Mille colombes nana mouskouri biography english language

It became her first record to sell over one million copies. Her friendship with the composer Michel Legrand led to the recording by Mouskouri of the theme song of the Oscar-nominated film The Umbrellas of Cherbourg.

Ioanna "Nana" Mouskouri OQ is a Greek singer and politician.

Her popularity as a multilingual television personality and distinctive image, owing to the then unusual signature black-rimmed glasses, turned Mouskouri into an international star. It became her only UK hit single when it reached number two in February In , she was a special guest on Eurovision Song Contest 's final, presented as the best selling artist of all time.

Nana Mouskouri was born on 13 October in Chania, Crete , where her father, Constantinos, worked as a film projectionist in a local cinema; her mother, Aliki, worked in the same cinema as an usher. Although Mouskouri had displayed exceptional musical talent from age six, Jenny initially appeared to be the more gifted sibling.

Financially unable to support both girls' studies, the parents asked their tutor which one should continue. The tutor conceded that Jenny had the better voice, but Nana was the one with the true inner need to sing.

Chanteuse Mireille Mathieu is widely known for her illustrious French crooning during the '60s and '70s.

Mouskouri has said that a medical examination revealed she has only one functioning vocal cord [ 18 ] and this could well account for her remarkable singing voice in her younger years ranging from a husky, dark alto , which she later dropped, to a ringing coloratura mezzo , as opposed to her breathy, raspy speaking voice. Mouskouri's early childhood was marked by the German Nazi occupation of Greece.

Her father became part of the anti-Nazi resistance movement in Athens. Mouskouri began singing lessons at age In , she was accepted at the Conservatoire. She studied classical music with an emphasis on singing opera.