Giorgos Alkaios

Giorgos Alkaios-Vasiliou (Greek: Γιώργος Αλκαίος) was born on December 24, 1971, in Athens. Shortly after his birth, he moved to Boston, where he lived until he was three years old. When his parents divorced, he moved back to Greece with his father, Giannis Vasiliou. He grew up in Halandri, a suburb of Athens, and was mostly raised by his grandmother, Anna. He got his first job, working at his uncle's fish shop, at the age of twelve. Throughout his adolescence, he held many different jobs. He first became interested in music at a young age, when he attended the Happy Village, a summer camp in Varimpompi, near Athens. There he participated in music and theater activities for four years, first as a camper and then as a camp counselor. Vasiliou quit his school at the age of sixteen to study electronics at a private school, from which he eventually got a degree. His first TV appearance came in 1989, when he participated in the show "Come to the Light," the first Greek reality TV program. Out of 1,500 young actors, singers, and dancers, only 20 made it to the finals. Vasiliou was one of them. He won the opportunity to study dance, acting, and music with many great artists. During the summer of that same year, he auditioned for a part in the classic Greek drama "Antigone," featuring the famous actor Aliki Vougiouklaki and the music of Mikis Theodorakis. Rehearsals lasted over two months and the play opened at the ancient theater of Epidavros. Vasiliou considers his participation in this event, at the young age of seventeen, one of the greatest experiences of his life. During that same summer, he decided to change his focus from theater to music. He didn't hesitate to audition for another role in a play, that time as a singer. In the summer of 1991, he participated in concerts all over Greece with the rising star Christos Dantis. In September, Vasiliou and the composer Avet Kizirian entered the contest at the Thessaloniki music festival with the song "You Don't Want Me Dare." It was at this time that Giorgos Vasiliou became Giorgos Alkaios. His performance of the song won first prize and, upon his return to Athens, he was signed to BMG Records. He became very popular in Greece with the release of his first single, "Ti Ti," and is known for his distinctive style of modern pop music with Greek and Oriental influences. Aside from singing, he has also written songs for other artists, including the song "Opa Opa," which has been covered many times. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.