Eleni Tzoka
Eleni Tzoka (née Milopoulou; 27 April 1956, Bielawa) is a Polish female singer of Greek descent.
Biography
Tzoka was born to a Greek family which emigrated to Poland in the 1950s.[1] At an early age, she was familiarized with music by her parents and numerous siblings (she was the ninth child)[2] who would constantly play or sing. She first sang in public when she attended elementary school. At that time she belonged to a children's group Niezapominajki ("Forget-me-nots").[2] Several years later she became a vocalist in Ballada, a group that was formed in her secondary school.[3]
Tzoka started her professional career in 1975 when she joined Prometheus, a newly founded music band that was mainly active in Sopot. On 20 July of the same year, she debuted at a concert in nearby Gdańsk.[4]
Eleni, as she is commonly referred to in Poland,[5] released her first solo album, Ty jak niebo, ja – jak obłok, in 1980 (although she had recorded an LP album with Prometheus earlier) titled Po słonecznej stronie życia ("On the sunny side of life'", 1977). After the release of her solo album, she became popular. She began giving concerts all over Poland as well as abroad. Among many other countries, she visited Australia, France, Sweden, Canada,[3] and the United States, where she sang for the Polish diaspora.[6]
Tzoka participated in the National Festival of Polish Song in Opole four times: in 1984, 1990, 1991 and 1993.[7]
Honours and awards
It was reported that she openly forgave the killer of her only child.[2] When she was informed about her daughter's death, she immediately phoned the mother of Afrodyta's boyfriend and told her without anger that they had "lost their children". She was honoured in 1999 with the annual Saint Rita of Cascia prize, awarded to women of different religious beliefs who have overcome a tragic event in their lives.[2]
Tzoka has been awarded many other prizes. In 2002, she was given the statuette of Złota Muza Polskich Nagrań from a Polish state music company Polskie Nagrania. Apart from music-related awards, she was also honoured (2003) with the Złote Serce (Heart of Gold) prize from the Saint Stanisław Kostka Foundation for the Disabled Children and Youth in Katowice for her "generosity, kindness, understanding, co-operativeness, namely everything that makes the realization of laudable aims for the environment of disabled children and youth possible".[8]
In 2004, she was given the Medal of Saint Brother Albert for her commitment to charity related with the help for the people living with AIDS as well as the disabled. The official justification for the prize included her meetings with the youth and the charity concerts given in social assistance centres and prisons.[9] Tzoka is also a Knight of the Order of Smile.[5]
Family
She is married to Fotis Tzokas, brother of Kostas Tzokas, the founder of Prometheus. Kostas is currently her personal manager as well as the composer of some of her songs.[2] In 1994, Tzoka's 17-year-old daughter, Afrodyta, was murdered by her ex-boyfriend.[10]
Authorship
Tzoka is the author of a book Nic miłości nie pokona (Nothing will defeat love) published in 2006. This illustrated album contains an interview given to a Pauline monk, fr. Robert Łukaszuk, in which she talks about her life, human sufferings, love, the meaning of charity, as well as her artistic experiences.[11]
Discography
As lead artist
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| POL | GRE | ROM | SWE | SPA | TUR | UK | |||
| "Pożar w godzinie serc" | 1986 | 57 | — | — | — | — | 148 | — | |
| "Zanim czas Zmieni Nas" | 10 | — | — | — | — | 127 | — | POL: Gold | |
| "Nasz najpiękniejszy dzień" | 14 | — | — | — | — | 103 | — | ||
| "Dla Ciebie Jestem Ja" | 2 | — | — | — | — | 87 | — | POL: Platinum | |
| "Za 10 lat" | 52 | — | — | — | — | 69 | — | ||
| "Lulaj Go Matko, Lulaj" | 1987 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 87 | POL: 3x Platinum
GRE: Platinum ROM: 5x Platinum SWE: Gold TUR: Diamond |
| "Przez ile dróg" | 40 | 97 | — | — | — | 29 | 149 | POL: Gold
TUR: Gold | |
| "Na Miłość Nie Ma Rady" | 31 | — | — | — | — | 130 | — | ||
| "A Słońce Sobie Lśni" | 1990 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "Niech Lato spełni Sny" | 1991 | 80 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "Jak Kuba Bogu, Tak Bóg Kubie" | 1992 | 89 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "Na Wielką Miłość" | 1995 | 29 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "Nim Świt obudzi Noc" | 2001 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "Nic Miłości nie pokona" | 2005 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "Muzyka Twoje imię Ma" | 2008 | 64 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "Tylko w Twoich dłoniach" | 2010 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 12 | POL: Diamond
GRE: Platinum ROM: 3x Platinum SWE: 2x Platinum SPA: 3x Platinum RUS: 3x Platinum UK: Platinum |
| "Miłość Jak Wino" | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | POL: Diamond
GRE: Diamond ROM: 3x Platinum SWE: 8x Platinum SPA: 2x Platinum RUS: Platinum POR: Platinum ARG: Gold NOR: Gold FIN: Gold UK: 2x Platinum | |
| "Po słonecznej stronie życia" | 9 | 19 | 93 | 81 | 73 | 29 | 8 | POL: Platinum
GRE: Gold UK: Silver | |
| "Nie można żyć bez światła" | 63 | 90 | — | — | 79 | — | 193 | ||
| "Sevdaja Rrugen Kur Nisi" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Coś z Odysa" | 2014 | 39 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "Alleluja" | 2020 | 23 | 109 | — | — | — | — | 237 | POL: Gold |
| "Święty Niepojęty | 80 | 102 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "—" denotes items which were not released in that country or failed to chart. | |||||||||
As featured artist
| Title | Year | Album |
|---|---|---|
| "Let It Snow!" (Matt Dusk featuring Margaret)[12] |
2016 | Old School Yule! (Polish release) |
| "6 in the Morning" (VAX featuring Margaret)[13] |
2017 | Non-album singles |
| "Błogość" (Kacezet featuring Margaret)[14] |
2019 | |
| "Układanki" (Young Igi featuring Margaret)[15] |
Skan myśli |
Promotional singles
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| POL [16] | |||
| "O mnie się nie martw"[17] | 2014 | — | O mnie się nie martw |
| "Smak radości"[18] | 2015 | — | Add the Blonde |
| "Coraz bliżej święta" (featuring The Voice of Poland 6 finalists)[19] |
32 | Non-album single | |
| "—" denotes items which were not released in that country or failed to chart. | |||
Prometheus, the band Tzoka has belonged to since 1975, typically played traditional Greek music, including Greek dances.[1][2]
Discography
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References
- Papiernik, Joanna, "Eleni - wielkie greckie serce", ludzie.senior.pl; accessed 17 August 2017. (in Polish)
- Stelmasiak, Artur, Życie musi trwać dalej, in: Tygodnik Niedziela 21/2006, pg. 13
- Profile Archived 2016-11-13 at the Wayback Machine, Eleni.pl; accessed 17 August 2017.(in Polish)
- Tomoń, Stanisław, "Z Eleni promocja", JasnaGóra.com; accessed 17 August 2017. (in Polish)
- The corresponding Eleni Tzoka article at Polish Wikipedia, as of July 4, 2008
- Eleni's concert Archived 2017-03-16 at the Wayback Machine, PolishHome.org; accessed 5 May 2016.
- Eleni Tzoka profile, MTJ.pl; accessed 17 August 2017.(in Polish)
- Górnicka-Zdziech, Izabela, Siła Serca. Piosenka w prezencie Archived 2017-08-18 at the Wayback Machine, MagazynFamilia.pl; accessed 17 August 2017. (in Polish)
- St. Brother Albert Foundation, albert.krakow.pl; accessed 17 August 2017.(in Polish)
- Profile Archived 2007-01-15 at the Wayback Machine, vv.tratwa.net; accessed 5 May 2016. (in Polish)
- Nic milości nie pokona Archived 2012-11-23 at the Wayback Machine, Paganini.com.pl; accessed 5 May 2016. (in Polish)
- "Margaret i Matt Dusk w utworze "Let It Snow"" (in Polish). Popheart. 9 December 2016. Archived from the original on 9 June 2017. Retrieved 9 June 2017.
- "6 in the Morning (feat. Margaret) – Single by Vax". iTunes Store (SE). Archived from the original on 26 May 2017. Retrieved 26 May 2017.
- "Kolejny dzień, kolejna premiera od Margaret. Tym razem gościnnie w singlu swojego chłopaka" (in Polish). All About Music. 27 January 2019. Retrieved 27 January 2019.
- "Układanki (feat. Margaret) – Single by Young Igi". Apple Music (PL). Archived from the original on 19 May 2020. Retrieved 15 July 2019.
- Peak chart positions for promotional singles in Poland:
- "Coraz bliżej święta": "AirPlay Top: 19.12. – 25.12.2015" (in Polish). ZPAV. Archived from the original on 28 December 2015. Retrieved 28 December 2015.
- "O Mnie Się Nie Martw – Single by Margaret". iTunes Store (PL). Archived from the original on 12 February 2015. Retrieved 11 November 2016.
- "Smak Radości – Single by Margaret". iTunes Store (PL). Archived from the original on 16 February 2016. Retrieved 11 November 2016.
- "Coraz bliżej święta (feat. the Voice of Poland 2015 Finalists) – Single by Margaret". iTunes Store (PL). Archived from the original on 12 November 2016. Retrieved 11 November 2016.
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