Effie Zaitidou was born in Athens. She grew up into a musical family and was deeply immersed in the sound of Byzantine and traditional Greek music from a very young age. During her studies in the Technological Educational Institute of Epirus, she devoted herself to the study of music traditions found in the area of the wider eastern Mediterranean and she specialized in the Kanun. Since 2004, she has been an active member of Al Mahabba Ensemble which was founded with the purpose of celebrating the classic Arabic music from theMiddle East and the Arabic-speaking countries of Africa. She has been teaching Kanun and music workshops in the Music High Schools of Athens and she has collaborated with famous Greek composers and singers like Yiannis Markopoulos and Nikos Xydakis.