Klavdia

Klavdia Papadopoulou grew up in Aspropyrgos, a town in the western Athens area. Most sources give her date of birth as 18 August 2002, although some reports say 2003. Her family is of Pontic Greek origin, with roots in Pontus, the historic region on the Black Sea coast of today’s Turkey. On an ERT programme she said that her family were refugees and that her grandmother had told her stories of exile and of the move to the Soviet Union. She has described growing up surrounded by her parents, siblings and grandparents, who encouraged her to follow her dream, and has said that her parents worked very hard to build their life in Greece.

Television brought her first audience. In 2017 she auditioned for Greece’s Got Talent, and in 2018 she joined Helena Paparizou’s team on The Voice of Greece, reaching the final stage. She then signed with Arcade Music and Panik Records. ERT’s biography mentions appearances with Dionysis Savvopoulos and Konstantinos Argyros and a Best Newcomer award at the Super Music Awards in Cyprus in 2023. She applied for Eurovision 2023 but was not chosen. On 30 January 2025 she won Greece’s national final in Athens with Asteromata. In May she finished sixth in the Eurovision final in Basel with 231 points, Greece’s best placing since 2013.

Klavdia’s early singles move between English and Greek. Lonely Heart, released in 2022, reached number one on Shazam’s Discovery list, according to ERT. Χαράματα (Daybreak), sung in Greek, became her breakthrough, and ERT lists it as double platinum. Her first EP, simply titled KLAVDIA, followed in February 2024. She has also made dance versions of songs with the producers Playmen and Valeron, and her cover videos on TikTok built a large online following.

Αστερομάτα (Starry-Eyed) changed the scale of her career. The title describes a woman whose eyes shine like stars; Klavdia herself explained it as “eyes that look like stars, beautiful eyes.” ERT credits the music to the Arcade team and Klavdia, and the lyrics to Arcade. It is a Greek-language ballad with modern production, melodic turns that recall traditional Greek music, and the sound of the clarinet. Klavdia has said that the song speaks of uprooting and of life as a refugee: separation from loved ones and having to leave home. She has also stressed that it does not describe one specific historical event but people in general who have lost their land. An album with the same title followed in 2025.

Asteromata brought Pontic family memory into a mainstream Greek pop moment, and Klavdia has said that she honours her Pontic roots through her music. After the contest she said she was happy the song had moved many people, whether they speak Greek or not. For a learner, ERT’s official Eurovision entry page is a clear starting point. Listen to the first minute of Αστερομάτα without reading the lyrics. Notice the voice and the clarinet, and note one sound that comes back. Then write two original sentences: Ακούω τη φωνή και το κλαρίνο (I hear the voice and the clarinet) and Η φωνή είναι δυνατή (The voice is strong). Compare your adjectives with a partner. These practice sentences describe what you hear; they are not taken from the song.

• Her glasses are her trademark on stage; she has called them a lucky charm.
• In Basel she wore earrings that belonged to her grandmother, who is also called Klavdia.
• Her sixth place equalled Greece’s 2013 result with Alcohol Is Free by Koza Mostra and Agathonas Iakovidis.
• In October 2025 she joined Konstantinos Argyros on tour in Australia, her first concerts there.