Arete Kosmidou

Areti Kosmidou (; born 1997), also known by her stage name Aretha, is a Greek singer and songwriter. She rose to prominence in 2014 as a finalist on the first season of The Voice of Greece, where she finished as joint runner-up at the age of sixteen. Following the competition, she released her debut album Distance through Minos EMI and subsequently relocated to London to pursue music studies.

Early life Kosmidou was born in 1997 in Alexandroupoli, a city in northeastern Greece. She developed an interest in music at an early age and began studying classical guitar and piano at the age of thirteen. She performed "Let Her Go" by Passenger, prompting coaches Michalis Kouinelis and Despina Vandi to turn their chairs; she chose to join Kouinelis's team.

During the battle rounds, Kosmidou performed "I Was Made for Lovin' You" against Christina Miliou and was selected by Kouinelis to advance. Throughout the live shows, she performed "Big in Japan", "Little Talks", and "Royals".

In the semi-final, she performed "This Is the Life" as her solo performance and "Poison" as a duet with the band Melisses. She advanced to the final with 53 points from her coach and 57 points from the public.

In the final on 9 May 2014, Kosmidou performed "So Cruel" and a duet with Kouinelis titled "Prin Se Gnoriso". Advancing to the second round alongside Maria Elena Kyriakou and Lefteris Kintatos, she reprised "Let Her Go". However, she declined due to competition rules prohibiting contestants from appearing at external concerts during the show.

Post-competition career Following her appearance on The Voice of Greece, Kosmidou signed with Minos EMI and released her debut album Distance.

In 2015, at the age of eighteen, Kosmidou moved to London to study music at the University of East London. She has released several singles including "Diamond Stone" (2019) and "Feel Good".

Personal life Kosmidou met her partner, a music producer, at a recording studio in London. In February 2022, she became a mother to a daughter.

The Voice of Greece performances Stage Song Original artist Result Blind audition "Let Her Go" Passenger Michalis and Despina turned; chose Michalis Battle rounds "I Was Made for Lovin' You" Kiss Won against Christina Miliou Live show 2 "Big in Japan" Alphaville Saved by public Live show 3 "Little Talks" Of Monsters and Men Saved by public Live show 4 "Royals" Lorde Saved by coach Semi-final (solo) "This Is the Life" Amy Macdonald Advanced to final Semi-final (duet) "Poison" Alice Cooper Final (solo) "So Cruel" Original song Joint runner-up Final (duet) "Prin Se Gnoriso" Stavento Final (reprise) "Let Her Go" Passenger

Discography Albums Distance (2014)

Singles "So Cruel" (2014) "Ftani" (2015) "Diamond Stone" (2019) "Feel Good" (2022)