Marina Satti (Greek: Μαρίνα Σάττι; born 26 December 1986) is a Greek singer, songwriter, music producer and actress. Her music combines traditional Greek, Arab and Balkan sounds with urban elements, rhythm, and production.
Early life and studies
Satti was born in Athens and was raised on the island of Crete.[1] Her father, Ali Osman Satti, was a doctor-anesthesiologist from Sudan[2] and former deputy professor of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens; her mother, Chariclia Filoxenidi, is a chemical engineer from Heraklion, Crete,[3] with ancestry from the Greek population of Asia Minor.[4] Her parents met at the Faculty of Medicine in Athens where they studied. Satti spent her childhood in Heraklion and as a child, she visited Sudan during the summers. She graduated from school as a top student.[5] She has a brother who lives in England and a half-sister from her father's subsequent marriage to another woman. He had returned to Sudan, and later moved to Egypt.[6][7]
Satti began piano lessons, when she was 5 years old at the Apollo Conservatory in Crete. She also sang in several choirs.[3] In 2008, after studying with the baritone Panos Dimas, Satti earned a first degree in lyrical monody with honors and a first prize. One year later, she earned a second degree in advanced classical music studies, opera and piano,[8] while also studying jazz at the Nakas Conservatory in Athens. She studied Architecture for 3 years at the National Technical University of Athens.[6] Satti also studied at the Veaki Drama School and the Kentriki Skini Drama School, in Athens on a scholarship.[9] In 2012, she completed a 3 year degree in jazz composition, contemporary writing and production at the Berklee College of Music in the U.S.A on a scholarship.[10] Among her teachers at Berklee were Jamie Haddad and Danilo Pérez.[11]
In 2024, she started postgraduate studies in the field of Cultural Management at the Hellenic Open University.[12]
Career
Satti formed part of the EBU's European Jazz Orchestra. She also performed as a singer of the World Jazz Nonet at the John F. Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. In 2011 she performed along with Bobby McFerrin and the a cappella vocal group The Singing Tribe at Berklee Performance Center.[11] From 2006-2024 she acted, sung and wrote music for theatre in 15 plays in Greece.[13]In 2016, Satti founded Fonés ("Voices"), a female a cappella group performing traditional polyphonic songs. Furthermore, she writes music for short films and advertisements.[14] Satti has given her singing voice to 24 cartoons and was the voice for the whole of Moana 1 and 2 and Ariel in the Little Mermaid for Greece.[15] She is also invited to teach music and singing in schools and universities in Greece.[16]
In 2016, Satti released her single "Koupes" ("Cups"), which reached more than 28 million views on YouTube, and was included in Ravin & Bob Sinclar's Buddha Bar20 Years Anniversary album. In 2017, her next single, "Mantissa" ("Seeress"), charted in the European Union's Official Top 100 and Bulgaria's Top 40.[17]Global Citizen named it "song of the summer."[18] Joanna Kakissis, an Athens-based correspondent for NPR, described it as "the summer hit that fills a generation with hope".[19] Ιt reached more than 58 million views on YouTube.[20]
Satti appeared at Google’s “Europe On Stage”, in the Bozar (Beaux-Arts) Centre of Fine Arts in Brussels, as one of the 10 most interesting YouTube acts of 2017.[21]In 2017, Satti curated a series of cultural events that led to the formation of the choir Chóres (pronounced[ˈkɔɾɛs];[11] a portmanteau of the Greek words for "daughters"[22] and "choruses"), consisting of 200 women aged 13–63. In 2020, Chóres presented traditional songs in archeological locations.[23]
In June 2018, Satti and Fonés presented Yalla!, a repertoire of world music and pop compositions, as well as renditions of Eastern Mediterranean traditional music, which was first performed at the Melina Merkouri Theater and then toured abroad to France, England, Switzerland, as well as to Tampere, Finland, for the 2019 World Music Expo.[24]
From 2017 to 2023 Satti toured Europe, the U.S.A and Australia performing at important festivals and programmes, such as the American show KEXP.[25]In May 2022, she released her debut album Yenna ("Birth"). It became very successful in Greece and was well received abroad.[26][27] The release of the album was followed by a European tour that lasted over 4 months.[11]
Eurovision Song Contest and other works (2024-present)
On 24 October 2023, she was announced as the Greek representative at the Eurovision Song Contest 2024.[11][28] She was internally selected by the Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation (ERT) and her entry, titled "Zari", was released on 7 March 2024.[29] She finished in 11th place with a total of 126 points.[30]
Zari reached the top 50 on YouTube global trends.[31] It also reached number 18 on Spotify's global top 50, becoming the first song in Greek to do so.[32] Additionally, it achieved number 1 on Spotify, iTunes, and YouTube trends in Greece, Norway, the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, the UK, and Ireland. It also reached charts in 29 countries. It received the diamond certification in Greece.[33][31][34][35]
Right after her Eurovision entry, Satti released an EP, titled P.O.P. ("PDO"). It has 7 songs including Zari. The EP features a new single called "Lalalala", and a ten-minute track called "Mixtape" with guest appearances by Lefteris Pantazis, Rack [el], Efi Thodi, Vlospa, Oge and Nick Kodonas.[36] It became a huge success in Greece. All of its songs were certified diamond, platinum and gold. Satti, followed this with a 6-month worldwide tour.[37]P.O.P. reached number 8 on the top 10 albums globally on Spotify.[38] It also entered the top 10 on the UK Spotify chart.[39]
^reload greece, reload greece (30 November 2024). "Marina Satti". reload greece. Archived from the original on 30 November 2024. Retrieved 30 November 2024.
^ abcdGreek Dub Data Base, Greek Dub Data Base (6 December 2024). "Mαρίνα Σάττι". Greek Dub Data Base. Archived from the original on 6 December 2024. Retrieved 6 December 2024.
^Kινηματογράφος, Ηλύσια (13 November 2024). "BAΪΑΝΑ 2- VAIANA 2". kinimatografos ilisia. Archived from the original on 13 November 2024. Retrieved 13 November 2024.
