Chords for Nana Mouskouri turns 80

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8.41. the time now. Most people might mark their 80th birthday with a party or perhaps a holiday, but the singer Nana Musguri has more to celebrate than most. She does. Her career has spanned six decades. She's collaborated with Bob Dylan, Quincy Jones and Harry Belafonte, to name just a few. So to mark her birthday, [Eb] she's decided to embark on a year-long worldwide tour. Delighted to say we'll be talking to Nana in a few minutes. First though, let's have a look at some of her performances, old and new. [Abm] _ _ [B] _ [E] _ [A] _ _ [Ab] _ _ _ [Dbm] _ _ _ [Em] _ _ _
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[D] _ _ _ Nana Musguri is here with us now. Very good morning to you. It's lovely to see you. Good morning and thank you for the invitation. You were watching those films of you over the years. The first one we saw was the Eurovision song that [N] kind of made your name. You didn't win it, did you? No, no. I was number eight. And from that moment, really, I realized that singing in a language that I didn't know at the time so well, I didn't sing very well. I think I lost the interpretation. Anyway, there was another better song. But I mean, but I think it was my lucky day. Two things. That day, Harry Belafonte was in London and he was watching television and he saw me with my glasses. Yes. And he went back to Quincy Jones and he said, do you know a French girl with glasses? He said, no, stupid. It's not a French singer. It's a Greek singer singing in French. But she's Greek. And I just did, because the year before, I did the album with Quincy Jones. So we knew it. So that just was it. But the most important was, even Littlewood, who was the producer of that show, she decided that I could do series with her. And we started the series. And this series, I mean, for about 10 years, I was doing every year, the series at the BBC, too. And they went everywhere. So in Asia, of course, Commonwealth. And so that, but even in South America, you know, so that I think I owe to the BBC a lot. And to Yvonne Littlewood. And to Yvonne Littlewood. Now, you mentioned the glasses there. They weren't a gimmick at the start. No, no, no, no. They weren't. It was never a gimmick. If you want to try, I mean, my glasses are real. I can't see far. Of course, getting older, you don't see far and also close. But it became a trademark, didn't it? Because that's what people knew you for. Well, I had my glasses all the time. I mean, I didn't like them at the beginning. When I started to wear them, I was 12 years old. So and these days, there was not a lot of progress, you know, it was. So I didn't like them at all. Everybody was laughing at me. But at the end, I needed to see well. And this assured me. And also, I started to hide myself behind the glasses somehow. And I believed that what is important is not it's not really how you look, but it is what you can give with. And everybody was listening to my voice and nothing. Nothing happened before until the day that they told me you have to get what I had a success. I had to get rid of my glasses. And you said. And I didn't I didn't accept that. So I said, no, I go on with my glasses. Well, you did all right. Because I mean, in case people don't know, you you are the highest selling female artist of all [Eb] time globally, which is an extraordinary. That's what they say. That's what they say. But I mean, you mentioned the fact that you had this international appeal because you you speak or can sing in how many languages? Now, I speak five, six. You speak five languages. But I did like a lot of singers. We did sing. If you go to Korea, you sing Korean. If you go to Japan, you sing Japanese. It's a question or in China, you sing Chinese. Also, I mean, in Ireland, I sing in Gaelic and, you know, Catalan. So so so because it's it's a I think it's a gentle gesture because I like I love folk music. So it's a just nice gesture to sing to someone who listen to you or Greek and your whatever you sing and then all of a sudden sing a song on them. And I love like I'm fascinated. Do you remember that? So you remember it specifically for [E] that performance. But do you remember the language afterwards? I mean, if I said to you to sing only love in Korean now, is it still there? No, no. It's just for that moment in time. It's from that moment. And in fact, I have a small paper to read the letter. But it is I did it just like I say, I don't remember it. But every time I go, I will sing it. Or if I mean, only love I did in five languages. This is true. It was German, Spanish, of course, English, French, French before. But but I don't always remember. I remember, of course, a few of the songs sometimes. But as soon as I go there, then I take out my books and I started to to to study. And in fact, unless it's a language that I don't speak and I sing it only, then I just learn it. Everything is my heart. I don't have prompters. Only if I sing, of course, Korean or Chinese, I take a small paper. So I can imagine. I can imagine. It's amazing. So most people I don't imagine for the 80th birthday are planning to do a big tour. But that's what you're doing. That's how you want to celebrate [Ebm] it. Well, you know, it was a very big question. When I became 60, I didn't want anybody to see me. So I said to my manager, we go somewhere where nobody will see us. So he said, I can take you to Atlantic City. So I went to Atlantic City and sang that night. And afterwards, it was a surprise. The fans from all over the world were there to celebrate my birthday. And I didn't know. But I found out. So I said afterwards, you know, I started to think what is what is the best? You know, I tried. In fact, after that, I did when I was 70, I did also sing. But I sang between Germany, then in Greece, and then we had a party. Now it's a different one. And you know, I remember Liberace when I was I was always very shy. And so when I was in America, Liberace liked me very much. So one day we were doing a show. And then I was trembling like that. He said, why are you afraid like this? It's not the first time you go on stage. And I said, well, it's always like this. And he said, darling, the first 80 years are the most difficult. Oh, what a lovely thought to end on. So I remember him now. And I say he told me the first 80 years like that. I have to go on stage. I really had to go. I mean, seven years ago, I decided to go off. Yes, I think I was right. Because I continued for over 50 years going from one tour to the other. And at the end, I didn't also understand. No, I know what happened to me. But it was so, so, so wonderful. I mean, what happened? It's like a dream. I never planned to be like this. So I have to celebrate. Not everybody is lucky enough to be 80 really and be able to sing. I'm going to_ You know, we wish you a happy birthday. Yes, and I'm going to remember that. The first 80 years are difficult. On that thought, Nana, thank you very much. So lovely to see you. Good luck with the next 80. Oh, _ what a lovely thought. And the tour begins later this month. Yes, it has. Some lovely sunshine yesterday,