1. Since 2010s, Sakis Rouvas expanded his career to film, television, theatre and fashion.
114 Facts About Sakis Rouvas
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Sakis Rouvas has won six Arion Music Awards, 15 Pop Corn Music Awards, 26 MAD Video Music Awards, four Status Man of the Year Awards, a Karolos Koun Award from the Union of Greek Theatre and Music Critics, an MTV Europe Music Award and two World Music Awards.
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Since 2003, Sakis Rouvas has been in a relationship with Katia Zygouli, they married in 2017, having four children together.
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Sakis Rouvas has been involved in several charitable activities throughout his career, using his fame and resources to support various causes.
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Sakis Rouvas was born on 5 January 1972 in Mantouki, a suburb of Corfu City on the island of Corfu, the eldest of four sons of Konstantinos "Kostas" Sakis Rouvas and Anna-Maria Panaretou.
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The family was poor, and Sakis Rouvas began taking care of his brothers at age five.
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Sakis Rouvas's parents had a theatrical background, and at age ten Rouvas starred in his first theatrical production.
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Sakis Rouvas taught himself guitar, inspired by international artists such as Elvis Presley.
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The young Sakis Rouvas held a variety of jobs to support his family, including work in an automobile repair shop, and as a construction worker and bartender.
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At age 15, Sakis Rouvas joined the Greek national track and field team as an admirer of Ukrainian pole-vaulter Sergey Bubka.
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Sakis Rouvas continued in athletics until age 18, but believing he had a future in music, he joined the Corfu Band.
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At one point, one of the band members who was singing at a hotel fell ill and asked Sakis Rouvas to replace him.
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Sakis Rouvas began performing at local clubs and hotels; at To Ekati, he was seen by future manager Ilias Psinakis.
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Sakis Rouvas then left Corfu, in search of a better future.
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Sakis Rouvas initially tried to pass some auditions for a play wrote by Anna Vissi and Nikos Karvelas, but he didn't even get the chance to be seen.
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Sakis Rouvas moved to Athens, and made his first professional appearance in 1990 at the Show Centre.
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The day after the festival in 1991, Sakis Rouvas released his eponymous debut album, which topped the Greek Albums Chart.
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In September 1992 Sakis Rouvas released his second album, Min Andistekese, composed by Nikos Terzis.
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In October 1993 Sakis Rouvas released his third album, Gia Sena, with music by Alexis Papadimitriou and lyrics by Eleni Giannatsoulia and Evi Droutsa.
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In 1996 Sakis Rouvas released his fifth studio album, Tora Arhizoun Ta Dyskola, again collaborating with Nikos Karvelas and lyricist Natalia Germanou.
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In December 1998 Sakis Rouvas released his sixth album : Kati Apo Mena, written by Giorgos Theofanous.
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In March 2000 Sakis Rouvas released his seventh album, 21os Akatallilos, for which he was credited as the sole composer of the title track.
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Alongside the album's release, Sakis Rouvas performed with singer Katy Garbi at the Pili Axiou venue in Thessaloniki.
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In 2001, Sakis Rouvas signed with Universal Licensing Music of Universal Music France after he was recommended by singer Nana Mouskouri.
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Sakis Rouvas collaborated with American songwriter-producer Desmond Child and Phoebus on "Disco Girl"; it was a hit in Greece and certified platinum, winning Rouvas the Pop Singer of the Year award at the inaugural Arion Music Awards.
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Sakis Rouvas played 20 shows across France in support of "Disco Girl", which received ample airplay, and was compared to Latin pop star Ricky Martin.
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Songs from the album received radio airplay, and that month Sakis Rouvas began appearing at Fever with Giorgos Tsalikis and ONE for the winter season.
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In March 2004, Hellenic Radio and Television announced that Sakis Rouvas would represent Greece in the Eurovision Song Contest 2004 after the selection process on the reality show EuroStar proved unsatisfactory.
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Sakis Rouvas had two female dancers and three backing vocalists: the EuroStar winner and runners-up.
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Sakis Rouvas' appearance in Eurovision was a turning point in his career; his public perception changed from media-produced celebrity to notable pop artist, and he became more accessible to the media.
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In fall 2004, Sakis Rouvas recorded a duet version of "Se Thelo San Trelos" with Russian pop singer Philip Kirkorov.
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That year, Sakis Rouvas won the World Music Award as Best-Selling Greek Artist of 2004.
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On 14 February 2006, Sakis Rouvas gave a Valentine's Day concert where he sang his popular ballads and cover versions of ballads by other Greek and foreign artists.
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In May the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 was held in Athens, since Greece won the contest the previous year and Sakis Rouvas was asked by ERT to host the semi-final and final with Maria Menounos.
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At the semi-finals, Sakis Rouvas opened the show by singing the Katrina and the Waves song "Love Shine a Light" with Menounos.
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On 13 November he began filming his feature-film debut, in Alter Ego and on 6 December 2006 Sakis Rouvas released his eleventh studio album, Iparhi Agapi Edo.
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The film received mixed reviews Its 200,000 tickets made Alter Ego an average success for Greek cinema, although Sakis Rouvas was disappointed in its media coverage.
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In July 2008 Sakis Rouvas was announced as host for the first season of the Greek version of The X Factor, which premiered on 24 October.
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The song debuted at number one on the Greek Digital Singles chart, while Sakis Rouvas embarked on a promotional tour of Europe.
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Sakis Rouvas said publicly that he hoped to return the contest to Greece the following year.
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Sakis Rouvas received universal support from the public and the media, a first for a Greek Eurovision entrant regardless of result.
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On 1 July 2009, Sakis Rouvas performed a sold-out concert in support of environmental issues at Panathenaic Stadium before an audience of 40,000.
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Sakis Rouvas was one of the few musicians permitted to perform at the venue; it was the largest attendance ever at the stadium for a non-sporting event, and the largest attendance for a single musical artist in Greek history.
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Sakis Rouvas made his American film debut in the psychological thriller Duress, with Martin Donovan.
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Sakis Rouvas appeared on Tamta's single "Tharros I Alitheia" for her album of the same name.
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At the 2012 Johnnie Walker Men of the Year Awards in Cyprus Sakis Rouvas was presented with the Greek of the Year award for his philanthropic contributions, particularly to the Elpida Foundation.
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In May 2012 Sakis Rouvas released the single, "Tora" which he performed at the 2012 MAD Video Music Awards.
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Sakis Rouvas was nominated for four Mad Video Music Awards, winning Male Artist of the Year and Artist of the Year for "I Dyo Mas".
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Sakis Rouvas returned to television as a presenter for ANT1's Iroes Anamesa Mas, a ten-part documentary series focusing on stories of people who have been commended for heroic deeds which premiered on 24 May 2013.
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On 13 January 2014, it was announced that Sakis Rouvas would be part of Athina Rachel Tsaggari's new feature film named Chevalier.
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Sakis Rouvas received the Best Actor prize as part of the all-male ensemble cast at the Sarajevo International Film Festival.
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Sakis Rouvas collaborated with Rokkos on the single "Ta Zorikia Vradia" in 2018 and released his single "Ela Sto Horo" in 2019.
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Additionally, in August 2020, Sakis Rouvas performed classic songs by composers such as Mikis Theodorakis, Lucio Dalla, and Ennio Morricone at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus, alongside soprano Sonia Theodoridou.
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In spring 2021 Sakis Rouvas released his fourteenth studio album Sta Kalitera Mou, which was produced by Phoebus.
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Additionally, Sakis Rouvas participated in the collaborative album O Prigkipas tis Dytikis Ochthis, released in memory of singer-songwriter Manos Xydous of Pyx Lax.
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In late 2021, Sakis Rouvas hosted the television documentary series Idols, which highlighted the lives and careers of influential figures in Greece's popular culture.
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Sakis Rouvas joined the Eleftheros Tour with fellow singer Konstantinos Argyros and continued their collaboration during winter at Teatro Athens, releasing a duet titled "Sok" in 2023.
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In 2023, Sakis Rouvas released two singles, "Ela kai tha deis" and "Ta kaka paidia".
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Sakis Rouvas was honored with an award at the 2023 Mad Video Music Awards for his contributions to the Greek music industry.
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In early 2024, Sakis Rouvas released a single titled "Ti Matia" and performed at Pyli Axiou in Thessaloniki alongside Nikos Makropoulos during the spring of the same year.
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That same year, Sakis Rouvas completed filming a short movie directed by Christos Kardana, which was shot in Cargese, Corsica.
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Sakis Rouvas covered Presley's "Suspicious Minds" for the Alter Ego soundtrack, and has said that what impressed him most as a child about Presley was "the way that he sang, that he danced, that he felt what he interpreted and what I believed that his audience felt when they heard him".
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Sakis Rouvas has been influenced by Greek artists such as Giannis Parios, Marinella and Nana Mouskouri, and considers Haris Alexiou and Anna Vissi as the two greatest Greek female artists.
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Sakis Rouvas is fluent in Greek, English and French, presenting the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 in all three languages.
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Sakis Rouvas has recorded songs in all three languages, singing phonetically in Turkish and Russian for his 1997 collaboration with Burak Kut in Cyprus and the Russian duet version of "Se Thelo San Trelos" with Philipp Kirkorov; one of three versions, it was a Russian hit.
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Sakis Rouvas has expressed disappointment with the ignorance of youthful audiences of older music.
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Sakis Rouvas considers himself a pop-rock artist, although he has described his musical style as "always more rock" than he has been credited.
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Sakis Rouvas has been praised for not tapping into traditional Greek music for commercial success, since pop music is a niche genre in Greece.
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Sakis Rouvas had no vocal lessons as a boy and taught himself primarily by ear, so during the recording of his first album he had to learn music theory in a short time.
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Sakis Rouvas's voice developed significantly since his early teenaged performances.
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Sakis Rouvas' detractors have criticized his voice as average, or limited, contending that his appeal is based on image.
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Sakis Rouvas has a tenor vocal range; although he can sing low, in the F-clef range, he prefers to sing higher and can reach notes beyond the typical tenor high without falsetto, varying his dynamics from whispers to belts.
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Sakis Rouvas's subsequent sixth album, Kati Apo Mena, was a milestone in Rouvas' vocal development; he exhibited a consistent depth and dimension which previously appeared only sporadically on his first five albums.
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Sakis Rouvas won the Pop Corn Music Award for Best Male Vocal Performance twice in a row: for 1999's "Den Ehei Sidera I Kardia Sou" and 2000's "Se Thelo San Trelos".
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Critic Tasos P Karantis of Orfeas conceded that Rouvas sang with competence and technical precision, and his voice was easily recognizable.
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Ilias Malasidis of Athens 24 noted that Sakis Rouvas' voice was initially more intriguing than his material.
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Sakis Rouvas's voice is best-suited to power ballads, his signature style due to his sensual tone.
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Sakis Rouvas' defining characteristic as a vocalist has been his emotional expression.
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Sakis Rouvas maintains his voice with a strict organic food diet and avoiding alcohol and smoking, banning smoking in his dressing room.
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Sakis Rouvas was interested in film since childhood, and a year and a half later he received an offer from Village Roadshow.
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Sakis Rouvas adopted a new look for the film, credited by Nitro as reflecting the emo movement emerging among Greek youth.
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Sakis Rouvas' second film was a psychological thriller in which he played a serial killer, against type for Greek audiences, and said the film was the most difficult thing he had done in his career until that point.
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Sakis Rouvas is a glowing character with much higher capabilities of expression and, if he decides to continue this path, will improve.
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Sakis Rouvas has immediacy, critique and most of all he gave to a program a luster, which was not standard from the beginning.
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Sakis Rouvas is often referred to as the "biggest brand name" or the "best seller" in Greece.
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In 2003, Vodafone Greece signed a collaboration contract with Sakis Rouvas, which was renewed in 2006.
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Sakis Rouvas collaborated for the Kre Kre ice cream campaign in 2009 and 2010.
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In 2012 Sakis Rouvas collaborated with Trident Senses and released the limited edition packaging that bore his signature.
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In 2024, Sakis Rouvas collaborated with Volkswagen to promote their new models in Greece.
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In March 2009 Sakis Rouvas was appointed by ELPIDA Charity Foundation president and UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador Marianna Vardinoyannis as a "messenger" for the foundation, a charity for children with cancer, publicly recognizing his longtime behind-the-scenes support.
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In 2012, Sakis Rouvas was named an honorary member of the St Stylianos Foundation for his contributions, in the presence of the Foundation's president and then-Mayor of Thessaloniki, Yiannis Boutaris.
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On 24 November 2013 Sakis Rouvas was among a group from the Ionian Islands who were commended by the Hellenic Union of Eptanisians for their work and philanthropy.
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In January 2014, continuing his support for the Elpida Foundation in practice, Sakis Rouvas became the first volunteer bone-marrow donor at the Orama Elpidas marrow bank, and he appeared in a foundation campaign encouraging marrow donation.
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Sakis Rouvas delivered a check in the amount of 150,000 euros, which was raised from the sales of the limited edition packaging of Trident Senses, to Mrs Marianna V Vardinogiannis, Goodwill Ambassador of UNESCO and President of the "ELPIDA" Association of Friends of Children with Cancer.
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In 2016, Sakis Rouvas visited the Port of Piraeus, where at least 2,000 refugees had sought shelter, as part of the "We Care" program, which focuses on providing medical assistance to refugee children.
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In 2017, Sakis Rouvas performed at the 82nd Thessaloniki International Fair and called on the audience to register as bone marrow donors by visiting the booth of the "Orama Elpidas", resulting to 50,000 Greek volunteers.
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In 2018, Sakis Rouvas was named the "Ambassador of Rewarding Recycling" at the first Pan-European Park of Environmental Education and Recycling.
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In 2021, following the wildfires in Greece, Sakis Rouvas, collaborated with Theoni to visit the affected areas and provide assistance.
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In 2024, Sakis Rouvas collaborated with Technogym in Greece, in order to donate wellness equipment to the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Department at Sismanogleio Hospital.
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Sakis Rouvas further extended his support to the Greek Paralympic delegation, visiting them to offer encouragement ahead of their participation in the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
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In 2003, Sakis Rouvas entered into a public relationship with London-based Taiwanese producer Rebecca Wang, but their relationship lasted only a few months.
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Sakis Rouvas has been in a relationship with model Katia Zygouli since they first met during a commercial shoot in 2003.
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In 2012, Sakis Rouvas spoke out against LGBTQ discrimination, publicly expressed his support for the LGBTQ community, emphasizing the importance of social acceptance and equal rights.
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In July 2015 Sakis Rouvas uploaded a video message titled "Yes we are Europe" on his personal YouTube channel, in which he supported the pro-Europe vote for the 2015 Greek bailout referendum.
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Sakis Rouvas sent a Cease and desist letter to Polakis asking to retract his statement or the matter would be dealt with in court.
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At the age of 22 in 1994, Sakis Rouvas received a call for military service and submitted a request for deferment.
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Sakis Rouvas's claims regarding agoraphobia were met with surprise and skepticism.
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Sakis Rouvas completed his military service at the 501st Mechanized Infantry Battalion in Giannitsa.
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On 19 May 1997, Sakis Rouvas performed with Turkish singer Burak Kut at a bicommunal reconciliation concert on the Green Line in Cyprus before an audience of over 4,000.
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Opposition to the concert turned the Greek and Greek-Cypriot media against Sakis Rouvas, and was fodder for tabloid talk shows in Greece.
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Sakis Rouvas left Greece and moved to the United States for six months for the incident to be forgotten.
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Sakis Rouvas needed to be on the island for a photoshoot, and the physician offered to take him there to avoid the press.
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However, Sakis Rouvas had already disembarked before the raid took place.
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Sakis Rouvas collaborated with Pepsi in 2001, the advertisement, featuring a semi-nude Rouvas holding a Pepsi bottle in front of his genitals, was controversial among women's rights and parental associations.