Internationally acclaimed Greek singer-songwriter Athena Andreadis will perform the Olympic Anthem at the Lighting and Handover Ceremony of the Olympic Flame for the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games, after the Hellenic Olympic Committee selected her for the prestigious role.
The ceremony will take place on September 10, 2026, at the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens.
The selection represents a major honour for Andreadis, whose acclaimed music career spans seven albums, international awards and collaborations with some of the world’s most respected artists.
Her distinctions include a Grammy Award for her contribution to Leonard Cohen’s album You Want It Darker, specifically the song “Traveling Light”, as well as a Best Singer-Songwriter Album award at the Independent Music Awards in the United States.
The performance will also fulfil a personal dream for Andreadis, who will bring her own orchestral approach and interpretation to the Olympic Anthem, composed by Spyros Samaras with lyrics by Kostis Palamas for the revival of the modern Olympic Games in Athens in 1896.
One hundred and thirty years after its historic connection with the Athens Games, the anthem will once again resonate at the Panathenaic Stadium, this time in Andreadis’ voice.
An international career spanning music, film and television
Andreadis has performed sold-out concerts internationally and achieved high positions on British, American and Greek music charts.
Her songs have featured in international television series, films, television commercials, BBC radio broadcasts and US programmes on networks including NBC and CBS, as well as on Netflix.
Her music also featured in the Visit England campaign during the London Olympic Games.
Channel 5 and Sky Arts have produced documentaries about her work, while major publications have praised her music. Billboard described her work as “unique and powerful”, while The Guardian called it “brave and original”.
Andreadis has worked with acclaimed artists, producers and songwriters including Billy Steinberg, a member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and Leonard Cohen. She has also shared the stage with internationally renowned tenor Andrea Bocelli.
Her debut album, Breathe With Me, came out in 2007. She followed it with Peeling Apples (2012), Γήινοι Άγγελοι(2014), her only Greek-language album, Ready for the Sun (2017) and Outside of Time (2020), which she describes as her most mature recording work to date.
She also released the single Hands On Glass in 2021 and has released two EPs, the earlier Snapshot and the forthcoming Uncovered. She recorded her two most recent albums with Grammy-nominated producer Ethan Allen.
Collaboration with Leonard Cohen
One of the defining moments of Andreadis’ career came through her collaboration with Leonard Cohen on the legendary artist’s final album, You Want It Darker.
Andreadis performed “Traveling Light” on the album, with production by Cohen’s son, Adam Cohen.
She has also undertaken sold-out tours and performed at major concert halls and festivals around the world, including the Royal Festival Hall, the Troubadour and Glastonbury in the UK.
In Greece, she has performed at the Athens Concert Hall with Dimitra Galani and contributed vocals to an album by Giannis Markopoulos. She also appeared at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre with Marios Fragkoulis and performed at major US festivals including SXSW.
Environmental and charitable work
Andreadis has also used her music to support environmental and humanitarian causes.
Rolling Stone has highlighted her environmental work as an ambassador for the Plastic Pollution Coalition in the United States, alongside figures including Jeff Bridges and Bonnie Raitt.
Her charitable work includes performances and songwriting for organisations such as Concern Worldwide. In New York, she has performed songs inspired by environmental pollution and global peace.
She also participated in the LA Insight event at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre in Los Angeles in support of mental health and performed for Save the Children campaigns in both the UK and Germany.
Starbucks selected her albums for its stores as part of efforts to raise funds for local charities in Greece.
Andreadis has also performed the US national anthem, “The Star-Spangled Banner”, at the Huffington Center at Saint Sophia Cathedral in Los Angeles.
From Greece to Los Angeles and the world
Her collaboration with Andrea Bocelli became another major milestone in her career. The internationally acclaimed tenor selected her as the only Greek singer to accompany him live, recognising her rare three-octave vocal range and her ability to move naturally between opera and pop.
Andreadis has become an ambassador for Greek music internationally, building a musical bridge between Los Angeles and Greece.
Born in Greece and now based in Los Angeles, she combines classical music and jazz training with a bilingual Greek-English repertoire and the ability to move between contemporary and operatic vocal styles.
For her interpretation of the Olympic Anthem, Andreadis aims to preserve its dignity while giving its poetry renewed emotional immediacy.
The closing invocation, “Immortal Spirit” — “Πνεύμα αθάνατον” — represents the connection she seeks to create between the ancient roots of the Olympic Games, Greece, Los Angeles and a global audience united by the Olympic ideal.
New music coming in autumn 2026
Andreadis will release her new EP, Uncovered, in autumn 2026.
The project will feature her interpretations of earlier songs that reveal the musical influences and foundations of her career, including artists with whom she has collaborated or who have influenced her creatively, such as Leonard Cohen, The Rolling Stones and Nick Cave.
The EP will also draw on her connection with classical music and, naturally, Greek music, which formed an important part of her musical upbringing.
