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Ioanna Fassou Kalpaxi, known professionally as Yovanna, was born on November 14, 1938, in Greece. She began her vocal studies at the Athens Conservatoire at age 14, training as a lyric soprano and performing under the stage name "Yovanna" with the Greek Radio Light Music Orchestra. In 1960, she won the leading role of Margit in the operetta Where the Lark Sings by Franz Lehár. Yovanna's transition to popular music began after winning first prize at the Sopot International Song Festival in Poland in the early 1960s. She launched her international career, becoming extremely popular in the Soviet Union and particularly the Republic of Georgia, where she gave hundreds of sold-out concerts and sold millions of records. In 1965, Yovanna represented Switzerland at the Eurovision Song Contest with "Non, à jamais sans toi", finishing in eighth place. She continued recording and performing until the early 1980s when she shifted her focus to writing. Her first novel, Άντε γεια (translated as "Take care"), became a bestseller in Greece and was adapted into a film and theatre play. Yovanna has published twelve novels and five poetry collections, with some of her works adapted for television. In 2011, she received honorary citizenship from the Mayor of Tbilisi, and in 2017, the Georgian Ambassador in Greece awarded her a state certificate of appreciation for her contributions to strengthening historical ties between Georgian and Greek peoples.
