Greek Singer Alkyone Takes Flight on Her First US Tour

by Marie Lolis

This past fall, up-and-coming Greek singer-songwriter and musician Alkyone took audiences along for an ethereal journey during her U.S. debut tour Dream Whispers, sharing a tapestry of myths and folklore through her music.

Performing sold-out shows at the University of Pennsylvania, New York’s Heritage Museum of Epirus and a well-received concert at Princeton University, Alkyone drew in listeners for her powerful and unique compositions of Greek folk music and her own original music from her album “Exit Sign”.

“I always try to [sing] songs that matter to me personally, because I feel every word that I sing, and so I feel like I’m a storyteller. It’s almost like sharing a fairy tale like my grandmother used to do,” she said.

Alkyone, the stage name of Maria Zlatani, hails from Edessa, Greece. Her name entwined with both her love for birds and the myth of Alkyone — a representation of hope and love within the turbulence of a storm.

“The name is a tribute to a dream I often had in the past, in which I was a bird because I was flying, and it was one of the best dreams I ever had. The freedom and the sense of peace and calmness in it was so vivid that I wanted, even for the slightest moment, to allow myself and be

imaginative, while singing. So I searched for many names of birds, but I wanted it to be connected with a deeper meaning,” she explained.

Inspired by movies such as “Lord of the Rings”, Alkyone’s music encapsulates both supernatural and cathartic elements. She blurs the lines between indie-pop and folk music to create fantastical and vivid pieces with her evocative vocals.

During her concert, the songs she sang carried a thread of a story. While giving new breath to traditional Greek folk music, such as “Apano Stin Triantafyllia”, “Ti kala to leei t’aidoni” and “Nanourisma”, the songs seamlessly tied with her powerful English songs “Genesis” and “Oh, Mother” — granting listeners a chance to fly through a picturesque world of lullabies and dreams.

“It’s not about giving you the exact image and the exact thing that I think about, because I need a listener to have their own space to think about their own stuff and their space in their minds…I feel like I’m inviting them, in that sense of a way, in a small world that we can all be part of,” Alkyone said.

In 2022, Alykone uploaded a stunning rendition of the traditional Epirotiko song “Xenitemena mou poulia”. The song, which grapples with mourning relatives immigrating far from their homeland, resonated with hundreds of thousands of listeners globally.

“I think many people, especially young people, have turned to traditional music here in Greece, and I feel so happy about it. But no one expected it to go viral, so when it did, I think it was because it was a very dear song, and that its subject still applies today because many people leave their homeland for a better place. So I got messages from all over the world, from people who are young people, who were like, ‘I’m in Germany, working and or I study here. And that song made me cry, because I remembered my mom and dad or my grandmother singing in the kitchen,’ that was so touching,” she explained.

Alkyone’s musical beginnings started at a young age. While listening to classical music her father played on the piano and soundtracks to movies, such as Franco Zeffirelli’s “Romeo and Juliet”, she came to realize she wanted to learn this for herself.

“He [My father] translated his love for music. Later on, I had piano lessons, and my teacher was one of those teachers that poured all her passions for music right into me. Music became more than a way to express myself. It became a way to learn how to survive in the world and find my ground whenever I had to. So it’s like a land of peace,” she explained.

For Alkyone, sharing this peace with listeners has given her purpose. While studying at a conservatoire, Alkyone received a degree in Special Education and is a teacher for special needs children. Now currently pursuing a masters in music therapy, she understands what power music has beyond herself.

“It allows you to find many things that you have in you and you didn’t know about yourself. And through this and through music therapy, music works in a completely different way. It’s not about me, it’s not about the music, it’s about the person I have in the room with me. And it works in the most amazing way,” she said.

“[Music] allows us to communicate with each other. The effects on this person or a group of people, is huge in a way I cannot express. That makes me feel like I have purpose and I can do something good with something that I very much love. I think it’s a very good feeling to have, to feel useful for someone else. It allows you to get out of your ego and feel like a part of something else. That’s why I love it.”

Alkyone reminisced about a time where she found herself at a musical therapy session for those addicted to drugs and the profound impact it had on her.

“It didn’t matter if they were in tune or if they were if they knew the song. It didn’t matter if I played the piano well, all that mattered at that moment was that we were all present, and we were sharing something that had a meaning for all of us. The way we all sang together had such an impact for me and for them as well. I think I’m going to remember this my whole life,” she said.

As for future plans, Alkyone has two albums on the way and hopes she can share more opportunities to connect with audiences everywhere. “It’s called ‘Small Philosophies’, and it has a completely different vibe from ‘Exit Sign’, but I think it’s more diary-like and more personal and unapologetic. And I think the songs sound a bit more cheerful and pop,” she explained. Alkyone also mentioned recording an album with traditional songs as well. “They’re very different projects, but I like to think that they’re both parts of the same world.”

Through music, Alkyone invites listeners into this world with their hearts open and their defenses down — allowing a space to connect and to be together. “I think it’s all about sharing. I think I will be listening to music for as long as my ears can listen. I don’t think I will be able to make music forever, but I want to believe that I will be better at communicating with other people, and I think the most important thing is [for] people to learn to be better and to love better.”