Eleni Foureira Biography

Entela Fureraj (March 7, 1987) She was born in Fier, Albania. Greek singer, dancer, and designer, of Albanian origin, famous for representing Cyprus in the Eurovision 2018 with the song Fuego. Known by the name she adopted when she settled in Athens, Foureira began her career at the end of the first decade of 2000, forming part of the Mystique pop trio with Maria Makri and Alkmini Chatzigianni. They debuted with the single Se Alli Selida in 2007 and shortly thereafter released the album Μazi (2008). After the dissolution of the trio in 2009, she launched as a soloist with LP Eleni Foureira (2010). Famous for the themes Party Sleep Repeat (2014) and Ti Koitas (2016), Foureira rose to fame in 2018, after obtaining the second place in Eurovision 2018. Since then she has collaborated with renowned artists such as rapper Snoop Dogg, Kaan, and J. Balvin.

 

FAMILY AND BEGINNINGS

Daughter of Kristaq and Marjeta Foureraj; Entela Fureraj lived with her three brothers in the coastal city of Vlorë until she was ten years old. After the 1997 Rebellion stage, the family moved to Kallithea, Greece, where they lived since then. She lived in Athens and with only ten years Fureraj adopted the name of Eleni Foureira and the Greek nationality. It was then when she began to show interest in music and fashion, influenced by her mother, who worked as a designer. While studying her basic studies, she learned to play the guitar and as a teenager, she began working as an actress in several plays. After developing her artistic abilities during her adolescence, Foureira took her first steps in the world of music in the late 2000s, being part of the Mystique pop trio (2007-2009).

 

ELENI FOUREIRA MUSICAL TRAJECTORY

She debuted as a member of Mystique with Maria Makri and Alkmini Chatzigianni in 2007. That same year they released the debut single Se Alli Selida, which was included in their first Mazi album, released the following in 2008 under the Universal label. This album of ten songs included songs such as: For Poly Arga, Emmoni and Aman, as well as the collaboration with the Greek group NEVMA, entitled (Min Kaneis Pos) De Thymasai. Without having managed to excel in the Greek music scene, Mystique was dissolved in 2009 and Foureira continued her career this time as a soloist. During these first years in the Greek music scene, Foureira hid her Albanian origin for fear of being rejected, due to the Albanophobia present in Greek society. However, in 2014, she talked about her origin, highlighting that she felt like a Greek since she had been raised in the country.

In December 2010, Foureira made her solo debut with LP Eleni Foureira (2010), a record work that was released with the support of Universal Music. A short time later, she signed a contract with Minos EMI and released her second album, Ti Poniro Mou Zitas (2012). This eleven-song pop album included the popular tracks: Reggaeton, Mistiko, All I Need and the To Party Den Stamata collaboration with Midenistis. Two years later he released the Anemos Agapis (2014), a ten-song album, in which the hit song Party Sleep Repeat appeared and the collaboration with Colombian singer J. Balvin, Tranquila. Away from the world of music, Foureira remained busy working on the musical show Barbarella: The 80s Musical (Athens), between 2015 and 2016.

After signing a contract with Panik Entertainment Group, Foureira returned to the world of music in 2016 with the singles: Den Sou Chrostao Agapi, Ti Koitas with Mike and Come Tiki Tam. In 2017, she released her fourth album, Vassilissa (2017), which included the three previously published singles, in addition to eight unpublished tracks, among which stand out: Vasilissa, To Kati Pou Echeis and Ladies (Stand Up). Having tried to become the representative of Greece for the Eurovision Song Contest on several occasions, Foureira was finally selected to represent Cyprus at the 2018 festival. She entered the contest stomping with the simple dance/pop Fire, theme composed by Alex Papaconstantinou, renowned author of numerous hits performed by great artists such as Marc Anthony, Jennifer Lopez, Paulina Rubio, among others.

The staging and popularity of the theme led to the artist moving from the semifinal to the grand final, finishing second to the Israeli representative. Shortly before the festival ended, Foureira released the Spanish version of Fuego, due to the popularity that had achieved success in Spain. After her successful passage through the Eurovision, Foureira undertook a small tour of some European countries, such as Spain, England, Belgium, and Sweden. That same year, she appeared at the Gay Pride in Madrid and Barcelona, ​​as well as the Gay Pride in Cyprus. A few months later she launched the single Caramela, an original song by singer Moshe Peretz, at the MAD VMA Greek awards. During the ceremony, Foureira received the Best Female Modern award and performed the song Fuego alongside PlayMen.

At the end of 2018, she released the single in Spanish and English, Take Me and participated in the Los40 Music Awards, sharing the stage with renowned artists such as Bebe Rexha, David Bisbal, Dua Lipa, Rosalia, David Guetta, among others. She closed the year by participating in a series of concerts in Israel and publishing the 2018 Christmas song S’Agapo. Starting in 2019, the artist appeared in Spain and shortly thereafter released the single Triumph, part of a new advertising campaign for the lingerie brand of the same name.

In April, she collaborated with rappers Snoop Dogg and Kaan, on the topic Sirens, whose video clip became a trend, reaching more than 750,000 views on YouTube in three days. After performing at the Papa World Tour, Foureira participated as a guest artist at the Eurovision Song Contest 2019, a contest in which Holland won the Duncan Laurence Arcade theme. Throughout the year, the singer is expected to be a juror of the program La Banda and published her fifth album, still without a name.