Adamantia Stamatopoulou (; born 13 April 1966), known as Mando (), is a Greek singer and songwriter. She was born and raised in

Piraeus Piraeus ( ; ; , Ancient: , Katharevousa: ) is a port city within the Athens urban area ("Greater Athens"), in the Attica region of Greece. It is located southwest of Athens city centre along the east coast of the Saronic Gulf in the Ath ...

by her jazz pianist father, Nikos Stamatopoulos and a classic

soprano A soprano () is a type of classical singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hertz, Hz to A5 in Choir, choral ...

opera mother, Mary Apergi. From a young age she began to develop her talent and interest in music, and was characterized as a " born musician". She in the

Eurovision Song Contest 2003 The Eurovision Song Contest 2003 was the 48th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Riga, Latvia, following the country's victory at the with the song " I Wanna" by Marie N. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) ...

with the song " Never Let You Go". On 14 March 2010,

Alpha TV Alpha TV is a Greece, Greek free-to-air channel, one of the biggest stations in Greece. The station features a mix of Greek and foreign shows with an emphasis on information. The studios are located in Kifissia and Pallini. Alpha TV is owned by A ...

ranked Mando the 23rd top-certified female artist in the nation's phonographic era (since 1960), totalling five gold records.''Chart Show: Your Countdown''.

. Airdate: 14 March 2010. In 2013, she participated in the first season of the Greek version of ''

Your Face Sounds Familiar ''Your Face Sounds Familiar'' ( Spanish: ''Tu cara me suena'') is a Spanish interactive reality television franchise series where celebrity contestants impersonate singers. The format, similar to Dutch television series '' Soundmixshow'', was ...

'' which was aired by

ANT1 Antenna, better known as ANT1, is a free-to-air television network airing in Greece. The alternate spelling is wordplay in Greek; ''ena'' (ένα) is the Greek number ''1'' (one), thus ''ANT1'' is pronounced the same as ''Antenna'' (Αντένν ...

, where she placed 4th in the overall competition. She was a special guest star in the semi-final of ''

The Voice of Greece ''The Voice of Greece'' is a Greek television talent show created by John de Mol and based on the concept ''The Voice of Holland''. It is part of an international series. It began airing on ANT1 on January 10, 2014, and the final of second seaso ...

'' where she and one of the participants, Maria Elena Kiriakou, sang together Beyonce's Hit "

Listen Listen may refer to: * The action of listening * Central auditory system listening is how the brain processes what you hear * Listening behaviour types in human communication Computing * LISTEN, a TCP connection state on the server side indi ...

" and she has presented her new song ''Poliploka'' from her upcoming album.

Early life

At the age of four Mando could easily sing operatic arias, gospel and jazz music. Her parents, astonished by her musical capability, signed her with the National Conservatory for piano and music theory lessons. Meanwhile, she took up vocal training and dance lessons. At the age of ten, Mando began to teach herself how to play the guitar and various percussion instruments. Her dedication and passion quickly led her to compose her own melodies. Along with her school work, her music, and her English and French lessons, she performed in the musical "Jesus Christ Superstar", under the direction of

Mimis Plessas Dimitrios "Mimis" Plessas (; 12 October 1924 – 5 October 2024) was a Greek musician, composer, conductor and pianist. Life and career Plessas was born in Athens. He attended the Lycée Léonin school in the Athens suburb of Nea Smyrni, and ...

and Dimitris Malavetas. She has sung for various orchestras and as a member of various jazz groups and trios, working with music in all its textures: jazz, Greek, European, American, and Arabic. She has sung and composed all types of music.

Personal life

Mando has two children, a boy and a girl. Her sister is Chryso Stamatopoulou, also a professional singer.

Professional career

1985–2002

After the completion of her music studies, she signed her first record contract with CBS, which gave her the international hit "Fill me up" and offered her the chance of an international career at a very young age. Mando remained in America for five years where she took up vocal training with Hal Sheaffer (vocal trainer of

Barbra Streisand Barbara Joan "Barbra" Streisand ( ; born April 24, 1942) is an American singer, actress, songwriter, producer, and director. With a career spanning over six decades, she has achieved success across multiple fields of entertainment, being the ...

and

Liza Minnelli Liza May Minnelli ( ; born March 12, 1946) is an American actress, singer, and dancer. Known for her commanding stage presence and powerful alto singing voice, Minnelli has received numerous accolades including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, ...

) and interacted with many musicians, producers and with people who helped her talent grow. Her diverse knowledge and international edge defined her as the Greek artist with the international voice. Vangelis Yannopoulos, an A&R manager with record company Minos EMI heard of all these assets and signed Mando for her first album with the company that she stayed with for six successful albums: Dos mou ena fili... Afto to kalokeri" (Give me a kiss... This summer), "Ptisi gia dio" (Flight for two), "Kinisi triti" (Third move), "Esthisis" (Senses), "I diki mas I agapi" (Our love), and "Anisiho vlema" (Uneasy look). She has released four albums under the Sony label: "Ston evdomo ourano" (On the seventh sky), "Gia oles tis fores" (For all the times), "Prodosia" (Betrayal), "Se alli Diastasi" (In another dimension). She also released three CD singles under this label. Mando's hits include "Danika" (Borrowed), "Faros" (Lighthouse), "Ston evdomo ourano" (On the seventh sky), "Esi" (You), "Fotia sta prepi" (Burn the have to's). Her international tours have included cities such as Los Angeles, London, Paris, Toronto, Montreal, New York, and Chicago. She has toured and collaborated with many established artists such as:

Marinella Kyriaki Papadopoulou (; born 19 May 1938), known by her stage name Marinella (), is a Greek singer whose career has spanned several decades. She is well regarded due to her impressive vocal range.Dragoumanos, Petros (2009). ''Elliniki Diskogr ...

, D. Mitropanos, Tolis Voskopoulos, Paschalis Terzis, C. Nikolopoulos, Dimitra Galani. Mando has collaborated with the best songwriters in the Greek music business, such as Phoivos, A. Papadimitriou, K. Haritodiplomenos, N. Germanou, G. Theofanous, E. Giannatsoulia. Several of Mando's compositions have been sung by artists such as P. Terzis and K. Kouka. Mando composes mainly on her guitar. She penned the track " Where You Are" for

Jessica Simpson Jessica Ann Johnson (née Simpson; born July 10, 1980) is an American singer, actress, and fashion designer. After performing in church choirs as a child, Simpson signed with Columbia Records in 1997, aged seventeen. Her debut studio album, '' ...

; it has been chosen as the theme song to 20th century Fox's film production titled "Here on Earth". It has sold more than one million copies. An international collaboration is that with

Jean Michel Jarre Jean-Michel André Jarre (; born 24 August 1948) is a French composer, performer and record producer. He is a pioneer in the electronic, ambient and new-age genres, and is known for organising outdoor spectacles featuring his music, accompan ...

on one of his own tracks and sung by Mando in Greek with the title "Zoi" (Life); it will be included on her new album. Another international collaboration is Mando's duet with Turkish top artist

Sertab Erener Sertab Erener (born 4 December 1964) is a Turkish singer, songwriter and composer. With her coloratura soprano voice, she started working as a backing vocalist for Sezen Aksu, and with Aksu's help she released her first studio album in the 1990s ...

, titled "Aşk/Fos" (Love/Light). At the end of 2003, Mando recorded a new double album with Alpha records called ''Oi agapes fevgoun, ta tragoudia menoun'' (The loves are gone by, the songs remain).

2003: Eurovision

Mando's first attempt to enter the

Eurovision Song Contest The Eurovision Song Contest (), often known simply as Eurovision, is an international Music competition, song competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) among its members since 1956. Each participating broadcaster ...

was in 1989; she competed in the where she was second, only one point behind Marianna. She took action against the

Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation The Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation (), commonly shortened to ERT (), is the state-owned public radio and television broadcaster of Greece. History Overview ERT began broadcasting in 1938 as the Radio Broadcasting Service or YRE (). Followin ...

(ERT) because one of the jury members didn't vote. She won the ruling, but because it was too late to reverse the decision, Marianna went to Eurovision. Mando at the

after winning the with the song " Never Let You Go", placing 17th.

2008: ''Mando II'' and ''Afraid of the Dark''

Mando planned a comeback for 2008 with two new albums: one

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

and one English. The first single from the Greek album titled "Dos Mou Logo Na Sotho" ''(" Δως Μου Λόγο Να Σωθώ ")'' is a rock song and was released as a music video on 10 May 2008, premiering on "Megastar". The album, titled '' Mando II'', was released on 30 May 2008 with twelve new tracks. The English album, provisionally titled ''Afraid of the Dark'', has evident American beats and is a very promising international album for Mando. Four songs from the album were released by means of her official

Myspace Myspace (formerly stylized as MySpace, currently myspace; and sometimes my␣, with an elongated Whitespace character#Substitute images, open box symbol) is a social networking service based in the United States. Launched on August 1, 2003, it w ...

and the album was expected to be released sometime in 2009 but it was cancelled.

2011–2013: Phoebus 20 years, Shamone and Your face Sounds Familiar

In September 2011 her album ''Perfection'' was released from Polymusic. ''Tha se Perimenw'' (I'll be waiting for you), ''Mia Signomi ti na kanei'' (Sorry is not Enough) and ''Theos pano sti gi'' (God in earth) are some of more popular songs of this album. On 24 September 2012, Mando participated in a special 20-year Anniversary concert dedicated to

Phoebus Apollo is one of the Olympian deities in ancient Greek and Roman religion and Greek and Roman mythology. Apollo has been recognized as a god of archery, music and dance, truth and prophecy, healing and diseases, the Sun and light, poetry, ...

. The concert took place at the Olympic Stadium in Athens where the

2004 Summer Olympics The 2004 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad (), and officially branded as Athens 2004 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 13 to 29 August 2004 in Athens, Greece. The Games saw 10,625 athletes ...

were held. Mando sang her songs "Gia Oles Tis Fores" and "Daneika" along with "Emeis", a duet between her and

Antonis Remos Antonis Remos (, ; born Antonios Paschalidis, ; 19 June 1970) is a Greek singer. Biography Early life He was born in Düsseldorf, West Germany. Later his family moved back to their native Thessaloniki, Greece, where he finished school. During h ...

which are all songs written by

. On 2 December, she appeared at Shamone, a night bar-club where she sang a lot of her songs and international songs such as

Adele Adele Laurie Blue Adkins (; born 5 May 1988) is an English singer-songwriter. Regarded as a British cultural icon, icon, she is known for her mezzo-soprano vocals and sentimental songwriting. List of awards and nominations received by Adele, ...

's ''

Skyfall ''Skyfall'' is a 2012 spy thriller film and the twenty-third in the ''James Bond'' series produced by Eon Productions. The film is the third to star Daniel Craig as fictional MI6 agent James Bond and features Javier Bardem as Raoul Silva, ...

'',

Nina Simone Nina Simone ( ; born Eunice Kathleen Waymon; February 21, 1933 – April 21, 2003) was an American singer, pianist, songwriter, and civil rights activist. Her music spanned styles including classical, folk, gospel, blues, jazz, R&B, and po ...

's ''

I Put a Spell on You "I Put a Spell on You" is a 1956 song recorded by "Screamin' Jay" Hawkins and co-written with Herb Slotkin. The selection became a classic cult song, covered by a variety of artists. It was Hawkins's greatest commercial success, reportedly su ...

'' and

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone ( ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Referred to as the "Queen of Pop", she has been recognized for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, ...

's '' Frozen''. On 21 January 2013 she appeared at Half Note Jazz Club, where she sang a tribute to her singer and mentor

Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris (; Judkins; born May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American and Ghanaian singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. He is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th c ...

. The performance of Stevie Wonder which aired second of June was her biggest success on this TV show where she one first place in that episode. During this season she gave many interviews in several Greek Late Night Shows like ''Ola'' with Themos Anastasiadis and ''Vrady'' with

Petros Kostopoulos Petros, the original Greek version of the name Peter, meaning "stone" or "rock". Also an Armenian and Coptic name. May refer to: People * Petros (given name) * Petros (surname) * Petros (footballer), Brazilian footballer Petros Matheus dos Santos ...

, and early-morning shows like '' Kalimera Ellada'' with Giorgos Papadakis and ''Fthistv'' with Thanasis Patras which all was aired by Ant1.

2014–15

She participated as a special guest star at the semi-final of ''

'' where she sang her new song "Poliploka" from her upcoming album.

Performances on ''Your Face Sounds Familiar''

Discography

;Studio albums *1989: '' Dos Mou Ena Fili... Afto to Kalokairi'' (Give Me A Kiss... This Summer) *1990: '' Ptisi Gia Dio'' (Flight For Two) *1991: '' Kinisi Triti'' (The Third Move) *1992: '' Esthisis'' (Sensations) *1993: '' I Diki Mas I Agapi'' (Our Love) *1994: '' Anisiho Vlemma'' (Worried Stare) *1995: '' I Mando Ston Evdomo Ourano'' (Mando in the Seventh Heaven) *1997: '' Gia Oles Tis Fores'' (For All The Times) *1998: '' Prodosia'' (Betrayal) *2000: '' Se Alli Diastasi'' (In Another Dimension) *2003: '' Oi Megaliteres Epityhies'' (The Greatest Hits) *2003: '' Oi Agapes Fevgoun, Ta Tragoudia Menoun'' (Loves Go, Songs Stay) *2008: '' Mando II'' *2011: ''Perfection'' *2017: ''Bare Bones'' *2022: ''Vradines Diadromes'' ;EPs *1986: "Fill Me Up" (With Your Love) *1986: "Set Yourself in Motion" *2001: " Mando & Coltrane Big Band" *2002: "Ligo Ligo" ;CD singles *2003: " Never Let You Go"

References

External links

* Official website: http://www.mandofficial.com
Official Internet fan club
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mando 1969 births Living people 21st-century Greek women singers Greek pop singers Greek sopranos Minos EMI artists 20th-century Greek women singers Singers from Athens Sony Music Greece artists Eurovision Song Contest entrants