Costas Montis was born on 18 February 1914 in Famagusta, the sixth and last child of Theodoulos Montis from Lapithos, and Kalomoira Batista, who was descended from an old Venetian family of Famagusta.
In February 2008, as part of the selection process organized by the Greek national broadcaster Ellinikí Radiofonía Tileórasi (ERT), three competing artists—Chrispa, Kostas Martakis, and Kalomoira—performed their prospective entries live during a televised broadcast watched by nearly two million viewers.
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On December 17, 2007, ERT officially announced the three participants for the Greek national final: Kalomoira, Kostas Martakis, and Chrispa; all of them young performers and mainly new to the Greek music scene.
Greek media outlets also demanded that ERT choose Tamta to represent Greece in the Eurovision Song Contest 2009 following suspicions of favoritism from Eastern Bloc countries in 2008 where Kalomoira finished in 3rd place.