Monika Christodoulou
| Monika | |
|---|---|
 Monika performing at Castro Platamwna, 2011 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Monika (Lemonia) Chistodoulou (Μόνικα Χριστοδούλου) |
| Born |
May 26, 1985 Athens, Greece |
| Genres | folk pop, folk blues, indie |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, singer-songwriter, composer, artist |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar, piano, drums, saxophone, accordion |
| Years active | 2005–present |
| Labels | Archangel Music |
| Website | http://www.iammonika.com |
Monika Christodoulou (Greek: Μόνικα born May 26, 1985 in Athens, Greece) also known by her stage name Monika, is a Greek singer-songwriter. She sings and plays the piano, guitar, saxophone, accordion and drums. Monika's debut album "Avatar" was released in 2008 and her second album "Exit" followed in 2010. Both albums achieved platinum status. She has performed a number of sold out concerts at important venues such as the theatre in Ancient Epidaurus, the Vrachon Theatre, the Lycabettus Theatre, as well as playing the ARK Festival in Athens and Thessaloniki two years in a row (2010 and 2011) serving as a headliner in 2011. Her two albums and fresh songwriting approach were met with critical acclaim, with the majority of Greek media hailing her as the next great hope in the Greek music scene. Early life Christodoulou was born in Athens on May 26, 1985. She grew up in various cities around Greece, such as Korinthos, Lamia and Karpenisi due to her father's occupation as a doctor. In 2004 she was accepted at the School of Mathematics of Kapodistriako University of Athens and has been studying there ever since. Musical career 1999–2004: Serpentine in 1999 she made her first musical steps by joining her brother's rock band Serpentine, where she sang, played the guitar and the saxophone. While in Serpentine, the band opened for local and international acts such as Devendra Banhart, Michael Gira and Raining Pleasure. Serpentine disbanded in 2004 and Monika started pursuing a solo career.[1]
Music career
2005–2007
First solo steps After Serpentine, Monika took part in many local bands' live gigs and albums, as a guitar and saxophone player and vocalist. In 2006 she completed her own demo, recorded at her home, and distributed it around Athens as well as uploading it on MySpace, where it became a word of mouth sensation, garnered her a spot as opening act for Calexico (with whom she performed "An Thymitheis T' Oneiro Mou" live in Crete) and spawned her first breakthrough song "Over The Hill". This led to Archangel Music, a Greek indie label, discovering and signing her in 2007. 2008–2009: Avatar "Avatar",[2] Monika's debut album, was released in May 2008 to excellent reviews. Produced by Ottomo (real name Nikos Aggloupas) and with Martin Wenk from Calexico as a guest trumpet player, it was influenced by the Beatles, PJ Harvey, Jeff Buckley, Ennio Morricone, and Rufus Wainwright. It sold over 30.000 copies in Greece and became platinum. Monika played her first sold out shows as a solo artist at Gagarin 205 Music Space and at the Vrachon Theatre. The video for her single "Over The Hill" was nominated for Best Alternative Video at the 2010 MAD Video Music Awards.
2010–present: Exit, Primal & further live appearances
Monika’s second album “Exit” was released in May 2010, co-produced by Monika and Ottomo. It was recorded in Athens and Berlin and is Monika’s second consecutive platinum release. “Exit” was first presented at a sold out concert in Lycabettus Theatre in June 2010. Monika has participated at the ARK Festival in Athens in 2010 and in Athens and Thessaloniki in 2011. In July 2011 she also appeared at a special acoustic show at the Athens & Epidaurus Festival. A few months later, she completed her first original composition for the stage production “Mom – Life Is Wildly Incredible” by Angela Brouskou, which premiered in November 2011. In January 2013, Monika co-created “Primal”,[3] a multimedia-enhanced series of live concerts at the Onassis Cultural Center in Athens, based on her two personal albums. Joined by a live orchestra and chorus singers, she performed 5 sold out shows, drawing rave reviews from critics for her most ambitious and successful project to date. Monika has written the music score for the stage adaptation of Sophocles's "Antigone"[4]
Monika’s latest release is “Secret In The Dark”,[5] her third and most ambitious album yet. As a decidedly up-tempo amalgam of American sounds such as funk and R&B, and incorporating her signature melodies, the album was recorded in analog in New York with the help of producer Homer Steinweiss and an array of excellent musicians from the Dap Kings (who have collaborated with Sharon Jones, Mark Ronson and Amy Winehouse) and the Menahan Street Band (The Black Keys, Lee Fields) and was presented live at a sold out concert in the Odeon Of Herodes Atticus on July 16. It was followed by her U.S. live debut at Manhattan’s The Box in December 2014.[6]
Discography
Albums
- Avatar (2008), Archangel Music
- Your Favorite
- Bloody Sth
- Are You Coming With Us?
- Babe
- Pretend
- Obsession
- To No Avail
- Excuse My Friends
- Over The Hill
- Avatar
- I'm Not Young in My Youth
- Misery Loves Company
- Fraud
- Exit (2010), Archangel Music
- Ça Commence Bien
- Never
- Yes I Do
- Away From My Land
- Not Enough
- Take A Little Bit of Me
- Our Love Or How We Lost It
- Show Me,Come On
- Studio House
- Run To Ruin
- Stars Won't Shine
- Exit
- Secret In The Dark (2014), Archangel Music
- Intro
- Babyboy
- Shake Your Hands Feat. "Andrew Wyatt"
- Secret In The Dark
- One More
- Lonely World
- We Came Into This World (To Beat Them)
- Give Us Wings
- Stripping
- Take Me With You
- Get Off My Way
- Gave You My Soul
EP
- Primal (2013), Archangel Music
- Birds
- Hand in Hand
- Make Me Fly
- Moonlight
- Forever Yours
- Dreaming of This Year(Bonus Track)
Singles
- Over the Hill (2008), Archangel Music
- Baby (2009), Archangel Music