Giannis Aggelakas
Photo: Alexis Arhontis
Giannis Aggelakas (b. October 30, 1959, Thessaloniki) is a prominent Greek singer, musician, and author.
He gained widespread recognition as the lead singer of the rock band Trypes, active from 1984 to 2001. During his time with the band, they released seven albums that resonated deeply with the audience, producing timeless hits that remain staples of Greek rock music to this day.
In 1990, Aggelakas contributed to a tribute album to the late Pavlos Sidiropoulos, recorded by various artists. Five years later, he collaborated with Giorgos Karras to release the album "Yperoho Tipota" [Wonderful Nothing]. Following the breakup of Trypes, he performed with Thanasis Papakonstantinou and collaborated with him on the album "Vrahnos Prophetis" [Harsh-Voiced Prophet], released in 2000. He also contributed to two of Giorgos Christianakis' albums.
His solo musical career began with a collaboration with cellist Nikos Veliotis, resulting in the album "I Anases ton Likon" [Breathes of the Wolves], which laid the blueprint for his experimental musical style in later years. It was followed by his debut solo album with the band "I Episkeptes" [The Visitors], titled "Apo do ke Pano" [From Now Onwards]. In the following years, he released four more albums, the most recent one in 2022 with the title “Eho Kefia” [I’m in a Good Mood]. A particularly notable project, again in collaboration with Veliotis, is the album "Wolves in Wonderland," which was first performed live at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus as part of the 2020 Athens Epidaurus Festival.Trypes recorded four songs for Nikos Grammatikos’ film "A Time to Kill" (1993), which later appeared on the album "Yperoho Tipota." In 1999, Aggelakas played a small part in Panos Karkanevatos’ film "Earth and Water." However, his most notable film role was as the lead in Nikos Nikolaidis’ 2002 film "The Loser Takes It All," for which he also wrote the score.
In 2009, director Pantelis Voulgaris commissioned him to compose the music for "Psyhi Vathia" (aka “With Heart & Soul”). Aggelakas won the Best Original Score award at the 2010 Hellenic Film Academy Awards for this score.
In 2011, he composed the music for the documentary "Debtocracy" by Katerina Kitidi and Aris Chatzistefanou. He has also written music for several theatrical productions. During the 2023-24 season, he premiered the performance "Nekyia" on the Main Stage of Onassis Stegi, a performance with keyboards, vocals, and a musical saw, directed by Christos Papadopoulos and featuring narration by Aggelakas and Olia Lazaridou. The show was also presented at the International Theater Amsterdam as part of the Brandhaarden 2024 Festival.Giannis Aggelakas has published two poetry collections in Greek, featuring drawings by the author. 2000 saw the publication of a comprehensive anthology of his lyrics accompanied by selected interviews (“For the Heart of a Beast, 1985–2000”, in Greek). In 2023, he unveiled his latest book, "O Tigris, to Koraki ki o Theos" [The Tiger, the Crow, and the God”].
