Kaliopi “Popi” Pylaras-Karapalides

Kaliopi “Popi” Pylaras-Karapalides The Voice

Popi Karapalides grew up in South Jersey the daughter of Alex and Argero Pylaras. Popi has been singing since the age of seven. During her childhood, she was asked to sing the American National Anthem at Little League baseball games. She performed with many choirs and in plays and competitions for which she won numerous awards. At age twelve, she began writing her own lyrics. In high school she learned music theory and composed her first song “Love Goes On.” After high school, she joined “Conscious Zombies,” a local rock band and performed with them until they disbanded a few years later.

In 1993, at the age of twenty-one, she joined the professional Greek band called “Atlantis of Philadelphia. She performed with them at thousands of weddings, baptisms, dances, festivals, national conventions, and Greek Nights, up and down the east coast of the United States, until 2016. During this time, along with Atlantis, Popi recorded three full-length releases, including “Atlantis…To Taxidi,” Yia Sou, Baby,” and “Me Tous Aggelous.” She sang the title track, “Yia Sou, Baby,” which was one of the first “American style” Greek songs with English lyrics, and became popular in the summer of 1998 at the nightclubs throughout the Greek islands. A Belgian recording studio re-mixed the song giving it a techno sound. On “Me Tous Aggelous,” she sang the lead in the band’s original song, “I Zoi Mou Thalassa.”

In 2017, Atlantis changed its name to “Seizmos” and Popi continued performing with them as they expanded their performance area to the entire United States. Seizmos recorded a full-length release entirely of original songs titled, “Sta Tragoudia,” where Popi recorded the lead to “Moraki Mou,” and a song written especially for her, dedicated to St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, that was destroyed in New York City on September 11. The song, “Ai Nikola,” has also been recorded in English as, “Say A Prayer (for the World to Hear).” Seizmos’ title song, “Sta Tragoudia,” was made into a music video, prominently featuring Popi on second vocal.

During her time with Atlantis and Siezmos, Popi has sung lead and second vocal to many famous Greek singers, including Haris Varthakouris, Kalomira, Angelo Dionysiou, Diamantis Dionysiou, Katerina Topazi, Rita Sakelleriou, and Yiannis Dounias. For years, Popi has performed at many Philadelphia Federation Greek Independence Parades singing both the American and Greek National Anthems. A highlight of Popi’s career was the singing of the American National Anthem at the Wells Fargo Center before the Philadelphia 76ers vs. Milwaukee Bucks basketball game for Greek Heritage Night on April 15, 2015.

Popi has three children, Andreana, Argie, and Vangeli. Currently, Popi is still a member of Seizmos, singing and helping with recordings and writing music. Singing has always been a part of her life and it will always continue to be a part of her life.

Submitted by Harry Karapalides