Nana Mouskouri (From Knutsford Guardian)

Nana Mouskouri

11:30am Monday 7th January 2008 in Leisure By Neil Docking

"I DON'T want to leave this stage or this world without having been able to say thank you to the audience - to me this is very important."

"I have learned and lived on stage for so many years but if the audiences weren't there I wouldn't have been able to do this - it needed their love."

"It is a very good feeling being able to say thank you, although of course it will be emotional. I have to learn to live without the stage."

The most successful female singer in history, Nana Mouskouri, has sold more than 350 million records worldwide - more than the Beatles and Elvis combined.

But after 45 years of touring, the 72-year-old has decided to call it a day and is saying farewell to her fans on a four-year global trek which stops off in Manchester later this month.

Classically trained, since 1959 the Greek performer has sung over 1,350 songs in German, English, French, Greek, Spanish, Italian, Japanese, Dutch, Portuguese, Hebrew and Gaelic.

"The whole of my career has been a highlight because I never expected to become so known everywhere. I was just a small singer."

Nana Mouskouri

However, when asked about her astonishing record sales, Nana prefers to dwell on the music itself, rather than the units she has shifted.

She said: "I think the best times for me were when I started in Greece, there were so many artists who gave me character and belief."

"The whole of my career has been a highlight because I never expected to become so known everywhere. I was just a small singer."

"I have no regrets because I always wanted to be a singer and I think I became the singer I wanted to be. It was a wonderful time in the 60s and 70s - the best times of recording."

"I don't want to go any further because I did a lot and now it is up to young people to continue to do what we have done in the past."

"I have been very lucky and I want to go out with pride and dignity."

Tickets for Nana Mouskouri's show at the Manchester Bridgewater Hall on October 31 are priced £25 upwards and are available from 0161 9079000 and 0161 8321111.