A Summer Tradition in Crete
On summer evenings in the village of Sises, Crete, relatives, neighbors, and visitors gather at a local restaurant where music fills the courtyard. Among the performers is an 11-year-old Greek-American girl visiting from New Jersey, standing confidently with a microphone in hand.
For Georgia Elena, these evenings have become a tradition.
Each summer, while visiting family in Crete, she is invited to sing for the village. People who remember her grandparents and great-grandparents come to listen as she performs songs in both Greek and English. The atmosphere is informal and warm, with family members, friends, and curious visitors sharing the moment together.
What began as a child’s love of singing has gradually grown into something more, as Georgia gains experience performing in both the United States and Greece.
Growing Up Greek-American
Born and raised in New Jersey, Georgia is part of the community at St. Thomas Greek Orthodox Church, where faith, family, and cultural traditions play an important role in her life.
Her family roots stretch across Greece. Her grandfather’s family comes from Sises in Crete, while her grandmother’s side traces back to Nikaia in Piraeus, with family history reaching back to Asia Minor.
Like many Greek-American families, summers often mean time in Greece. For Georgia, those trips have become an opportunity not only to reconnect with relatives but also to stay close to the language, music, and traditions that influence her singing.
Faith, Family, and Community
Although the songs Georgia performs are not always religious, her Greek Orthodox faith plays an important role in how she approaches her music.
Church life has taught her the importance of patience, gratitude, and giving her best effort. She often describes her voice as a gift that she hopes to share with others.
Back home in New Jersey, members of the Greek-American community around St. Thomas Church have followed her performances online and frequently ask when she will sing next.
For Georgia, that encouragement is a reminder that music is not only about performing, but also about bringing people together.
From “Can I Sing With You?” to Center Stage
Georgia says she cannot remember a time when she did not want to perform.
When she was younger and saw musicians playing live, she would often ask a simple question:
“Can I sing with you?”
Her first public performance came when she was just four years old, during a visit to Arizona. Since then, she has sung in several places across the United States and Greece, including New Jersey, Florida, Athens, Santorini, Crete, Los Angeles, and Nashville, often performing with live bands.
One early moment that stood out came during a Greek school end-of-year celebration, when Georgia performed “Vampire” by Olivia Rodrigo. The response from the audience made it clear that her interest in singing had grown beyond a casual pastime.
Developing Her Voice
Today, Georgia continues to work on her musical skills with vocal coach CORii, a former contestant on The Voice, focusing on technique, confidence, and stage presence.
She gravitates toward powerful songs that allow her to express emotion and storytelling, including “The Climb,” “Rolling in the Deep,” and “River Deep, Mountain High.”
Her musical interests move easily between languages. Alongside artists such as Olivia Rodrigo, Adele, and Taylor Swift, she also enjoys performing Greek songs, including “Asteromata,” “To Diko Mou Paploma,” and “Parea.”
“I like mixing Greek and English songs because it feels like it shows who I really am,” Georgia says.
Her influences include both international pop artists and well-known Greek performers such as Klavdia, Glykeria, and Anna Vissi.
Like many students her age, she also balances singing with school, family life, and time with friends.
Singing Across Languages
One of Georgia’s most memorable recent performances came at the Star Vocal Competition in Pennsylvania, where she chose to perform “Asteromata,” Greece’s 2025 Eurovision entry by Klavdia.
Even though many audience members did not understand the Greek lyrics, the response in the room was immediate. When the song ended, the crowd applauded enthusiastically, and judges later told her they had been “mesmerized” by the emotion she brought to the performance.
For Georgia, the experience reinforced something she had already begun to notice while performing: music can connect with people even when they do not share the same language.
Watch her performance of Asteromata:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTBk4ZyfZ_8
Memorable Moments on Stage
Some of Georgia’s most exciting experiences so far have come from performing alongside artists she admires.
At one concert, she held up a sign asking if she could sing “To Diko Mou Paploma,” a well-known song by Glykeria. She was invited on stage to perform it with the band, and the moment quickly spread online after audience members shared videos of the performance.
Watch the moment here:
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/cs6q8lxw8d0
She also had the opportunity to sing “Asteromata” directly for Klavdia, the artist who made the song widely known. The singer’s surprised and emotional reaction was captured on video and circulated widely on social media.
Watch that moment here:
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/knjJ8OP-q3Y
Aiming for Eurovision
Georgia says singing will always be part of her life.
“My ultimate dream is to represent Greece in Eurovision,” she says.
Many of her performances are already available online, where friends, family, and new listeners continue to discover her music. Videos of her performances can be found on her YouTube channel and through updates shared on her Instagram page.
Follow Georgia Elena online:
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@GeorgiaElena_official
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/georgiaelena_official/
For now, that dream begins in places like the courtyard in Sises, where villagers gather on summer nights to hear a young singer from New Jersey perform songs that connect her Greek heritage with the wider world.
About the Author
Eleftherios Kostans is a writer, photographer, and filmmaker with Cosmos Philly, who has covered stories about the Greek-American community throughout the Delaware Valley.