Push-and-pull career revived for new adventure
After spending several years distanced from the local music industry, former DJ-turned-performer Sunny Baltzi, who made an impact several years ago as the lead singer and lyricist of local rock band Santa Fila, is preparing a return to the circuit, beginning with a show at the Gagarin 205 club in Athens on Friday. The gig, featuring Baltzi and Santa Fila, with a revamped lineup, will launch a limited national tour. Baltzi, who had spent years working as a DJ at some of the capital’s better-known rock clubs and bars, including Berlin, Booze, Mo Better, and the Gagarin 205 venue, emerged as a lyricist before becoming further involved in music. In that role she wrote for various local acts, old and new, including veteran rocker Lakis Papadopoulos, the seasoned singer-songwriter Arletta, and current pop star Michalis Hadziyiannis. Despite a lack of promotion, Baltzi was well received as the lead singer of Santa Fila, her first band, which released just one album in 1995 with the major label Sony’s local branch. The act disbanded prematurely following the untimely death of its guitarist, Giorgos Nikolaidis. «It was a very sweet story that developed at the right place and time – in the neighborhoods of Athens and their rehearsal studios. We did what we loved and linked our youth with the group,» Baltzi recalls. The band’s demise led to an extended break before the singer, often praised for penning insightful lyrics, returned with a debut solo album in 2001. Despite its positive impact, she retreated from the scene. Now, several years on and believing that the time is right, she has reformed Santa Fila with a renewed lineup for the upcoming shows as well as a forthcoming album.
