Greek singer Giannis Vardis paid an emotional tribute to Giorgos Mazonakis on Instagram, saying the late singer's memory has haunted his thoughts in recent days and that he has been unable to listen to anything except Mazonakis's songs.
Vardis posted the tribute on his personal Instagram account on Wednesday, September 16, sharing a video of the two of them singing together at a nightclub. In the clip they perform Mazonakis's song "Makria Mou Na Fygeis" ("Stay Away From Me").
What Vardis wrote
In the caption accompanying the video, Vardis said his thoughts had been consumed by Mazonakis over the past few days, adding that he could not think of anything else and could not bring himself to listen to any music other than Mazonakis's own songs.
Addressing Mazonakis directly, Vardis said he now felt he could call him a friend, because that was how everyone had come to feel about him, like something that belonged to them personally. He said Mazonakis was now, and would remain, part of their lives.
Vardis went on to say that Mazonakis had overturned every convention and stereotype attached to the term "laiko" singer, tearing down old standards and bringing something entirely new that no one before him had managed to achieve, simply because no one else was him.
He said people would always remember Mazonakis and would meet him again, and wished strength to his family, adding that he himself had experienced loss and knew exactly how much pain it carries.
Who Giorgos Mazonakis was
Giorgos Mazonakis was a well-known singer in the Greek laiko genre, a style of contemporary popular music that has long dominated live performances in Greece's nightclub scene, known locally as "kentra". He died at the age of 54.
Giannis Vardis is himself a Greek singer who has performed in that same live music circuit, which is where the video shared in his tribute shows the two men singing together.
Vardis's post was one of a number of tributes paid by fellow performers in the days following Mazonakis's death, as artists from across the Greek music scene shared memories and messages marking his loss.
