If Britney Spears Overdosed on Chicken Souvlaki...

Imagine if Britney Spears was skinny and in good shape again, dated a hot guy, and didn’t have any kids. Now picture Britney free of her hair-shaving, Oxy Cotone-popping past and imagine her origins from somewhere Eastern European as opposed to boring Kentwood Louisiana. Now, picture her with Lady Gaga circa 2008 blunt bangs, a skinny frame, and absolutely no ability to speak English. Sound scary? Peggy Zina, the sexy songstress of Greece, has had platinum records sell across Europe, and hasn’t even married a degenerate or had a mental breakdown. I’ll be the first to admit I was never one for the Greek jams that my Yiayia used to play in her station wagon growing up. But after moving to DC and spending way to much time at Lima and Spank (when it was Spank, that is), I began to develop an affiliation with my culture (partly because every single one of the foreign Greek girls had Christian Louboutain boots and I lived vicariously through them), realizing that it was edgy, sexy, and totally explanatory of why they were the ones to start civilization. And then, on a trip to Greece with girlfriends in December of 2008, a homeless bum in Pireas tried to sell me boot leg CDs. Because I was three glasses of wine deep and felt bad for him, I bought the CD with the prettiest person on the cover, and totally shocked myself. Peggy Zina’s “Trekse” (or “Run”, in English), had the glamour of a popstar but the girl power, guttural soul singing of an Alanis Morisette or Melissa Ethridge. Each one of her tracks told a story, and although I don’t speak Greek fluently, was able to depict through the sultriness of her voice. Even better, she incorporated traditional kalamatiano’s and zembekikos (traditional Greek dances) into pop tracks that resonate regardless of one’s culture. Still not sold? While Greek may not be the most useful language to learn, you’ll learn great phrases in each of her songs that will totally get you through your next Greek island vacation; from “φαντασία μου μεγάλη” (my biggest fantasy) to “Πώς πετάς έτσι απλά ένα;” (how can you just say good-bye to me?), you’ll learn useful phrases in the process.
Since 1995, Peggy Zina, originally known as Kalliope Zina, graduated from the Jeanne d’Arc Academie Francaise in Athens and started off as a professional pianist. Since being discovered, she has taken Eastern Europe by storm since. Future cross-over stardom success? Let’s not go that far. But she definitely puts me in a discoteka in Athens for a short moment.