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Blast from the past: Romania 2003

We know a lot about Eurovision and we want to share this knowledge with you! Therefore we’d like to bring you a blast from the past. Today we look back at Nicola’s Don’t Break My Heart, Romania 2003. Romania in the Eurovision Song Contest Romania made their debut in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1994. The year before, they already did an attempt. That year, they took part in the Eastern European qualification round Kvalifikacija za Millstreet. Romania has never won the Eurovision Song Contest so far. Both Luminița Anghel & Sistem with Let Me Try (2005) and Paula Seling & Ovi with Playing With Fire (2010) reached a 3rd place. However, Romania did not participate in this year’s contest. They will also be absent in the 2025 contest. Luminița Anghel Selecția Națională 2003 The Romanian national selection is called Selecția Națională. That was already the case in 2003. Two semifinals were held with 12 songs each. Mălina Olinescu (Eurovision 1998) was one of the contestants but she didn’t reach the final. The 10 who did are listed below: Valahia sang Friends Are Friends, 11 pts. 3rd D’La Vegas sang Oxigen, 5 pts, 10th Nicola sang Don’t Break My Heart, 24 pts, 1st Genius sang My Life, 9 pts, 6th Paula Seling sang Let’s Go!, 11 pts, 3rd Răzvan Crivaci and Liviu Sorescu sang Once Upon A Time, 9 pts, 6th Alexandra Ungureau sang Make This Love Come True, 11 pts, 3rd Centru’ Civic sang Come With Us, 9 pts, 6th Aurelian Temișan sang Let’s Have A Holiday, 20 pts, 2nd Mihai Trăistariu (member of Valahia) and Paula Seling later also represented Romania, Paula even twice. Mihai Trăistariu Nicola Nicoleta Alexandru, known as Nicola, was born on November 5, 1966, in Bucharest, Romania. She began her music career in 1985, performing at the Mamaia Festival, where she won several awards. Nicola sang in various bands before launching her solo career in 1999 with the hit song Cu tălpile goale (Barefoot). The song gained widespread airplay on many radio and TV stations across Romania. In 2003, Nicola rose to fame after winning Romania’s national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest with the song Don’t Break My Heart. She represented Romania in Riga, Latvia, and secured 10th place. That same year, she released her album Best of Nicola, which achieved great success and earned her a Platinum Disc. Nicola continued her music career, releasing albums and singles such as De mă vei chema (If You Call Me) and Honey in 2005. She received several MTV Romania Music Award nominations and collaborated with well-known international artists, including Thomas Nichols. In 2019, Nicola competed again in Romania’s Eurovision selection with the song Weight of the World. Don’t Break My Heart Nicola wrote and composed Don’t Break My Heart, with her husband Mihai Alexandru producing the song. With its catchy tune and her strong performance, Nicola won first place in Romania’s national competition, securing her spot at the Eurovision Song Contest in Riga. On May 24, 2003, Nicola performed Don’t Break My Heart for an international audience. The song’s upbeat pop melody and her powerful vocals captured attention. Nicola finished in 10th place, earning 73 points from the voting countries, marking a strong result for Romania at that time.

Blast from the past: Austria 1976

We know a lot about Eurovision and we want to share this knowledge with you! Therefore we’d like to bring you a blast from the past. Today, we go back to 1976, when Waterloo and Robinson represented Austria with the song My Little World. Austria in the Eurovision Song Contest Austria started participating in 1957. Their first victory came in 1966, when Udo Jürgens won with Merci Cherie. It was his third consecutive participation. After that, Austria did not make it to the top-3 again for decades. In 2014 this changed, when Conchita Wurst gained the trophy with her Rise Like a Phoenix. In 2018 there was another top-3 place for Austria: Cesár Sampson even won the jury voting with Nobody But You. With Teya and Salena (Who The Hell Is Edgar?) last year and Kaleen (We Will Rave) this year, Austria reached the final. Almost returning My Little World was, as far as we know, selected internally. But in 2004, Waterloo and Robinson took part in the national selection again. Their song You Can Change the World was 2nd. After the national competition, Waterloo and Robinson, sued the winning group Tie Break. They said that the song Du Bist was too long (over three minutes) and copied the song Für Dich by German singer Yvonne Catterfield. However, the lawsuit was rejected for legal reasons. ORF, the TV broadcaster, said that the small time over the limit wasn’t enough to disqualify the song and promised to shorten it to three minutes for the Eurovision Song Contest. So no return at Eurovision for Waterloo and Robinson. Waterloo and Robinson Waterloo & Robinson is a pop music duo from Austria. The group consists of Hans Kreuzmayr (Waterloo) and Josef Krassnitzer (Robinson). Beginning Hans and Josef met in 1969 when Hans was looking for someone to help design displays for his boutique. Both were already playing in local bands. They decided to make music together. At their early shows, they were called The Edward Brothers. In 1971, they entered a music competition and came in third place with their song Du Kannst Sehen (a song about a blind girl). After that, they had hits with songs like Lili’s Haus, Baby Blue (their first big hit in Europe), and Hollywood, a worldwide hit. In 1974, Baby Blue and Hollywood took turns being number 1 and 2 on the Ö3 chart. Eurovision and Wild Land The duo represented Austria in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1976. They finished in 5th place with their song My Little World. In 1978, they filmed a movie called Wild Land in Kenya, and they also released an album with the same name. Germany Their popularity grew in Germany, but in Austria, their songs didn’t get as much attention. In 1979, they released Do You Remember Marianne, which became a hit in Germany but not in Austria. They appeared on many popular TV shows in Germany but started having disagreements due to their declining success in Austria. This led to their split in 1981. After the split After the split, Waterloo continued his solo career with songs like Im Land das Ewigkeit Heißt and other hits. Robinson also released some solo music and helped produce music for young artists, but he stayed out of the spotlight. Waterloo took part in the Austrian national selections for Eurovision twice as a soloist: in 1983 and in 1990. After about ten years, they tried working together again and performed concerts in 1989 and 1990. They both kept doing solo projects as well. Robinson went on an “Unplugged Tour,” and Waterloo spent time on a Native American reservation in North America. This experience influenced his later music, and he released albums with Native American themes like Tales of the Sun, Moon and Stars, Apaches’ Land, and Indio. While promoting Indio, Waterloo was playing Winnetou at a festival, where he met his current wife, Andrea. Nowadays Their concerts now include both their old hits from the 1970s and newer songs with Native American influences. In 2002, they released a new version of the Opus hit Live Is Life, which became a hit in Austria. In 2004, they placed second in the Austrian selection for the Eurovision Song Contest with their song You Can Change the World. Waterloo released a solo CD in 2005 for his 60th birthday, and a Christmas CD in 2006. Robinson also worked on solo projects during this time. They were still touring together at that point. In 2007, they decided to focus only on their solo work for live shows. In 2015, they reunited for a short time to perform at special events and on TV for the Eurovision Song Contest, which took place in Vienna. My Little World My Little World is a song performed by the Austrian pop duo Waterloo & Robinson. The song was composed by Gerhard Heinz, who is known for his work in film scores and pop music, while the lyrics were written by Peter Orthofer. The track was selected to represent Austria in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1976. At Eurovision, which was held in The Hague, The Netherlands, My Little World was performed as Austria’s entry. The duo delivered a heartfelt and melodic performance that resonated with both the jury and the audience. The song, with its catchy tune and reflective lyrics, stood out during the competition. Ultimately, My Little World scored 80 points in the contest and finished in 5th place, a strong result for Austria. The song was well-received and helped further establish Waterloo & Robinson’s career both in Austria and internationally. Their Eurovision appearance cemented their reputation as one of the country’s leading pop acts during the 1970s.

Martin Lee passed away

Though it hurts to go away, it’s impossible to stay…. On September 29, Martin Lee passed away at age 77. Lee was one of the members of Brotherhood of Man, the group winning the 1976 Eurovision Song Contest. Martin Lee was a British singer and songwriter, best known as a member of the pop group Brotherhood of Man. He was born on November 26, 1949, in Surrey, England. Martin always had a love for music and started his career as a singer in the 1960s. In 1973, Martin joined Brotherhood of Man. The group became famous for their catchy pop songs. He was part of the group when they won the Eurovision Song Contest in 1976 with the song “Save Your Kisses for Me.” The song was a huge hit and reached number one in many countries. As a member of Brotherhood of Man, Martin performed in many countries and had several more hit songs. Some of their other famous songs include “Angelo” and “Figaro.” Martin not only sang in the group but also helped write many of their songs. The group quit in 1984. However, they made a restart in 1987 and kept on going until very recent. Martin Lee has a daughter from his first marriage. She was born in 1973. In late 1973, Sandra Stevens joined Brotherhood of Man. Soon after, she and Martin Lee started a relationship. Martin and Sandra got married in August 1979. They lived in Surrey.

Class of 2024: where are they now? Semi Final 2

It’s been five months since the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 In Malmö has come to an end. In this new series we’re having a look at the participants, and what they have been up to. We’re going to continue with the artists who performed in the Second Semi Final. Class of 2024: where are they now? Marina Satti She represented Greece with “Zari” and ended up in 11th place in the final. Right after Eurovision, Satti released her album called “P.O.P.”, scoring a hit with “LALALALA”. Marina hasn’t been doing nothing, as she’s been on touring Europe all summer long. That’s not all, ‘cause in November she’s is performing in New York! As busy as it all gets, Marina even continued to model for various magazines. Nemo It’s almost been half a year since they won the whole contest! We’re of course talking about the monarch Nemo. They’ve announced a big tour over the continent which starts mid-March next year. Nemo has been hailed as a big star in Switzerland, and has done many gigs there. They also performed a lot of times in London, and after getting a taste of the city, Nemo decided to move to the heart of the U.K. They are releasing their new single “Eurostar” on October 4th. Aiko After not qualifying to the final, Aiko didn’t leave Malmö with nothing as she fell in love with Kat (Megara’s drummer). To this day the couple are still together, and are making music and performing gigs! She had creative summer, as she released her album “AIKONIC” including one of her singles “Hunger” which she made together with Teya (Austria 2023). Next month Aiko will start her Aikonic Tour, with shows all over Europe! Kaleen She closed the Eurovision 2024 final with a big rave! Kaleen performed at many gigs over the continent, including Sziget, one of Europe’s biggest festivals! Last month she even performed a set together with Windows95man, who represented Finland this year. Now she’s enjoying a well earned vacation in Greece. 5MIINUST & Puuluup After winning Eesti Laul, and having a blast at the Eurovision final, 5MIINUST & Puuluup saw their success all throughout their country. The two bands performed multiple gigs together, but also had some shows of their own. Puuluup even performed all over Europ, whilst 5MIINUST saw their success with their international tour! Gåte They might have ended up in last place at the Eurovision Final, but Gåte played at many gigs and festivals over the summer. The folklore rockband even had a sold out concert at The Norwegian National Opera House, one of Oslo’s most iconic building. Gåte released their album “Ulveham” last month, and will travel Europe with their tour starting at the end of the year. Joost Klein After being disqualified from the Eurovision Song Contest, Joost Klein saw his success rise. People all over the world started following his social media and music, as a sign of solidarit. Right after Malmö, Joost hopped on a plane to Canada to perform at BBNO$’s festival. In June Joost dropped his following single ““Luchtballon”” which was a direct hit. He followed it up by releasing his other song meant for Eurovision. That’s not all as Joost and Käärijä (Finland 2023) have spent time in the studio together, and released “Trafik!”. Next year, Joost begins his Europapa tour, and will also play across multiple states in the U.S.A. You’re now all caught up with all the info regarding the Semi Final 2 acts. Stay tuned as for next week we’re catching you up with everything you need to know about the big five + hosting country. See you then!

Blast from the past: Germany 1958

We know a lot about Eurovision and we want to share this knowledge with you! Therefore we’d like to bring you a blast from the past. Today, we go way back: to 1958, when Margot Hielscher sang her “Für Zwei Groschen Musik” for Germany. Germany in the Eurovision Song Contest Germany has always participated in the Eurovision Song Contest. Only in 1996 they didn’t manage to survive the audio semifinal. Germany managed to have high positions very often, but it was only in 1982 when the country had their first victory: Nicole managed to win the contest with her song “Ein bißchen Frieden”. In 2010 it happened again. Lena won with “Sattelite”. In recent years, Germany seems to have lost it with many songs ending up in last place or close to the last place. Michael Schulte was the exception with a 4th place in 2018. And this year, Isaak was 12th, so the only way is up for Germany. Lena Schlager 1958 Little is known about the 1958 national final. We know that it was held on the 20th of January in the Kleine Westfalenhalle in Dortmund. Eurovision 1957 host Anaid Iplikjan and Kurt A. Jung hosted the show. Twelve artists sang one song each. We know the singers, but only three titles of songs: Evelyn Künneke Erni Bieler Fred Bertelmann Gitta Lind sang “Etwas Leise Musik“ Lale Andersen sang “Die Braut der Sieben Meere“, 4th place Vico Torriani John Paris Margret Fürer Margot Hielscher sang “Für Zwei Groschen Musik“, 1st place Georg Thomalla Peter Lorenz Fred Weyrich We know that one of the songs was called “Drei Häuse Weiter”. However, it is unclear who sang it. source: Eurovision Artists Lale Andersen Margot Hielscher Margot Hielscher was born on September 29, 1919, in Berlin, Germany. She trained as a costume and fashion designer in the 1930s. While studying, she met famous singers and actors and decided to learn to sing and act as well. She worked in film as a costume designer before getting her first acting role in 1940. Margot became a popular actress during World War II, acting and singing in many films. She also toured as a singer to entertain soldiers. After the war, she performed for GIs and worked on the radio. In 1957 and 1958, Margot represented Germany in the Eurovision Song Contest. Hielscher appeared in 60 films and about 200 TV shows during her career. She was also known for her many singing performances and recorded over 400 songs. In the 1950s, she hosted Germany’s first TV talk show. Margot married film composer Friedrich Meyer in 1959. She lived in Munich for most of her life. Even in her later years, she continued to perform on stage. Margot Hielscher passed away on August 20, 2017, at the age of 97. She was buried in Munich next to her husband, Friedrich Meyer, who died in 1993. Margot Hielscher; photo Beeld en Geluid Für Zwei Groschen Musik “They chose miss Germany, miss France and miss Italy. There’s even a miss Fashion and miss Leg. But because everybody loves music, and there is no miss Jukebox yet, I would like to be miss Jukebox.”, that’s how the lyrics started. “Für Zwei Groschen Musik” (Music for Two Pennies) is a German song performed by Margot Hielscher at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1958. The music for the song was composed by Friedrich Meyer, who was Hielscher’s husband. The lyrics were written by Aldo von Pinelli and Ralph Maria Siegel. The song is a charming, nostalgic piece that speaks about enjoying simple pleasures in life, like music, which can bring happiness even when money is scarce. Margot Hielscher performed the song as Germany’s entry at the Eurovision Song Contest, held in Hilversum, the Netherlands. The contest took place on March 12, 1958. Hielscher’s performance stood out for its elegance and simplicity, and she sang the song with grace, wearing a stylish outfit and using a telephone prop on stage, just as she had the year before. While wearing a dress with a ‘Miss Jukebox’ sash, and having a vinyl single in her hands throughout the entire song, Margot scored only 5 points. “Für Zwei Groschen Musik” finished in seventh place.

Blast from the past: Spain 2012

We know a lot about Eurovision and we want to share this knowledge with you! Therefore we’d like to bring you a blast from the past. Today, let’s talk about Pastora Soler, who represented Spain in the 2012 contest with the song “Quedate Conmigo”. Spain in the Eurovision Song Contest Spain has been a key participant in the Eurovision Song Contest since its debut in 1961. The country has won the competition twice, first in 1968 with “La, La, La” by Massiel, and again in 1969 with “Vivo Cantando” by Salomé, though the latter was part of a four-way tie for first place. Despite these early successes, Spain has struggled in recent years to achieve top positions. Its best recent result came in 2022, when Chanel finished 3rd with her energetic performance of “SloMo.” As part of the “Big Five” (alongside the UK, France, Germany, and Italy), Spain automatically qualifies for the final each year. This prominent status reflects the country’s significant financial contribution to the contest. Spanish entries are often a blend of modern pop and traditional music, reflecting the country’s rich musical heritage. Eurovision remains a major cultural event in Spain, drawing a passionate fanbase year after year. Recently, the national final Benidorm Fest put Spain back on the Eurovision map. Chanel’s “SloMo” won Benidorm Fest and reached a 3rd place in the Eurovision final. This year’s “Zora” didn’t end up high, but is a Eurovision classic already. Eurovisión: Pastora Soler On December 21, 2011, it was announced that Pastora Soler was going to represent Spain in the Eurovision Song Contest. The plan was to select the song through a national final, with all the songs sung by, of course, Pastora Soler. It started with an internet selection between 15 and 20 February. Two songs were submitted, one of them would be added to the national final: Ahora o nunca, 2,265 votes Me despido de ti, 1,750 votes The final was held on March 3rd, with a 50/50 televote and jury. Here are the songs and results: Tu vida es tu vida, 56 pts, 2nd Quédate conmigo, 72 pts, 1st Ahora o nunca, 52 pts, 3rd Pastora Soler Pastora Soler, born María del Pilar Sánchez Luque on September 28, 1978, in Coria del Río, Seville, is a famous Spanish singer and songwriter. Known for blending traditional Spanish music styles like copla and flamenco with modern pop and electronic sounds, she has built a successful music career. Pastora showed her singing talent as a child, performing Spanish folk songs. In 1994, she released her first album, Nuestras coplas. Five years later her song Dámelo ya became a big hit and made her famous. She continued to release successful albums, mixing different music styles, including the electronic-influenced Deseo in 2002. In 2005, Pastora signed with Warner Music Spain, releasing albums like Toda Mi Verdad (2007) and Bendita Locura (2009). In 2012, she represented Spain at the Eurovision Song Contest with the song Quédate conmigo, finishing 10th. After a short break in 2014 due to health issues, Pastora returned to the music scene with new albums and TV appearances, including La Voz Kids and La Voz Senior. In 2019, she also released the album Sentir, and in 2022, her album Libra came out, continuing her successful career. photo: Junta de Andalucía, Wikimedia Commons Quédate Conmigo “Quédate Conmigo” (Stay with Me) is a powerful ballad performed by Spanish singer Pastora Soler at the 2012 Eurovision Song Contest in Baku, Azerbaijan. The song was written by a talented team of lyricists and composers. They included Thomas G’son, Tony Sánchez-Ohlsson, and Erik Bernholm. Known for its emotional depth and Pastora’s stunning vocal delivery, the song talks about the pain of losing a loved one and the desire to have them stay, and filled with heartfelt emotion and strong musical arrangements. At Eurovision, “Quédate conmigo” earned wide praise for its moving performance and was considered one of Spain’s strongest entries in years. It finished in 10th place out of 26 finalists, scoring a total of 97 points, which was a significant achievement for Spain, as it was one of their best results in the contest in over a decade.

Class of 2024: where are they now? Semi Final 1

It’s been five months since the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 In Malmö has come to an end. In this new series we’re having a look at the participants, and what they have been up to. Today we’re starting with the acts who performed in the First Semi Final. Silia Kapsis She opened this year’s Eurovision, and secured the 15th place in the Grand Final. We’re talking about Silia Kapsis. During the summer the 17 year old singer released her new song “Red Flag”. Silia performed at multiple big events throughout Greece and Cyprus, and is performing all over Europe with Eurovision On Tour starting next month. Silvester Belt After representing Lithuania with “Luktelk”, Silvester has been traveling all over Europe, and even performing at arenas with a 30 thousand capacity. After scoring a number one hit with his Eurovision song, he followed it up with “Tyliai Tyliai” late July. Alyona Alyona & Jerry Heil Alyona & Jerry, the powerful duo from Ukraine secured third place in this year’s contest. Next month Jerry is starting her tour throughout Ukraine, but that is not all she’s been doing. All throughout the summer she’s been hard at work in the studio. Not only did she release new music, Jerry is now also a member of the Grammy Academy. That means “Teresa & Maria” might end up scoring a Grammy. Alyona has released a new song as well, and is going on tour. Next month she’s not only performing her songs all over Europe, but she’s also touring in Canada and the U.S. in November! Luna She didn’t make the Grand Final, but that didn’t stop her from getting creative. Luna has been spending her time in London, and has been seen making lots of new music. She released “Alive” back in July, and will release her new single “Wild West” tomorrow (at the time of writing). On August 30th Luna celebrated her birthday together with the Eurovision winner Nemo. Baby Lasagna After Marko won the televote with his “Rim Tim Tagi Dim”, he’s become one of the biggest stars in the Balkan. He knows how to keep the hype going, as he’s been performing at festivals and organized gigs all over Europe. He also signed with Universal Music and he released two new songs and video clips! Raiven She kept the Slovenian qualification streak going with “Veronika. Raiven has been traveling all over the world, as she’s seen the streets from London to Tokyo, and she is not stopping there. Tomorrow (as time of writing) Raiven will release the dates of her European tour, as well as her newest single “Mama”. Windows95man After winning UMK, Windows95man has been performing at lots of European festivals. In August the DJ even performed and met up at the same festival with Darude (Finland 2019), Kaleen, and Joost Klein. Fun fact, Windows95man plays “Europapa” at every gig he plays. He’s also announced his USA tour for early 2025. You’re now all caught up with all the info regarding the Semi Final 1 acts. Stay tuned as for next week we’re catching you up with everything you need to know about the semi 2 acts. See you there! 📸: EBU/Sarah Louise Bennett/Corinne Cumming/

Dutch broadcaster delays decision on participation

The Dutch broadcaster AVROTROS has been allowed to delay their decision about participating in next year’s Eurovision Song Contest. The European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which organizes Eurovision, has given them until at least November 1 to decide. AVROTROS explained that a meeting with the EBU’s leadership has started a positive conversation. To give this conversation a chance, they asked for more time to decide if they will participate. The EBU agreed to this delay, and AVROTROS is thankful for it. The broadcaster started questioning their participation after the EBU disqualified Dutch artist Joost Klein from this year’s Eurovision final in Malmö, Sweden. Klein had an argument with a camerawoman, which led to his disqualification. AVROTROS disagreed with the EBU’s decision. Recently, Swedish authorities closed the case, saying there wasn’t enough evidence. Next year’s Eurovision will take place in May in Basel, Switzerland. The EBU hopes that the Netherlands will take part and plans to announce the list of participating countries by the end of the year.

Blast from the past: Ukraine 2010

We know a lot about Eurovision and we want to share this knowledge with you! Therefore we’d like to bring you a blast from the past. Today we look back at Alyosha‘s “Sweet people”, the Ukrainian song in 2010. Ukraine in the Eurovision Song Contest The first Ukrainian entry in the Eurovision Song Contest was “Hasta la vista”, sung by Olexandr Ponomariov in 2003. Already a year later, the country had it’s first victory with Ruslana and her “Wild dances”. Ukraine is the only country that always reached the final so far. Ukraine managed to win the contest even three times already: with Ruslana, in 2016 with Jamala and her “1942” and in 2022 with Kalush Orchestra’s “Stefania”. Evrobachennya. Ukrayina-2010 Vasyl The road that lead to “Sweet people” being the Eurovision song was quite a complicated one. In December 2009, Ukrainian Television announced that the artist representing the country was selected internally. It was the 28 years old singer and performer Vasyl Lazarovych who got the job. The national final Evrobachennya. Ukrayina was held on March 5. Vasyl sang a total of 5 songs. The winning song was “I love you”, written and composed by Brandon Stone and Olga Yarinich. However, a storm of criticism came up, especially about the idea of giving only one artist the chance to perform. 20 songs After 10 days, Ukrainian broadcaster NTU decided to have a new national final. “I love you” was now one of 20 songs. Vitaliy Kozlovskiy sang “”I-L@VE?” Vasyl Lazarovych sang “I love you”, 24 pts, 7th SH and BB sang “Ne zhurys” OIeksiy Matias sang “Angely ne umirayut”, 32 pts, 3rd Zaklyopi sang “Anybody home?” 23 pts, 8th Ivan Berezovskyi sang “No doubt”, 21 pts, 10th Stereo sang “Ne shkody s uma”, 22 pts, 9th Irina Rosenfeld sang “Forever”, 29 pts, 6th Shanis sang “Lechu k tebe” Max Barskih sang “White raven” Vladyslav Levytskyi sang “Davay, davay!” Miya sang “Vona” DaZzle Dreams sang “Emotional lady” Masha Sobko sang “Ya tebya lyublyu”, 36 pts, 2nd Zlata Ochnevich sang “Tiny island”, 30 pts, 5th Mira Gold sang “Crazy lady” Natalia Valevska sang “Europe”, 31 pts, 4th Juliya Voice sang “Zavyazhi mne glaza” El Kravchuk sang “Fly to heaven”, 21 pts, 10th Alyosha sang “To be free”, 36 pts, 1st A new song Accusations of plagiarism were made about the winning song “To be free” immediately after the contest. Also, it was said to be published already in 2008. While NTU wanted to investigate this, the final deadline of submitting a song was so close that NTU decided that Alyosha could sing another song in Eurovision: “Sweet people”. Alyosha Olena Oleksandrivna Kucher, known as Alyosha and later by her real name, Olena Topolia, is a celebrated Ukrainian singer, songwriter, and composer. Born on May 14, 1986, in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, she grew up in a hardworking family; her father was a traffic officer, and her mother worked at an aviation plant. From a young age, Olena was passionate about music, singing in school choirs and attending the “Youth” music studio. She later graduated from the Kyiv National University of Culture and Arts with a degree in Pop Vocal. Olena’s career began to take off after she won the international competition Yalta 2006. In 2010, she gained worldwide attention when she represented Ukraine at the Eurovision Song Contest with the song “Sweet People,” . Olena quickly became a prominent figure in the Ukrainian music scene. She has written and composed many of her own songs, as well as for other artists. Over the years, Olena has released several successful albums, such as A World Outside Your Door and Tocka na karte. In 2023, she returned to Eurovision as an interval act, performing a duet with Rebecca Ferguson. That same year, she started performing under her real name, Olena Topolia, marking a new chapter in her career. Sweet people The song “Sweet people” was composed by Alyosha, alongside Borys Kukoba and Vadym Lisitsa. It was written in response to environmental concerns, carrying a strong message about the negative impact of human actions on the world. The lyrics call for awareness and responsibility, warning about the destruction caused by pollution and the need to protect the planet for future generations. At the Eurovision Song Contest, “Sweet People” represented Ukraine after the forementioned last-minute change from Alyosha’s original song, “To Be Free,” due to plagiarism accusations. In the grand final, Alyosha delivered a powerful performance of the ballad in Oslo, Norway. The song finished 10th out of 25 participants, scoring a total of 108 points. “Sweet People” stood out for its emotional message and Alyosha’s strong vocal performance, gaining widespread recognition across Europe.

After the Eurovision Fame 1988 Switzerland Eurovision Song Contest.

After the Eurovision fame: Céline Dion

In 1988, Céline Dion represented Switzerland in the Eurovision Song Contest. She won with the song “Ne Partez Pas sans moi”, which marked her breakthrough in Europe Early life and Career Céline Marie Claudette Dion was born on March 30, 1968, in Charlemagne, Canada, as the youngest of 14 children. At the age of 12, she came into contact with music producer and artist manager René Angéli, who was very impressed by her talent. He chose to mortgage his house to finance her career. In 1981 she released her first album: “La Voix du bon Dieu”. This made her a star in Quebec. During the following years, Dion released several albums of French chansons. Her first Pop album, “Incognito” was released in 1987. After the Eurovision Fame After winning the Eurovision Song Contest in 1988, she worked on her first English-language album; “Unison”, which was published in 1990. In addition to her growing fame in Europe, her recordlabel ambitioned to break through in the United States. And it worked! The single “Where Does My Heart Beat Now” reached the top 5 of the US Billboard Hot 100 and the album achieved platinum status. At the end of 1993 “The Colour Of My Love”, Dion’s third English Album was presented to the world. In North America, the first single “The Power of Love” (originally recorded by Jennifer Rush) was an unparalleled success. The single spent weeks at No. 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100. In Europe, the single “Think Twice” achieved great success. The album gave Dion her definitive breakthrough in almost every country in the world. Still going French Despite all the success of her English works; she remained a Canadian with French roots. Therefore she decided to make a temporary foray into the basics: In 1994, Jean-Jacques Goldman wrote 12 French songs for the singer that ended up on the album “D’Eux”, which came out in early ’95, containing the hit “Pour que tu m’aimes encore”. The album went on to become the best-selling French-language album of all time, with 9 million copies sold worldwide. First Olympic appearance Her participation in the opening ceremony of the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta was watched by 3.5 billion people on TV. At the end of 1997 the next English-language album “Let’s Talk About Love” was released, which was recorded in London, Los Angeles and New York.Artists such as Barbra Streisand, Luciano Pavarotti, Bee Gees, Carole King, George Martin and Diana King contributed to several songs. “Tell Him”, a duet by Dion and Streisand, was the first hit single from the record. “My Heart Will Go On”, another single and also the title song of the feature film Titanic, became an unprecedented success. It is Dion’s best-selling single ever, and reached number 1 all over the world in no time. The song also earned Dion numerous awards, such as an Academy Award and some Grammys. She sold 31 million copies of this album worldwide, and it is therefore Celine’s 2nd best-selling album of her career. Break en come-back In 1999, after years of performing, Dion felt it was time to take a break and focus more on family and friends, and she really wanted to be a mother. With a number of concerts, she temporarily ended her period of success. During that period, Dion’s husband René was diagnosed with cancer, from which he recovered.On January 25, 2001, Dion gave birth to a son, René-Charles Dion-Angélil, in Florida. In 2002 she returned to the spotlight and released several albums, both in French and English. Las Vegas and worldtour With the release of the album “A New Day Has Come” in 2002, it was announced that the singer would have her own show at Ceasars Palace in Las Vegas from 2003.On February 14, 2008, Dion embarked on a world tour, performing outside of Las Vegas for the first time since 1999. The tour stretched from Canada to Japan to South Africa.Céline came back to Caesar’s Palace in 2011 with the plan to do 70 shows a year. The premiere was on March 15, 2011. In August 2014, Dion cancelled all her planned concerts and announced that she would stop singing immediately. This was because she wanted to take care of her sick husband.René Angélil passed away on 16 January 2016. On September 18, 2019, she started her world tour “Courage World Tour, It was her first world tour in over a decade. In December 2022, Dion announced, after years of speculation about her appearance and health, that she suffers from the rare neurological disorder “stiff-person syndrome”. This affects her singing voice. She therefore cancelled the continuation of her Courage World Tour, which she had previously interrupted due to the corona pandemic. Another Olympic appearance During the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, she sang “Hymne à l’amour” (Édith Piaf) from the Eiffel Tower. This performance is seen as her spectacularly acclaimed comeback after four years of not performing as a singer.We are curious to see what more we can expect from her.