Nana Mouskouri - The Three Bells (2008)

A global pop icon, Greek-born Nana Mouskouri is one of the most recognizable and beloved singers of her generation. Her fluency in multiple languages -- Greek, French, English, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese -- enabled her to reach audiences all over Europe, the Americas, and even Asia. Possessed of a distinctive, angelic soprano, Mouskouri, who burst onto the international scene in the early 1960s, was sometimes described as Europe's answer to Barbra Streisand. Her repertoire was varied enough to support the universal appeal she aimed for: jazz standards, well-known pop tunes from before and after the rock era, French cabaret chansons, movie songs, classical and operatic repertory, religious music, folk songs from her native Greece and elsewhere, and more. Often recognized by her signature black-rimmed glasses, Mouskouri's early fame in Europe was built largely on songs written for and associated with her, most notably her first hit, the title track off 1961's The White Rose of Athens. She also represented Luxembourg in the 1963 Eurovision Song Contest with the song "À force de prier." She was particularly successful in her adopted home of France, where her she worked closely with composer Michel Legrand, famously recording the theme to director Jacques Demy's classic 1964 musical The Umbrellas of Cherbourg. From 1968 to 1976, she even hosted her own TV show, Presenting Nana Mouskouri. However, music remained her focus, and she scored one of her biggest hits in 1981 with "Je chante avec toi Liberté." While Mouskouri has largely been retired from touring since 2008, she continues to record steadily, tailoring specific releases to specific international markets with tremendous success. In 2011, she paid homage to her Greek and French fans with Nana & Friends, and marked her 60th year as a performer with the 2018 covers album Forever Young.