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Visit now: www.alexiamusic.com

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‘Music is essential for our equilibrium, for a health relationship with oneself’

Alexia says always trust your self

(...)

I began to sing professionally in late 1987, when I came to Athens, after my graduation from Berklee College of Music. I participated in the Eurovision song contest and right after signed with Polygram. I started working at Greek nightclubs, the only way for a singer to exist musically in Greece. I never liked it. I always had other ideas on expressing myself musically, artistically. Music, as a career, wasn’t a very comfortable or pleasant procedure or place to be; if you’re not careful, you can easily be led to treacherous paths far from your true calling–though a musical career has its advantages.

I was born in the town of Famagusta in Cyprus. After the traumatic Turkish invasion, we moved to Larnaca. The singers that were my teachers and friends, my source of inspiration through my childhood were Barbra Streisand, my most favorite singer, actor and director, Julie Andrews, Kate Bush, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Felicia Sanders. As for my favorite song: “Evergreen” from Barbra’s A Star is Born. I was drawn to jazz from a very early age.

After Eurovision, instead of signing contracts with record companies, I had an opportunity to go to Berklee College of Music. My parents encouraged and supported me through my studies with their love and faith in me, and for this I’m forever grateful. Because of the confidence I acquired from my studies and my amazing experiences at Berklee, I was able to protect and save myself from the traps of such a quicksand that the music industry can be.

I don’t think I can describe in words what music means to me. One day as I was walking, I heard birds singing. I stopped and listened for a while. This was music and beauty for me. It cleansed and inspired me. Music is very important to our society. This brings to mind one of my favorite composers, Mikis Theodorakis, who I worked with for several years and in 1998 produced and sang on an album of his music. I read about the impact his music had on Greeks and what a source of strength it was during the dark years of the junta.

Music is essential for our equilibrium, for a healthy relationship with oneself. I always knew when a song loved me. It would make me feel empowered, it did not make me sad nor did it remind me of heavy, difficult things of the past. On the contrary, the songs that loved me brought me closer to myself, to my nucleus, while the other kind would make me forget where I really wanted to go, who I longed to be.

My first album sold 100,000 copies in a few months. It’s mainly because of that album that–to this day–people recognize me and talk to me wherever I go. That’s the best part of being famous–people talk to you like you’re a relative, they confide in you; as an artist, you find solace in your interaction with them. The good side of being a celebrity is that it opens most doors–and if this is used widely, you have a free pass to almost everything. The bad side is the ‘noise’ of public scrutiny as its negativity can distract you from what is real and essential.

The worst professional advice I was given was not to trust myself. I’d advise anyone embarking on a career in music to first understand who they are, so that any decision after that would be the most beneficial to them. Self-inflicted martyrdom is quite unnecessary! We should all be able to enjoy whatever it is we’ve decided to do–and thoroughly–as long as this decision is ours. Other advice is to study, as knowledge of one’s craft helps bring respect for oneself, creating a very useful armor that will safeguard you in later times.

You should always trust your gut–that’s where your deepest desires reside. When you have a good relationship with yourself, the right people will come along to support you.

(from: The World of Greece: Odyssey)