Marina Satti


Marina Satti, also known as SATTI, is a Greek-Sudanese singer, songwriter and music producer. Her music combines elements of Greek traditional music with contemporary sounds and fonés rhythms and production.
In 2007, her musical talent earned her a scholarship at Berklee College of Music from which she graduated in 2011, majoring in Contemporary Writing & Production. In 2017, her single "Mantissa", inspired by the traditional music of Epirus, went viral on YouTube, reaching over 40 million views to this day.

Early Life and Studies

Satti was born in Athens, Greece to a Sudanese father and Cretan mother. She was raised in Heraklion, Crete in a culturally diverse environment that had a significant impact on her musical development, as well as on the multicultural nature of her artistic career. From a very early age, Satti showed an interest in music and drawing. She began classical piano training at the age of 7 and classical vocal training in high school, whilst also developing a passion for choral music. After finishing school, she moved to Athens to study architecture at the National Technical University of Athens. While in Athens, she studied theater at the Veaki Drama School as well as at the Central Stage School of Drama and began studying jazz music at the Philippos Nakas Conservatory.
In 2009, Satti earned her degree in classical piano and music theory and was awarded a distinction and first prize after completing her diploma in classical singing under professor Panos Dimas. That same year she represented Greece at the European Jazz Orchestra, performing the music of Peter Herbolzheimer across Europe. In 2010, she performed with the World Jazz Nonet at the John F. Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. and participated in the a cappella music group The Singing Tribe that sang alongside Bobby McFerrin. Having received a scholarship to study at Berklee College of Music, Marina Satti graduated in 2011, majoring in Contemporary Writing & Production, studying under Danilo Perez, Jamie Haddad, Simon Shaheen, John Patittuchi, and Christiane Karam among others. During her years at Berklee, she developed her signature musical style by combining elements of Greek, Arabic, and Balkan traditional music, all of which she grew up with from a very early age.

Career

In 2016, Satti released her single "Koupes", an original, contemporary rendition of a traditional Asia Minor song. "Koupes" received widespread attention, reaching more than 22 million views on YouTube, and was included in Ravin & Bob Sinclar's Buddha Bar: 20 Years Anniversary compilation album. In December 2016, Satti voiced the character of Moana in the Greek-language version of the Walt Disney animated picture Moana.
Satti's single "Mantissa", released in May 2017, reached the top of the Greek and Bulgarian charts in less than one week. The song, composed and arranged by Satti, earned her an international deal with Universal Music Berlin and has reached more than 40 million views on YouTube to this day. "Mantissa" drew the attention of the international press with Global Citizen describing it as "the song of the summer" and NPR as "the summer hit that fills a generation with hope".
In November 2017, Satti performed at Google's Europe On Stage event at the Bozar Center for Fine Arts in Brussels as part of the "10 most interesting YouTube acts of 2017". In September 2018, she performed with the group fonέs at the United Nations Champion of the Earth Awards in New York. That same year, she was voted "Female musician of the year" by the readers of Votre Beaute magazine.
Satti is the founder and artistic director of the polyphonic group fonés and the female choir chόres.
Satti has performed in over 15 countries across the globe and has collaborated with artists such as Foivos Delivorias, Nikos Kypourgos, George Dalaras, Pavlos Pavlidis, Dionysis Savvopoulos, Paco De Lucia, Patrice Rushen, Simon Shaheen, Maria Mulata, and Mavis Staples.

fonés

In 2016, Satti founded fonés, a female a cappella group performing traditional polyphonic songs from all over the world.
Satti and fonés have performed at venues such as the Ancient Theater of Epidaurus, the Odeon of Herodus Atticus, the Athens Concert Hall, and the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center, collaborating with numerous artists including Phoebus Delivorias, Dimitris Kalantzis, Nikos Kypourgos, George Dalaras, Pavlos Pavlidis, and Dionysis Savvopoulos. In the summer of 2018, they performed the role of the chorus of the Oceanids in the tragedy Prometheus Bound at the Little Theater of Ancient Epidaurus. In September 2018, fonέs performed at the United Nations Champions of the Earth Awards in New York while in November of that same year, they performed at the flame lighting ceremony of the 36th Athens Classic Marathon. Fonés consists of Erasmia Makridi, Elena Papadimitriou, Eleni Pozatzidou, and Virginia Fragkoulatzi.

chόres

In 2017, Satti curated a series of cultural events dedicated to traditional music from all over the globe. These events gained widespread attention from young women expressing an interest in traditional, polyphonic singing, an interest that lead to the formation of the choir chόres. The chόres group is an arts incubator consisting of 50 women aged 14–45, focused on the study of music, polyphonic singing, dance, and acting as well as on the overall development of artists with a thorough education and astute social conscience. With music as its cornerstone, the chόres group utilizes all modes of expression in order to experiment on the fusion of elements from diverse cultures.

YALLA!

In order to harmoniously combine the diverse elements that inspired her as an artist, Satti envisioned a performance consisting of aspects from the various cultures she grew up in. In June 2018, Satti and fonés unveiled YALLA!, a dazzling performance consisting of a repertoire of world music, pop compositions by Satti as well as contemporary renditions of traditional songs from all over the world, with a particular focus on Eastern Mediterranean traditional music such as Greek, Turkish, Bulgarian, and Arabic. YALLA! was first presented at the "Melina Merkouri" Open Air Theater as part of the Gender Equality Festival organized by the Greek Secretariat for Gender Equality and has since toured Greece and traveled overseas to France, England, Switzerland, as well as to Tampere, Finland for the 2019 World Music Expo. YALLA! is currently continuing its journey across the globe, defying geographical and cultural boundaries. In the summer of 2019, YALLA! 2.0, a new, evolved version of YALLA!, was presented during the Summer Nostos Festival at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center. With over 70 onstage personnel and a spectacular combination of music, choreography, and stunning visuals, YALLA! 2.0 received widespread praise for the size and quality of its entire production.

Theater

Satti has been actively involved in theater for over a decade, having participated in numerous performances either as an actress or composer. She has worked with the National Theater of Greece, the Greek National Opera, the Athens Festival and has collaborated with renowned directors such as Akilas Karazisis, Lydia Koniordou, Nikos Mastorakis, Thomas Moschopoulos, and Constantinos Rigos among others.
YearTitleRoleTheater
2006Little Shop of HorrorsCrystalKivotos Theater
2013Women of TrachisChorusNational Theater of Greece
2013DemonesChorusPallas Theater
2013Trojan WarAndromachePallas Theater
2014HippolytusChorusNational Theater of Greece
2014Shrek The MusicalPrincess FionaNational Theater of Greece
2015AssemblywomenChorusNational Theater of Greece
2015Jason and the Golden FleeceMedeaBadminton Theater
2016West Side StoryMariaAthens Concert Hall
2017ErotokritosAretousaNational Opera of Greece - Alternative Stage
2018Once"Girl"National Opera of Greece - Alternative Stage

Filmography

YearTitle of the showChannelRoleNotes
2008-2009G4ALPHAMarinaGuest Star
2011StepsΑΝΤ1Ewa SakkaProtagonist

Discography

Singles