Born in Los Angeles, Effi is the first generation of her family born in the United States. Growing up with her grandfather, a Greek opera singer, and her mother who inherited his voice, Effi was surrounded by rich melodic voices and a wide range of music. She grew up with opera, the powerful 5/4 and 9/4 rhythms of Greek music, the heavy guitars of American rock and the soulful sound of blues. Effi was a student of classical piano since childhood, but in her teenage years she turned away from the discipline of playing the music of classical composers, and became fascinated with the creation of her own music. Absorbing both worlds of rich vocals and the edgy guitars of rock & alternative music, she replaced piano with guitar as her writing tool, and her style took shape. The result is a mixture of varied time signatures supported by rhythmic rock guitar and melodic, expressive vocals.