Ivi Adamou, Cypriot-Greek singer-songwriter
Ivi Adamou (Greek: Ήβη Αδάμου, pronounced [ˈivi aˈðamu]; born 24 November 1993) is a Greek Cypriot singer. She was born and raised in Agia Napa, Cyprus and currently resides in Alexandroupoli, Greece. Adamou rose to recognition in Greece and Cyprus following her participation in the second season of the Greek version of The X Factor, where she was under the mentorship of Giorgos Theofanous. Right after her elimination from the X Factor, Adamou secured a recording contract with Sony Music Greece. She gained further recognition from her participation in the Eurovision Song Contest 2012, where she represented Cyprus with the song "La La Love".Her debut extended play Kalokairi Stin Kardia (2010) was released shortly after her contract with Sony. The same year, she collaborated with the Spiros Lambrou Choir and released the holiday extended play Christougenna Me Tin Ivi Adamou (2010) and was released as Christmas with Ivi Adamou abroad. Her debut studio album San Ena Oniro (2011) was released in July 2011 and included the hit singles "Krata Ta Matia Sou Klista", "Kano Mia Efhi" and "Voltes St Asteria". A new album, Eho Ourano, was scheduled to be released in summer of 2013 but its release was cancelled as Sony Music Greece had closed. Apart from singles for her own discography, Adamou has released songs for movies such as Barbie in A Mermaid Tale and Barbie: A Fashion Fairytale. In 2015, she made her theatrical debut when she starred in the original musical Barbarella: the 80's Musical.Influenced by Beyoncé, Whitney Houston, Elena Paparizou, Adamou was often described as the "Pop Queen" or the "Teen Idol" in Greece and was since her participation in The X Factor called as the "Next Big Thing". Her first extended play was certified gold for selling over 60,000 copies in Greece while the second holiday extended play was certified platinum for selling over 15,000 copies in Portugal. Since 2010, Adamou had several nominations in both the MAD Video Music Awards and the Madame Figaro Awards. She was named the best Cypriot female performer in 2010 and 2012. She was also awarded as the best singer in Cyprus in 2012 which was the first time that the award was given. Adamou has also participated in several charities such as "Everything I Can", the campaign for the prevention of cervical cancer, and she was also appointed as the Young Ambassador for the rights of the children by the HFC-UNCRC Policy Center.