The Voice of Greece is a Greek television talent show created by John de Mol and based on the concept The Voice of Holland. It is part of an international series. It began airing on ANT1 on January 10, 2014 and the final of second season on June 21, 2015. The third season premiered on November 16, 2016 on Skai TV. It also premiered the same day in Cyprus on Sigma TV. The coaches of the show are currently (from season 3) Panos Mouzourakis, Elena Paparizou, Sakis Rouvas and Kostis Maraveyas. Giorgos Kapoutzidis is hosting the show while Laura Narjes is the backstage and social networking corresponding.
There are four different stages to the show: producers' auditions, blind auditions, battle phase and live shows. Producers' auditions take place in Athens and Thesalloniki in Greece and in Nicosia in Cyprus. The rest stages are taking place in the Kapa Studios, in Spata, Attica.
From the third series there are five different stages to the show: producers' auditions, blind auditions, battle phase, knockout battle and live shows. Producers' auditions take place in Athens and Thesalloniki in Greece and in Nicosia in Cyprus. The rest stages are taking place in the Galatsi Olympic Hall, in Galatsi, Athens, Greece.
Maria Elena Kiriakou, Kostas Ageris, Giannis Margaris and Yiorgos Zioris are currently the four winners produced by the series. The show was renewed for a second season on ANT1 TV that premiered during the 2014-2015 season along with a kids version of the show, which was later canceled.
Video The Voice of Greece
Production
The Voice of Greece was often mentioned in July-August 2013 by the media as the new reality show on the Greek television. Even though no broadcaster had officially announce the show, ANT1 and Mega Channel were the possible channels that would host the show. In early September it was announced with a trailer that ANT1 bought the rights for the show. It was revealed the show would be going head-to-head with Mega Channel's series, Klemmena Onira, which was very successful.
Although it was not done for every performance of the contestants, the four original songs of the four finalists were released through iTunes.
Devised by John de Mol, the creator of Big Brother, The Voice is based on the Dutch TV programme The Voice of Holland and is part of The Voice franchise, being based on the similar British and U.S. format. After securing the show, ANT1 had in their schedule three of the top shows: The Voice, Dancing with the Stars, and Your Face Sounds Familiar with all of them being renewed for the 2014-2015 season.
Scheduling
After speculation in August, the show was expected to start in November 2013. In September, it was speculated that the new series To Spiti tis Emmas starring Katia Dandoulaki, also set to premiere in November 2013. The show's air date was officially confirmed on December 21, 2013 with a trailer. A countdown started on the show's Twitter on 3 January 2014. It was rumored that the Cypriot channel, Mega Channel would start a show alike to The Voice and the Greek same-titled channel would broadcast it opposite The Voice. The show was latter officially confirmed by the broadcaster with a trailer. The show started after the third season of DanSing for You was finished. It was rumored that Zeta Makripoulia, who hosted Dancing with the Stars on ANT1, would host the show. However, it was later confirmed that Makripoulia would be hosting the second season of Mega's reality singing contest, Just the Two of Us.
As more episodes of the show were broadcast, the more audience were following it, making ANT1 more successful. The show was broadcast opposite Mega's popular series, Klemmena Onira which was broadcast from 9:15 to 10:00. On January 10, 2014, it managed to get more viewers than Mega's series, with 1.78 million viewers for the show's premiere and left the series behind with 1.70 million viewers. However, the "war" between the two was tight in the next weeks with The Voice of Greece getting the lead only once, on January 24, 2014 with 1.734 million viewers, almost 1 million viewers more than the series.
The Voice of Greece was not broadcast the same day in ANT1 Cyprus. In Cyprus the blind auditions and the battles were broadcast one day later than in Greece; on Saturday at 9:15. However, as the live shows were broadcast live, the show was moved to Fridays as in the Greek channel.
In February 2014, it was rumored that the air date would change to Sunday with the producers of the show denying the rumor and said that the rest of the blind auditions and the battles will be aired on Fridays as they are recorded. However, they have said that the day of the live shows isn't decided yet as two of the coaches can't be on the show on Fridays due to their schedule. After the battles were completed, it was shown on the trailer for the live shows that they would be airing on Fridays, as the previous stages.
A month after the premiere of the 1st show, Mega Channel Cyprus announced the premiere of their talent show, Your Song, that was rumored to be broadcast in the Greek channel also, opposite The Voice of Greece. Even though the show was not broadcast by the Greek channel, in March 2014 the broadcaster confirmed the second season of the reality singing competition Just the Two of Us hosted by Zeta Makripoulia who hosted the first to third seasons of Dancing with the Stars.
Promotion
The first promotional item for the show was on the TV, with a trailer announcing the auditions of the show in September 2013. It read, "The first show that close the eyes to the appearance and listens only the voice". Several shots from American version were shown during the trailer. Four twenty-seconds trailers were shown three months later, on 12 December. The official trailer with the premiere date was shown on December 21, 2013. The coaches, who were first seen in that trailer, were coming from the backstage to the stage. As it was done in the American version, a bus showing the coaches of the show as well as the show's logo and premiere date, was travelling around the country in order to promote the show.
Social media
During the live shows, the V Reporter usually showed reports on the trending of the show in the social media such as Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. The hashtag #thevoicegr was used for the show as well as hashtags with the teams.
Auditions and filming
The producer auditions of the first season started in September 2013. The blind auditions took place in the Kapa Studios in Spata, Attica, where the battle and live shows also take place with the only difference being that the latter is broadcast live and it is not recorded. The places of the audition were not officially announced but Thesalloniki, Athens and Nicosia were some of the cities. Though the blind auditions were not filmed in one day, the coaches wore the same clothes in all the episodes of the blind auditions as it is a rule of the show.
Incidents
On January 25, 2014, it was announced that the production of the original show sued Stamatina Kanta, a contestant of the first season, after breaching the conditions of the contract. Kanta had appeared in a talk show that didn't belong to the channel that broadcasts the show. A few hours later though, it was revealed that the production team didn't sue the contestant, but had simply phoned with a warning.
Maps The Voice of Greece
Format
The Voice is a reality television series that features four coaches looking for a talented new artist, who could become a global superstar. As the title indicates the coaches judge their vocal ability and not their looks, personalities or stage presence. This aspect, differentiates The Voice from other reality television series such as The X Factor, Greek Idol and Greece's Got Talent. The top sixty four artists are split into four teams and are mentored by the four coaches who in turn choose songs for their artists to perform.
Anyone can audition for the show, even artists that have been in the musical industry. After the auditions are held, the blind auditions take place where the coaches determine the top sixty four. During the blind auditions the artists perform with the coaches facing the audience. If the coach likes the artist vocally and hits the button showing that would like to mentor him. If more than one does so, then the artist selects a coach. However, if no coach turns around then the artist is sent home.
There are four different stages: producers' auditions, Blind auditions, Battle phase and live shows.
Selection process
The first stage of the show is not broadcast. The producers of the show audition all the artists that submitted their selves through the form on the website. The selected by the producers artists proceed to the blind auditions where they have to perform for the coaches. However, what differs from the other reality shows and as the stage's name indicates, the coaches do not see the artist performing as they face the audience. If the coaches like the performance, they hit their button which shows that they want to mentor the act. If more than one hits the button, the singer has the opportunity to select the coach of his preference. If only one hits the button, the singer is defaulted to his team. However, if none of the coaches hit the button, the artist is eliminated. While the singer is performing at the blind auditions, his relatives or friends are at a room, known as the "family room" where they watch him performing. Along with the relatives and friends the host, Giorgos Liagkas, is with them. Each coach has a team of sixteen acts selected from the blind auditions and as soon as they have their sixteen acts, they cannot press their button. Sixty four out of the selected by the producers proceed to the next stage, the battle phase.
The second stage, the Battle phase, is where two artists are mentored and then developed by their respective coach. The coaches of the team will "dedicate themselves to developing their artists, giving them advice, and sharing the secrets of their success in the music industry". The two members of each team are fighting against by performing the same song which is selected by their coach. The coach then, decides who will continue to the show and proceed to the live shows. The "steal" twist was not introduced to the show as in British and American shows. This stage, as the blind auditions, is not live. During the battle phase, the coaches "hire" advisors to help them and give them advices on pairing the contestants and choosing the songs. The advisors of the coaches are known and acclaimed musicians.
The final stage of the show is the live shows. The artists perform in front of the coaches and an audience. Unlike the previous stages, the live shows are broadcast live. Each coach will have eight acts after eight of their sixteen acts have been eliminated in the battle phase. The thirty-two acts compete in the first and second live shows where four acts from each team are eliminated. Each coach has then four acts in the third live and since then each team loses one act in each live until the sixth and final live show where each coach has one act. As it was revealed by the presenter of the first season, during the semi-final week songs are being written and produced for each one of the eight semi-finalists. However, the songs will be used for the final indicating that only four of the songs will be presented by the contestants.
Voting system
As all the music competitions in Greece, the fans could vote through phone calls or text as well as voting through the website of the broadcaster. The viewers from the rest of the world, except Cyprus, were only able to vote through the website. The voting is unlimited; the viewers can vote as many times as they want.
As of the first season, the voting is only available in the final stage of the show; the live shows. Along with the coaches, the viewers decide who will proceed to the next live show. The voting in each live show was divided in four parts; the acts from each team were performing and the viewer were voting one or more acts from the team. In the first and second live shows, the most voted act was through the third live while the coach had to select a second act to send through. The same process was done in all the live shows except the final live show. However, from the third to the fifth live show, only one act was eliminated from the competition. For the semi-final there was an additional voting system; the coaches had 100 points to give to the two acts of their team and they could not give equal points to the acts. After the semi-final results, the voting for the final started and stayed open for one week. Also, as it was done in American version, voting was also available through iTunes, by purchasing the songs of the four finalists.
As the series is broadcast in Cyprus and Cypriot singers are also competing, Cyprus is also allowed to vote. However, the fact that Cypriot contestants managed to get through the contest, which assumed that Cypriots were voting mostly for Cypriots, caused "feuds" between Greeks and Cypriots mainly through the social network. Also, Evridiki replied to those who criticize the Cypriot contestants; "[...] Don't forget that it's a game. Some people should cool off and don't get upset with the Cypriots that are voting. At the end they are not voting random contestants, but contestants that are objectively good singers".
Series overview
The series is part of The Voice franchise and is based on a similar competition format in the Netherlands entitled The Voice of Holland won by Ben Saunders.
Season 1 (2014)
The first season of The Voice of Greece premiered on January 10, 2014 (and January 11, 2014 in Cyprus) and concluded on May 8, 2014. The coaches of the first season were Michalis Kouinelis, Despina Vandi, Antonis Remos and Melina Aslanidou while Giorgos Liagkas and Themis Georgantas were the presenter and backstage reporter respectively. Auditions for the season were held in Thesalloniki, Athens (Greece) and Nicosia (Cyprus). The show was broadcast on ANT1 and it was since the first episode a success with rates getting over 50% in household rating.
Four contestants, one from each team, advanced to the final live show. Each one of the four finalists had their own song written by members of the Universal Music Group. Kiriakou was announced as the winner of the season, while Kosmidou was declared as the runner-up. Third and fourth places were Kintatos and Charalambous.
Season 2 (2015)
The second season of The Voice of Greece premiered on February 15, 2015 and concluded on June 21, 2015. The coaches from the first season, Aslanidou, Remos, Vandi and Kouinelis remained as the coaches while Giorgos Liagkas also stayed as the presenter.
Four contestants, one from each team, advanced to the final live show. Each one of the four finalists had their own song written by members of the Universal Music Group. Ageris was announced as the winner of the season, while Vilanidi was declared as the runner-up. Third and fourth places were Mallas and Kabanelli.
Season 3 (2016-17)
The third season of The Voice of Greece premiered on November 16, 2016 and concluded on March 2, 2017 on Skai TV (Greece) and Sigma TV (Cyprus). The new coaches of the third season were Helena Paparizou, Sakis Rouvas, Kostis Maraveyas and Panos Mouzourakis while The show is hosted by Giorgos Kapoutzidis with Elena Tsagkrinou serving as the backstage and social networking corresponding.
Eight contestants, four from Maraveyas team and two from Mouzourakis and Rouvas team, advanced to the final live show. Margaris was announced as the winner of the season, while Leipsaki was declared as the runner-up. Third and fourth places were Theodorou and Milioni.
Season 4 (2017)
The fourth season of The Voice of Greece premiered on October 3, 2017 and concluded on December 20, 2017 on Skai TV (Greece) and Sigma TV (Cyprus). The coaches from the third season, Paparizou, Rouvas, Maraveyas and Mouzourakis remained as the coaches while Kapoutzidis also stayed as the presenter but Laura Narjes is the new that she will serving as the backstage and social networking corresponding.
Zioris was announced as the winner of the season, while Ioakeim was declared as the runner-up. Third and fourth places were Lemonitsi and Tsagara.
Presenters
Natalia Germanou was unofficially confirmed to be the host of the show. However, it was later revealed that she had a proposition for the judging panel which was later turned down by the broadcaster after it was decided that the judges will be only professional singers. A few days after the unofficial confirmation, Sakis Rouvas, who also hosted Greek version of The X Factor, was rumored to be the host of the show. On December 5, 2013, the broadcaster revealed that Liagkas will be hosting the show with Georgantas being the V reporter. From season 3 the presenter of the show will be Giorgos Kapoutzidis.
- Current
- Giorgos Kapoutzidis (3-)
- Former
- Yiorgos Liagkas (1-2)
Coaches
Several artists were rumored as the coaches for the first season; Anna Vissi, Marinella, Remos Elena Paparizou and Nikos Karvelas were some of them. The official line-up was announced on December 5, 2013. The coaches of the first season are Antonis Remos, Despina Vandi, Melina Aslanidou and Michalis Kouinelis (member of the Greek Hip-Hop band Stavento). The coaches are often described as "the biggest names of the Greek music industry". "[The coaches] are four of the top artists of the Greek music industry representing a wide musical spectrum" said TLife's Nancy Nikolaidou.
Current
Elena Paparizou
Eleni "Elena" Paparizou (Greek: ????? ?????????, pronounced ['elena papa'rizu], born 31 January 1982), usually referred to abroad as Helena Paparizou, is a Greek-Swedish singer, songwriter, and television personality. Born and raised in Sweden to Greek parents, she enrolled in various arts schools before launching a career in Sweden in 1999 as a member of the laïko (Greek folk music) and Eurodance duo Antique, who participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2001 and afterwards became popular in Greece.
Antique disbanded in 2003 and Paparizou signed a solo recording contract with Sony Music Greece, releasing the chart-topping debut single "Anapandites Kliseis" and album Protereotita (2004), with emphasis on laïko, pop, and dance sounds, but at first had modest sales. In 2005, she represented Greece in the Eurovision Song Contest with the song "My Number One", which she won. It was the first Greek win in the contest's history and significantly transformed her career. Her album was subsequently certified double platinum by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry of Greece. Paparizou briefly attempted a career beyond Greece with English-language material, charting in a few countries abroad. Her three subsequent albums Iparhi Logos (2006), The Game of Love (2006) and Vrisko To Logo Na Zo (2008) all peaked at number one in Greece and reached platinum sales. Her fifth studio album Giro Apo T' Oneiro (2010) was also certified platinum. Paparizou's final release before she left Sony Music, Greatest Hits & More, was released in 2011 and included "Baby It's Over", her biggest airplay hit to date.
Paparizou established herself as an idol, particularly among young girls. She has endorsed the brands Nokia and Ivi. For the period 2013-2015 Helena advertised hair colour products for Koleston company in Greece. In the 2010s she tried to move into television as a judge on Dancing on Ice (2011) and as a contestant on Let's Dance (2012) but saw little success. Paparizou lived with her fiancé and manager Toni Mavridis from 1999 until their separation in 2011.
Paparizou has been awarded three Arion Music Awards, a European Border Breakers Award, 23 MAD Video Music Awards--more than any other artist--and an MTV Europe Music Award. On 14 March 2010, Alpha TV ranked her as the 14th top-certified domestic female artist since 1960, having won seven platinum and four gold records. Paparizou was the most successful debuting female artist of the 2000s and established herself as one of the top acts of the latter half of the decade. As of 2010, she has been certified for the sales of 300,000 albums, 47,500 singles, and 30,000 digital downloads by IFPI Greece, in addition to 100,000 total record sales in Greece as part of Antique, 24,000 certified albums in Cyprus, and 80,000 singles in Sweden during her solo career. In 2010, Forbes listed Paparizou as the 21st most powerful and influential celebrity in Greece. She has more than 144 million views on YouTube--more than any other artist in the Greek music industry. She is the first female artist to reach 600.000 likes at Facebook in Greece.
Sakis Rouvas
Anastasios "Sakis" Rouvas (Greek: ?????????? "?????" ??????, pronounced ['sacis ru'vas]; born 5 January 1972), known mononymously as Sakis, is a Greek recording, film, and television artist; model; businessman and former pole vaulter. Born in Corfu, he won medals on the national athletics team during the 1980s. Rouvas began a musical career in 1991 as one of Greece's first dance-pop performers. His tenor vocals, complex choreography, costumes, and technological advancements have been credited with transforming music videos and live performances. Rouvas is noted for avoiding domestic music, attaining success for a non-laïko or -éntekhno artist, and for breaking cultural, social, artistic, and generational barriers in Greece and Cyprus.
During the early 1990s, Rouvas signed with PolyGram Records and won the Thessaloniki Song Festival. Despite five commercially successful albums, his personal life (including his military service and 1997 Greek-Turkish peace concert, which damaged his public image) has been publicized. Rouvas signed with Minos EMI in 1997, returning to the charts with Kati Apo Mena (1998) and 21os Akatallilos (2000) and ending his 14-year collaboration with manager Ilias Psinakis. One of the few Greek entertainers to gain recognition abroad, he has been popular in the Balkans since the 1990s. By the 2010s, Rouvas had expanded his career to film, television, theatre and fashion. His single "Shake It" is the all-time bestselling single in Greece; his songs and videos, such as "1992", "Aima, Dakrya & Idrotas", "Ela Mou", "Xana", "Tora Arhizoun Ta Dyskola", "Den Ehei Sidera I Kardia Sou", "Ypirhes Panta", "Antexa", "Se Thelo San Trelos" and "+ Se Thelo, have topped the popular Greek charts.
Since 2003 Rouvas has been in a relationship with model Katia Zygouli, with whom he has three children. He is involved in social issues, and has been praised for his dedication to philanthropic organizations.
Rouvas has won six Arion Music Awards, 15 Pop Corn Music Awards, 17 MAD Video Music Awards, four Status Man of the Year Awards, an MTV Europe Music Award and a World Music Award. Several number-one albums and singles which have been certified gold or higher have made him one of Greece's most popular musical artists. Known for his independence, Rouvas' musical, fashion and performance styles have influenced other artists for over two decades. In 2009 Down Town named him its "Entertainer of the Decade"; in 2010, Forbes listed him as the third-most-influential celebrity in Greece and the country's top-ranked singer.
Panos Mouzourakis
Panos Mouzourakis was born in Zurich on May 24, 1979. He is a Greek artist, singer, songwriter and actor.
He has distinguished himself through his participation in the Greek TV Series, Singles and 4. He moved with his family to Thessaloniki when he was 8 years old. From 19, he began to appear in various shops in Thessaloniki and Halkidiki (En Ellidi, Kingston, Fun-key, Paragalos, Inside, Cafe Americain, Ydrogeos, etc.) playing guitar and singing, either alone or as a band member ("The Unacceptable", "Auburn Small Picky Woodpeckers"). In August 2002 he decided to go down to Athens.
By the time he arrived in Athens, he was recruited in the "Cross of the South Club", where he remained for the next four years, creating a sense of his very special artistic presence, constantly gaining the attention and love of the audience.
In 2004 he attended acting lessons at Kostas Daliani's "Action" school and during the same summer he participated in the performances of Dionysis Savvopoulos. In 2005, alongside his performances at Stavros tou Notou, he also participated in the theatrical performance of Vasso Vasiliou "Jungle Rites", as well as in the performance "Aharni" by Dionisis Savvopoulos, in the role of Lamachos, touring all over Greece and Cyprus and performances in Vienna and the Tokyo International Fair. Since then he has collaborated with Dionysis Savvopoulos occasionally, in concerts and music tributes.
In May 2006, together with Giorgos Mylonas - with whom he collaborated for 4 years at Stavros tou Notou - they prepared their own musical-theater performance, titled "Shepherds", and was presented at "H-EDRA" in N. Smyrna. The same performance was presented again in the X-seat, from September 2006 to February 2007.
At the same time, he was a key singer at the Uplift Mofo Party Band, a group of outstanding musicians who presented a tribute to the Red Hot Chili Peppers at the Gagarin Club, with tremendous success. At the same time he participated in the comedy series "Giannaki Oormopedo" with Yiannis Zouganelis.
In September 2006, Eleni Gassouka became a member of the music and theater group "Heroes" and in the same winter the homonymous performance (texts and direction Eleni Gassouka) was staged in Mikro Pallas. "Heroes" also played for the second year (2007-2008) in the same venue, gaining more and more public appreciation.
In March 2007 his first personal album titled "Guess Who" was released, while in the spring of 2007 he participated in the American Dream by Constantine Rigos, presented at the National Opera for 11 performances.
In the summer of 2007 she appeared with Giorgos Mylonas and Faye in a summer program at a beachfront shop in Athens. In the autumn of 2007, together with George Mylonas and Leonidas Balafas, he set up the music festival "Festival of Theaters", which was presented at the Oxygen music scene until January 2008. At the same time he appeared in the TV series "S1ngles 2 1/2" in the role of "Jamba".
In February 2008, with the addition of Giorgos Chrysotomou in the program, the "Cretan Princess" was re-starred as "The Plus Festival" and was played in the same place even more successfully until the Easter of 2008.
In 2009, while the Heroes were preparing to continue five-day performances in Mikro Pallas and the TV series "S1ngles 3" closed the episode series on Mega channel, he continued his appearances on stage Oxygen and was in the process of preparing his second album. He also participated in the series of Christopher Papakiatis "4 (four)" in the role of Mars.
In 2010 he participated in the animated satirical series of Giorgos Feidas and Giannis Tsitsonis, "If You Get Me Than Not Have" in Mega Channel, the role of the cynical philosopher Menippos.
In 2011, his second album titled "Flying Disk" was released and appeared every Monday at the Cross of the South Club. In the summer of the same year, he toured all over Greece by presenting the album, while he was honored with Kostis Maraveyas at Mad VMA for the single of "Fila s je?t?".
At the beginning of the season he was given a new role. He presented the fourth and last season of the Amstel Live show.
In October 2011, and until February 2012, the show "Strictly Unrated" was launched alongside Vangelis Asimakis at the Stavros South Club. The rest of the winter toured Greece and Cyprus.
In May 2012, concerts began in Greece and Cyprus with Apostolos Varanouzos. In the winter of 2012 until the spring of 2013, she participated in the music performance of Eleni Gaskouka "Avanta", along with Thanasis Alevras at Stavros tou Notou Plus. The show was a great success. He also participated in the theatrical performance "Hangover 4: Athens - Kalamata" by Alexandros Riga at the Athena Theater, in the role of Leonidas.
At the end of the summer of 2012 he created a new band, altering the sound of live on more funky and swing rhythms. He named the band "The big band project". On his side were the One of a kind.
In December 2013, his third album titled "Goal" was released. Then, until January 2014, she took part in the musical performance of Elena Gassouka "Burlesque", along with Thanasis Alevras and One of a Kind, a performance presented at Fuzz.
In March 2014, "Gaganin" at the Piraeus Coast, alongside Dionysis Savvopoulos, Lavrentis Machheritsas and Yiannis Zouganelis, was added to the group's Brave Genius.
In June 2014 he presented Madame Madame duo in a subversive number, choreography by Fokas Evangelinos in Mad VMA 2014 along with Pantelis Amazis. Immediately afterwards, he toured with Dionysis Savvopoulos and Lavrentis Macheritsa, conducting sold out concerts.
In 2016 he participates in the jury of the TV show The Voice of Greece, which is screened at the TV channel SKAI. Panos Mouzourakis, also, gave the voice to Greek version of Olaf in the film Frozen.
In 2017, he participates in the film of Nikos Perakis, Success Story.
Kostis Maravegias
Kostis Maraveyas or Kostis Maravegias (Greek: ?????? ??????????), also known by his stage name Maraveyas ilegál or just Maraveyas is a Greek singer-songwriter, composer, performer, director, TV presenter and writer. He plays the accordion, piano, guitar, hammond, farfisa and he sings in Greek, English, Spanish and Italian. Although he began his musical career in the underground & alternative music scene of Italy and Greece, Maraveyas is nowadays considered a pop star in Greece, because of his latest wide success.
In March 2012, Kostis Maraveyas introduced his very first novel "Lola" which was released by Metaichmio editions as a part of a CD with the same title. The story is about a young girl, a musician, named Lola and her boyfriend Markos, who both travel from Piraeus Port to Kastelorizo Island by ship. It's a humorous travel love story mixed with politics, inspired by the announcements of the ex prime minister George Papandreou regarding the International Monetary Fund from the island of Kastelorizo.
To date Maraveyas has released four full-length albums of his original material and a full live double album, which include "Radiopiratis" (released in 2003 on FM records), "Ilegal" (released on Cantini, 2007), "Welcome to Greece" (released on EMI Greece, 2007), "Lola" (released on EMI Greece, 2012) and "Live ston Kipo tou Megarou" (released on EMI-Universal Greece, 2013). His latest cd "Lola" has been broadcast over notable European & Global Radios such as BBC3, BBC World Service, RTVE, Funkhaus Berlin, Radio Canada and many other.
Former
Despina Vandi
As all the other coaches, Despina Vandi was officially confirmed as a coach on December 5, 2013. A source in November, said "Despina Vandi is in talks with the heads of ANT1 in order to have her place in the panel finalized". She signed the contract for the first season in late November. However, she was rumored several times as a coach of the show since the show's first season was announced in August. ANT1 wanted Vandi to be in the show although Vandi had previously turned down propositions to join the judging panels of several shows such as the broadcaster's The X Factor as well as the Greek Idol and Fame Story. In September 2013, it was reported that Vandi had a proposition along with Anna Vissi, who both are considered as "enemies", with the latter turning down the proposition for unknown reasons. However, it was later rumored that Vissi turned down to proposition due to Vandi being in the panel and said that she would only accept the proposition if the other coach was her ex-husband, Nikos Karvelas, which was impossible as Vandi had already signed her contract for the show. The teasers of the coaches were revealed on January 4, 2014 where the coaches were talked about the show with Vandi saying that she likes the idea of hearing and not seeing and that in the show it's only "the voice" that counts.
In March 2014, Vandi revealed that the main reason of accepting the proposition to join the show was that it is the only talent show for new talents since its concept is different than the other talent shows as she has watched versions of other countries. She also said that she had discussed about the show with the channel's head, Giannis Latsios. Antonis Remos, whom Vandi has known for several years, was another reason for Vandi to join the show and also said that she feels safe and sure with him.
Vandi has received mostly positive feedback for her appearance in the show and she was often named as the "show's favorite coach". Authors from Cosmo gave positive review to Vandi with Kallia Kastani saying that "she has whatever a person who is on television for any reason needs to have" while Ioanna Pahouli said that Vandi was her favorite since the trailer was shown. After appearing in the show's first season and also hosting the Greek national selection Eurosong - a MAD show of 2013 and 2014, it was reported that ANT1 wanted to use her for a different project, in the role of the presenter this time. During the press junket for the show, Vandi said that "hosting is not something that I consider at the moment. I won't turn down anything, because what if there was a project with relation to music [...] I can't imagine myself doing anything than singing".
For the first season's battles, Vandi "hired" the composer and producer Dimitris Kontopoulos as her advisor to help her through the process of the battles.
Antonis Remos
Antonis Remos was one of the first singers to be rumored as a coach. He was officially confirmed as a coach by ANT1 on December 5, 2013. He was firstly reported as a coach in September 2013 along with Anna Vissi with whom he has cooperated for their appearance in the musical "Ena I Kanena" since December. Remos accepted the proposition and signed a contract with the channel in November, although Vissi turned down the proposition. The teasers of the coaches were revealed on January 4, 2014 where the coaches were talked about the show with Remos saying that he will search to discover the "truth of the voice".
Remos has said that the reason that lead him to accept the proposition for the show was that "the singers who are auditioning for the show, professionals or not [...] are "fighting" for their talent to be recognized". He also said the fact that he is coaching and helping the participants instead of judging is important for him.
About his role in the show, Remos said that "we [the coaches] are not judges but coaches" and that the relief for him is that he is not judging any singer but helping them to choose right. During the press junket in March 2014, Remos said that he is unsure if he would be in the show's second season but said that in case he accepted to be in the second season, it would be only because he likes the process. He said that he has enjoyed being part of the first season but has also exhausted him.
His appearance on the show was not received very positively and received mixed reviews. Kallia Kastani named him as her less favorite from the coaches and said that "though he is amazingly direct and stands in front of the camera like he's been on the TV for years, he's posing a bit like "I've done a career and I know better"" while Niki Hagia named him as her favorite from the coaches.
For the first season's battles, Remos "hired" the composer and music arranger Christos Sumka as his advisor to help him through the process of the battles.
Melina Aslanidou
Melina Aslanidou was the third coach to be unofficially confirmed, even though she wasn't rumored as a coach before as Antonis Remos and Despina Vandi. She was officially confirmed as a coach along with the rest on December 5, 2013. It was reported by People Greece that after Vandi and Remos signed their contracts, ANT1 was looking for a female artist from the entechno genre resulting to have Aslanidou as the preponderant for the show. She has said that when she got the proposition for the show, her first thought was negative as she didn't have any relation with the television, but the attracting point of the proposition was the concept of the show, which led her to accept the proposition. The teasers of the coaches were revealed on January 4, 2014 where the coaches were talked about the show with Aslanidou saying that she is trying to find voices that will have technique but most of all will have "soul".
During an interview for her experience at the show, Aslanidou had reported that when she got the proposition she had fear of appearing on the television. She also said about teaching the contestants that it's partly hard as it's not easy as you have to pass experiences, values and ideals that she also got from bigger artists. "Each child has different needs [...] you have to see what the needs to listen so they can stand out", she reportedly said.
Her appearance at the show had rather negative reviews but also had several positive. Ioanna Mami of Cosmo said that she is cute, calm and shows respect to the contestants and named her as her favorite coach. Despina Dima and Elena Bouzala named her as their least favorite coach with the first saying that she's good but the fact that she was somehow "frightened" disappointed her and that she also needs time to adjust. Elena Bouzala said that Aslanidou is making her get bored and when the rest try to make a joke she's turning it to serious.
As Antonis Remos, Aslanidou isn't sure if she will be a part of the second season. She said that she wants to focus on the first season's live shows and then consider if she still wants to be a coach in the second season.
For the first season's battles, Aslanidou "hired" the composer Antonis Mintzelos as her advisor to help her through the process of the battles.
Michalis Kouinelis
Although all the coaches were officially confirmed by the broadcaster on December 5, 2013, Michalis Kouinelis was unofficially confirmed as the last coach in the show on December 2, 2013. It was reported by People Greece that after Vandi and Remos signed their contracts, ANT1 was looking for a male artist with a rock or rap style resulting to have Michalis as the preponderant for the show. The teasers of the coaches were revealed on January 4, 2014 where the coaches were talked about the show with Kouinelis saying that he is searching for the voice that will make him go crazy, that will make him "grow hair up".
Kouinelis has reported that after the ANT1 heads called him to discuss about the show, he did not intend or was fully interested on joining the show but when he understood what the show was really about, he accepted as he would be doing what he does all these years with the only difference that it would be broadcast.
Even though his appearance in the show did not receive positive reviews, he was praised for his humor. Cosmo's Niki Hagia and Ioanna Pahouli named him as their least favorite coach with the first saying that she would imagine him as a friend of her but not as a coach. Ioanna Mami said that the way he was talking, it was not suitable for a television show even though he loves him as a singer.
For the first season's battles, Kouinelis "hired" the singer-songwriter Dimos Anastasiadis as his advisor to help him through the process of the battles.
Coaches' teams
In each season, each coach chooses a number of acts to get through to the live finals. This table shows, for each season, which artists he or she put through to the live finals.
Key:
- - Winning coach and their team. Winners are in bold, eliminated artists in smaller font.
Reception
Critical reception
People's Ioannis Tsioulis said that the thing that he missed from the show was the extreme reactions from the contestants' relatives and friends and the backstage. He said about the host that was nerveless circumspect just like he should be. He also mentioned that he missed a coach that is competitive, critical or "bad".
Ratings
The first season premiered very successfully with 1.78 million viewers, getting ranked first on the weekly top 20. The finale of the first season was as successful as the premiere with over 1.715 million viewers, getting ranked third on the weekly top 20.
- Note
International broadcasts
The Voice Kids
After the success of the first season and the renewal of The Voice of Greece, it was reported that the channel is considering to start the kids' version. During the final of first season it was confirmed by the host Giorgos Liagkas that the kids' version of the show would start in the 2014-2015 season. A trailer was first shown on May 9, 2014. After the Final of The Voice of Greece 1. However, the show was canceled.
See also
- The Voice (TV series)
- The Voice Kids (Greece)
- The Voice
- The X Factor
- Greek Idol
References
External links
- Official website
- The Voice of Greece on IMDb
Source of article : Wikipedia
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