Ex-pro athlete turns musician to take on music industry

An unlucky break turned this former pro-athlete into an aspiring musician, and he’s just launched his debut single, written, recorded and filmed entirely in Edinburgh.

A former internationally capped rugby player whose professional career was devastated by a freak injury has turned his life around, and is taking on the world of music.

Artist pleytoh, also known as Plato Moysiadis, is an Edinburgh-based musician with an unlikely past. Born and raised in Greece, his passion for rugby brought him to Scotland, where he played for various teams, including Heriot’s.

From a tough upbringing in Greece – where the financial crisis saw him leave his home country to follow his pro-sport dream – he became the first Greek player to win a professional rugby contract abroad. His career highs include representing Greece in the Rio Olympic qualifiers, and a brief spell at Scotland premiership winners Heriot’s, where a horrific injury ended his playing career.

pleytoh (his artist name) said: “I broke my tibia and fibula and ended up bedridden for months, and unable to ever play again due to surgery complications. At this time I picked up my guitar, which I had bought with my first wage as a 15-year-old and began to play.”

During his recovery, and the lockdown period, the self-taught musician not only perfected his guitar technique but found a passion for playing, writing and performing his own music.

Now his debut single Quicksand is out, and it talks of working harder than everyone else, but feeling like getting nowhere … is it an allegory for his life?

“I’m an outsider in the music world, but I hope to defy the odds and achieve my goal. I want to inspire people through music, by creating a sound that is uniquely my own, and proving that not much is needed to create art that people will love, as long as you have something genuine to say and an authentic way to say it.”

When he is not promoting his new song, pleytoh – a salesman with an iconic drinks brand – is busy working on his next pieces: “This is my debut single, but there is plenty more to come,” he said.

He describes his song as a “Frankenstein project”, in that it blends several genres and sounds, including rap, indie rock and pop.

“It’s wrapped in a package that can still exist alongside mainstream music,” he adds.

You can watch the video – exclusively shot around Edinburgh here – and can follow him on all socials @pleytoh.