Super Nana
Singer Nana Mouskouri is thrilled to be performing on Sunday in Belfast, a city she ranks among the best in the world
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Over the course of a whopping six decades in the business, Nana Mouskouri has sold a staggering 350m albums, sang in 11 different languages and has been hailed - quite rightly - as the most successful female singer of all time.
When Sunday Life caught up with her, the humble songstress was busy rehearsing in Paris for the latest leg of her Farewell Tour, which started in 2005 and ends early next year.
"I feel very lucky to have the life I lead," says Nana, who celebrated her 73rd birthday earlier this week.
"Ever since I was a little girl growing up in Greece I have loved to sing.
"I never thought, when I first started out, that I would be loved by so many people.
"I feel very grateful for all the years I've been in this business."
Of course, when Nana first started out in showbiz, it was a completely different world than it is today.
In order to become a success you had to learn your craft, tour as much as possible and there was no Simon Cowell-like figure at the end of the rainbow to offer you a pot of gold, once you sang a few bars of a song on national TV.
Nana began singing lessons at the tender age of 12, while Greece was still living under the shadow of Nazi occupation.
Her father became part of the anti-Nazi resistance movement, but sadly found himself unable to afford Nana's tuition. Undeterred, her vocal coach saw that the young Mouskouri was a true talent and taught her for free.
"I think I was always meant to sing for people," offers Nana. " I don't know what else I would have done with my life if I hadn't been a performer. It's something I've thought about a lot as I've got older."
In 1950, Mouskouri was accepted into the prestigious singing school, the Conservatoire in Paris. She studied classical music with an emphasis on opera.
But the young Nana's mind began to wander and she started to experiment with jazz music. She soon appeared singing at a local jazz club and even landed a radio slot.
However, once her professors found out about her secret life, they expelled her from the school, unwittingly sending her on the path to mainstream success.
"I never just wanted to sing opera - I wanted to try lots of different music. I've always wanted to perform in lots of different languages, try some new styles and give people something to remember," she explains.
"I felt very restrained when I was at the Conservatoire. I suppose it just wasn't for me. I've always thought that a good song belongs to everyone and that's how I've looked at my career from the start. Music shouldn't be tied down."
It was a wise move on Nana's part to experiment with different languages, as the singer became an absolute icon of the 60s and beyond.
But all good things come to an end and she has decided that after spending all of her adult life on the road, she's finally going to retire.
"The reason why I'm doing this Farewell Tour is because I want to say goodbye properly," she reveals.
"If I'm honest, I had never really considered retiring until a few years ago when I broke my ankle. I was supposed to be touring in Asia and ended up having to cancel the dates.
"That was when I realised that perhaps it was time to say goodbye on my own terms, rather than someone else's."
And so, in 2005, Nana booked the dates for what would be her last ever tour. It's a gruelling schedule for anyone and will take just under three years to complete, but she wants to make sure that she bids farewell to all of her fans before she goes.
Of course, that means that music-lovers in Northern Ireland get to see the legend perform for one last encore, so it isn't all bad.
She holds fond memories of her visits here and the time she spent with her dear friend, 'Gentleman Jim' Aiken, the late, great music promoter who died in February.
"I have been to Belfast many, many times in my career and it wouldn't be right if I didn't get to sing once again for you all," she smiles.
"The first time I visited the city, I will always remember for the rest of my life. It was in 1971 and my good friend Jim Aiken personally drove me around the country. He was such a wonderful man and I loved coming to Northern Ireland over the years to perform.
"I think the city has really matured into one of the best in the world and I've now got a beautiful concert hall to sing in, which I'm thrilled about."
On this tour Nana is also accompanied by her daughter Lenou, who performs beside her mother. It's both a touching tribute to family loyalty and also a way of Nana passing on the torch to the younger generation.
"I love having my daughter on stage with me. It means so much to have her there," she says enthusiastically.
"Sometimes I look back on my career and I worry that I wasn't there enough for my family, but I'm reassured to know that they grew up to be such wonderful people."
While you'd be forgiven for thinking Nana will be taking a well-deserved rest once her tour finishes, you'd be wrong. The singing legend will continue her charity work with UNICEF which she began in 1993 and also plans to help others who are as in love with music as she is.
"My charity work is as important to me as anything else in my life and I plan to continue it as much as I can. I think it's important to give back what you can in life," she says. "I'm also going to try to help teach people the craft of songwriting. I think that's a skill that's been lost in recent times and I'd like to help change that.
"I think that the future is for our young people and we have to give them all of our knowledge."
› Nana Mouskouri plays the Waterfront Hall in Belfast on Sunday. Tickets, from Ticketmaster outlets, range in price from £19 to £38.
