NEW JERSEY – For Nikos Diakos, music is more than putting on a performance – it is a way of connecting with his Greek heritage and keeping his culture alive.
As a professional Greek-American musician and performer of more than 20 years, as well as founder of Pelagos Entertainment, Diakos brings a personal understanding of Greek music to every performance.
What makes his work even more interesting is not simply the performance itself, but the way certain songs, dances, and instruments can immediately bring someone back to a grandparent, a village, a wedding, a summer in Greece, or another important family memory.
In an interview with The National Herald, the musician revealed how his connection to music first came about, and what inspired him to establish Pelagos Entertainment – his own New Jersey-based Greek band recognized for performing at various private and community events.
Nikos Diakos has been playing the lyra professionally for more than two decades. (Photo: Courtesy of Pelagos Entertainment)
The journey to becoming a professional musician
Diakos explained how his journey into Greek music began at the age of nine, when he and his family moved to Karpathos.
“Before I even left for Greece as a child, I had really nothing to do with music – like, nothing at all,” the Greek-American musician said.
“Then when my family and I were in Karpathos, I was hearing the sounds left and right and something began feeling really appealing to me about it…and my grandfather was really into the traditions and the Greek music, dancing, and singing, so that kind of gave me that extra push.”
Diakos then explained how whenever the island held festivities like ‘panigyira’ – festivals – he became immersed in the world of Greek music, which formed his interest in the Lyra. At 11 years old, his father bought him his first one.
The professional Greek-American musician, Nikos Diakos, founded Pelagos Entertainment in 2019. (Photo: Courtesy of Pelagos Entertainment)
“I became so passionate about music and learning, that I would really spend at least five hours a day just playing and practicing and going over and over with songs and that’s what made me succeed,” he said.
By the time he was around 18 years old, Diakos then began performing professionally, where he’d perform at weddings, festivals, and other community events – what was once a passion from childhood, became a part of who he is later on.
Establishing Pelagos Entertainment
Today, two decades later, music has remained a major part of Diakos’ life, where he balances working as a sales manager in IT, as well as being the founder of his own band, Pelagos Entertainment.
Established in 2019, and named ‘Pelagos’ after the Greek term for ‘open sea’, Pelagos Entertainment is an eight-to-ten-person band known for their wide repertoire of Greek music. It features a variety of traditional instruments, including the lyra, laouto, violin, clarinet, and bouzouki, as well as keyboards and vocalists.
Nikos Diakos and his band, Pelagos Entertainment, are recognized for performing at various private and community events. (Photo: Courtesy of Pelagos Entertainment)
When asked about his inspirations to establish the band, he expressed “I felt that something was missing in the community, and that those traditional sounds were dying out.”
“Like, you wouldn’t really hear a lyra anymore, you wouldn’t hear a laouto – you wouldn’t hear those traditional instruments, they just started fading away,” Diakos explained.
“So my goal was to bring that back to life, but also marrying the modern sounds as well.”
Pelagos Entertainment is a talented band which plays all the classic ‘nisiotika’ – island – songs everyone knows and loves, as well as more modern hits. The band additionally offers DJ services as an additional option for those looking for a combination of live music and more modern entertainment and sounds.
Sharing what makes them stand out from other Greek bands in New York and New Jersey, Diakos reflected on the genuine love and care they put into their work and their relationships with their clients.
A love for music and keeping traditions alive
As someone who’s been in the industry for many years, the Greek-American musician reflected upon what has been the most rewarding aspect of his work, noting “the great feedback and the satisfaction from clients – that’s what keeps me going, honestly.”
“I do not make a living off of it…but it’s a nice add-on, and it’s more my passion,” Diakos said.
Pelagos Entertainment is an eight-to-ten-person band known for their wide repertoire of Greek music. (Photo: Courtesy of Pelagos Entertainment)
“When I leave a venue and I see everyone smiling and thanking us over and over again, and saying what a wonderful time they had, that’s the best payment for me. That keeps me fueled, it keeps me going and it keeps me visualizing what my next step is and what we can do to be better.”
“We always give our 110%, and I don’t see a client as a one-off project,” the Pelagos Entertainment founder said.
“We have many cases where we have a family where the daughter’s getting married, and then the son gets married, and then after that, a first cousin might be getting married – and we have a lot of those family examples…because they hired us and we did a great job for them, and they were happy with our professionalism, with our special touch, and one event led to another.”
To learn more about Nikos Diakos, and the work of Pelagos Entertainment, visit www.pelagosent.com.
