Antigoni’s outspoken, assured attitude shines brighter than ever in her latest single, “You Can Have Him”, furthering her on a unique musical journey that traces her own; as a Cypriot native growing up in North London, her sound amalgamates aspects from the two cultures. “You Can Have Him” features a punchy pop production (courtesy of Sirena Record) with a killer chorus that incorporates traditional greek instruments like the Bouzouki. The music video is the icing on the cake, a perfect visualization of Antigoni’s folky, sonic world directed by the legendary Gabriella Kinglsey, who’s worked with almost every tastemaker in the game, including Ed Sheeran, Aitch, ArrDee, Eugy and many others.

When describing the song, the singer told us: “This song is about knowing your self-worth and not settling when it comes to a relationship. The idea is, if someone can take my man, then they can have him because they shouldn’t be able to turn his head if his feelings for me are really true. If that person can be taken then it means they were never really yours, to begin with”.

Antigoni talks interesting behind-the-scenes deets of the “You Can Have Him” video and the secrets to her creative process below…

Hey Antigoni! How are you doing? Where are we speaking to you from?
Hey! I’m good thank you! I’m currently at home, in London. Having a very boring admin type of morning.

What have been your peaks and pits of the year so far?
Shooting this video is one of my peaks of the year so far. It was the first time I’ve not had to be my own runner-MUA-car unloader! So it was a really amazing feeling of progression & I felt so grateful to work with such an amazing team and make my vision for the video a reality. Plus, I hit my first ever 1 million streams the other day!!

As for pits, I lost my voice for a little while following a very intense few months of talking, singing, traveling, and barely sleeping; I had to do some serious vocal rehab to get it back to a strong place. That made me super low because my voice is my everything, but I just have to figure out how to maintain a balance when my schedule is so intense.

Let’s start with your music! When did you first get into it? What sparked the interest?
I’ve honestly never not been into it. In my earliest memories, I always knew music was my passion & path. There wasn’t an epiphany moment one day, it has just always been part of who I am. I got into the industry super young as I signed a publishing deal when I was 14 and it’s just been a bit of a rollercoaster since then. But I feel like I’ve really found my feet now with my team & the music I’m making and can’t wait to keep sharing it.

Do you have any particular inspirations?
I find inspiration through any little thing. I’m a storyteller in my music, so there’s often a very real situation that a song will be based on or inspired by. If something even vaguely interesting happens in my life, I magnify it and put it into a song.

Musically, I have so many artists that I’m inspired by in different ways. I have a very eclectic taste in music so my shuffle will literally go from J.Cole to John Mayer and Vybz Kartel, and from Taylor Swift to some old Greek folk music haha.

Congratulations on the release of your new song, “You Can Have Him”! It has been described as a modern love song with a Greek twist, but what does that mean to you? How did you come up with the concept?
Thank you! My sound is a literal embodiment of who I am – a Greek Cypriot girl that grew up in North London. My goal is to share my culture and roots through my music by combining UK sounds and hip-pop/pop production with traditional Greek elements – for example, the bouzouki, my favorite instrument – And old Greek samples and soundscapes that are reminiscent of my heritage. I feel like the world is in a really exciting place musically, and people are really welcoming to hearing different cultures in music, so my dream would be to really shine a light on the soundscape of Cyprus. Cyprus is in the Middle East, so the music has a familiar and nostalgic sound for many other cultures too.

The song focuses on themes of self-worth and not settling. Was there a personal experience that prompted you to take this angle?
Pre-Love Island, someone asked me, “what would you do if you were coupled up with someone and someone else wanted to take them?”. My response was “if you can take him… you can have him”. This came from my dad because he always taught me that even if you love someone so much you can’t MAKE them wanna be with you. You can’t force someone to be loyal, they either are or they aren’t and you should settle for nothing less than someone who is 100% for you. If someone wants to go then you should let them. Following that conversation and lesson, I went to the studio and wrote this song.

“You Can Have Him” marks your first music release since Love Island! Does that make you feel any different from your previous releases?
It definitely feels different, because more people are listening now – I can’t tell you how grateful I am for that! My listeners went from 4k to over 200k and now I just wanna keep my foot on the pedal and get as much music out as possible! I’m very aware that people might see Love Island as a strange part of a musical journey, but I’ve been making music for a long time and am happy now to prove myself through the music I release and live upcoming performances.

Tell us about the video!
The video was directed by an incredible director called Gabriella Kingsley. She is amazing at what she does and I love working with other women, so I was so excited about this! I wanted the video to encapsulate the sound of the song and the storyline within it. We wanted to create a visual that channels my Greek heritage and an Ancient feel, but also feels super vibrant and new. I wanted it to portray the narrative of temptation, seduction & loyalty in an artistic way. The video was filmed, edited & graded by Carl Matthews, who I met when he filmed my SBTV session in 2021 & have worked together on a few visuals ever since. We found a beautiful location and shot 6 different looks in a very intense 12-hour day. It was so much fun and I can’t wait for people to see it.

How do you deal with the added exposure?
Honestly, everyone I come across in real life is so lovely and I’m thankful for that side of the exposure. The internet can be hella mean though, but I just try to focus on the positive and not fixate on the negative. Overall, the added exposure is a positive because my dream is to be able to travel the world performing and sharing my music with as many people as possible, and that’s what comes with that.

How would you like your fans and followers to view you as an artist?
I would like people to view me as an artist who is honest and relatable. A real musician and songwriter as well as a pop artist. I hope people can see how much music means to me and view me as someone who really cares about my sound, craft, and vision.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
“You can’t wait for motivation to push you in life, you have to have discipline. Motivation will come and go so you can’t rely on that, it’s the days when you’re not motivated but you are still pushing forward that makes the difference” my best friend heard this on a podcast and shared it with me. And it honestly applies to so many things in life – the music industry, training, eating well. And it’s really helped me to stay focused and keep it moving even when I feel deflated or things have gone wrong.

And finally, what’s one surprising fact about yourself that people might not know about you?
I used to figure skate, I did a couple of competitions when I was young. I Would probably break my ass if I attempted to do any of the things I used to do now, but here’s a random little fact!