[naTaLi]

with the vast number of female vocalists on the market today, it's no wonder that younger and younger singers are beginning on the road to divadom; such is the case with cyprus' natali. at only ten years of age, natali's incredible voice has already landed her in a european edition of the guiness book of world's records for being the youngest artist to receive gold and platinum albums in recognition of outstanding record sales. but that's not all! having already released three albums, at this rate, natali will boast a recording library of fourteen albums by the time she is twenty-one. all this and she can't even drive herself to rehearsals.

born in 1988, natali may well be cyprus'—and, for that matter, all of europe's— youngest singing sensation. the daughter of a greek cypriot father and an australian mother, natali lives with her parents and siblings—brother, antonios, and sister, janet— in limassol, cyprus. aside from attending classes at ayios tychonas elementary school, she also studies classical piano and music theory with renowned musicologist dr. nefen michaelides, and ballet and modern dance at nadina loizides' school of ballet.

natali's singing career began at zechinno d'oro, the international children's song festival held in bologna, italy. natali's rendition of christos phillipou and george serdaris' song "cyprus, my country" lead to the 1995 release of her first album, to dromaki mas. the album, which contained songs composed and produced by doros georgiades resulted in record-breaking platinum sales. seradis' lyrics suited natali's delivery and she quickly became cyprus' sweetheart.

natali continued her collaboration with georgiades and seradis on her second album, pes to mou. charmed with a midas touch—or, rather, voice— pes to mou went platinum in its first month of release, putting natali in a league with some of the industry's most popular names. now an extremely popular entertainer, natali was in great demand. as greek and cypriot radio and television stations vied for her presence, the greek television network "net" produced a documentary about natali's outstanding achievements which aired in thirty-six countries.

natali's most recent album, 1997's natali's christmas eve, takes her listeners on a musical journey unlike any other. based on a fable written by costas petrides and dan sparks, the thirteen song disc—which features original music by costas cacoyannis—comes complete with a storybook so that children can follow along. reaching across the seas, natali enlisted the aid of american bass player john koopman to portray santa claus.

while some may feel it premature to label young natali a "diva", nobody can deny that she's well on her way. having already produced more albums than famed american artists such as tlc and brownstone, natali exhibits a determination and drive that most becomes a diva-to-be. transcending boundaries of age and ethnicity, natali has reached into the hearts of her fans and has brought them joy, making her both an excellent entertainer and a very special person.