Ioanna Mouskouri (Joanna in English; nicknamed "Nana" from a young age) was born on the island of Crete. Her family moved to Athens when she was three. Much of her childhood was coloured by the Nazi occupation of Greece - during which time her father worked for the Resistance movement - and the four-year civil war. She attended the Athens Conservatory, where she studied classical music with an emphasis on singing opera.

Today, Nana Mouskouri is one of the biggest-selling female artists of all time. She speaks six languages-- Greek, French, English, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese which enabled her to reach audiences all over Europe, the Americas, and even Asia. She possesses a distinctive, angelic soprano voice (she was born with only one vocal cord). Her repertoire is varied enough to support the universal appeal she aimed for: jazz, well-known pop tunes from before and after the rock era, French cabaret chansons, movie songs, classical and operatic repertory, religious music and folk songs from her native country Greece and elsewhere.

Check that you understand what these words mean in this document
To nickname: to give someone a descriptive name in addition to the one belonging to an individual (e.g. Nana).
Occupation: the taking possession and control of an area .
Resistance: a secret organisation in a conquered country fighting against enemy forces.
Distinctive: something that is easy to recognise because it is different from other things.
Repertoire: all the music or plays, etc. that one can perform.
Varied: having many forms or types.
Chanson: a song in French.

For further information visit:
Nana Mouskouri Official site