Quite a few blond beauties are in the line, outside Posidonion (a night club) waiting eagerly to see him. The atmosphere in the club is still loose. I am getting through just behind the stage, there is a large hall with couches, some glasses filled with whisky on ice, some more couches and some bouquets with flowers. Yiannis Ploutarhos kindly welcomes me in his dressing room. He is dressed in white, he gives me a warm handshake right from his heart, I can feel it, which makes me fond of him right away. He is modest, calm enough, deprived of audacity. He asks for a coffee, someone brings him a bunch of photographs for him to use them as autographs, and someone else brings the coffee. “I neither smoke, nor I drink” he says, smiling at me. He laughs without hesitation, and he looks so relaxed as I will find out during our interview, and some times he looks like the 16 years old boy who run away from his village, pursuing a better life. He then asks his companions to leave us alone. “So as the girl feels better that way”, he says to them.

 

Neither have you felt at ease being interviewed. It is something you don’t do often…
It is true, people know a few things about me. Apart from that, what else can I do? I do not like saying the same again and again. You unfold your personality through your work, you make a career through your work, not by the suit you are wearing. 

 

What is it that you do, right before getting on stage?
I come here about one and a half hour earlier, so as to get in the mood. You know how it is… I am always a bit anxious. I always cross my fingers before getting on stage.

 

What is the worst thing that can the audience do to you?
Stop loving me is more than enough…

 

What do people are more interested in? The spectacular show or the quality of it?
Well the balance has changed somehow. Nowadays people usually need from you to be direct and simple or rather honest. What you do, do it with honesty.

 

Then why even the best song nowadays is being under stage direction?
Each performer sells something, in his own way. OK, I admit it, we are bargainers. We are just singers; we are not going to save the world, as a friend of mine puts it. Everyone has a plan in his mind; he says I will support this song in this way. I honestly admire them for what they do. The thing is I have not been able to act in such a way till now.

 

Did success brought jealousy in your life?
Jealousy is a feature of the human nature. I have felt it too, recently and I admit it hurt me a bit. However indifferent you want to be, there are things…

 

What is most disturbing for you out of this publicity you have met?
Well, mostly the thing that you become an easy target. Anyone can say anything he likes, without you being able to protect yourself. Even if you sue them, what’s the point? Dirt has been thrown to you, and words are like feathers, once the air takes them, the never go back.

 

What do you enjoy most out of what success has offered to you?
I feel good and I thank God for what he has given to me. I am fine. I could however live a bit more of a celebrity life and experience the whole thing differently, but the way I have chosen the great reward is that I enjoy my kids totally. They are young ones and they grow up before you know it…

 

Do you live as a cosmopolitan?
What I know is that I come here, at Posidonio and perform as a singer. If this is called cosmopolitan… Other than that I am not much of a night clubber…

 

How your life has been during this last year?
I work a lot in the club, and I am working on some new lyrics and songs (the new album will be released soon). As you see there is no time or mood for much of a celebrity life. During the least of my free time I devote myself totally to my family and my children. We can at least go out for dinner in a tavern, in a restaurant, to see a movie and that’s all, I am not much up to many more.

 

Do you afraid of yourself growing as another character?

I think people do not change and if they do they were always someone else. They never were what they seemed to be or what the declared themselves to be.

 

I believe you listen to many exaggerating comments every day. Are you capable of seeing the fawners?
I know that people talk out of love. The important thing is what you believe of you. It is crucial for someone to be in his own drive and to know in deep who you are and where you are going. If you do not know where your limits are, you are a lost case.

 

How much does others’ opinion counts for you?
Not at all. I do exactly as I wish, however always in cooperation with my producer. I make my own choices as for the songs and then we make a selection together with him.

 

Which do you think a singer’s best asset is nowadays?
His main asset is his mind. Being balanced is indispensable. Then we have the talent and honesty in his songs. The issue for him is to convey to the people the feelings the song creates in him.

 

Who do you value as great artists?
My “teacher”, Stelios Kazantzides. Haroula Alexiou, Yiannis Parios, Manolis Aggelopoulos, Stratos Dionysiou, Litsa Diamanti, Yiorgos Dalaras.

 

People say you are the new Poulopoulos. Do you believe that? (He smiles)
They say that perhaps because I am as romantic as he is. Great voice… I wish I will have his carrier.

 

When you make an album, do you think of those who will listen to it?
I Always do. I think of the people, and of the fact that they need to hear quality lyrics. You know, at some point Greek discography has to be cleaned up of those stupid lyrics. Slogans have to go “out” and songs with personality have to come “in”. I can prove this to you. When my song Enas Theos was released, people said: nice work but very loose. However this became a success and made its way… As for my other song, Ypirhan Orkoi, I heard the same from people of my job environment. Nice work, but without attitude… However I was really interested in the lyrics. I do not want to be a barbarian as for the Greek language, perhaps because I did not learn it very well, and my target is not to find the easy way and word to make a hit. I like my songs to be a company to other people… to have people to hear it and feel as if they have a friend standing by them.

 

What do you think helped you make the difference? Part of your success is ought to your looks?
Well yes looks is a plus, but things are different now. Three or four years ago it was the number one plus. Things have changed a bit nowadays. People want to listen to more authentic songs. They are not interested in whether the singer is a model or not, this is not his/her job.

 

How can we interpret the number of women standing outside Posidonion right now, waiting to see you? You are very charming in your own special way. Is this of any use for you?
I do not think it is a matter of charm, I think it is a matter of repertoire!

 

Of course this consists of many elements, but charm isn’t one great asset?
Clearly it is an asset, but you see many beautiful people who are not at all charming…

 

How do you make use of your charm?
I think I am a little bit shy…

 

OK this is a way as well! So how do you feel that women literally go hysterical for you?
Nice!

 

What type of women do you like?
I like women who are gentle and chic. This is something I like in men as well. My attention is caught upon the face and this “tells” me more about the person.

 

Would you sacrifice your profession for love? I mean you being a singer! Because I was about to suggest to you being a farmer…
With much pleasure (lol). I would sacrifice my job only for my family. Nothing else would make me do that. 

 

How did you feel when you were 20 years old?
Well I was balanced; I was extremely fond of women… and awfully shy.

 

In what way is this combined with your job?
I am extremely anxious, like a volcano. However I keep everything inside my soul, I do not want to express my anger. I have never been in a fight with someone. I always want to make up with people by talking to them. If I cannot get through that I will be sorry and will… go. I have always been like that.  

 

Do you feel favored by luck?
What I know about me is that I have been working very hard and still do. Do you know how many hours of sleep I get every day? Four hours.

 

Do you feel that you have many experiences?
I am still young but I have been through many different phases.

 

Have you travelled a lot?
Yes I have travelled a lot all over Europe.

 

Have you ever done something radical?
I would say no. It is just that, since I was a child, I used to say that I wanted to leave. Since I was 6-7 years old, I knew it, there was no way I would stay and live in the village. I also knew the job I would do!...

 

How did you decide to become a hairdresser?
Well I needed the money. I’ve been working since I was a child and I had always had my own money, I did not expect anything from anyone.

 

What is the meaning of money in your life?
I had never had too much money… people say I have 52 cars and 32 homes… well nothing is true!

 

How do you live now, where do you stay?
I rent a house in Glyfada. I am planning to buy one these days. I don’t know where yet.

 

Do you like fast cars?
I am crazy about them. I have three: a Mercedes jeep, a convertible Audi and an A class.

 

Do you have a motorcycle too?
Not any more!

 

Your kids forbid that?
No I don’t want too. There is no such word as “forbid” in our family, if you knew me better you would not say that! If I do not allow myself something there is no way I would do it. If I don’t want something this will never happen.

 

When you finish your job each night which is the first thing that gets into your mind? And do not tell me it’s the family!
Well it’s OK. It’s not exactly like that. I go back to my dressing room and I want to have some peace of mind. I like talking with the guys who work for the club, this might take me one-one and a half hour to “pull me out” of stage. Then I go home, have a shower and go to sleep.

 

If you ever stopped singing, what would you do?
The truth is a have not thought about it a lot… Probably I would paint (he shows me a big painting hanging up in his dressing room). The theme is a bird in brown shades. “Do you like it?” he cannot stand not asking me. “I made it”, he says to me, as if I would not believe him. On the left side I notice his signature under the name Kakosaios, his real last name). I feel very relaxed when drawing. And I would say that I am a winter type of man… I would be fond of a wooden house up on the mountains.

 

Do you love life in the village, as since you were a boy, or eventually you became fond of the city?
I have grown up feeling the earth under my bare feet. How could I ever be very fond of the city?

 

You might have not wanted to see that in your life again!
No way, how could this happen? I have been leaving for many years walking with bare feet!

 

Name me one of your flaws…
Usually I am not a good listener and this is something that irritates others. I have my own world in my mind and I live in it…

 

And what do you think when you are in there?
Oh a lot of things. From what I ate last night, up to what is going on in Yugoslavia.

 

What soccer team, are you fan of?
Mmmm, I have to be diplomatic on that… Well I am fan of the National Greek Team!

 

OK I will rephrase… If you were a soccer player, who would you be?
Well I really know nothing about the issue. I have to admit that!

 

Why do you always wear a white suit on stage? Is this a fetish?
I’ve been told I look good with that. (He laughs, then becomes serious and thinks for a moment). Well I am an ordinary guy, a kid who used to sing since I was a

child. I fought for this because I loved what I did, and I reached the point that I am today after a long struggle. I could probably not have reached that level, because others fight and struggle and get nowhere. I have never in my life been in PR for myself, and I am straight forward to that. I have been working very hard for everything. In the beginning for the everyday amount of money, then for a better life, for a better position as for the singing, then trying for a hit, and after the first hit just trying to make it a “bit bigger”… And you know what? This success you are talking about I am the only one who does not understands that.

 

This can’t be the case… Of course you understand the success.
I mean you see it in others eyes. I am trying to tell you something else, that I am not making any abuse of that thing… I mean fame. I experience all that as if it means nothing to me. I am honest about that.

 

How do your parents and friends are with you, same as before?
Of course, how else could it be?

 

When you look yourself in the mirror what do you think?
I wish to continue being as I am, down to earth. This is crucial, because I see things in a whole lot of different things beyond this entire celebrity thing. I feel like being a pioneer as for the improvement of Greek singing. I feel like making a whole new path right through this mess that has been “in” for a long time, at least with regard to the lyrics. I would really love popular song to have its own value again. When simple people talked with no more than 5 words and miraculously said everything.

 

Do you believe that what you do is art?
I believe it is honesty…

 

It was 1 o’clock, he has to cross his fingers and get on stage. The door of his dressing room is slightly pushed and two police officers come in to say hi to him. I see respect in their eyes; they sit right at the edge of the couch! I feel an inner smile, yes Yiannis has gotten somewhere. My ears hear the crowd’s voice seeking desperately for their star to come on stage. I can see the smoke effect and the headlights of the stage, the night is still young and I wish to be on the party out there: “Thank you for not asking me all the stuff all others ask me”, he says to me as a bye bye closure sentence.

 

The interview was taken by Aggeliki Birbili