American musician and composer Yanni Chryssomallis, was born on November 14, 1954 in Kalamata, Greece. This Greek-born American composer and keyboardist was a leading figure in New Age music of the late 20th century, a distinctive genre of popular music, often entirely instrumental and used for relaxation or meditation.
Yanni Chryssomallis He was born into a middle-class family in Greece, and during his childhood his parents encouraged him, but in no way pressured him, to play music. At the time, he just enjoyed making music, without imagining that it would eventually turn into a career. As a teenager, he was a member of the Greek national swimming team, breaking the national freestyle record at age 14. He went to the United States at age 18 to attend the University of Minnesota, graduating in 1976 with a degree in psychology. It was only after graduation that he began to focus on music.
Yanni He was a founding member of the rock band Chameleon and launched his solo career in 1984 with the instrumental album Optimystique. Although he could not read or write down music, he also composed music for movies and television. A naturalized American citizen, he lived for some time in Los Angeles, where he recorded for his label, Private Music.
The popularity of Yanni it has risen steadily since the mid-1980s; his album Reflections of passion (1990) sold millions of copies, and his Dare to dream (1992) e In My Time (1993) were nominated for the Grammy Awards.
Yanni He was recognized as much for his charismatic stage presence as for his music. He was normally presented in an all-white or black outfit, and periodically he would fling his distinctive mane of shoulder-length black hair while displaying a bright white smile underneath his dark mustache. From time to time, sitting in front of an acoustic piano or standing at one of several synthesizers, he would close his eyes and shake his head slightly, as if enjoying the energy of his music and his audience.
Since the late 1990s, he continued to release predominantly instrumental albums, such as If I Could Tell You (2000) and Ethnicity (2003). In 2009, however, he changed direction, collaborating with several young singers who created songs from his melodies and performed them on the album. Yanni voices. Very mexican (2010), a collaboration with Mexican musicians, featured traditional Mexican songs. Another instrumental album, Truth of Touch (2011), topped Billboard’s New Age chart. Yanni accompanied singers such as Renée Fleming and Plácido Domingo in Inspired (2014), and featured synthesizers and other electronic sounds in Sensuous Chill (2016).