa , in which the mixed vote of a jury and the TV viewer chose the winner. A tour through several European countries followed Kalomoira's victory before she appeared on May 20, 2008 as the last candidate for the first semifinal of the Eurovision Song Contest in Belgrade. There she managed to place herself among the ten most popular entries, which meant her entry into the ESC final, which took place four days later, where she finished third behind the Russian winner Dima Bilan and the Ukrainian Ani Lorak .

In addition to her musical career, she has also appeared as a presenter in the past. As an actress, she was seen in the Greek television series I Lampsi (2004).

On September 26, 2010, she married George Bousalis at the Saint Paul Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Hempstead , New York. She gave birth to male twins on December 14, 2012 . She gave birth to her daughter on July 21, 2016.

Discography

Chart positions Explanation of the data

Singles

Secret Combination   UK 71 06/07/2008 (1 week)

Albums

• 2004: Kalomoira (Καλομοίρα)
• 2005: Paizeis? (Παίζεις;)
• 2006: I Kalomoira Paei Cinema (Η Καλομοίρα πάει σινεμά)
• 2008: Secret Combination

Singles

• 2005: Ki Olo Perimeno
• 2006: Gine Mazi Mou Paidi (Γίνε μαζί μου παιδί)
• 2008: Secret Combination
• 2010: Please Don't Break My Heart

Web links

Commons : Kalomoira  - collection of images

• Official website (Greek and English)
• Kalomoira in the Internet Movie Database (English)
• Kalomoira at Discogs (English)
• Portrait of Kalomoira at eurovision.de
• Profile of Kalomoira on the official website of the Eurovision Song Contest (English)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Yiota Preka: Kalomoira's Greek Style Wedding in New York . USA.GreekReporter.com. September 27, 2010. Retrieved September 28, 2010.
2. ↑ Kalomira.com ( Memento of the original from January 24, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. - Welcome ... The Boosalis Boys! 
3. ↑ Charts UK