With a heritage deeply rooted in Greek culture, Evangelia releases her latest musical offering, the “Alpha/Beta” EP, a fusion of her Greek and English influences. For the past three years, Evangelia has been intricately weaving the threads of Greek and English languages, and with this EP, she unveils a project that embodies the essence of her being.

Photography @maxgiorgeschi

Creative director and graphic design @laurietb

Makeup @chloerosemakeupartist

Styling @lucypugh_bevan

Hair @luciajosephine_

Photo Assistant @victoriabarrell_

Cove Graphic Design @dianaflynn_

✍️ @luca_difabio_music

Graphic Design Diana Flynn

At the heart of the “Alpha/Beta” EP lies the much-anticipated English rendition of her beloved track “Páli,” a gem cherished by fans and now revitalized in an English version. Responding to the fervent requests from her dedicated followers, Evangelia delivers a rendition that feels as though “Páli” is being heard anew, resonating deeply with listeners.

What’s the story behind California Lullaby? Why this title? 

California Lullaby is about falling in love deeeeeeep. This is a very personal song to me. I literally moved across the country and across the world from Greece and NYC to California. The whole thing felt like a dream, it still does. This song captures that dream 🙂

This is not exactly a lullaby. Can you share what the message is?

It’s about manifesting a life with someone you love in a faraway place.  It’s called California Lullaby because it is literally about a dream.   A lullaby is a song that we sing to help kids fall asleep and have sweet dreams right? So when you put those two together it’s like manifesting your dream life. I think that’s what we all want to have in one way or another.

What inspires your storytelling and lyrics?

My own life experiences along with some healthy imagination lol.  Like I said before, this song was inspired by my relationship with my boyfriend and producer Jay Stolar.  We actually wrote the song during a trip to Joshua Tree where we packed up our entire home studio and set up shop in the middle of the desert.  We basically ran away and were in our own bubble.   I speak Greek and Jay speaks English – that inspired the lyric “and you don’t speak my language.” Pieces of our relationship are woven throughout the lyrics of California Lullaby. It’s like a memory box of who we are. 

Your Greek heritage seems to play a role here too. How did it shape your artistry?

My Greek heritage shapes my perspective in everything I do.  As someone who grew up in a bilingual and bi-cultural household, there is no escaping it. I love it. I love staying close to my roots and finding creative ways to incorporate elements from my culture.  I am proud of the way Greek language is woven into my songs, you don’t always need to understand something in order to feel it. “You’re not from where I’m from/ And you don’t speak my language / Se Latrevo (I adore you), my love / Don’t need words to feel magic.”  

What’s your favorite thing about traditional Greek music?

My favorite thing about traditional music is the feeling it gives me when I’m dancing to it with a group of people.  I’ve been greek-folk dancing since I was three years old, it’s one of my favorite things to do, I lose myself when I’m dancing. Time disappeared and I could dance for hours.  Every year I go dancing at village parties that go all night long through the morning. If you haven’t been to Greece in the summer let me know, I can show you all around ♥️

How was touring with Argiros? What have you learned from it and what were some memorable nights?

Touring with Argiros was an incredible and inspiring experience.  Opening night at Barclays Center was an absolute dream.  I can now say I am the first person to have danced pentozali in the stadium for 10,000 (Pentozali is a local Greek dance from of island of Crete and I like to do it pretty much everywhere I go in the world). I’m very grateful to have been a part of the tour and especially with an iconic artist like Argiros. Looking out and seeing an arena packed with proud Greeks made my heart swell with pride for my culture. It’s a day I’ll never forget.

How do you think your act fits within the American pop scene?

America is a melting pot of many cultures; more and more often, we are seeing new languages and sounds being embraced. I think people crave to hear something a little different and are more open minded than they ever were before.  My music is a place where people can close their eyes and feel what it’s like to dance on a beach in Greece at 3am under a full moon. One thing I love about American music is how diverse it’s become and how we embrace sounds from all over the world.

Who is your favorite Greek artist you remember from your childhood?

My favorite Greek artist from my childhood is Helena Paparizou.  She represented Greece in the 2005 Eurovision competition and won– she was my hero.  I think I loved her most because she sang songs in both Greek and English, and is half Swedish half Greek.  I felt seen. She still inspires me.

What can we expect from you this year?

Along with releasing lots of new music…that I’m OBSESSED with and can’t wait to share with the world–  I’m also headlining my own North American Tour called “Feels Like Greek Summer!” The tour hits 12 cities across the US and Canada from May 8-June 5.  Performing for a live audience is my favorite thing about being an artist. I can’t wait to be in the same room with my fans. See you all soon ♥️ 

How has this tour been so far? Any memorable dates yet?

Each city has had its own unique vibe to it, so as cliche as it sounds, each date so far has been so fun in their own ways. I wore a cowboy hat in Dallas, played one of my favorite venues in Chicago, partied really hard in Toronto and celebrated Mother’s Day in Montreal by giving out flowers to all the moms in the audience.  Every show has had its own brand of vibrant energy and I feel so grateful to get to do this! People have been bringing their flags and their mandilia (napkins) to wave around! It has been so special to see so many proud greek-Americans in the audience as well as non-Greeks who I get to share my culture with. 

What is your favorite place to play and why?

Well… Feels Like Greek Summer Tour has only just started, so I would say my favorite place I’ve performed is Barclays Center with Konstantinos Argiros. It was a historic night to perform in front of tens of thousands of Greek Americans in Brooklyn. It felt like my worlds collided, growing up going back and forth from the east coast to Greece, being around the Greek community there all in one building. And how iconic is hearing a Bouzouki playing at Barclays Center? It was a night I will never forget and will forever be proud of all for showing out and taking over the whole arena.  I’m really excited to play my Bowery Ballroom show in New York too—I’ve gone to see so many of my favorite artists perform there, it’s a dream to play there!

How are your fans reacting to your new music?

It’s been so special to play my new songs for fans all over North America and see them dancing and singing the lyrics back to me. The feeling I get seeing fans faces light up and hearing them scream when they hear new or unreleased songs is hard to describe. For a moment, everybody forgets everything, and is just right there in the moment. It’s super inspiring and makes me want to go write new songs. The Greek dances blended with modern choreography are going OFF too. I’m pumped to keep grabbing Greek flags from the audience and showing people things they’ve never seen before.