93 Facts About Sakis Rouvas

Sakis Rouvas is noted for avoiding domestic music, attaining success for a non-laiko or -entekhno artist, and for breaking cultural, social, artistic, and generational barriers in Greece and Cyprus.

Sakis Rouvas signed with Minos EMI in 1997, returning to the charts with Kati Apo Mena and 21os Akatallilos and ending his 14-year collaboration with manager Ilias Psinakis.

Since 2003 Sakis Rouvas has been in a relationship with model Katia Zygouli, with whom he has four children.

Sakis Rouvas is involved in social issues, and has been praised for his dedication to philanthropic organizations.

Sakis Rouvas has won six Arion Music Awards, 15 Pop Corn Music Awards, 22 MAD Video Music Awards, four Status Man of the Year Awards, an MTV Europe Music Award and a World Music Award.

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 the teenaged Anna-Maria Panaretou.

The family was poor, and Sakis Rouvas began taking care of his brothers at age five.

Sakis Rouvas's parents had a theatrical background, and at age ten Rouvas starred in his first theatrical production.

Sakis Rouvas taught himself guitar, inspired by international artists such as Elvis Presley.

The young Sakis Rouvas held a variety of jobs to support his family, including work in an automobile repair shop, as a construction worker and a bartender.

At age 15, Sakis Rouvas joined the Greek national track and field team as an admirer of Ukrainian pole-vaulter Sergey Bubka.

Sakis Rouvas continued in athletics until age 18, believing he had a future in music and joining the Corfu Band.

Sakis Rouvas began performing at local clubs and hotels; at To Ekati, he was seen by future manager Ilias Psinakis.

Sakis Rouvas left Corfu at age 18, moving to Patras in search of a better future.

Sakis Rouvas moved to Athens, and made his first professional appearance in 1991 at the Show Centre.

Sakis Rouvas's showmanship attracted the attention of music executives such as Nikos Mouratidis, who encouraged songwriter Giorgos Pavrianos to produce him.

Sakis Rouvas, singing Michael Jackson's "Man in the Mirror" was discovered by PolyGram executives who signed him to his first recording contract.

Sakis Rouvas released his eponymous debut album, which topped the Greek Albums Chart, the day after the festival.

In September 1992 Sakis Rouvas released his second album, Min Andistekese, composed by Nikos Terzis.

In October 1993 Sakis Rouvas released his third album, Gia Sena, with music by Alexis Papadimitriou and lyrics by Eleni Giannatsoulia and Evi Droutsa.

In 1996 Sakis Rouvas released his fifth studio album, Tora Arhizoun Ta Dyskola, again collaborating with Nikos Karvelas and lyricist Natalia Germanou.

In December 1998 Sakis Rouvas released his sixth album : Kati Apo Mena, written by Giorgos Theofanous.

In March 2000 Sakis Rouvas released his seventh album, 21os Akatallilos, and performed with Katy Garbi at Pili Axiou in Thessaloniki.

That year Sakis Rouvas became the Pepsi spokesperson for the company's Greek summer campaign making a first television ad, a first for a Greek entertainer.

In 2001, Sakis Rouvas signed with Universal Licensing Music of Universal Music France after he was recommended by singer Nana Mouskouri.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Sakis Rouvas had two female dancers and three backing vocalists: the EuroStar winner and runners-up.

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.

In fall 2004, Sakis Rouvas recorded a duet version of "Se Thelo San Trelos" with Russian pop singer Philip Kirkorov.

That year, Sakis Rouvas won the World Music Award as Best-Selling Greek Artist of 2004.

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.

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.

At the semi-finals, Sakis Rouvas opened the show by singing the Katrina and the Waves song "Love Shine a Light" with Menounos.

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.

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.

The song debuted at number one on the Greek Digital Singles chart, while Sakis Rouvas embarked on a promotional tour of Europe.

Sakis Rouvas said publicly that he hoped to return the contest to Greece the following year.

Sakis Rouvas received universal support from the public and the media, a first for a Greek Eurovision entrant regardless of result.

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.

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.

Sakis Rouvas made his American film debut in the psychological thriller Duress, with Martin Donovan.

Sakis Rouvas appeared on Tamta's single "Tharros I Alitheia" for her album of the same name.

On 2 February 2011 Sakis Rouvas was one of eight acts in the first MADWalk, where he represented Celia Kritharioti Haute Couture.

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.

In May 2012 Sakis Rouvas released a new single, "Tora" which he performed at the 2012 MAD Video Music Awards.

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".

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.

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.

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 is appearing in a foundation campaign encouraging marrow donation.

On 13 January 2014, it was announced that Sakis Rouvas would be part of Athina Tsaggari's new feature film named "Chevalier", where he would be one of the protagonists of the movie.

On 11 March 2014, Sakis Rouvas himself uploaded a promo video of his new single "Se Pethimisa" on his YouTube channel that will be released later during the year.

In September 2014, it was announced that Sakis Rouvas would be part of the musical "Hraklis; Oi dodeka athloi" at the role of Hercules.

Since 2016, Sakis Rouvas has been a coach on The Voice Greece.

In spring 2021 Sakis Rouvas released his new 14th album, titled "Sta Kalytera Mou" and produced by Phoebus.

Sakis Rouvas took part in the collaborative album "O Prigkipas tis Dytikis Ochthis", which was released in the memory of the singer-songwriter Manos Xydous, a member of the Greek rock band Pyx Lax.

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".

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.

Sakis Rouvas is fluent in Greek, English and French, presenting the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 in all three languages.

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.

Sakis Rouvas has expressed disappointment with the ignorance of youthful audiences of older music.

Sakis Rouvas considers himself a pop-rock artist, although he has described his musical style as "always more rock" than he has been credited.

Sakis Rouvas has been praised for not tapping into traditional Greek music for commercial success, since pop music is a niche genre in Greece.

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.

Sakis Rouvas's voice developed significantly since his early teenaged performances.

Sakis Rouvas' detractors have criticized his voice as average, or limited, contending that his appeal is based on image.

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.

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.

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".

Critic Tasos P Karantis of Orfeas conceded that Rouvas sang with competence and technical precision, and his voice was easily recognizable.

Ilias Malasidis of Athens 24 noted that Sakis Rouvas' voice was initially more intriguing than his material.

Sakis Rouvas's voice is best-suited to power ballads, his signature style due to his sensual tone.

Sakis Rouvas' defining characteristic as a vocalist has been his emotional expression.

Sakis Rouvas maintains his voice with a strict organic food diet and avoiding alcohol and smoking, banning smoking in his dressing room.

Sakis Rouvas was interested in film since childhood, and a year and a half later he received an offer from Village Roadshow.

Sakis Rouvas' second film was a Hollywood 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.

Sakis Rouvas is a glowing character with much higher capabilities of expression and, if he decides to continue this path, will improve.

Sakis Rouvas has immediacy, critique and most of all he gave to a program a luster, which was not standard from the beginning.

Sakis Rouvas met model Katia Zygouli back in 2003 during the shootings of a commercial ad for Vodafone and the two of them became a couple.

In June 2008, Sakis Rouvas announced Zygouli's pregnancy and on 2 November 2008, Zygouli gave birth to the couple's first child, a daughter named Anastasia after her father on 18 October 2009.

Sakis Rouvas's godmother was Emmanouela Pavlatou, a friend of Melina Mercouri, and the baptismal date was chosen to coincide with Mercouri's birthday.

On Monday 3 July 2017, Sakis Rouvas married Katia Zygouli.

Sakis Rouvas has spoken out against LGBT discrimination, and in favor of the adoption of children by gay couples.

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.

Sakis Rouvas followed a Golden Dawn MP at some point.

Sakis Rouvas sent a Cease and desist letter to Polakis asking to retract his statement or the matter would be dealt with in court.

Sakis Rouvas's claims were met with astonishment; media outlets remarked that agoraphobia was an odd condition for an entertainer, and critics accused him of draft dodging.

On 19 May 1997, Sakis Rouvas performed with Turkish singer Burak Kut at a bi-national reconciliation concert on the Green Line in Cyprus before an audience of over 4,000.

Opposition to the concert turned the Greek and Greek-Cypriot media against Sakis Rouvas, and was fodder for tabloid talk shows in Greece.

Sakis Rouvas left Greece and moved to the United States for six months for the incident to be forgotten.

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.