Peggy Zina and Kostas Karafotis took to the stage at Enmore Theatre on Friday the 10th of November and treated Greek music lovers to the performance of a lifetime, brought to us by Greek City Times and Enmore Theatre.
In a packed-out Enmore theatre, Karafotis was the first to captivate the audience with his dynamic and energetic performance of original songs combined with timeless classics. His musical ability shined brightly, complimented by a variety of instruments.
With the stage covered in flowers for Karafotis, it was time for renowned singer Peggy Zina to amaze the audience with her talent. Performing original music from her large discography of 12 albums, the party was well under way.
With an electric atmosphere, Peggy Zina showed the audience that although she has been performing for a very long time, she only continues to get better. Peggy Zina brought an energy to her performance that has rarely been seen in Australia and the crowd definitely enjoyed it, dancing and singing along to the music they fell in love with many years ago.
While the audience was spellbound by Peggy Zina, Greek City Times has the opportunity to do an exclusive interview with Kostas Karafotis, discussing his thoughts on performing in Australia as well as a video of him that went viral on TikTok.
Karafotis began playing music when he was nine years old, when his father brought home a bouzouki. His family raised him with a passion for classic Greek folk music from Kazantzidis, Mitropanos, Dalaras, etc, and this passion has definitely influenced his own style of music.
“The Greek music I identify with the most, and consequently the genre that has influenced my personal musical style, would have to be 70’s era Greek music. The classics by Theodorakis, Hatzidakis, Mimis Plessas were by far what I was most inspired by when developing my own music.”
Karafotis then expressed his love for the passion that the Australians of Greek descent continue to have for Greek Music.
“I have been to Australia three times now, the last time being ten years ago. Each time, the Australian people have welcomed me with lots of love and enthusiasm. It gives us hope that the Greek people of the diaspora will never forget Greek music and will always celebrate it.”
He then gave us the backstory of a TikTok video of his song that went viral and the fascinating experience of collaborating with a special fan to remaster one of his most famous songs, “S’anazito.”
“My song ‘S’anazito’ was released in 2009 and it wasn’t even the most popular song on the album. So, it came as a great surprise to me when the record company showed me a TikTok video of a young artist covering this song with guitar and vocals.
His name is Valantis Stamoulis, and he is a young blind man who has a beautiful voice and amazing musical talent. When I saw the video, I got very emotional and decided that we needed to find him.
We found him in Patra and flew him over to Athens. We decided to remaster the song with Valanti. He got to live his dream of recording a Greek song and music video in a professional studio and he touched our hearts with his performance.”
If you have not yet seen this video, click the video below. It truly is an emotional masterpiece that gives the listener goose bumps. Valanti is an amazingly talented musician and hopes to continue making the Greek music he is so passionate about. Karafotis was very kind to give him the opportunity to be discovered by prospective music labels and live out his dream to have a career in the Greek music industry.
During Peggy Zina's final solo set, she was reunited with a dear friend, Nikos Sousamidis. The two initially met each other in 2000 in Thessaloniki, Greece, where Mr. Sousamidis assumed the roles of Music Director and Maestro for Peggy from 2001 to 2007. Throughout that period, he stood by Peggy's side as she gained recognition on prominent music platforms in Greece, including the Maskes Club, Asteria Glyfadas, Apollon Palace, Diogenis Pallas, and Politia Club.
Fast forward 16 years, and Peggy invited Mr. Sousamidis to join her on stage in Sydney, where they performed two songs together, in an emotional and energetic reunion.
The night concluded with both singers up on stage, performing harmonically together and giving the audience an unforgettable experience, showcasing their immense talent.
When asked about her experience in Australia, Peggy Zina exclaimed,
“In Australia, I am received with a type of warmth and love that is unique to this part of the world. This appreciation for live Greek music is not found anywhere else in the world and I love being able to experience this every time I come here.”
The tour then went to Adelaide’s Krystal Function Centre and Melbourne’s Kinisi at Trak, where local star Maria Maroulis had the opportunity to perform alongside one of her idols. Stay tuned for a Greek City Times exclusive interview with Maria Maroulis.
