Born Yiannis Chryssomallis on November 14, 1954 in Kalamata, Greece. His father, Sotiri Chryssomallis, was a banker; his mother, Felitsa, was a homemaker. He was the second of three children. From an early age Yanni showed both athletic and musical talents: he began playing piano at age 6 (self-taught, without formal lessons) and at age 14 broke the Greek national record in the 50-metre freestyle swimming event. His parents encouraged him to learn music at his own pace rather than forcing classical training; Yanni developed his own “musical shorthand” instead of formal notation.
In 1972 he moved to the United States to study psychology at the University of Minnesota, beginning in 1973. He earned a B.A. in Psychology in 1976.
During his university years, he played in local rock bands (notably the band Chameleon) and continued developing his keyboard/piano skills. After graduation, he committed himself fully to music for one year, which he described as the happiest year of his life, and decided to make music his vocation.
Yanni’s debut solo album was Optimystique (1984), though the work began earlier. He signed with labels including Atlantic and later Private Music. He moved to Los Angeles and began composing for film and building his signature fusion of synthesizers with orchestra and world instruments. Key albums in this period include, Keys to Imagination (1986), Out of Silence (1987), and Chameleon Days (1988).
Yanni's profile rose significantly with albums such as Reflections of Passion, (1990) which sold millions of copies. He received Grammy nominations for Dare to Dream (1992) and In My Time (1993). A major breakthrough was his live concert at the ancient theater of Herodes Atticus Theatre at the Acropolis of Athens on September 25, 1993, released as Live at the Acropolis. This concert had enormous global reach and greatly expanded his audience. His style blended new-age, classical, world, and electronic elements; he often emphasized his music as “contemporary instrumental” rather than strictly “new age”.
Yanni has performed in more than 30 countries across five continents, and his albums have sold in the tens of millions (by one estimate over 25 million) with over 40 platinum/gold certifications. He often stages concerts in dramatic, historical or culturally significant locations, reinforcing his “one world, one people” philosophy in music.
After a hiatus around the late 1990s/early 2000s (in part to recover from stress and realign his artistic focus), Yanni returned with albums like If I Could Tell You (2000) and Ethnicity (2003), the latter reflecting even more global cultural instrumentation.
He kept evolving, releasing albums such as Truth of Touch (2011), Inspirato (2014) and Sensuous Chill (2016).
Yanni has collaborated with public television (e.g., PBS) in fundraising efforts, reportedly raising millions via televised concerts.
He has supported conservation efforts (e.g., World Wildlife Fund) and been a spokesman for larger institutions like NASA.