Annette Denise Stamatelatos (born 6 September 1976), better known by her stage name Annet Artani (Αννέτ Αρτάνη in Greek), is a Greek-American singer and songwriter. She is best known for representing Cyprus in the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 with the song "Why Angels Cry", as well as co-writing the worldwide hit "Everytime" with Britney Spears. Artani was signed to Ultra Records and her debut single "Alive" was released in March 2009. Early life Artani was born Annette Denise Stamatelatos in Flushing, New York to Gregory and Julia Stamatelatos. Her family originates from the village of Karavados on the island of Kefalonia, Greece. She is named after her maternal grandmother, Anneta, and she chose to use her paternal grandmother's first name, Artani, in her stage name, as a dedication to both of them. While in the US she uses the name "Annette", she was advised to spell it "Annet" in Europe to avoid being called Annet-Te. She graduated from Queens College and received an associate's degree from Five Towns College. Artani and her older sister Diana, who also sings, formed a rock band named Nootropia (Mindset), singing in Greek, and promoted on National Greek TV (NGTV) and Aktina FM. The group sang Greek rock songs which were fused with classical elements. Musical career 1994–2002: Beginnings Artani expressed her interest and love for music at a young age, particularly in offerings of such greats as Etta James, Aretha Franklin, Michael Jackson, and Madonna. After her early days singing with her sister, Artani decided that a solo career would suit her best. She received a scholarship from BMG for writing and performing her original song titled "Summer Days", and has also won several talent titles in America's Favorite Pageants, the New York Star Pageant, the Ophelia Devoure Talent Connection, and has been featuring in both Pageantry and Billboard Magazine. Over the years, Artani incorporated influences of singing in her college Gospel choir, as well as listening to R&B, pop and rock music. She started off her singing career as an opening act for Mando, a Greek pop star, and was featured in her own summer concert in 1995. She collaborated with several accomplished writers in New York City such as Jeff Franzel, who's written for NSYNC and played with Frank Sinatra, and Alex Forbes who has written for Taylor Dayne and Cyndi Lauper, among others. 2002–2004: Working with Britney Spears and "Everytime" While