Sarbel is a Greek who grew up in the UK. He, like his father, studied music from childhood, became a singer by vocation. The artist is well known in Greece, Cyprus, as well as in many nearby countries. Sarbel became famous all over the world by participating in the Eurovision Song Contest. The active phase of his musical career began in 2004. He is still young, full of energy and creative plans.
Family, childhood Sarbel
Sarbel was born on May 14, 1981. His father is a Greek Cypriot singer and bouzouki player, and his mother is of Lebanese descent, a lawyer by profession. The boy's family lived in London, where he spent all his childhood and youth.
He went to school and then to St. Ignatius College. During the summer months, the family traveled to Greece and also visited Cyprus. There were many relatives there, a special atmosphere reigned, conducive to creative development.
Music hobby
From childhood, Sarbel was surrounded by music, which attracted his creative nature. Not surprisingly, the father, himself a musician, contributed to the boy's acquaintance with singing, playing instruments. Sarbel enjoyed studying vocals, drama, and was also interested in art. From the age of 5, the boy appeared on the stage of London opera houses. He sang the part of the shepherdess in Tosca.
From childhood, I got acquainted with Greek national music, listened with pleasure, but did not try to engage in national art specifically. At the age of 18, the young man, unexpectedly for everyone, decided to leave for Crete. Here he became interested in traditional music.
The boy quickly absorbed all the information, soon began to sing in the Heraklion Palladium. The young man was noticed by eminent Greek producers, who offered him a contract with the local representative office of Sony BMG. In 2021, Sarbel signed a recording contract for 6 years.
Rise thanks to a duet with Irini Mercouri
In 2004, Sarbel met Irini Mercouri. The young singer had just released her debut album with Sony BMG and her popularity was on the rise. The creative couple decided to record a song based on the Eastern hit "Sidi Mansour". Mercury was already well known to the public of Greece, Cyprus, Lebanon. With her help, Sarbel managed to make a beautiful statement to a wide audience. Seeing the success of the first composition, the couple released a new single.
First album release
In 2005 he recorded his debut album Parakseno Sinesthima. The first solo record was certified gold. This prompted the singer to re-release the album. He supplemented his original version of the collection with a couple of new compositions. One of them was sponsored by Wella, the second the singer sought to make a hit, which he later succeeded.
Seeing the good reaction of the public to his work, Sarbel decided to hurry up with the release of the next album "Sahara". In 2006, the disc Sahara appeared. The same album included a song performed by a duet with the Greek singer Natasha Feodoridou.
Participation of Sarbel in the Eurovision Song Contest
The growing popularity of the singer was the reason for his nomination for the role of contender for participation in the Eurovision Song Contest. In the qualifying round, Sarbel fought with Christos Dantis, who was popular in the country. The second rival of the singer was the aspiring artist Tampa. Sarbel was selected to represent the country in the 2007 contest.
He took 7th place, got a chance to become famous in Europe. The singer claimed that he was not interested in entering the international level, he wanted to develop in Greece.
Reissue of "Sahara"
After participating in an international competition, it was decided to re-release the Sahara album. The variant was intended for the European public. The contest entry "Yassou Maria" was the lead single.
At the same time, the artist released a disc with several versions of this composition. This included versions in English, Greek, as well as a mix in a duet with a Persian singer. With Cameron Kartio, Sarbel recorded a completely unusual version in a mixture of Greek, English, as well as Spanish and Persian.
Sarbel: Recording another album
In 2008, to maintain his popularity, he began performing at the Votanikos club in Athens. Here the singer announced his new single "Eho Trelathei". It was a mixture of Greek and Oriental popular music with elements of rock included. This song was chosen to accompany the final of the national championship of the country in 2008. In the same year, the artist released his third studio album "Kati San Esena".
After the Eurovision Song Contest, the release of the international version of the solo album Sarbel became known to the public in different countries. The main focus of the singer directed to the UK. He grew up in this country, his relatives and friends lived here. In 2008 Sarbel performed in London at the Cyprus Outing Festival.
Label change, active touring
Sarbel signed a new contract in 2009. The choice fell on the studio E.DI.EL. The artist immediately released a new disc for 2 songs. One of the tracks was written by the singer himself. After that, he left for a big tour of Australia and then covered Egypt. When he returned, he recorded a new album, Mou pai, and then went on a tour of the Gulf countries.
In 2013, Sarbel recorded a new single "Proti Ptisi", and then went on tour in Greece and Cyprus. The artist initiated the creation of the Honeybel Music record company, which was focused on lounge music, which was most in demand in the Middle East. The singer was invited to perform at a party before the Eurovision Song Contest, which speaks of his national recognition at the international level.
