Notis Sfakianakis

Early life

After his parents divorced when he was seven, Sfakianakis moved with his mother to the island of Kos. His mother later relocated to Germany with her new husband, while Sfakianakis visited and sometimes lived with her; he was raised on Kos by his mother's relatives and others. He left school after finishing the first grade of gymnasion.

In his early twenties he worked as a disc jockey, waiter, and with his brother-in-law as an electrician, plumber, and labourer. In 1985 he formed a band that played in Kos clubs but broke up within a year. He moved back to Crete in 1986 to begin a solo career.

Sfakianakis is married with two children and lives in Athens. In 2003 he had vocal cord surgery, causing a two-year hiatus. His 2004 album mourned his brother Giorgos, who died of cancer.

Career

Sfakianakis began by opening for national acts such as Poly Panou. Kostas Bourmas, general manager of Sony Greece, discovered and signed him. His debut album Proti Fora reached the Greek top ten. He recorded 'Opa Opa', written by Giorgos Alkaios, which charted in several countries and was later covered by Despina Vandi and Antique.

He followed with tracks including 'Den Se Hreiazome', 'Soma Mou', 'Gyftissa Mera', 'Na Hareis', and 'Oi Skies'. His second album, Eisai Ena Pistoli (1992), moved him to Minos EMI. His first three releases were commercially successful, and from the mid-1990s he released multi-platinum albums among the best-selling in Greece: Notioanatolitika Tou Kosmou (1994) included 'O Aetos', which sold 120,000–150,000 copies and became his signature song; 5o Vima (1996) is recognized as the best-selling album in Greece with 200,000 copies; I Notes Einai 7psyhes sold 132,500 copies (265,000 units); the EP Pro-Dia-Fimin (1997) sold 100,000 copies; Around the World sold 15,000; and XXX Enthimion (1999) is the best-selling live album in Greece with 180,000 copies (360,000 units).

In November 2007 he released Mnimes, with hits 'Ta Klemmena' and 'Par' Ta'. In late 2009 and early 2010 he released Kinonikon, the first part of the Matomeno Dakry trilogy, followed by Erotikon in early 2010 and Horeutikon in December 2010.

North American tour (2009)

In November 2009, Sfakianakis undertook his first North American tour since 1999, performing in Atlantic City, Chicago, and Canada. Many in the Greek community believed the ten-year gap was due to politically oriented comments he made during his prior visit. During the Atlantic City concert, he expressed gratitude to the audience and received numerous ovations.

Controversies and opinions

Sfakianakis is known for outspoken and controversial interviews. He has been praised for honesty and criticized for being argumentative and confrontational. In the late 1990s, he argued on television for cannabis legalization in Greece and admitted to habitual use for ten years, claiming it was no more harmful than tobacco or alcohol. Around the same period, some publications discussed tax evasion by him and other artists without providing documentation.

In an interview with Ogdoo, he stated that Stelios Kazantzidis played a role when singing and that his singing voice differed from his speaking voice; he also said he would never sing at the Athens Concert Hall, a place he reviles. He made highly supportive statements toward the Greek far-right party Golden Dawn, arguing they are not fascist and saying, 'You have to support Golden Dawn. If nothing else, it includes the dawn. The rest have only darkness.'

He objected to an elected party leader being imprisoned. These statements ended his on-stage collaboration with Despina Vandi, who was deeply insulted as she comes from an immigrant family.