Alkistis Protopsalti was born in 1954 in Alexandria, Egypt. Her parents were Greek. The family was forced to return to Greece when political circumstances became adverse for the Greeks living in Egypt.
Alkistis Protopsalti is one of the most important artists in Greece. Both his live appearances and her discography have been full of beauty and quality, and there is no doubt that she has many fans.
At the age of 18 Alkistis sang Seferis, Karyotakis and Ritsos in the Tetralogy (1975) of Dimos Moutsis. Between 1975-76 Alkistis appeared in Aposperida and Lydra with the great Greek singers N. Xylouris and M. Koch.
In 1976 Alkistis collaborated with Ilias Andriopoulus for the first time and the LP Kyklos Seferi was released. A year later, in 1977, she worked with Dimos Moutsis in Ergatiki Symfonia (The Symphony of Workers), and performed concerts with Stavros Xarchakos.
Her first solo LP Apla tragoudia (Simple Songs) came to light in 1977. In 1978, this young and talented artist worked with Antonis Kalogiannis in the music hall Epifania and appeared with him and Grigoris Bithikotsis in Lycabetus.
In 1979 Alkistis toured throughout the country singing Grammata sto Makrygianni (Letters to Makrygianni). She also collaborated on an album by Dionysis Savvopoulos.
In 1980 she released a new LP, Maniatika. Then came Telos den echei to tragoudi (A song has no end), Alkistis Protopsalti and Fragma.
1984 was a very important year for her. She released two LPs: Prosanatolismoi (with lyrics by Novel winner Odyseeas Elytis and music by Ilias Andriopoulos) and Exodos Kindynou (with lyrics by Lina Nikolakopoulou and music by Giannis Spanos).
In 1985, Alkistis sold 70,000 copies of her KyKloforo Ki Oplodoro album with lyrics by Lina Nikolakopoulou and music by Stamatis Kraounakis. During the rest of the decade she continued editing LPs year after year.
During the following years, the lyrics of Lina Nikolakopoulou were a constant in the songs of Alkistis. Goran Bregovic was another of the musicians who composed for her and collaborated on her albums. This is the case of Paradechtica that was released 1991 with great success.
Half of the decade of the 1990s was marked by her performances in the best theaters in Greece and the multiple collaborations she carried out with leading Greek artists.
Her performances, generally designed by Andreas Vouchinas, Lina Nikolakopoulou and Stamatis Kraounakis are authentic masterpieces. Her voice, magical and unique, has crossed borders through her world tours.
Alkistis served as the Alternate Minister of Tourism in the Greek Government’s Caretaker Cabinet of Vassiliki Thanou-Christophilou,
Discography:
“Apla Tragoudia” (1977)
“Alkistis Protopsalti” (1981)
“Exodos Kindinou” (1983)
“Kikloforo Ki Oploforo” (1985)
“Paei I Agapi Mou” (1986)
“Dikeoma” (1988)
“Dio Vimata Apo Tin Ammo” (1989)
“Paradehtika” (Universal, 1991)
“Anthropon Erga” (1993)
“San Ifestio Pou Ksipna” (Universal, 1997)
“Idrogies Sferes” (2000)
“Pes Mou Thalassa” (2002)
“Na Se Vlepo Na Gelas” (2004)
“Sto Oreotero Simio” (2007)
“Fanera Mistika” (2010)
“Gia Pou Travas Elpida” (2012)
“Thea Paradisou” (2014)
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
