WHEN THIS JOURNEY STARTED IN JUNE 2021, I DID NOT THINK IT WOULD END UP WITH ME AS THE RUNNER-UP. 

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I STARTED THINKING OF PARTICIPATING IN A TALENT SHOW BACK IN 2020. I FELT THAT TIME WAS GOING BY AND I WASN'T DOING WHAT I LOVE TO DO. I ALWAYS KEPT MUSIC IN A GILDED BOX, BUT I DECIDED TO GO ALL-IN IN 2021 AND MAKE MY DREAM COME TRUE. SO I DECIDED TO PARTICIPATE IN THE VOICE OF GREECE 2021. I SUBMITTED MY PARTICIPATION FORM IN JUNE BUT DID NOT RECEIVE ANY UPDATES, SO I CALLED THEM. AND THEY TOLD ME THEY WOULDN'T COME TO CYPRUS AND I HAD TO GO TO GREECE.

 

SO I BOOKED TICKETS AND WENT TO THE AUDITION IN THESSALONIKI. RIGHT BEFORE I ENTERED THE AUDITION ROOM, I FELT LIKE THE SKIES OPENED UP AND GLITTER STARTED FALLING FROM ABOVE. I WENT IN THAT AUDITION ROOM FEELING LIKE IT WAS ALL MEANT TO BE AND SANG ACAPELLA A SMALL PART OF "IT'S ALL COMING BACK TO ME NOW" BY CELINE DION. FAST FORWARD TO JULY, I RECEIVED A CALL FROM THE PRODUCERS ASKING ME TO GO TO ATHENS FOR THE PIANO AUDITIONS. AT THE PIANO AUDITIONS I SPECIFICALLY TOLD THEM THAT I WANTED TO SING PURPLE RAIN BY PRINCE AT MY BLIND AUDITION. THEY DID NOT SAY ANYTHING, THEY COULDN'T PROMISE ANYTHING. A MONTH LATER I RECEIVED A CALL TO GO TO ATHENS AGAIN FOR MY BLIND AUDITION AND THAT MY FIRST AUDITION SONG WOULD BE PURPLE RAIN. IT WAS ALL GOING ACCORDING TO PLAN.

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I WALKED ON SET FEELING LIKE I'VE WON THE COMPETITION. I DID NOT CARE ABOUT THE RESULT. ALL I WANTED TO DO WAS SING THE SONG I PREPARED AND IF THEY DID NOT LIKE IT, IT WOULDN'T BE MY ISSUE. 15 SECONDS IN THE SONG, ALL FOUR CHAIRS TURNED AROUND - AND YOU CAN ACTUALLY SEE ME SMILING AND THINKING TO MYSELF "THANK YOU GUYS FOR TURNING AROUND, NOW YOU'RE IN FOR A SHOW". I CHOSE SAKIS ROUVAS AS MY COACH, BECAUSE HE IS A GREAT PERFORMER, WITH A HUGE NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL CAREER. I WENT BACK HOME AND WAITED PATIENTLY FOR MY AUDITION TO AIR. I WASN'T EXPECTING FOR MY AUDITION TO ACTUALLY GO VIRAL. WITH NEWSPAPER ARTICLES, #1 TRENDING VIDEO ON YOUTUBE, FOLLOWERS, COMMENTS, LIKES, ALL THE ONLINE BUZZ. IT WAS OVERWHELMING. I KNEW IT WAS A GOOD PERFORMANCE, I JUST COULDN'T UNDERSTAND WHY SO MUCH BUZZ AND WHY NOW. I WENT WITH IT. 

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FOR MY SECOND PERFORMANCE, I WANTED TO TONE IT DOWN. I TOOK A LOT OF COMMENTS AND TWEETS VERY SERIOUSLY AND I STARTED QUESTIONING MY ATTITUDE AND OVERALL PERFORMANCE STYLE. AND I KEPT GOING OVER THOSE THINGS WHILE PERFORMING AT THE KNOCKOUTS. IT WAS UNDERWHELMING. A BLAND PERFORMANCE OF A VERY NICE POP SONG BY JESSIE J. IT DID NOT HAVE THE SAME RECEPTION AS THE FIRST ONE, BUT, I STILL QUALIFIED.

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DURING THE BATTLES, I WANTED TO SHOW THAT I CAN SING AND I THOUGHT TO MYSELF, YOU SHOULDN'T CARE ABOUT THE REACTIONS AND COMMENTS, YOU SHOULD ONLY CARE ABOUT HAVING FUN AND NOT OVERTHINKING IT. SO I DID. AND THANKFULLY I SANG WITH MY BEAUTIFUL FRIEND FANI MELEMENI, AN ALL-TIME FAVOURITE SONG OF MINE, "THIS IS ME" FROM "THE GREATEST SHOWMAN". IT WAS BEAUTIFUL. AND WE BOTH QUALIFIED, SO I WAS HAPPY. 

 

FOR THE FIRST LIVE OF THE VOICE, I SANG "WHEN I WAS YOUR MAN" BY BRUNO MARS. A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT SONG THAN THE ONES I PREVIOUSLY SANG ON THE SHOW. IT WAS THE FIRST TIME THE AUDIENCE WAS VOTING, SO I SAID TO MYSELF, JUST HAVE FUN, DON'T OVERTHINK IT AGAIN AND IF IT'S MEANT TO BE IT WILL BE. I TRIED MY BEST TO BRING OUT ALL THE FEELINGS THAT I WANTED IN THAT SONG. AND I THINK IT PAID OFF BECAUSE THE AUDIENCE ACTUALLY VOTED FOR ME. I WAS THROUGH TO THE SEMIFINALS!   

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I WANTED TO SING A FRENCH SONG SO BADLY. AND THEY FINALLY LET ME PERFORM "JE T'AIME" BY LARA FABIAN, AN ALL-TIME CLASSIC SONG. SAKIS HELPED ME UNDERSTAND AND INTERPRET THE SONG TO THE BEST OF MY ABILITIES. AND I DID. IN THE END, IT CAME OUT FEELING VERY EASY, ALTHOUGH PREPARING FOR IT AND REHEARSING WAS REALLY HARD. AND ALTHOUGH I APPEARED LAST IN THE SEMIFINALS AND THE AUDIENCE HAD A SMALL WINDOW TO VOTE FOR ME AFTER MY PERFORMANCE, I WAS THE FIRST TO BE CALLED, WHEN THE EIGHT FINALISTS WERE ANNOUNCED. 

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THE FINALS TOOK PLACE THE DAY AFTER THE SEMIFINALS. SO I DID NOT HAVE THE TIME TO REST AND PROPERLY PREPARE. AND BECAUSE I LIKE MAKING MY LIFE MISERABLE AND MORE COMPLICATED THAN IT ALREADY IS, I CHOSE TO SING "ALL BY MYSELF" BY CELINE DION. I HADN'T PERFORMED ANY CELINE DION SONGS ON THE SHOW AND I REALLY WANTED TO. THE TRUTH IS, DURING THIS PERFORMANCE, I WAS OVERTHINKING EVERYTHING. FROM MY GESTURES TO THE NOTES, TO MY HAIR, TO THE LIGHTS AROUND ME, EVERYTHING. AND I THINK THAT SHOWED. VOCALLY I WAS PLEASED WITH IT - OF COURSE, I COULD DO MUCH BETTER - BUT IT WAS AGAIN A VERY BAD PERFORMANCE IN TERMS OF EMOTIONS. NOTE TO SELF: STOP THINKING! 

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I WAS SURE I WOULDN'T QUALIFY FOR THE TOP FOUR FINALISTS, BUT I DID NOT CARE. WHEN MY PERFORMANCE WAS OVER, I WENT BACKSTAGE AND STARTED HAVING FUN WITH THE REST OF THE CONTESTANTS. WHEN IT WAS TIME TO ANNOUNCE THE TOP FOUR FINALISTS, AND I WAS - AGAIN - ANNOUNCED FIRST, I COULDN'T BELIEVE IT. YOU'LL SEE MY REACTION IN THE VIDEO BELOW. I WAS SO HAPPY. I WENT BACKSTAGE, WORE THAT BEAUTIFUL SEQUIN TOP AND MY CUSTOM CRYSTAL SNEAKERS, I GLUED ON MYSELF, ONE BY ONE AND GOT READY TO SING "PURPLE RAIN" ONE MORE TIME. THIS TIME THE ONLY THING I WAS THINKING WAS "THIS IS YOUR LAST TIME PERFORMING ON THIS STAGE, MAKE IT COUNT. YOU BETTER MAKE EVERYONE WATCHING FEEL LIKE THEY'VE COME TO YOUR CONCERT". AND THAT'S WHAT I DID. I STOPPED THINKING AND GAVE MY EVERYTHING IN THAT PERFORMANCE. 

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AT THAT POINT, I WASN'T AT THE FINAL FOUR OF THE VOICE OF GREECE. I WAS AT MY CONCERT AND THE RESULT OF THE VOICE DID NOT COUNT. YOU'LL SEE MY SURPRISE WHEN I WAS THE SECOND PERSON TO BE ANNOUNCED, QUALIFYING AT THE TOP 2 OF THE VOICE OF GREECE. PEOPLE ACTUALLY LIKED ME. AND THEY VOTED FOR ME. THEY BELIEVED IN ME. MORE THAN I BELIEVED IN MYSELF. SO I WENT BACKSTAGE, CHANGED, AND WENT ON STAGE TO PERFORM "THIS IS ME" BY KEALA SETTLE. THIS WAS THE LAST PERFORMANCE ON THE VOICE OF GREECE 2021. AND THAT WAS THE PERFORMANCE THAT I FELT THE MOST. BECAUSE THROUGHOUT THIS JOURNEY ON THE VOICE, WHAT I DISCOVERED WAS THAT ALL ALONG, "THAT'S WHO I WAS MEANT TO BE". 

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THE RESULTS CAME IN, AND ANNA ARGIROU WAS ANNOUNCED AS THE WINNER OF THE VOICE. AND I WAS THE RUNNER-UP. I WAS SO EXCITED, HUMBLED, HONORED, AND HAPPY TO SHARE THOSE LAST MOMENTS ON STAGE WITH ANNA. WE WERE TOGETHER AT THE FIRST SHOOT OF THE BLIND AUDITIONS OF THE VOICE AND WE WERE THE LAST TWO STANDING ON THAT STAGE. WE BOTH FOUGHT, NOT WITH EACH OTHER, OR WITH OTHER CONTESTANTS, BUT WITH OURSELVES TO PROVE TO OURSELVES THAT WE CAN DO IT AND WE CAN BE BETTER THAN WE WERE YESTERDAY. AND THAT'S ALL THAT MATTERS TO ME.