Sakis Rouvas was born on the enchanting island of Corfu, Greece, where music and singing became an integral part of his life from a very young age. His classmates still recall an unforgettable graduation party where Sakis stole the show, performing the iconic hits of Elvis Presley and The Beatles.
Gymnastics was another passion of his, where he achieved remarkable national awards. He excelled in pole vaulting and, as an exceptional talent, became a member of the Hellenic National team.
Sakis made his professional debut in Athens in 1991, where Polygram discovered him, his him offering first recording contract. Just a few months later, he performed at the prestigious Thessaloniki Song Festival, where his song "Par'ta" won the first award for music, and Sakis gained his first experience of enthusiastic fans who immediately sensed that a new star was rising.
Since then, things unfolded rapidly for the young performer. His first solo album, titled "Sakis Rouvas," was released one day after the festival and became a massive No. 1 hit in Greece. Stands and posters of Sakis Rouvas adorned every young girl's room, and media in Greece spoke of a new star.
For four consecutive years, he dominated the Hellenic Music Awards, receiving awards for Best New Singer, Best Song, and Best Stage Performance. By now, he was the top Greek stage performer, appearing alongside prominent Greek singers such as Tolis Voskopoulos, Anna Vissi, and Kaiti Garbi.
On May 19th, 1997, Sakis made a significant step towards peace and reconciliation by appearing alongside Turkish pop star Burak Kut in a bi-communal concert in the controlled territories of the island of Cyprus. The concert became a global news headline, causing a political impact. Sakis was awarded the international "Ipeksi prize" for understanding and cooperation.
Since 1996, Sakis has been the proud owner of the largest fan club in Greece, the "Sakis Rouvas Fan Club" or "SRFC," with thousands of members from all parts of Greece and many other countries. The fan club publishes its own newsletter, which is sent to every member by post.
After five albums, Sakis moved to Minos-EMI record company. His latest album, "Kati apo mena" (A little something of me),released in December 1998, became a great hit, achieving gold status just two months later. The album's release was followed by an outstanding live performance at Virgin Megastores, where thousands of his fans caused a traffic jam in one of the busiest avenues of Athens.
Sakis continued to make an impressive appearance on stage, using all his performing, singing, and dancing skills, making an unprecedented sensation in October 1998 when he appeared on stage wearing a skirt designed by the world-famous Haute Couture designer Valentino Garavani.
The new millennium found Sakis in the studio recording for his latest album, "21 Akatallilos" (21st X-Rated),released in March 2000, which hit the top of the charts from the first day of its release.
In the summer of 2000, Sakis was asked by the management team of Pepsi to star in the new advertising spot for their summer campaign, a great event for the media, as no other Greek artist had received such an offer. A British team produced the advertising spot, and the result was absolutely brilliant.
Since 2002, Sakis has been promoting his career abroad, with a five-year contract with the Universal recording company in France and the release of an album for the European market with the cooperation of the famous songwriter Desmond Child.
In the spring of 2004, Sakis was asked by the public national TV to represent Greece in the annual Eurovision Song Contest, where he performed the song "Shake it" and indeed shook the whole arena on May 15th. He eventually took the third place but won the hearts of millions across Europe.
Thirteen years and nine albums after his first performance, Sakis is still one of the most, if not THE most, loved and sought-after artists in Greece, and he can assure you: "You have seen nothing yet!"
