The Life and Career of Haris Alexiou: Age, Husband, Family
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Who is Haris Alexiou?
Haris is a Greek singer and actress who’s released more than 30 studio albums; some of her most popular songs include “Apopse Thelo Na Pio”, “Dimitroula”, “Ola Se Thymizoun”, and others.
Haris Alexiou Wiki: Age, Childhood, and Education
Hariklia Roupaka was born on 27 December 1950, in Thebes, Greece, the daughter of Thanasis Roupakas and Ifigeneia Roupaka. According to reports, she’s of Arvanite origin on her father’s side, and Anatolian Greek through her mother. Her educational background is currently unavailable in the media.
Career Beginnings and Early Stardom
Haris Alexiou started her music career in the ’70s, with her first major project being the album “Mikra Asia” (Asia Minor) in 1972, a collaboration with George Dalaras, featuring compositions by Apostolos Kaldaras and Pythagoras Papastamatiou. This historic album marked a significant milestone, recognized as the biggest hit of the ’70s and included in “Minos-EMI’s 100 Greatest Hits of the Century”.
Continuing with notable contributions, Alexiou participated in various 1973 albums, including “Kalimera ilie” (Good Morning, Sun) by Manos Loïzos and Lefteris Papadopoulos, and “Odos Aristotelous” (Aristotelous Street) by Yannis Spanos and Lefteris Papadopoulos, “Byzantinos Esperinos” (Byzantine Vesper) by Apostolos Kaldaras and Lefteris Papadopoulos. During this period, she began a career-long collaboration with Manos Loïzos.
Alexiou released her debut solo album “12 ‘Laika’ Songs” in 1975, which spawned the timeless hit “Dimitroula”, originally performed by Roza Eskenazi in the 1930s. The album showcased a diverse musical range, incorporating traditional, modern and folk elements. Notably, she brought innovation to her performance style by presenting songs in “boites” in Plaka, deviating from conventional nightclubs. This shift coincided with the post-military junta era, embracing political and “rebetika” songs.
The crucial year for her career was 1979, which saw the release of “Ta tragoudia tis Haroulas” (Haroula’s Songs). Created by Manos Loïzos, with lyrics contributed by Manolis Rasoulis and Pythagoras Papastamatiou, the album featured hits such as “O Fantaros” (“The Soldier”) and the acclaimed “Ola se thymizoun” (“All Things Remind Me of You”), recognized as one of the most beautiful Greek ballads ever.
Continued Success
Alexiou continued her music career in the 1980s, with hits such as “Fevgo” and “Ximeroni”. She collaborated with Dimitra Galani on the album “Songs of Yesterday”, and performed diverse songs across Greece and internationally.
In 1983, she released the collection album “Tsilika”, featuring rebetika songs from 1900 to 1935., and a significant collaboration in 1986 with composer Thanos Mikroutsikos produced the hit album “I Agapi ine zali”.
Expanding her influence, she captivated the French audience at “Théâtre de la Ville” in 1986, and performed in various other international and Greek venues. Collaborations with composer Manos Hadjidakis in 1987 and the group “Fatme” in 1988 followed.
The late 1980s saw Alexiou’s collaboration with Italian singer Paolo Conte, working on several songs. Her decade concluded with the musical “The Show is On”, co-presented in Athens and Thessaloniki with an album of the same title.
In 1990, Haris began another collaboration with Thanos Mikroutsikos, resulting in the album “This Cologne Lingers on for Years”, featuring lyrics by Lina Nikolakopoulou. Later that year, she took part in a concert at the Peace and Friendship Stadium in Athens, named “Our Own Night”, alongside other prominent figures in Greek show business.
The following year, Alexiou held a special performance entitled “In Three Acts” at the Attikon Theatre of Athens; the show included songs by various artists such as Hadjidakis, Loizos, Mikroutsikos, and Brecht and Weill. She continued to set new standards for musical shows.
In 1992, she entered a collaboration with PolyGram, introducing a fresh style in her songs with the album “Di’ efchon (L’orale)”, featuring music by Nikos Antypas and lyrics by Lina Nikolakopoulou. This album marked a new phase in her extensive career.
Her global presence expanded in 1993 with concerts in various countries, including Japan, France, Belgium, the US and Israel. The album “Hey!” was released in 1994, and she achieved success with a show directed by Mauro Bolognini at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus.
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In 1995, Alexiou released the album “88 Nefelis Street”, featuring songs she wrote herself. The same year, she received the Prix Adami at the Palais des congrès in Paris, and opened Studio Nefeli to present her new songs in a “Cafe Theatre” atmosphere, with Dimitris Papaioannou as the director.
In 1996, she wrote the lyrics for “Nefeli’s Tango” on Loreena McKennitt’s music, included in the album “Around the World ’92-’96.” The song achieved recognition in World Music in Europe.
She continued to work on notable contributions in the summer of 1997 when she gave a successful concert at Pnyka Hill near the Acropolis, which was in response to an invitation from the Olympic Games Committee “Athens 2004”.
In 1998, she released “The Game of Love”, the second album with original songs she wrote. She recorded the album in Paris, andn included both Greek and foreign musicians. She toured North and South America with Nikos Papazoglou, and held a concert at the Diogenis Studio in Athens.
October 1999 witnessed her collaboration with Turkish singer Sezen Aksu for earthquake relief concerts in Athens and Istanbul. This partnership continued in the summer of 2000 in Istanbul and İzmir. She’s continued to nurture the friendship between Greeks and Turks and in her honor, a street in Izmir was named after her.
The 2000s
Haris released the album “Whispers” in September 2000, featuring her favorite songs performed with a small music group. she showcased these songs in Athens and Epidaurus Odeon in the following month, marking the inception of her record label, Estia.
December saw the release of “Strange Light”, in which she reunited with past collaborators. The album, renamed “Lumiere Etrange”, gained a European release through Universal-France. Simultaneously, Haris embarked on a triumphant European tour, concluding at the Theatre Olympia in Paris.
The creative streak continued in 2002 with “Keramikos Live”, featuring more “laika” songs. In 2003, “To the End of Your Heaven” achieved quadruple platinum status, earning Haris the Best-Selling Greek Artist award at the World Music Awards for 2003-2004. The Athens Olympic Games closing ceremony in 2004 witnessed Haris alongside other notable Greek artists.
October marked the release of the retrospective double CD, “Anthology”, comprising 38 songs, with remastered albums in April 2005. Returning in 2006 with “Sour Cherry and Bitter Orange”, she explored traditional facets of contemporary music, achieving platinum status.
Special concerts, including a tribute to Sofia Vembo and commemorating “Melodia” radio station’s 25 years, were recorded with a small music group, resulting in a CD and DVD release in March 2007. Haris capped off 2006 with a European tour, promoting the international release of “Anthology”.
In early 2007, Haris Alexiou graced the Athens Concert Hall with five concerts, all directed by Panos Papadopoulos. Entitled “Everything Reminds Me of You”, she delivered three concerts at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus in June 2007, honoring the 70th anniversary of Manos Loizos’ birth. Directed by Panos Papadopoulos, with musical arrangements by Kostas Papadoukas and lighting by Andreas Sinanos, these performances featured the ensemble “Triphonon”.
The tribute extended with two additional concerts in Thessaloniki, followed by a summer tour across Greece and Cyprus, accompanied by “Triphonon”. The culmination arrived on 22 October with the release of the album “Haris Alexiou – A Tribute to Manos Loizos”. The album featured Nikos Portokaloglou and “Triphonon”, released in both double CD and double CD-DVD formats by Estia Recordings.
Recently, Alexiou has taken on the role of grandmother Haris in the Greek TV series “Maestro in Blue” on Mega Channel in Greece and globally on Netflix.
Throughout her career, Alexiou collaborated with renowned artists such as George Dalaras, Yiannis Parios, Dimitra Galani, and Vasilis Papakonstantinou. Her concerts, featuring songs by various esteemed musicians, achieved remarkable success, establishing her as the revered “Haroula of Greece”.
Net Worth
According to authoritative sources, Haris Alexiou’s net worth is estimated at over $1 million, as of late 2023.
Personal Life, Dating, Husband, Children
When it comes to her personal life, Haris was married to Achilleas Theophilouk. They adopted a boy and named him Mano while married. Haris named him Mano after her friend and colleague Manos Loizos. There’s no other information regarding Haris’ relationships.
Appearance and Vital Statistics
Haris Alexiou has dark brown hair and brown eyes. She stands at a height of 5ft 8ins (1.73m), while her weight and other vital statistics are currently unknown.
