Antique (duo)

Antique
Origin	Stockholm, Sweden
Genres	House, Dance, Synthpop, Modern Laïka
Years active	1999–2003
Labels	V2, Bonnier, Virgin Schallplatten, KA, Urban, Popular
Members
Elena Paparizou Nikos Panagiotidis

Antique was a Greek singing duo consisting of Elena Paparizou (Έλενα Παπαρίζου in Greek) and Nikos Panagiotidis (Νίκος Παναγιωτίδης in Greek) originating from Sweden which combined Greek popular music and lyrics with a Nordic dance pop beat. Both Paparizou and Panagiotidis were born and raised in Sweden by Greek parents. They were the first ever to be nominated for a Swedish Grammis in the category modern dance with a Greek song. In 2001 Antique were selected to represent Greece at the Eurovision Song Contest in Copenhagen with the song "Die for You", sung in a blend of English and Greek, ending with a third place – behind only Estonia and hosts Denmark.

Career

In 1999, some DJ friends of Elena Paparizou's brother asked her to make a demo of the Notis Sfakianakis hit "Opa Opa".^[1] Paparizou told them that the lyrics are for a man, so she asked to sing it with her childhood friend Nikos Panagiotidis,^[1][2] whom she had met through her siblings at a Greek diaspora celebration in Stockholm.^[3] At that time, some record producers were undergoing a project to sign a duo consisting of a male and a female that would sing covers of traditional Greek hits oriented towards the Greek diaspora of Sweden, finally coming in contact with Paparizou, who recommended Panagiotidis;^[3] they formed Antique and were signed to newly-formed indie label Bonnier Music,^[4] settling on the name because it left an impression of being "classic" and "timeless".^[3] Paparizou admitted that Greek music had been something of an acquired taste for her, and that the name "Antique" was probably a reflection of her childhood impression of it being something rather distant and old-fashioned; something that she only really associated with her summer holidays in Greece.^[5] Their debut single "Opa Opa" became a hit amongst the Greeks in Sweden and eventually entered the top ten in Sweden and Norway,^[6] making them the first act to enter into the Swedish top five with a song sung in Greek.^[4] Their later singles "Dinata Dinata","Follow Me", and "Moro Mou" also charted well.^[4]

Despite being relatively unknown in Greece, the duo entered the national final to be Greece's representatives in the Eurovision Song Contest 2001 in Copenhagen, Denmark with the song "(I Would) Die for You", written by Nikos Terzis with lyrics by Antonis Pappas, placing joint first, but being named the winners by default as they had won the public vote.^[3] The song placed third in the actual contest with 147 points; although equaled by the 2004 entry, it was the best placing Greece had ever received until Paparizou won the contest as a solo artist in 2005.^{[citation needed]} The song went on to become their biggest hit in Greece, reaching Platinum status, while it peaked at number three in Sweden, and charted elsewhere.^{[citation needed]} Antique's success in the contest led to them earning recognition in Greece and working there for the rest of their career. In continuation, they recorded four studio albums that achieved mild success, performed a small European tour, and collaborated with artists such as Katy Garbi and Slavi Trifonov. In 2002, they recorded the song "V-Power" in both English and Greek versions. The songs were included on the 14-track promotional album released for Royal Dutch Shell by V2 Records to promote the premium unleaded gasoline product known as V-Power. Following their course as Antique, Paparizou and Panagiotidis decided to pursue solo careers, although Paparizou maintained that the duo had not disbanded, but rather was taking a break.^{[citation needed]}

After disbanding

Antique disbanded in late 2003 on good terms with both members pursuing solo careers. There are currently no intentions of reuniting the group, although they have both expressed to want to reunite in the future.^[7]

Very interestingly, in 2005, two years after the duo disbanding, Elena Paparizou was selected as a solo this time, to represent Greece yet again at the Eurovision Song Contest 2005 and she was victorious in first place.

Discography

Studio Albums

Year	Album details	Peak chart positions		Certifications (sales thresholds)
		SWE	FIN
1999	Mera Me Ti Mera / Opa Opa Released: October 1999 Label: V2	29	—
2001	Die for You Released: June 2001 Label: V2	16	—
	Me Logia Ellinika Released: December 2001 Label: V2	—	—
2003	Alli Mia Fora Released: 2003 Label: V2	—	—
	Blue Love Released: 2003 Label: V2 Bonnier Music	13	31

EPs

Year	Album details	Peak chart positions		Certifications (sales thresholds)
		SWE	FIN
2000	Antique Released: October 2000 Label: Popular Records	—	—
2002	Dance: Re-mixes + Videos Released: 2002 Label: Bonnier Amigo Music	—	—

Compilations

Year	Album details	Peak chart positions		Certifications (sales thresholds)
		SWE	FIN
2003	Collector's Edition Released: 2003 Label: V2	—	—
2004	Very Best of Antique Released: 2004 Label: V2	47	—
2006	Antique Collection: Hits & Remixes Released: 2006 Label: V2	—	—

Singles

Year	Single	Peak chart positions				Album
		SWE	NOR	DEN	SWI
1999	"Opa Opa"	5	9	—	51	Mera Me Ti Mera
	"Dinata Dinata"	8	19	—	—
2000	"Mera Me Ti Mera"	45	—	—	—
2001	"Die for You"	3	9	15	75	Die for You
	"Ligo Ligo"	48	—	—	—
2002	"Follow Me"	15	—	—	—
2003	"Moro Mou"	3	—	—	—	Alli Mia Fora
	"Time to Say Goodbye"	13	—	—	—	Blue Love
	"List of Lovers"	—	—	—	—
"—" denotes the single failed to chart or was not released to that country

Videography

• 1999: "Opa Opa"
• 1999: "Opa Opa" (International)
• 1999: "Dinata Dinata"
• 2000: "Mera Me Ti Mera"
• 2001: "(I Would) Die for You"
• 2001: "(I Would) Die for You/Tha Pethaina Gia Sena"
• 2001: "Follow Me"
• 2001: "Why? (Mellan)" (feat. Slavi Trifonov)
• 2002: "Follow Me (O,ti Theleis)"
• 2002: "Me Logia Ellinika"
• 2002: "Kainourgia Agapi"
• 2003: "Alli Mia Fora"
• 2003: "Moro Mou"
• 2003: "Moro Mou (My Baby)"

See also

• Elena Paparizou

Tours

• Pili Axiou winter 2001–02

Awards

Grammis

• Best Modern Dance Song ("Opa Opa", 2000, nominated)

Eurovision Song Contest

• 3rd place, 147 points (2001)

Greek Pop Corn Music Awards

• Best Group (2001, won)

MAD Video Music Awards

• Best Dressed Artist in a Video (Elena Paparizou in "Alli Mia Fora", 2004, nominated)

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Kazoni, Sonia (May 2008). "Έλενα Παπαρίζου: Baby Tiger". Nitro Magazine: p. 248.  (Greek)
2. ^ "ΒΙΟΓΡΑΦΙΚΟ Ελενα Παπαρίζου". http://www.mad.tv/artists/?id=628&m=bio.  MAD TV. Retrieved on 2 February 2008 (Greek)
3. ^ ^{a b c d} Maravegias, Ilias (2008-02-17). "Κάνοντας μόδα τη Eurovision" (in Greek). Espresso News. http://espressonews.gr/default.asp?pid=79&la=1&catid=3&artid=597669&pg=1. Retrieved 2009-07-14. 
4. ^ ^{a b c} Ankeny, Jason. "Elena Paparizou Biography". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/artist/p821358/biography. Retrieved 2008-10-28. 
5. ^ "Έλενα Παπαρίζου". http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=caDFJDe2img. (Greek) Elena Paparizou's Biography on Alpha TV's "Kafes Me Tin Eleni Menegaki". Alpha TV, 17 April 2008. Retrieved on 23 April 2008
6. ^ Staff (2000-09-24). "Antique "Opa Opa" (song) Charts". SwedishCharts. Hung Medien. http://www.swedishcharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Antique&titel=Opa+Opa&cat=s. Retrieved 2009-10-28. 
7. ^ "Sizzling Elena Paparizou plans hot new album". http://www.lgr.co.uk/news/entertainment/12438/sizzling-elena-paparizou-plans-hot-new-album/.  London Greek Radio. Retrieved on April 8, 2008

External links

• Helena Paparizou official site

Preceded by Thalassa with Mia Krifi Evesthisia

Greece in the Eurovision Song Contest 2001

Succeeded by Michalis Rakintzis with S.A.G.A.P.O.