|
Sakis Rouvas Profile |
|
-
Birth Date: January 5, 1972
-
Birth Place: Corfu, Greece
-
Birth Name: Anastasios Rouvas
-
Height: 6'0"
|
|
|
Biography |
Sakis Rouvas who was born January 5, 1972 in the island of
Corfu, is a Greek singer and former athlete.
Rouvas was signed in 1991 by record company Polygram. A few
months later, he performed at the Thessaloniki Song
Festival. His first single was called Parta. He has won
several awards at the Hellenic Music Awards including Best
New Singer, Best Song and Best Stage Performance.
He has also played a role in reconciliation efforts with
Turkey. In 1997, he performed on stage with Turkish singer
Burak Kut in a concert in UN-controlled territory on Cyprus.
For this, he was awarded the International Abdi Ipekci Prize
for understanding and co-operation.
He has represented Greece in the pole vault.
In 2004, he was selected to represent Greece in the 2004
Eurovision Song Contest, performing the song Shake it by
Nikos Terzis. Clearly learning the lesson from the previous
two winners of the contest Marie N and Sertab Erener that,
in an era of televoting, a Eurovision entry must now also be
a visual spectacle in order to succeed, Sakis produced a
raunchy display in which he at one stage ripped the clothes
off his two attractive female dancers, leaving them only in
shimmering attire that barely covered a tenth of their
bodies. The dancers then repaid the compliment by ripping
off his jacket, all of which held the attention of the
viewing public long enough for them to vote the catchy
"Shake It" into third place, equalling Greece's best ever
result, up to that point, by Antique in 2001.
He was the host for Eurovision Song Contest 2006 in Athens,
along with Maria Menounos.
His sexual orientation has been debated, and he was often
considered to be a homosexual, although he has never
indicated anything concerning this. This ambiguity has been
said to be intentional as a marketing trick (similar to the
pseudo-lesbians t.A.T.u). At one time, rumors have flared up
(probably by unsourced gossips) that he had a secret
marriage with his manager Ilias Psinakis.
Rouvas, however, felt insulted during an interview for a
French magazine in which the interviewer assumed that Rouvas
was gay and directed his questions accordingly. In recent
years, Rouvas openly makes appearances accompanied by his
girlfriends, formerly Rebecca Wang and currently the Greek
top model Katia Zygouli. Rumours existed also about slight
flirting with Ruslana and later Menounos (much to Zygouli's
dismay according to the media), but their substance was
never verified.
During the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 the Dutch spokesman
Paul de Leeuw teased him by saying he (Rouvas) and co-host
Maria Menounos looked like Will and Grace. Then he told him
he liked his blouse and offered to give Rouvas his phone
number; Rouvas responded "I bet it is 696969," to which de
Leeuw responded, "no, I am not a French guy." This sexually
suggestive exchange was castigated by the Greek media
Rouvas is the first Greek male pop singer and possibly the
only famous for attracting Greek Teenyboppers and 'fangirls'
driving them in extreme (compared to Greek standards)
reactions. These reactions are often described by majors as
phenomenal, and are often compared to how English and
American girls of the same age react for world-wide pop
stars like Justin Timberlake, shouting, crying, pulling
clothes, etc.
This singularity makes Rouvas a pop culture symbol in
Greece, and an object of satire among mimes and comedians.
They often impersonate him by mimicking his
over-dramatization, as well as by satirizing the
over-reactions of his fans. Rouvas is often criticized by
enemies of the mainstream, like intellectuals, who often
refer to him as a typical 'symbol' of this trend. |
|
|
Other Information |
|
In April of 2005 released his new album "S'eho eroteftei".
It became platinum in 6 months and so far there are 3
videoclips of songs from this album: 1) S'eho eroteftei, 2)
Na m'agapas, 3) Hilia milia. All of those songs have been in
Greece's top 20 Charts. |
|
|
|
He lived opnely with a man a few years back.