Biography
early life and first wins
Michael Hadjiyianni is a Cypriot singer. He was born in Nicosia on 5 November 1978 to parents from Kyrenia. Hadjiyianni studied at the National Conservatory of Cyprus and later at the Royal Academy of Music in London, where he earned diplomas in piano and guitar. In 1994, he won the talent show Afetiries. In the same year, he also won first prize at the Pan-Cypriot Song Contest with “I Diki Mou Istoria”.
The first records in Cyprus
After those wins, Michael Hadjiyianni built his name at home. Before he became a star in Greece, he released three platinum records in Cyprus: Senario in 1995, O Michalis Hatzigiannis tragouda Doro Georgiadi in 1997 and Epafi in 1998. He also joined Stavros Sideras’ musical production Pygmalion. These early years show that Eurovision did not create him from nothing. Instead, it gave a bigger stage to a singer who already had training, local hits and live experience. So, when Cyprus chose him for Eurovision 1998, he was young, but not unprepared.
Michael Hadjiyianni at Eurovision 1998
His big international step came in 1998. On 11 March, he won the Cypriot national final with “Genesis” or “Yenesis”. He wrote the music himself, while Zenon Zindilis wrote the lyrics. Then, on 9 May in Birmingham, Michael Hadjiyianni sang 17th in the running order. He finished 11th with 37 points. That result just missed the top ten, yet it still gave Cyprus a solid placing. Cyprus Mail also noted that he shortened his first name from Michaelis to Michael so non-Cypriots could remember it more easily. As a result, Eurovision opened the next chapter of his career.
The move to Greece and the real breakthrough
Soon after Eurovision, he moved to Athens. There he met composer Giorgos Hatzinasios and sang on the 1998 soundtrack album Aggigma Psychis, which became platinum. That project helped him enter the Greek market. Then came the bigger breakthrough. In March 2000, he released his first personal album in Greece, Paraxeni Giorti. It included major hits and turned him into one of the fresh leading voices of Greek pop. Kryfo Fili followed in 2002, and Akatallili Skini arrived in 2004. Both albums became triple platinum. So, in a few years, Michael Hadjiyianni grew from a Eurovision name into a major recording star.
Peak years on stage and on record
The middle of the 2000s brought even more success. In 2004, he represented Cyprus at the official ceremony in Warsaw for the European Union enlargement. In the same year, he also appeared at the closing ceremony of the Athens Olympic Games. Around this period, he shared big stages with artists such as Haris Alexiou, Giorgos Dalaras and Dimitra Galani. He kept releasing music too. Filoi kai Echthroi came in 2006, and in 2007 he worked with Reamonn on the bilingual version of “Tonight/Simera”. After that came 7 in 2008 and Kolaz in 2009. By the end of the decade, Universal Music had named him Best Selling Artist of the Decade.
New music, Europe and later projects
Michael Hadjiyianni did not stay still in the 2010s. In 2010, he released the English-language album Mihalis in several European countries and also issued the single “Everyone Dance”. In Greece and Cyprus, he continued with albums such as To Kalytero Psema in 2010, Tharros i Alitheia in 2011, I Agapi Dinamonei in 2013 and Erotas Agkathi in 2017. Then, in 2020, he released the singles “Horevo” and “Min Argis”. Heaven Music says “Horevo” stayed at number one on radio for ten straight weeks, while “Min Argis” became the most successful radio song in Cyprus in 2021.
Michael Hadjiyianni today
Today, Michael Hadjiyianni is still active. In 2023, he briefly served as Cyprus’ Deputy Minister of Culture before resigning in July. Then he returned fully to music. His latest major album is Terra Incognita, released digitally in 2024 and on CD in 2025. In 2025, he also stayed close to Eurovision, because ERT named him a member of the song-selection committee and president of the Greek jury for the national final. In the same year, he released the duet “Xorepse” with Christos Mastoras. Panik Records said the song reached number one on YouTube music trends, while Apple Music lists “Cheimonas (Remix)”, from November 2025, as his latest release. Early in 2026, Greek media were still airing his 2025 Lycabettus concert after a tour in Greece, Cyprus and London. So, his story is still moving.
