Yanni was born November 14, 1954 in Kalamata, Greece, the son of Sotiri Chryssomallis, a banker, and Triandafili Chryssomallis (Felitsa Chryssomallis), a homemaker (Felitsa is short for Triandafili, which means "rose"). He displayed musical talent at a young age, playing the piano at the age of 6. His parents encouraged him to learn at his own pace and in his own way, without formal music training. The self-taught musician continues to use the "musical shorthand" that he developed as a child, rather than employing traditional musical notation.
In 2000, after the two-year hiatus, Yanni released If I Could Tell You, his first studio album in seven years. The album sold 55,000 copies in its first week and landed at No. 20 on the Billboard charts, his highest debut to date. Yanni described the album as more of an even-tempered "listening" album, less dramatic than the live concert albums Live at the Acropolis or Tribute. He explained that he himself created all of the album's sounds, including apparent vocalizations, through the manipulation of sound in his studio. The music in Yanni's 2003 album Ethnicity represented many of the world's cultures, Yanni saying it uses ethnicity to reflect the color and beauty of a multicultural society. The album was released near the publication date of Yanni's autobiography, Yanni in Words. On October 23, 2003, Yanni performed a keyboard instrumental version of The Star-Spangled Banner before Game 5 of the 2003 World Series. For the first time in his career, Yanni brought vocalists to the forefront in the Ric Wake collaboration Yanni Voices, the artist's first studio album in six years. PBS broadcast video of a November 2008 Voices Acapulco concert weeks before the album's March 24, 2009 release by Walt Disney Records' Disney Pearl Imprint, the album release preceding a tour produced by Pearl's Buena Vista Concerts division. The album Mexicanisimo, released in November of Mexico's bicentennial year 2010, was a tribute to that country through Yanni's collaborative interpretation of its folk music. It involved collaboration with singer-songwriter Pepe Aguilar and singer-actress Lucero.

Q: When did Yanni end his hiatus?
A: In 2000, after the two-year hiatus,

Q: How did he make his comeback?
A: Yanni released If I Could Tell You, his first studio album in seven years.
What type of music was this album?
even-tempered "listening" album, even-tempered "listening" album, less dramatic than the live concert albums Yanni described the album as more of an even-tempered "listening" album, less dramatic than the live concert albums Yanni described the album as more of an even-tempered "listening" album, less dramatic than the live concert albums Live at the Acropolis or Tribute. more of an even-tempered "listening" album, less dramatic than the live concert albums Live at the Acropolis or Tribute.
more of an even-tempered "listening" album, less dramatic than the live concert albums Live at the Acropolis or Tribute.