Haris Alexiou, a vocalist and songwriter, blends the folk traditions of Greece with contemporary pop elements. Fans affectionately refer to her as "Haroula," meaning "Little Grace," and she ranks among the foremost exponents of the resonant, throaty Greek Byzantine vocal approach. Dirty Linen observed that her "...passionate vocals really soar over the music and are a real delight to listen to." After more than twenty years in the business she performs in French, German, and Arabic while concentrating on rembetika, the Greek form that merges dhimotica folk material with smyrneika urban oriental music.
Her family origins lie in Thebes in Asia Minor; following the Treaty of Lausanne in 1923 they relocated to Greece. The decisive moment arrived in 1972 when she auditioned successfully for Mikra Asia ("Asia Minor" -- Turkey), a multi-artist collection produced by Apostoles Kaldaras that became a major success throughout eastern Europe. Her debut release, Laika Tragoudia ("12 Folk Songs"), appeared in 1975 and contained the single "Dimitroula," Greece's top-selling record of the decade. After the military regime collapsed she shared a series of stadium concerts with the politically active vocalist Theodorakis and issued the double album Ta Tsilika, devoted to Greek folk songs dating from 1900 to 1940.
In the 1990s she began working with songwriter Nikos Andypas, whom she first met while he played drums for Theodorakis. Their initial collaboration, Di Efchon ("With Blessings"), with lyrics by Lina Nikalakopoulou, ranked among the first Greek albums issued beyond Greece's borders. Released in France, Belgium, Israel, and Japan, the project also marked her American debut in January 1998. Alexiou displayed her own songwriting on the 1995 album Odos Nefelys '88 ("Cloud Street '88"). Gyriziontas Ton Kosmos ("Going 'Round the World") followed in 1996, and Ena Fili Tou Kosmou arrived in 1997; both sets drew on concert recordings made between 1992 and 1996.
