Hellenic Forums Omogenia - YASOU - Hellenism: Annette Artani

Today we are pleased to present you a very talented Kefalonian - American singer and song writer that is very possible you hear about her very soon. Her name is Annette Artani and comes from the beautiful village of Karavados. Her parents are called Ioulia & Gregoris Stamatelatos. She said to us that loves Kefalonia island very much and in 1995 she performed with the Kefalonian Society of NY at the Kefalos Theater in Argostoli (singing and acting and dancing). Annette remembers till now that she and her sister sang with the Karabiotis brothers (Spiros & Makis), the most famous duet of traditional music on the island.

At this time she is pursuing a solo career, on an international level. But never forgets her Greek roots and tries to use Greek instruments (like bouzouki) in her pop/rock/r&b music. Annette is hoping to sign a good record contract, which is on our opinion just a matter of time for the right person to see her great talent. The first great step is already done. One of her songs, "Everytime" is on the radio all over the world. It is been sanged by Britney Spears and is the second videoclip created from this album. Good luck to Annette and keep up making us proud. We are sure for the best.

Follows the biography of Annette Artani:

Annette Artani
Biography

Annette Artani, a native Greek-American New Yorker, has performed musically and dramatically, since she was seven years old. Named after her mother’s mom, Anneta, she chose to use her other grandmother’s first name in her stage name, Artani, as a dedication to them for guiding and inspiring her during their lives, and after their deaths. Over the years, Annette incorporated influences of singing in her college Gospel choir, as well as listening to R&B, pop and rock music. She has also begun to experiment with some of her Greek roots, musically, and is now studying the dumbek, a middle-Eastern percussion instrument, as well as the sensual art of belly dancing.

In 1994, she received a scholarship from BMG for writing and performing an original song, called "Summer Days". She has also won several talent titles in America’s Favorite Pageants, the New York Star Pageant, the Ophelia Devoure Talent Connection, and has been featuring in both Pageantry and Billboard Magazine.

Annette has also performed in theatrical productions in New York and Greece, often in lead or supporting roles because of her big, belting voice. She first sang as an opening act for Mando, a Greek pop star, and has been featured in her own summer concert in 1995, in Kefalonia, the Greek isle recently made famous by the film ‘Correli’s Mandolin’. Around that same time, she and her sister formed a rock band named Nootropia, singing in Greek, and promoted on National Greek TV (NGTV) and Aktina FM, with a fast-growing New York following. Here, Annette flexed her directorial and screenwriting muscles within the band’s music videos. Unfortunately, Nootropia’s band mates severed ties based on artistic differences after two years. Annette's driving force has always been going solo, and being in Nootropia reiterated it. In essence, the band allowed her to blossom as a dominating front woman.

Annette was even more determined to succeed. She collaborated with several accomplished writers in New York such as Jeff Franzel, who's written for NSYNC and played with Frank Sinatra, and Tom Lamendola, who has written for Jon Secada. She showcased her music at venues around NYC and was chosen to be showcased by the Songwriter's Hall of Fame, and graced the stages of hot spots like the Bitter End, Arlene's Grocery, and Makor. Soon, she began to develop a following around town, landing her a spot on the Bitter End's famed Songwriter's Circle hosted by another accomplished writer, who has written for Celine Dion, Tina Schaeffer.

As word got around about Annette’s powerful voice, she was called to audition for Britney Spears, who was appearing on the Rosie O'Donnel show, as a background singer. Within a few days, she performed with the teen idol, and was asked to tour with her for the next year all over the country, and the world. Annette’s role as background singer was not the norm. She was asked to dance and sing center stage with Britney and the other background singer in concert, and on the biggest TV shows in the world, such as The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Britney, Live in Las Vegas’ (HBO), The American Music Awards, the San Remo Festival, as well as others. In co ordinance with promoting her hit single "I'm not a girl, not yet a woman", Britney allowed her background singers to belt beside, not behind her. Annette Artani also has collaborated with Britney on her next single ;Every Time which is on album, In the Zone.

Miss Artani is also a featured vocalist on the album One in Six of an up and coming New York rapper Reed Baker, whose sound incorporates rap, hip-hop, r&b, raggae, etc. Annette feels very close to that record because Reed, who produced and wrote the album, allowed her the freedom to flex her vocal style in quite a few songs.

Coming off the tour with Britney, Annette plans to pursue her recording, writing and acting career vigorously. She has degrees in music, grew up studying dance and piano, and has also majored in Media and the Dramatic Arts. The past few years she has studied with two major vocal powerhouses in the music industry; one being Tania Travers from NYC, who has worked with countless theater, pop and rock acts, and the other from the west coast, Doc Holiday, who has coached NSYNC, Britney, among others. Her music has truly embodied all of her influences, and she has been described as the next new ‘art pop artist about to hit it big. Her voice has traces of blues and r&b singers like Etta James, Aretha Franklin- with ethnic hints you might hear on a Nelly Furtado or Shakira album. And even though there is such a mesh of all these influences, it still sounds like none of these artists at all. Annette Artani is truly unique. Check out her radio interview with popular Greek–American station Cosmos FM. Go to www.gaepis.org and click on March 24th to hear her interview with Dimitris Gatsioudis (scroll 15 min past the news). Keep an eye out for her!