“Why don’t you sing, little bird, the way you sang before?
Oh, how can I sing, the way I sang before?
They cut off my wings, they took away my voice…”
The song tells the story of a bird that can no longer sing, its wings having been cut— a haunting metaphor inspired by the Fall of Constantinople. A cover of a traditional song from the Greek region of Thrace, it carries the weight of history and longing.
Part of Erini’s album Fos—a title that means “light” and nods to her heritage and traditional music—the track stands out among the album’s 13 pieces. Fos blends elements of Greek tradition with personal narratives, and this particular song captures stories of displacement and survival drawn from Erini’s own family history.
Video Credits:
Executive Producer: Erini Music LLC/ Directed, Shot & Edited: Nikos Kalogria Kalogerakis/ MUA: Stella Garefalaki/ Filmed at Heraklion, Greece/ Special thanks: Nik Alex for the dress, Gregory C. Pappas for the photographs from his private collection/ Song credits: Executive Producer: Erini Music LLC/ Record Label: Erini Music LLC licensed to Minos EMI and Ropeadope/ Primary Artist: Erini/ Producer: Erini, Gonzalo Grau/ Composer: Public Domain (Traditional Song)/ Arranged by: Gonzalo Grau, Erini/ Producer: Erini, Gonzalo Grau/ Recording Engineer: George Kariotis, German Guitierrez Ross/ Recorded at: Sierra Recordings, SA, Athens Greece, Playground Estudio, Madrid, Spain/ Mixing Engineer: Joshua Valleau/ Mastering Engineer: Joshua Valleau/ Musicians: Erini – Lead Vocal/ Simos Papanas – Violin/ Vasilis Soukas – Violin/ Angela Giannaki – Viola/ Sofia Efkleidou – Cello/ Dimitris Tsekouras – Double bass.
Erini
Acclaimed Cretan-born and New York-based singer and Berklee College music professor Erini is known for her genre-blurring approach that includes jazz, traditional themes, classical, pop, and other disparate styles, including poetry.
Throughout the 2010s, Erini’s broad stylistic mix was reflected in her performances, which ranged from major tours with Cirque Du Soleil (1074 shows in total) to Carnegie Hall, WOMEX 2023 and venues around the world. In recognition of her efforts to preserve Asia-Minor Greek culture, she has been awarded the Greek America Foundation’s 40 under 40 Award and the Massachusetts Cultural Council’s Traditional Arts Fellowship. She has sung in Grammy-nominated albums and has collaborated with notable artists such as Danilo Perez, Terri Lyne Carrington, Nella, Jorge Glem and Daniel Hope.
Erini blends melodies and executes them with perfect nuance and balance, layering her vocals to sound like a room full of singers harmonizing with each other. She also manages to treat the combination of traditional and modern sounds with the right balance of innovation and respect, leaving her audience anticipating whatever she prepares next.
Her debut album, titled ‘Fos’, is out in June 2024 via Ropeadope and Minos EMI (A Universal Music Group Company).
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