When it comes to the arts, there has always been a plethora of talent that comes out of the country of Greece. The art of singing is no exception. There are some divine voices that have come out of Hellas, and in some cases, those voices have touched the ears of masses far past the borders of the Mediterranean country.
Whether their genre is traditional Greek music or pop, there are several Greek men whose smooth and charming voices would instantly ring a bell for some music lovers. Read on to learn about ten of the greatest and most famous male Greek singers.
1. George Dalaras
Born to renowned rembetiko artist Loukas Daralas in Piraeus, George Dalaras is an internationally acclaimed Greek singer. He grew up listening to traditional Greek music, such as the laika, the rebetika, and paradosiaka.
Since his first public performance at age 16 and his first successful album at 18, Dalaras has released over 70 albums. The prolific artist has sold 15 million records and counting.
His musical influence extends far beyond his homeland, as he has performed in over 500 cities across the globe.
Dalaras’ music still fits within the genre of traditional Greek folk and blues, and so he has done a great job of spreading traditional Greek music to the rest of the world.
Related: Read our post on the most famous Greek singers here.
2. Filippos Pliatsikas
Next is Filippos Pliatsikas who is an Athens-born musician, composer and singer best known for his work with the rock band, Pyx Lax.
The Greek band enjoyed great success in the 1990s, with one of their most famous songs being “Poula Me.” The group reunited for an iconic tour of Greece in 2011.
When the band first broke up, Pliatsikas’ solo career proved to be just as fruitful, allowing him to release several personal albums. One of his best-performing albums that put him on the map with the rest of the world is the critically-acclaimed Omnia.
Omnia gave him the platform to release and tour several more albums in the early 2010s. Prosoxi Sto Keno is one of his most recent works.
3. Giannis Ploutarhos
Another Greek male vocalist to mention is Giannis Ploutarhos who is noted for his work with laiko music. In fact, some even hail him as the greatest laiko artist of his time.
Ploutarhos did not always enjoy the success that he has earned with his music. He was born to a poor family in a small village named Mavrogia. His first audience at the age of six was his own family, who listened to him sing to help them relax from a hard day of work.
His debut album, Mono Esi, was met with a good amount of success. Since then, some of his most notorious works include Krimmena Misteka and Den Einai O Erotas…Paidi Tis Logikis.
Ploutarhos is now a judge on the Greek television program House of Fame.
4. Sakis Rouvas
Sakis Rouvas was born on the Greek island of Corfu. Not only is he an award-winning musician, but he is also a highly-regarded gymnast who served as a member of the Hellenic National Team.
Rouvas’s athletic accomplishments made way for the musical achievements that were to come. Under a recording contract with Polygram, Rouvas’ first solo album titled Sakis Rouvas was met with great success across Greece, charting at number one.
After four years of sweeping the Hellenic Music Awards, Rouvas recorded quite a few gold and platinum albums that solidified his standing as a true Greek pop star that his fans still adore.
5. Giorgios Mazonakis
Giorgios Mazonakis was born in Nikaia, Greece, just outside the capital. From an early age, he decided that he would become a professional singer, and he has done a wonderful job of following through with that decision.
Mazonakis has multiple albums that are certified gold and several platinum-selling albums in the genres of laiko, pop, and dance music. Some of his greatest albums include Koita Me, Savvato, Ta Isia Anapoda, and Paidi Tis Nihtas.
While he is still one of the best-selling artists in Greece, Mazonaki has also performed across Europe, Australia, and the United States.
6. Dimitris Mitropanos
Dimitris Mitropanos was born in Trikala, where he lived until his music career got off the ground after his first jump into the business at age 16.
His debut releases came in 1967, but not without a bit of interesting Greek history interfering. The Greek military junta at the time censored his song, “Chameni Paschalia,” and so it was never released.
Despite this, Mitropanos overcame this initial setback to climb the ladder of laiko music and become an internationally acclaimed singer.
Even though his voice changed over the years due to his heavy smoking habits, fans of laiko music still adored Mitropanos for his contributions to the genre.
7. Giannis Parios
Giannis Parios was born Giannis Varthakouris on the island of Paros. However, he felt such a connection to his birthplace, that when choosing his stage name, he changed his surname to sound similar to the Greek island.
He has released over 40 critically acclaimed personal albums, and collaborated with numerous other artists on even more.
Greek fans have given Parios the affectionate nickname of “The Singer of Love” due to his sweet and warm voice.
Some of his most notable songs include “Ikariotikos” and “Mou ‘His Kani Ti Zoi Mou Kolasi.”
8. Tolis Voskopoulos
Tolis Voskopoulos was an actor-singer from Greece who many consider to be a legend of Greek arts. He was born in 1940 in Piraeus to two refugee parents.
His first big hit came in 1968 with the release of his song Agonia. The song kickstarted his six-decade-long career, for which his fans would come to give him the nickname of “prince.”
The stage loved Voskopoulos, and he continued to perform live until the year right before his death when he sang with his daughter Maria in honor of his 60 years as a beloved artist.
9. Agathonas Iakovidis
Agathonas Iakovidis was a famed rebetiko singer born in Evangelismo, Greece to parents from Asia Minor.
A self-taught artist, Iakovidis released his first rebetiko album in 1977. Some of his most well-known albums included Tik Tik Tak and Keep Up The Rhythm.
Most famously, Iakovidis represented Greece with Koza Mostra at Eurovision in 2013. He and Mostra performed the hit single “Alcohol is Free” from the album titled Keep Up The Rhythm. The performance landed Greece in sixth place overall in the song competition.
10. Kostas Martakis
Kostas Martakis is a quadruple threat. Not only is he a famous singer, but he is also an actor, television personality, and model.
The Greek talent was born in Piraeus, where he played basketball for a few years until finding success on the Greek singing competition Dream Show. Martakis did not win the competition, but audiences adored him.
His success followed suit, with his charisma and talent paving the way for his multifaceted career in the entertainment industry.
Some of his most well-known songs include “Sex Indigo” and “Allos Anthropos.”
Summing Up Our List Of Famous Singers From Greece
Beautiful art has long come from the country of Greece, and naturally, great artists do, too.
These male singers have not only made an impact on Greek audiences with the power of their singing voices, but they have allowed the rest of the world to fall in love with Greek culture, as well.
Did we miss anyone off this list that you think deserves to be there? Let us know and we’ll add them in.
