ballad Archives - Eurovision Universe

Rehearsal Georgia: a double surprise!

Tornike starts out in the dark with only a spotlight on him. During the song there is more color in the graphics: initially clouds and stars, then also beautiful orange sunlight. Tornike does not move throughout the song. Vocally he presented the ballad perfectly. The Georgian entry, which has gone quite unnoticed so far, surprises with the second run. With the third, however, it seemed as if he was going to experiment and sang both an octave lower and higher. It is not clear what the purpose of this experiment was. in cooperation with Eurovision Artists

Pastora Soler

About Quick Facts NameMaría del Pilar Sánchez Luque Born01 month 1900 Nationality🇪🇸 Spanish National SelectionEurovisión: Pastora Soler (2012) In Eurovision2012 Baku SongQuédate Conmigo (2012) Biography María del Pilar Sánchez Luque, born on 28 September 1978 in Coria del Río, Seville, is widely recognized under her stage alias, Pastora Soler. Not only a vocalist, she’s also a deft composer, blending traditional Spanish sounds like copla and flamenco with contemporary pop and electronic vibes. Showing a natural talent early on, Pastora serenaded audiences with traditional Spanish songs as a child. By 1994, she teamed up with the music label Polygram, releasing her debut album “Nuestras coplas”. However, it was in 1996, with her sophomore album “El mundo que soné”, that she bid adieu to her collaboration with Polygram. The year 1999 saw Pastora transition to Emi-Odeón, under whose banner she released “Fuente de luna”, an album that featured her breakthrough single “Dámelo ya”. A couple of years later, she unveiled “Corazón congelado”, followed closely by the electronic-influenced “Deseo” in 2002. 2005 marked a new partnership with Warner Music Spain. Her inaugural album under this label, named after herself, was a tapestry of evolved music. That same year, she also released a compilation of her greatest tracks, “Sus grandes éxitos”. Pastora’s seventh offering, “Toda mi verdad”, dropped in 2007, followed by “Bendita locura” in 2009. She celebrated a decade and a half in the industry with a live album in 2010, titled “15 años”. October 2011 saw the release of “Una mujer como yo”. In 2012, Pastora showcased her talents on the international stage, representing Spain at the Eurovision Song Contest in Baku, Azerbaijan. Performing the song “Quédate conmigo”, she secured a commendable 10th position. 2013 saw Pastora expand her horizons as a judge on Spain’s “El Número Uno” talent show. That same year, she released the album “Conóceme”. However, 2014 was marked by a temporary halt in her career due to health concerns. This hiatus aligned with the release of her commemorative album, “20”. She resurfaced in 2015 on the popular show “La Voz Kids”. Pastora heralded her return to music in 2017, announcing a new album and a Spanish tour. Her comeback single “La tormenta” dropped in July, paving the way for the album “La calma” later that year. Her latest studio work, “Sentir”, graced the shelves in October 2019. As of 2020, she has lent her expertise as a coach on “La Voz Senior” and appeared on “Mask Singer: Adivina quién canta”. Entries Quédate Conmigo Country🇪🇸 Spain Year2012 LanguageSpanish LyricsAntonio Sánchez-Ohlsson MusicThomas G:sonAntonio Sánchez-OhlssonErik Bernholm BackingsRebeca RodsMey GreenSheila BlancoAntonio Tomás SepúlvedaMiguel Antelo Results Semi Points: –Position: –Running order: – Results Finals Points: 97Position: 10Running order: 19 https://youtu.be/U8J1b62wOao?si=WjO9pitl3_zc1l5n

Carl Espen

About Quick Facts NameCarl Espen Thorbjørnsen Born15 July 1982 Nationality🇳🇴 Norway National SelectionNorsk Melodi Grand Prix 2014 In Eurovision2014 Copenhagen SongSilent Storm (2014) Biography Carl Espen (born Carl Espen Thorbjørnsen on 15 July 1982 in Bergen, Norway) is a Norwegian singer and songwriter. Espen was born into a musical family and spent much of his childhood and youth in Bergen, where he discovered his passion for music at an early age. He spent his formative years singing in various local choirs and performing in school concerts. After high school, he joined the Norwegian Armed Forces and served in Kosovo under the United Nations peacekeeping mission. Upon his return from military service, he went to work as a doorman in a local bar, keeping his musical talents mostly to himself. His professional music career began rather unexpectedly. Espen’s cousin, Josefin Winther, a musician herself, wrote a song for him to perform at a family gathering. The song, “Silent Storm,” touched the family so deeply that they encouraged him to enter it into Melodi Grand Prix, Norway’s national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest. Heeding their advice, Espen submitted the song to Melodi Grand Prix 2014 and managed to win the national contest, securing his spot to represent Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest 2014. His performance of “Silent Storm” made a significant impact and he finished in 8th place in the final. After the Eurovision Song Contest, Carl Espen released a second single, “Holding on”. However, the song did not reach the charts. In October 2014, Carl Espen made an acoustic tour throughout Norway. After Eurovision Carl Espen did not build on a big career in music. He decided to go an study in order to become a nurse. Entries Silent Storm Country🇳🇴 Norway Year2014 Language🇬🇧 English LyricsJosefin Winther MusicJosefin Winther BackingsStian Aarstad (piano)Isa Caroline HolmeslandAne Emilie Vold MickelssonMadeleine OssumSara Ulstrup Results Semi Points: 77Position: 6Running order: 3 Results Finals Points: 88Position: 8Running order: 5 https://youtu.be/BTMli8U17MM

Ott Lepland

About Quick Facts NameOtt Lepland Born17 May 1987 Nationality🇪🇪 Estonian National SelectionEesti Laul 2022Eesti Laul 2012 In Eurovision2012 Baku SongKuula (2012) Biography Ott Lepland (born May 17, 1987 in Tallinn) is an Estonian singer and songwriter. He has been singing since he was a child. As a young boy, he released four cassettes: “Oti suvelaulud” (Ott’s Summer Songs), “Oti jõululaulud” (Ott’s Christmas Songs), “Ott ja valged jänesed” (Ott and the White Rabbits) and “Ott ja sõbrad” (Ott and Friends). The last two were also released on CD. Together with the band Beergrass, Lepland participated in the show “7 vaprat” with the song “Lambarock”. Ott Lepland has been involved in Old Town Studio productions like “Kommipoodi ära eksinud …” (Lost in the Candy Store…),[2] “12 tooli” (12 Chairs) and “Tuhat klouni” (A Thousand Clowns). Lepland studied pop-jazz singing at the Georg Ots Music School in Tallinn and attended the WAF singing school. In addition to singing, Lepland studied piano for ten years. With the WAF singing choir, he participated in the TV show “Laululahing” (Sing Battle), where Lepland was the soloist for several songs: “Sa haara kinni mu käest” (Take Hold of My Hand), “Vana vaksal” (Old Railway Station), and “On läinud aastad” (The Years Have Gone). In 2008, Lepland played the role of Richard the Lionheart in the joint production of Kaari Sillamaa’s Youth Music Theatre and Otsa School called “Saladin and Lionheart”. In addition, he was a background singer in the musical “Fame”. In April 2010, Ott Lepland released his eponymous debut album “Ott Lepland”. The album consists of 12 tracks, all in Estonian, written by Ott Lepland, Tanel Padar, Hendrik Sal-Saller, Laur Joamets, Kaspar Kalluste, and Taavi Paomets. The album was a big commercial success. In the spring of 2010 he also played the main male role in the Walt Disney musical High School Musical. In 2011, Ott Lepland participated in Eesti Otsib Superstaari (Idols). Almost 100,000 people participated in the superfinal vote of Eesti Otsib Superstaari 2011, 63% of whom favored Ott Lepland, while 37% voted for Birgit Varjun. The audience’s favorite, Ott Lepland, also won the prediction competition by the radio station Star FM – almost 90% of the respondents voted for him. Lepland won 100,000 kroons and a record deal with Crunch Industry. On August 30, 2011, the TV channel TV3 announced that Ott Lepland would participate in the series “Laulupealinn”, representing Kärdla. In each episode, he had to choose a new partner from Kärdla or Hiiumaa for singing. Since November 20, Kärdla carries the title of Estonia’s Song Capital. At the end of 2011, Ott Lepland released his second studio album “Laulan ma sind”. Ott Lepland played Leemet, one of the main characters in the movie “Vasaku jala reede” (Friday of the Left Foot) In December 2012, the film was also released on DVD. Ott submitted two songs to Eesti Laul 2012. The song “Kuula” advanced to the semi-finals. The song progressed to the Eesti Laul 2012 final on March 3, where “Kuula” emerged as the winner. The song represented Estonia in the 2012 Eurovision Song Contest held in Baku in May. Thanks to the votes from the jury and the television audience in the Eurovision Song Contest, Estonia advanced to the final held on May 26, performing eleventh. There, Ott secured the 6th place with 120 points. “Öö mu kannul käib” is Lepland’s third studio album, released in December 2012, produced by Crunch Industry. In 2013 he took part in the second season of the show “Su nägu kõlab tuttavalt” (Your Face Sounds Familiar) and ended up in 2nd place. In the second season of the show “Laula mu laulu” (Sing My Song) in 2014, he also participated. “Siinpoolne” is Lepland’s fourth studio album, released in May 2015, produced by Crunch Industry. “Maailm mu ees” is Lepland’s fifth studio album, released on November 17, 2016. It is an artistic concert album that contains Ott Lepland’s best songs over the years as well as newer ones. “Tagasirändur” is Lepland’s sixth studio album, released on October 15, 2018. The album is a collaboration with Rein Rannap, which brings together Rein Rannap’s creations and Ott Lepland’s vocals. In the autumn of 2018, TV3 aired the seventh or “golden” season of “Su nägu kõlab tuttavalt” (Your Face Sounds Familiar), in which artists from previous seasons participated. Ott Lepland finished the season in second place. In May 2019 Ott’s new single “Uued ootused” was released. In the summer of 2019 he performed at the Positivus festival in collaboration with Jaagup Kreem. The single “Kõik mis hea” was released in October. On May 12 2020, the single “Lootuses” was released. He teamed up with Púr Múdd for another single, “Vaikida võib”, which was released on 4 December. In May 2021 the single “Mailm me käes” was released. In July and August of that year Ott went ont tour with Tõnis Mägi. In October of that year the song “Mina veel Sind ei tea” came out. It was followed in December by a christmas song “Jõulud rõõmsaks”. Ott Lepland returned to Eesti Laul after 10 years. In 2022 he participated with the song “Aovalguses”, which he co-wrote with Maian Kärmas and Karl-Ander Reismann. The song reached a 6th place in the final of Eesti Laul. In the same year Ott was the unicorn in Maskislaulja (The Masked Singer). In June he released a new single, “Hommikud”. In August, he performed for the Eurovision Live Concert in Setúbal. Another thing he did that year was playing a main role in the tv-series “Naised vormis”. In March 2023 Ott released a brand new single, “Lõpmatuses”. Entries Kuula Country🇪🇪 Estonia Year2012 LanguageEstonian LyricsAapo Ilves MusicOtt Lepland BackingsMarvi Vallaste Results Semi Points: 100Position: 4Running order: 14 Results Finals Points: 120Position: 6Running order: 11 https://youtu.be/T7BaTBe0UD8?si=cMauBB_QI-AdP3IZ

Kristian Kostov

© EBU/Andres Putting About Quick Facts NameKristian Konstantinov Kostov Born15 March 2000 Nationality🇷🇺 Russian National SelectionInternal selection 2017 In Eurovision2017 Kyiv SongBeautiful mess (2017) Biography Kristian Kostov is a Russian/Bulgarian singer. Kristian Kostov was born in Moscow. His mother, Zaure, is Kazakh, and his father, Konstantin Kostov, is Bulgarian. From early childhood, Kristian was interested in music, and his parents decided to send him to the Neposedy studio. In 2006, he was cast in the Neposedy group and began his studies there . In the same year, he performed at the Kremlin together with Yulia Nachalova, participated in numerous concerts at various venues in Moscow. Together with the group he went on tour in Russia and abroad. Neposedy repeatedly participated in various competitions. In 2009 they opened Eurovision in Moscow. In 2011, Kostov won the Grand Prix at the international children’s competition “Sound Kids”. In 2012 he became a resident of the production center Jazz Parking. Kostov also represented Bulgaria at the Children’s New Wave 2012, where he took seventh place. In October of the same year, he was invited to become a member of the new children’s television project “Shkola muzyki” by Lina Arifulina, where he took the third place. At the age of 13, Kristian took part in the Russian television project Golos. Deti (The Voice Kids), where he reached the final. In 2014, as part of the combined choir “Deti Zeml” (which united the Open Kids group, students of the school-studio “Respublika KIDS”, Sofia Tarasova and other famous children) recorded the song “Mir bez voyny”. In the summer of 2015, at the age of 15, Kristian Kostov took part in the 4th season of the X-Factor Bulgaria. He was the youngest participant in the fourth season. Kristian reached the 2nd place in the contest. In 2016, Kostov signed a contract with the Bulgarian music label Virginia Record. On October 7, 2016, he released his debut single with the song “Ne si za men” (“Not for me”). For two weeks the song was at the top of the national hitparade of the most frequently aired Bulgarian songs on radio and television. In addition, as a guest artist, Kristian Kostov recorded the song “Vdigam Level” (“Leveling Up”) with the duo Pavell & Venci Venc’, which spent 14 consecutive weeks at the top of the same hitparade. Later, on January 13, 2017, “You Got Me Girl” was released – the English version of the song “Ne si za men”. On March 13, 2017, it was officially announced that Kristian Kostov would represent Bulgaria at Eurovision 2017 in Kyiv in May. Kostov performed the song “Beautiful Mess”. He took 2nd place, which was a record for Bulgaria in the entire history of performances at the competition. At the beginning of 2019, he participated in the Chinese Singer Professional Singer Television Competition, but did not reach the finals. At 18, Kostov became the youngest participant in this show. On March 15, 2019, the EP album “Prologue” was released on Chinese music platforms. It consists of five songs: two covers of famous Chinese songs, “Beautiful mess” (Inspired by China), “Live it up” with Chinese singer Tifa Chen, and an instrumental version of “Live it up”. The album was ranked among the top ten albums by Western artists of 2019 on the Chinese music platform QQ. In February 2020, the single “Honest” was released. On 10 July of the same year, his EP “Mood” came out, followed by the music video “Thinking” on 8 August. In January 2021. the project VOSTOK released an EP on all the Chinese platforms: “Time”. Kristian released several songs, but a music video came out in August 2022: “Intentional”. Entries Beautiful Mess Country🇧🇬 Bulgaria Year2017 LanguageEnglish LyricsBorislav MilanovSebastian ArmanJoacim Bo PerssonAlex OmarAlexander V. Blay MusicBorislav MilanovSebastian ArmanJoacim Bo PerssonAlex OmarAlexander V. Blay BackingsVlado MihailovCesár SampsonBorislav Borisov Dimitrov Results Semi Points: 403Position: 1Running order: 15 Results Finals Points: 615Position: 2Running order: 25 https://youtu.be/OMmm-G078LM