Marina Satti
also known as SATTI, is a Greek singer, songwriter and music producer. Her music combines elements of Greek traditional music with contemporary sounds and production.
n 2007, her musical talent earned her a scholarship at Berklee College of Music from which she graduated in 2011, majoring in Contemporary Writing & Production. In 2017, her single “Mantissa”, inspired by the traditional music of Epirus, went viral on YouTube, reaching over 45 million views to this day.
Satti was born in Athens, Greece to a Sudanese father and Cretan mother. She was raised in Heraklion, Crete in a culturally diverse environment that had a significant impact on her musical development, as well as on the multicultural nature of her artistic career.
From a very early age, Satti showed an interest in music and drawing. She began classical piano training at the age of 7 and classical vocal training in high school, whilst also developing a passion for choral music.
After finishing school, she moved to Athens to study architecture at the National Technical University of Athens. While in Athens, she studied theater at the Veaki Drama School as well as at the Central Stage School of Drama and began studying jazz music at the Philippos Nakas Conservatory.In 2009, Satti earned her degree in classical piano and music theory and was awarded a distinction and first prize after completing her diploma in classical singing under professor Panos Dimas.
That same year she represented Greece at the European Jazz Orchestra (EBU), performing the music of Peter Herbolzheimer across Europe. In 2010, she performed with the World Jazz Nonet at the John F. Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. and participated in the a cappella music group The Singing Tribe that sang alongside Bobby McFerrin. Having received a scholarship to study at Berklee College of Music, Marina Satti graduated in 2011, majoring in Contemporary Writing & Production, studying under Danilo Perez, Jamie Haddad, Simon Shaheen, John Patittuchi, and Christiane Karam among others. During her years at Berklee, she developed her signature musical style by combining elements of Greek, Arabic, and Balkan traditional music, all of which she grew up with from a very early age.
n 2016, Satti released her single “Koupes”, an original, contemporary rendition of a traditional Asia Minor song. “Koupes” received widespread attention, reaching more than 24 million views on YouTube, and was included in Ravin & Bob Sinclar’s Buddha Bar: 20 Years Anniversary compilation album. In December 2016, Satti voiced the character of Moana in the Greek-language version of the Walt Disney animated picture Moana.
Satti’s single “Mantissa”, released in May 2017, reached the top of the Greek and Bulgarian charts in less than one week. The song, composed and arranged by Satti, earned her an international deal with Universal Music Berlin and has reached more than 45 million views on YouTube to this day. “Mantissa” drew the attention of the international press with Global Citizen describing it as “the song of the summer” [2] and NPR as “the summer hit that fills a generation with hope”.
In November 2017, Satti performed at Google’s Europe On Stage event at the Bozar Center for Fine Arts in Brussels as part of the “10 most interesting YouTube acts of 2017”. In September 2018, she performed with the group fonέs at the United Nations Champion of the Earth Awards in New York. That same year, she was voted “Female musician of the year” by the readers of Votre Beaute magazine.
Satti is the founder and artistic director of the polyphonic group fonés and the female choir chόrεs. Satti has performed in over 15 countries across the globe and has collaborated with artists such as Foivos Delivorias, Nikos Kypourgos, George Dalaras, Pavlos Pavlidis, Dionysis Savvopoulos, Paco De Lucia, Patrice Rushen, Simon Shaheen, Maria Mulata, and Mavis Staples. In the years 2019 – early 2020 Marina Satti toured in Europe and New Zealand, participating in major festivals and shows such as Womex, Womad, Trans Musicales and the legendary KEXP show. In 2016, Satti founded Fonés, a female a cappella group performing traditional polyphonic songs from all over the world and in 2018 chόrεs.
