Eleftheria Arvanitaki is Greek-roots music's shining star. With a voice that transcends musical boundaries, Arvanitaki has developed a musical style uniquely her own, rooted in the twentieth century Greek tradition of popular urban song. Combining tradition and innovation, she is blessed with a voice that has received rave reviews throughout Europe. She is accompanied by a 12-piece orchestra featuring some of Greece's finest musicians on violin, bouzouki, lauta, clarinet, keyboard, percussion and 'ud. Eleftheria Arvanitaki's career began in the early 1980s when performing with Opisthordromiki Compania, a group of students and amateur musicians playing Rebetika songs from Smyma -- songs of Greek refugees from Asia Minor. Her work with the group helped move this dark, underground genre of music to the center of the Greek music scene. The group recorded two albums in 1982 and 1983 before Arvanitaki recorded her self-titled debut solo album of Rebetika, Smymeika and Laika standards in 1984. In 1985 Arvanitaki began her solo career and was an instant hit. She became the main voice in expressing the fresh, new sounds of the Greek music scene that paralleled the cultural and social changes experienced in Greece during the late 1980s. Her 1986 release of Contraband set the trend that Arvanitaki has since followed, blending together traditional and novelty with the blend of Mediterranean sounds and the electricity of rock. Fifteen albums and 17 years later, Arvanitaki's unique style continues to touch audiences. Eleftheria Arvanitaki has been one of the most important figures of contemporary Greek music for the past 15 years. The clarity and emotional depth of her voice, her magical stage presence, and the sincerity in her musical choices allow her to combine traditional Greek music idioms with up-to-date western rhythms and sounds. She has worked with the some of the most acclaimed composers, songwriters, Iyricists and poets, such as the American-Armenian composer and oud soloist Ara Dinkjian, Cesaria Evora (where the live version of Eleftheria singing along with Cesaria on the song "Sodade" was released as a single and as an extra song on the Greek pressing of Cesaria Evora's CD), Dulce Pontes of Portugal and Ismael Lo. She has released a number of albums -CONTRABAND, MENO EKTOS, TA KORMIA KEH TA MAHERIA, TRAGOUDIA GIA TOUS MINES, EKTOS PROGRAMMATOS (2 LIVE CDS), which have all gone platinum. During the last 3 years, Eleftheria Arvanitaki has been the most popular and hottest name internationally on the Greek music scene; she was featured on the November 1997 cover of Folk Roots magazine, she has given a great number of concerts, both in Greece and abroad, and has taken part in international festivals, such as WOMAD, SFINKS and the International Jazz Festival of Montreux. Her first international compilation ELEFTHERIA ARVANITAKI - THE VERY BEST OF 1989-1998 was released by the historical label Emarcy-Verve. In 2000 she released internationallly her CD "EKPOMBI (SIGNAL)".