When Ifigeneia Theodoropoulou's marriage ended abruptly, she made an unexpected decision: she auditioned for The Voice of Greece.
Now that her journey on the Greek television talent show competition has concluded as the season officially draws to its close, Theodoropoulou reflects candidly, "My divorce motivated me to audition for The Voice."
"I got married at 27 and believed my life was following what is often described as the 'right path.' I had studied abroad, earned my master's degree with honours, worked full-time as a pharmacist in my family business, and founded IF Cosmetics."
IF Cosmetics is a Greek-made fragrance and cosmetics brand she founded in 2021 alongside her work as a pharmacist.
"On paper, everything made sense. What I thought was missing was a family and a husband," she says.
When that carefully constructed life dissolved, Theodoropoulou faced a choice familiar to many women: retreat or reimagine. She chose the latter. "When we divorced, I suddenly found myself both free and alone. For the first time, it was just me. I had to learn how to love and support myself. I had nothing to lose, no one to return to, no one to tell me that dreams should stay dreams. That realisation gave me courage. I decided to expose my talent and take a risk."
The Blind Auditions
At the Blind Auditions, Theodoropoulou performed Tina Turner's "Proud Mary," a song choice that would prove prophetic in its energy and defiance. Three judges turned their chairs: Panos Mouzourakis, Helena Paparizou, and Christos Mastoras. "Panos Mouzourakis was the first to turn, and that moment is unforgettable," she recalls. "I felt pure happiness and pride. It felt like my moment to shine, to show the judges and the audience that I am a singer. Everything I had carried inside me led to that exact second."
The decision of which coach to select was, for Theodoropoulou, never really a decision at all. "I chose Helena Paparizou. I grew up with her. I had her posters on my walls, and when she won Eurovision, I dreamed of doing the same one day, of representing my country, Greece, through music. My friends and I would dance around, wearing dresses inspired by hers, pretending we were her. Choosing Helena felt like closing a circle between childhood dreams and reality."
Working with Paparizou throughout the competition proved to be everything Theodoropoulou had hoped. "Helena is incredibly down to earth, warm, generous, and deeply human. She gives her heart to everything she does and to everyone around her. I feel truly blessed to have worked with her and to have received her support, especially during the more difficult moments of the competition. Even now, it still feels unreal."
The realities of television production provided their own education. During the Knockouts, the high pressure elimination round that follows the Blind Auditions, Theodoropoulou experienced the particular exhaustion that comes from maintaining performance readiness across impossibly long hours. "I was ready at 9:30 in the morning and didn't perform until 2:00 a.m. I was completely exhausted, my hair and makeup barely intact, but I gave everything I had. We were warned that filming would be intense, but experiencing it firsthand was eye-opening. Waiting an entire day to give everything for ninety seconds taught me resilience."
Her journey through the competition took her from "Proud Mary" through Christina Aguilera's "Ain't No Other Man," a song with particular personal significance. "It was the first song I ever sang when it came out, sharing it with friends, and it was then that I realised maybe I wasn't just good at piano, I also had a voice. Performing it on that stage, I wanted to give everything I had, imagining my younger self watching me. It was incredibly emotional."
One of the highlights came during the Battle round, where Theodoropoulou performed Bruno Mars's "Treasure" alongside fellow contestant Rafail. "I had been impressed by his Blind Audition, where he performed 'Gethsemane' from Jesus Christ Superstar. Both of us share a theatrical side, and performing together felt like a perfect match. That performance is something I will never forget. I knew even as I stepped off that stage that years from now, I would look back and still feel proud and happy about it."
Balancing Act
For Theodoropoulou, the competition was not simply a matter of showing up to rehearsals and performances. She was simultaneously running her family's pharmacy, managing IF Cosmetics, her candle and cosmetics business that has gained international recognition for bottling the essence of Greece in scents of tsoureki bread, melomakarono biscuits, and Greek islands, maintaining her fitness regime, all while attempting to preserve some semblance of a personal life.
"Time was my biggest challenge," she admits. "I was balancing a full-time job at the pharmacy, running IF Cosmetics essentially 24/7, training at the gym, attending Pilates classes to stay in shape, trying to maintain some form of social life, preparing new songs, finding outfits, and doing everything possible to stay healthy and protect my voice. The stress eventually caught up with me, and I found myself constantly getting sick. It was physically and mentally demanding."
Yet even in describing the pressure, Theodoropoulou's assessment is characteristically positive. "It was undeniably challenging, and at the same time, I loved it. I felt like I was operating at the peak of my creativity. With careful planning, discipline, and a very structured schedule, I managed to keep everything moving: the competition, my professional responsibilities, and my business. That said, I did push myself to my limits. There were moments of real exhaustion, both physically and mentally. But looking back, I feel incredibly proud of myself. I proved to myself that I can handle intensity, pressure, and multiple roles when I truly believe in what I am doing."
A Song for Marinella: A Moment of Truth
When Helena Paparizou did not select Theodoropoulou to advance to the Cross Battles, an agreement allowed the departing contestant to perform the song she had prepared for the next round. Theodoropoulou chose "Giati Fovasai" by Marinella, a decision layered with meaning.
"I chose that song because I deeply admire Marinella and also as a tribute to her, as she was hospitalised and in a coma at the time," she explains. "Emotionally, I felt numb and happy at once. I was grateful for the chance to sing it and to show the audience that I also perform Greek repertoire, since until then I had only sung foreign songs. That performance meant a great deal to me, and it resonated strongly with the audience. It is one that many people still talk about."
"I absolutely loved it," Theodoropoulou says of the production experience. "The production team took really good care of me and let me sing a Greek song when I left."
When Two Million People Watch You Find Your Voice
Theodoropoulou's Blind Audition was watched by more than two million viewers, a level of exposure that might overwhelm many. For her, it represented something different: validation of a philosophy she has long held about what it means to be an artist.
"One of my teachers, Sia Koskina, once told me, 'Artists must expose themselves artistically.' Artists remind people of sensitivity, love, and emotion, of what it truly means to feel. Knowing that I was able to do that, and that so many people witnessed this side of me, is something I deeply value."
The visibility brought shifts in how people perceived her, both as a performer and as a businesswoman. "I wanted to show that someone who studies, works full-time, and has responsibilities can also be an artist. You don't have to choose just one identity, you can dream, create, and pursue multiple passions at once."
At work, the reaction was one of genuine surprise. "People knew me as the serious, professional side of myself, so many were genuinely surprised to see me on stage, full of energy and giving everything I had. Some even told me they never expected me to perform that well, and I loved hearing that. Wearing my white coat feels a bit like being Superman, powerful, in control, and focused, but taking it off and stepping onto the stage in my performance clothes is my chance to show another side of myself, a side that many didn't know existed. That duality is something I truly enjoy sharing."
With a Master of Pharmacy from Kingston University London, she approaches formulation with the same creative sensibility she brings to music. Her candles and cosmetics for IF Cosmetics are created in the laboratory at her family's Athens pharmacy with pharmaceutical-grade ingredients, vegan formulations, and exacting safety standards.
"Chemistry is incredibly creative," she insists. "You combine molecules in new ways and create something completely different. That's a form of art. Nature itself is creative, the way molecules interact and come together to create entirely different results is almost poetic. That same principle exists in music: combining elements, emotions, and structures to create something that did not exist before. This connection is exactly why I love my work. Whether through music or formulation, I am creating, expressing, and transforming ideas into something tangible."
The Voice experience reinforced this understanding. "It was definitely a major step toward my dream. Most importantly, it made me feel brave enough to share that dream with the world. I have always known that I am a creative person, but taking this step was a powerful reassurance of my abilities. First, it was about proving it to myself, allowing myself to trust my talent and my creative voice. Once I did that, sharing it with others came naturally."
Now that her time of the show has officially ended, Theodoropoulou's perspective on what constitutes success has crystallised in unexpected ways. "I feel deeply grateful for the entire experience and very proud of myself for having the courage to enter the competition. Beyond the performances and the exposure, what stayed with me the most were the people."
The intensity of the production schedule created bonds that surprised her. "During the show, I spent more than twenty hours a day with my fellow contestants. To put that into perspective, there are friends you do not spend twenty hours with in an entire year. When you share that much time with someone new, you truly get to know them, you feel them. I met incredible souls, people with dreams just like mine, all driven by the same vision: to step on stage and give their hearts. I feel incredibly privileged to have met them, and I am still in contact with many of them. I am proud of each and every one. Those connections are my real trophy. In that sense, I truly feel like a winner, I gained friendships and bonds that are deeply connected to my soul."
The experience taught her something fundamental about risk and reward. "The Voice taught me that the real victory is in the effort itself. If you try, you have already won. That belief is actually at the core of my company's name, IF. It is not just my name, it is a philosophy of life. I do not want to live surrounded by 'what ifs.' I want to live with memories, with failures and successes alike. I want to reach the end of my life and be able to say: I tried. I did it. I fell, but I stood up again. You learn so much simply by taking action, especially when that action comes from the heart."
She continues, "I also learned how important it is to listen to that quiet inner voice, the one that speaks before the mind starts analysing, the one that becomes louder when you dream. That voice carries your truth and your purpose. When you follow it, when you do what you truly love, you become healthy in the deepest sense. A healthy soul is real health."
Television, Eurovision, and What Comes Next
Returning to the stage revealed something Theodoropoulou had not fully understood about herself until she was back in that environment. "Returning to the stage felt like coming home. It felt like truth, like being exactly where I am meant to be. I am very grounded and centred in who I am, but the moment I step on stage, something shifts inside me. It is like a switch turns on. I become energised, filled with love, and completely present. I want to give everything I have and share that energy openly with the world."
The experience also opened a new creative avenue. "Through this experience, I also discovered something new about myself: I genuinely love television. The environment is intensely creative, and the people who work in the industry share that same creative drive. I can clearly imagine myself being part of a television project in the coming years. It feels like a natural extension of who I am and how I express myself."
As for her musical future, Theodoropoulou is clear about where her ambitions lie. "One of my biggest dreams is to sing at Eurovision one day. Until then, I would love to record music, perform live, collaborate with other artists, and continue creating meaningful work. Above all, I want to stay connected, to the music, to other creatives, and to the joy that comes from doing beautiful things from the heart."
Music and IF Cosmetics, she insists, need not exist in opposition. "Both are essential parts of who I am, and I see no reason they cannot coexist. Music and IF Cosmetics are different expressions of my creativity, and I want to allow them to evolve together naturally, supporting and inspiring each other along the way."
The Courage to Refuse to Choose
For women navigating the pressure to select a single path, a single identity, a single version of themselves, Theodoropoulou's story offers a different model entirely. When I ask what she would say to others facing similar choices, her response is immediate.
"I would say: follow your heart and give it a try. Today, in 2025, it is absolutely possible to pursue multiple paths at once with the right support and organisation. Everything is possible. We are capable of so much, and often the only thing holding us back is fear. Be seen. Express yourself. Show the world who you truly are, without worrying about judgment. There will always be people who are inspired by your courage, and that is what truly matters."
As The Voice of Greece concludes its season on 28 December, Theodoropoulou's journey on the show has ended. But the larger journey is just beginning.
"At this moment, I am open to everything," she says. "I am trying to follow my intuition and allow things to unfold naturally. Music has always been part of me, so this feels more like a continuation than a beginning, just expressed more openly now."
Follow @ifigeneia.theodoropoulou
Learn more about IF Cosmetics at ifcosmetics.gr
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