Athena Andreadis

Photo © Ian Anderson
Athena Andreadis was born in London and raised in Greece; the two cultures coexisting through her upbringing. She inherited her singing talent from her Greek mother, but, always bilingual, listened as much to rock, classical and jazz as she did to the traditional Greek songs. Music always played such a key role in her upbringing she resolved at the age of seven to become a singer. “I’d lock myself in my room and listen to lots of records. And I always wrote a lot too. I wrote my first short story when I was about nine and when I was 14, I won an award for poetry. But my singing and writing were separate… I never imagined I’d write my own songs.”

She moved to Bath at her parents’ behest to study commerce at Bath University with a view to one day taking over the family business. Fate took a hand when she was distracted by a work placement in New York which brought her into contact with a Juilliard School of Music singing teacher who recognized, encouraged and tutored her talent. Back in London she won a place at Trinity College of Music studying vocal techniques that ranged from opera to jazz, a grounding that triggered work with various London outfits playing a broad spectrum of music.

In 1995 se formed a band called Oalassa with Ed Simpson, an English songwriter / sampler. The group disbanded in 2002. Ed Simpson went to found a new band called Lautrec, while Athena Andreadis created her own project under the name Athena.

Athena's music has its roots are in Greek traditional music and its conception encompasses other cultures and musical styles. A distinctive voice, with blends with the Greek pontiaki lyra, daf, guitar and double bass, flamenco guitar elements, cello lines, and atmospheric samples. This blend of cultures, passions and colors is energetic, powerful and genuinely moving.

Athena described in 2003 the evolution of her music and band at the time: “Last summer (2002) I started collecting traditional Greek songs and arranging them for a small group, as well as writing my own compositions with Greek elements. I had the idea of bringing together musicians from different cultures to explore and experiment with the music. Four of the musicians, the lyra player, the classical guitarist, the cellist and I, the singer, are from Greece, the percussionist (daf player) is from Persia, the jazz guitarist from Norway and the double-bass player from England.

I had worked with three of the musicians before on different projects, while the other three I met more recently, one of them at a festival, and the other two were recommended to me. We started rehearsing and very soon I realized that we had a very unique project. One of the things I found incredibly interesting was how differently everyone thought and communicated, having such different backgrounds."

In early 2005 Athena decided to focus on working with just two from her group of regularly collaborating musicians, Norwegian guitarist Werner Kristiansen and English bassist Tom Mason, who seem to provide the perfect platform for her unique songs and voice. "Three is a magic number I think and I feel really comfortable with these guys, that I can express myself very naturally and we communicate so well." she says.

Athena received a first-class Business degree from Bath University and then went on to Advanced Postgraduate studies in Performance (Voice) at Trinity.

In 2006, Athena released a home-produced EP (Snapshot) of mostly self-written material in both English and Greek and played sold-out shows throughout the UK. Encouraged, Athena recorded Breathe With Me in both Greece and London before releasing and promoting the album on her own label. Produced with famed Greek composer George Andreou, Breathe With Me teams Athena’s unclassifiable blend of styles, cultures and influences.

An accomplished pianist, Athena performs live with an acoustic trio, teaming up with guitarist Werner Kristiansen, bassist Tom Mason and drummer/percussionist Ben Bryant. The band offering a formidable counterpoint to Athena’s passionate vocals and stirring songs. ‘My voice is a vehicle to serve the song,” Athena says simply, “when I sing I just think about what the song is trying to say and the emotion comes naturally.”

Through 2006 and 2007, without a major publicity campaign, radio play or even an album to sell, Athena went on the road with an acoustic trio. With their informal, intimate sound and unassuming cottage industry approach, they had few expectations as they dipped their toes into a high-octane world of mass marketing and power promotion. Yet, armed with the EP (Snapshot) and a colorful mix of Athena’s mostly self-written material in both English and Greek, they played – and sold out – some of the most prestigious venues in Britain, had audiences baying for more and a long line of newly seduced fans demanding to know more.

In 2008, another sold out tour and a critically acclaimed debut album later, Athena’s unusual journey continues. More sold out UK dates, the filming of a major documentary to be broadcast in April 08, the release of her debut album in Greece accompanied by sold out Greek dates, more writing and recording for her sophomore album due Sept 09.

Out of it all she created her own niche, teaming up with guitarist Werner Kristiansen, bassist Tom Mason and drummer/percussionist Ben Bryant to bring that music to life, the undercurrent of the band offering a formidable counterpoint to Athena’s passionate vocals and stirring songs. “The guys each bring their own individual sound to the songs and yet it always amazes me how they get to the core of the songs, capturing what I imagined when I first wrote them.” she says. “I love live performance. I feel really at home on stage, that’s where it all makes sense. For me the audience has an active role to play in making it happen and it’s as if we’re creating the music together. It’s an incredible feeling.

“That first tour we did gave me such confidence. I was going to places like Gateshead and thinking ‘I don’t know anyone in Gateshead, nobody’s going to turn up.’ But it was sold out and the sense of people listening to the lyrics and understanding and relating to them was amazing.”

Athena recorded her debut album in both London and Athens with famed Greek composer/producer George Andreou. He’d invited Athena to sing on an album he was making, but after hearing her material, he decided it was more important she made her own album first. Breathe With Me was released to enormous critical acclaim. Despite offers from the big labels, Athena held off, releasing and promoting the record herself, on her own label. Selling copies online from her living room to the world, as well as through the biggest record shops in the UK, Breathe With Me notched up considerable sales for a small independent release, and continued to bring Athena more and more to the attention of the public, and industry movers and shakers alike.

The request for more live dates followed, as did the invitation to be a part of the prestigious “My Music” documentary series, whose other participants include Seth Lakeman, Kate Rusby and Eliza Carthy.

She has recently finished recording her new album Peeling Apples in London with Swedish producers Tobias Froberg (Peter Bjorn and John, Ane Brun, Lisa Ekdahl) and Magnus Frykberg (Jay Jay Johanson, Sophia Tanvik), and her UK band, multi-instrumentalist Ben Trigg (Elton John, Arctic Monkeys, Razorlight), Tom Mason (Donovan, Questlove), as well as Al Cherry (Gwyneth Herbert) on guitar, Roy Martin (Aretha Franklin, Joan Baez, James Morrison) on drums, and featuring Ben’s Brother (Jamie Hartman) on a duet. Her first record Breathe With Me (Embraceable Records) also received major publicity in Greece (Sony), while Peeling Apples (EMI) reached No 12 in the combined charts for several consecutive weeks, and was playlisted on 6 major radio stations.

Peeling Apples UK release is due early 2012. Her first single “Finding England’ from the album was released on 17 Oct 2011.

Official Web Site: http://www.athenaandreadis.com