Antique is a Swedish-Greek musical duo consisting of Helena Paparizou (; born 1982) and Nikos Panagiotidis (; born 1978), originating from Sweden and combining Greek popular music and lyrics with a Nordic dance-pop beat.
Both Paparizou and Panagiotidis were born and raised in Sweden by Greek parents. They were the first ever to be nominated for a Swedish Grammis in the category modern dance with a Greek song. In 2001, Antique were selected to represent Greece at the Eurovision Song Contest in Copenhagen with the song "Die for You", sung in a blend of English and Greek, ending with a third place – only behind Estonia and hosts Denmark. The group is famous in Scandinavia, Greece, Cyprus, Germany and Italy. After 19 years of hiatus the group reunited in March 2022 in Greece releasing a cover hit song from 90's meant to be their comeback in music industry.
Career
thumb|Helena Paparizou (2010)
In 1999, some DJ friends of Helena Paparizou's brother asked her to make a demo of the Notis Sfakianakis hit "Opa Opa". Paparizou told them that the lyrics are for a man, so she asked to sing it with her childhood friend Nikos Panagiotidis, whom she had met through her siblings at a Greek diaspora celebration in Stockholm. At that time, some record producers were undergoing a project to sign a duo consisting of a male and a female that would sing covers of traditional Greek hits oriented towards the Greek diaspora of Sweden, finally coming in contact with Paparizou, who recommended Panagiotidis; settling on the name because it left an impression of being "classic" and "timeless". Their debut single "Opa Opa" became a hit amongst the Greeks in Sweden and eventually entered the top ten in Sweden and Norway, making them the first act to enter into the Swedish top five with a song sung in Greek.
2019–2022: New material
Antique reunited 16 years after the group's hiatus for a special anniversary concert on July 13, 2019, in Sweden, performing live their greatest hits for Swedish audience. In Cyprus at Super Music Awards, Panagiotidis awarded Paparizou for Best Female Adult artist.
In March 2022 Antique covered a song from the 1990s titled Ti Ti by Giorgos Alkaios, to be released in April 2022.
On July 2, 9, 23 Antique performed at Vi som älskar 90-talet (Us who love the 90s) 2022 concert festival in Sweden performing some of their hit singles.
On November 17, Antique attended Het Grote Songfestivalfeest singing Die For You which took place in Ziggo Dome arena in Amsterdam, while it will be broadcast at a later time by the public broadcaster of the Netherlands.
2023–present: Highlights
In April 2025, due to 26th anniversary Spotify updated the group's discography with all albums and EPs available on the platform and digital covers in HQ.
Discography
- Mera Me Ti Mera (1999)
- Die for You (2001)
- Me Logia Ellinika (2002)
- Alli Mia Fora (2003)
- Blue Love (2003)
Tours
- European Tour
- North American Tour
- Rex 2001-02
- Apollonas 2002
- We Who Love 90's Festival (Sweden) 2019
- We Who Love 90's Festival (Sweden) 2022
Awards
Grammis
- Best Modern Dance Song ("Opa Opa", 2000, nominated)
Eurovision Song Contest
- 3rd place, 147 points (2001)
Pop Corn Music Awards
- Best Group (2001, won)
- Best Dance Song (2001, "(I Would) Die for You", nominated)
Planeta TV Music Awards
- Best Pop video (2003, "Why?", win)
MAD Video Music Awards
- Best Dressed Artist in a Video (Elena Paparizou in "Alli Mia Fora", 2004, nominated)