Black clothes

Stig Rästa

© EBU/Andres Putting About Quick Facts NameRaul-Stig Rästa Born24 February 1980 Nationality🇪🇪 Estonian National SelectionEesti Laul 2020Eesti Laul 2015Eesti Laul 2014Eesti Laul 2012Eesti Laul 2011Eesti Laul 2009Eurolaul 2008Eurolaul 2004Eurolaul 2003 In Eurovision2015 Vienna SongGoodby To Yesterday (with Elina Born, 2015) Biography Raul-Stig Rästa, born on 24 February 1980 in Tallinn, is an Estonian singer and songwriter.  Rästa’s musical journey includes being part of various bands and projects. From 2002 to 2006, he formed a band called Slobodan River with Ithaka Maria and Tomi Rahula. He played in the bands Traffic from 2006 and Outloudz from 2010. Additionally, in 2011, Rästa participated as a contestant in the fifth season of Let’s Dance, finishing in fourth place with his partner Karina Vesman. In 2012, he played the role of Moritz in the Estonian production of the musical Spring Awakening. He is also involved in the electronic music duo Kisma, alongside Vallo Kikas. Rästa made multiple attempts to represent Estonia in the Eurovision Song Contest. He competed with Slobodan River in Eurolaul 2003 and 2004, with Traffic in Eurolaul 2008 and Eesti Laul 2009, 2012, 2014, and 2020. He also finished as a runner-up with Outloudz in Eesti Laul 2011. In Eesti Laul 2015, Rästa entered with the duet “Goodbye to Yesterday” performed with Elina Born. The song won by a significant margin in the superfinal, receiving 79% of the popular vote. In the Eurovision Song Contest, the entry qualified for the grand final and achieved 7th place. Rästa co-wrote the song “Play” by Jüri Pootsmann, which represented Estonia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2016 but failed to qualify. In Eesti Laul 2017, Rästa returned as a composer for Elina Born’s entry “In or Out,” which finished 10th in the final. He also wrote her song “Enough” for her first Eesti Laul in 2013, which placed 8th in the final. He competed as a solo artist in Eesti Laul 2018 with the song “Home,” securing a second-place finish. Rästa co-wrote the song “Storm” by Victor Crone, which represented Estonia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2019, placing 20th in the final with 76 points. In Eesti Laul 2022, he participated with the song “Interstellar,” earning a 9th place in the final. Rästa took part in the 2023 Estonian parliamentary election as a candidate for Estonia 200 but did not get elected as a member of Parliament for electoral district no. 4 (Harju and Rapla counties, excluding Tallinn). Entries Goodbye To Yesterday (& Elina Born) Country🇪🇪 Estonian Year2015 LanguageEnglish LyricsStig Rästa MusicStig Rästa Backings– Results Semi Points: 105Position: 3Running order: 7 Results Finals Points: 106Position: 7Running order: 4 https://youtu.be/Xsx_dIJOtgI

Read More »

Elina Born

© EBU/Thomas Hanses About Quick Facts NameElina Born Born29 June 1994 Nationality🇪🇪 Estonian National SelectionEesti Laul 2017Eesti Laul 2015Eesti Laul 2013 In Eurovision2015 Vienna SongGoodbye To Yesterday (with Stig Rästa, 2015) Biography Elina Born is an Estonian singer. She was born in Lehse in northern Estonia in 1994. She caught the attention of Stig Rästa through a YouTube video where she showcased her singing skills by performing “Cruz” by Christina Aguilera. It was during Elina’s school days that she received a Facebook message from Stig.  In 2012, Elina Born participated in the Estonian reality competition show called Eesti otsib superstaari (Estonia is Searching for a Superstar). This program aimed to uncover the most talented singer in Estonia by conducting auditions across the country. Elina successfully navigated through the audition, theatre round, studio round, and ultimately reached the final stage. Although she advanced to the Super Final, she ended up as the runner-up, with Rasmus Rändvee emerging as the winner.  Elina Born participated in the Eesti Laul 2015 competition, in collaboration with Stig Rästa. Eesti Laul is the national final for the Eurovision Song Contest. They competed with the song “Goodbye to Yesterday”. They were eventually selected to represent Estonia at the Eurovision Song Contest 2015. In the final of the Eurovision Song Contest, Elina and Stig secured 7th place. Right after the Eurovision Song Contest, Elina released a new solo single, called “Kilimanjaro”. The song became a huge hit again for the singer, reaching the no. 3 spot in the Estonian charts. In 2017, two years later, Elina returned to the Eesti Laul competition with the song “In or Out,” which was co-written by Stig Rästa, Vallo Kikas, and Fred Krieger. Elina successfully qualified for the final and finished in 10th place. Although “In or Out” did not reach the charts, the follow up “Jagatub saladus” did. It was a duet with Jüri Pootsmann. In the national Estonian charts, it even reached the no. 1 spot.  In 2019, the songs “Tagasi me” and “Kordumatu” also reached the charts. In 2020, she released the song “Niinea” and in 2021 “Linnuteid”. Entries Goodbye To Yesterday (& Stig Rästa) Country🇪🇪 Estonian Year2015 LanguageEnglish LyricsStig Rästa MusicStig Rästa Backings– Results Semi Points: 105Position: 3Running order: 7 Results Finals Points: 106Position: 7 Running order: 4 https://youtu.be/Xsx_dIJOtgI

Read More »

Albina Kelmendi

© EBU/Chloe Hashemi About Quick Facts NameAlbina Kelmendi Born27 January 1998 Nationality🇦🇱 Albanian National SelectionFestivali i Këngës 2022 In Eurovision2023 Liverpool SongDuje (2023) Biography Albina Kelmendi is an Albanian singer and songwriter from Kosovo. She was born in Peja, Kosovo (then part of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia). She studied clarinet and piano at a music school in her hometown and began performing with her family under the name Family Band. She became famous in 2014, when she was runner-up in the fourth season of The Voice of Albania. A year later, she took part in the twelfth edition of Top Fest, where she presented the song “Nuk ka ma mirle”. In June 2022, Albina Kelmendi released her debut album, “Nana loke”. In December of the same year, she participated in the 61st Song Festival, where she presented the song “Duje”, during the performance of which she was accompanied by five members of her family named the Familja Kelmendi. Despite being ranked second in the final night, the result of which was decided by a jury, the public vote chose her as the Albanian representative at the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest in Liverpool, United Kingdom. They reached the final and became 22nd there. Entries Duje Country🇦🇱 Albania Year2023 LanguageAlbanian LyricsEriona Rushiti MusicEnis Mullaj BackingsBujar KelmendiAlbana KelmendiAlbin KelmendiVesa KelmendiSidorela Gashi – Kelmendi Results Semi Points: 83Position: 9Running order: 14 Results Finals Points: 76Position: 22Running order: 10 https://youtu.be/TI9rSDhXwyc

Read More »

S10

©EBU/Nathan Reinds About Quick Facts NameStien den Hollander Born08 november 2000 Nationality🇳🇱 Dutch National SelectionInternal selection 2022 In Eurovision2022 Turin SongDe diepte (2022) Biography Stien den Hollander, known professionally as S10, is a Dutch singer, rapper and songwriter. She was born in Abbekerk.  Throughout her teenage years, Den Hollander suffered from mental health issues. When she was 14 years old, she was admitted to a psychiatric hospital following a suicide attempt. She has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. In her songs, her struggle with mental illness was an important theme. Her first two EP’s “Lithium” and “Antipsychotica” even being named after types of psychiatric medication. The first EP, “Antipsychotica”, was released in 2017. She already self-released it in 2016. It caught the attention of rapper Jiggy Djé. He helped her by letting her sign a contract at his record label Noah’s Ark. She also released the 2nd EP, “Lithium”.  After completing highschool in 2018, she studied at the Herman Brood Academie in Utrecht. In 2019, her debut album “Snowsniper” was released. The album was rewarded an Edison Award in 2020. In november of that year, her second album “Vlinders” was released. It became a success in the Dutch album charts. In 2021, Den Hollander scored a hit with the single “Adem je in”. After the 2021 Eurovision Song Contest, S10 expressed her wish to go to Eurovision on Twitter: “darlings, how are we going to make sure I can participate in #Eurovision next year??? xx”. It happened, and in 2022 she was the Dutch representative with the song “De diepte”. At the same time, S10 had a hit in The Netherlands in duet with Froukje, “Zonder gezicht”.       Entries De diepte Country🇳🇱 Netherlands Year2022 LanguageDutch LyricsStien Den HollanderArno Krabman MusicStien Den HollanderArno Krabman Backings– Results Semi Points: 221Position: 2Running order: 8 Results Finals Points: 171Position: 11Running order: 11 https://youtu.be/sgOnu7ux2-k?si=-avz34zBy_ET6XuC

Read More »

The Common Linnets

© Albin Olsson About Quick Facts MembersIlse DelangeWaylon Active2013-2017 Nationality Dutch National SelectionInternal selection 2014 In Eurovision2014 Copenhagen SongCalm After The Storm (2014) Biography The Common Linnets, a band hailing from the Netherlands, was established in 2013, initially featuring Ilse DeLange and Waylon. DeLange elucidated that the group was formed as a dynamic platform for Dutch musicians to experiment and create country, Americana, and bluegrass music. The band saw a change in lineup when Waylon departed in May 2014 and was replaced by American country artist Jake Etheridge. Their debut album, featuring the song “Calm After the Storm”, secured them a second-place finish in the Eurovision Song Contest 2014 – the best performance by the Netherlands since their victory in 1975. The band’s name draws inspiration from the regional nickname ‘heikneuters,’ attributed to individuals from the eastern part of the Netherlands, DeLange and Waylon’s birthplace. This term refers to the songbird ‘kneu’ or common linnet. Credit for this innovative name goes to Dutch designer Rens Dekker, who also designed their album and single artworks. The initial band members were individual country artists, Ilse DeLange and Waylon, with DeLange acknowledged as the founder and leading member. DeLange envisaged the band as a project to facilitate Dutch artists in their musical explorations. Since 2014, the band has been composed of Ilse DeLange, JB Meijers, Jake Etheridge, and Matthew Crosby, who along with Rob Crosby, penned the hit “Calm After The Storm”. Born on May 13, 1977, in Almelo, Netherlands, Ilse DeLange’s musical journey started at the tender age of 8. Her talents were showcased in regional and national talent shows in Hilversum, followed by a musical partnership with guitarist Joop Liefland. Waylon, born on April 20, 1980, in Apeldoorn, Netherlands, adopted his stage name in honor of his idol, Waylon Jennings. After their Eurovision success, the band embarked on a promotional tour. The noticeable absence of Waylon sparked speculations of him leaving the band. On his official Facebook page, Waylon revealed that the unexpected success of the band led him to focus on his album releasing in September 2014. JB Meijers, born on June 10, 1972, in Delft, Netherlands, joined the band after his stint with Dutch indie bands Charmin’ Children, Shine, and Supersub. Besides playing with De Dijk, Eboman, and Acda & De Munnik, he also worked as a producer. Jake Etheridge, born on April 25, 1988, in Columbia, South Carolina, joined the band post-Waylon’s departure. Before joining, he had gained recognition for his online song uploads. Matthew Crosby, born on May 21, 1981, in Columbia, South Carolina, was an accomplished actor in New York City and had previously performed with the band “The Easy Tells”. The band represented the Netherlands in the Eurovision Song Contest 2014 in Copenhagen, with the song “Calm After the Storm”. The Common Linnets won the 2014 Buma Cultuur Pop Award and the 2015 Echo Awards for Best International Newcomer Act. Their second studio album ‘II’ was released in 2015. The album became a Gold disc. In november 2015, the band toured throughout Germany and Austria. They received an award for best an award at Radio 538 for best live performance. In 2016 the band played at Eurosonic Noorderslag. They went to Sweden to perform in Douwe Bob‘s pub in Stockholm, during the Eurovision week. In June, they did a UK tour, in November they went back to Germany. Also in 2017, the band kept on performing. After that, Ilse Delange, JB Meijers and Matthew Crosby had solo projects.  In 2019, Ilse Delange was a coach at the Eurovision Song Contest for Duncan Laurence, who won the contest. Entries Calm After The Storm Country🇳🇱 The Netherlands Year2014 LanguageEnglish LyricsIlse DelangeJB MeijersRob CrosbyMatthew CrosbyJake Etheridge MusicIlse DelangeJB MeijersRob CrosbyMatthew CrosbyJake Etheridge BackingsBart VergoossenJB MeijersMartijn Van Agt Results Semi Points: 150Position: 1Running order: 14 Results Finals Points: 238Position: 2Running order: 24 https://youtu.be/4ggBPAm5XLA

Read More »

Christos Mylordos

About Quick Facts NameChristos Mylordos Born30 April 1991 Nationality🇨🇾 Cypriot National SelectionPerformance 2011 In Eurovision2011 Düsseldorf SongSan aggelos s’agapisa (2011) Biography Christos Mylordos (Greek: Χρίστος Μυλόρδος) (Nicosia, April 30, 1991) is a Cypriot singer. On September 10, 2010, he won the talent show Performance, the Cypriot version of X Factor, with the song ‘Love Supreme’ by Robbie Williams. With 11,004 votes, he comfortably beat Louis Panagiotou (5,924 points), who represented Cyprus at the Junior Eurovision Song Contest in 2006. As a result, he was chosen to represent his country at the Eurovision Song Contest 2011 in Germany with the song ‘San aggelos s’agapisas’. However, he did not manage to qualify for the final. The song “Giates mafineis mono” was the follow up of this song in 2012.  Christos started working at the Asmation Live Stage in Nicosia in 2013, as one of the permanent performers there. With 5 other Cypriot artists, he formed a team and worked together until May 2014. A new collaboration started in February 2015, with the VSeven Live Club in Paphos. In May of that year, Christos’ new single “Na pou girises” was released. He later became member of the Venue Club team in Larnaka. That lasted until May 2016. He left the Venue Club for a short time to return in October. Since 2017, Mylordos performs in several clubs. He especially sang in the Baraki club in Nicosia. That stopped in March 2020, due to the COVID19 crisis, but in June he left Baraki. However, in June 2021 he started to perform again at Baraki. In February 2022 he started performing in the Classico All Day Bar in Nicosia until it closed in December of the same year.   Entries San Aggelos S’Agapisa Country🇨🇾 Cyprus Year2011 LanguageGreek LyricsMichalis Antoniou MusicAndreas Anastasiou BackingsChrissie Andreou MaroulliAgathaggelos AgathaggelouChristos NikolaouPavlos PolichrinisAntoniou Antonis Results Semi Points:Position:Running order: Results Finals Points:Position:Running order: https://youtu.be/RxkBW0ey5BU?si=kGQqH-mZLDVaMMPV

Read More »

Maja Keuc

About Quick Facts NameMaja Keuc Born16 January 1992 Nationality🇸🇮 Slovenian National SelectionSelection Method In Eurovision2011 Düsseldorf SongNo One (2011) Biography Maja Keuc is a Slovenian singer. She is also known under her stage name Amaya (occasionally spelled AMAYA). Born on January 16, 1992, in Maribor, her journey in music began from a young age. She spent seven years performing with the English Student Theatre and honed her skills as a lead vocalist for three years with the rock band Hrošči. Keuc’s rise to fame in Slovenia was marked by her remarkable performance in “Slovenia’s Got Talent” in 2010, where she secured the second position in the show’s inaugural season. That same year, she became part of the Papir project and was instrumental in releasing the album “Po viharju.” Her talents led to a significant milestone in 2011 when RTV Slovenia, the national broadcaster, invited her to compete for the Slovenian entry in the Eurovision Song Contest. Performing “Vanilija,” a song by Matjaž Vlašič, Keuc emerged victorious in the superfinal, outperforming the singer April. This win earned her the role of Slovenia’s representative at the Eurovision 2011, where she impressively finished 13th in the final round. Following her Eurovision experience, Keuc launched her debut album, “Indigo,” on December 1, 2011, under the label Reflektor Music. The album, comprising 11 tracks with lyrics in both English and Slovene, showcased her versatility as a lyricist. Collaborating with prominent figures like Krešimir Tomec, Marco Grabber, and members of Papir, including Sebastijan Duh, Tadej Kampl, and Rok Vilčnik, the album marked a significant phase in her career. In 2012, Keuc’s musical journey took her to Rotterdam, where she was accepted into the Codarts music academy. She focused on vocal studies in the pop music department, a period during which she met Jonah Nilsson, vocalist and keyboardist of the Swedish band Dirty Loops. Their relationship blossomed, leading them to relocate to Stockholm in 2014. Keuc further expanded her musical education by joining the jazz program at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm, from which she graduated in 2016. Embracing her stage persona, Amaya, Keuc started performing under this name in 2014, initially using it for her international performances. In March of the same year, reverting to her birth name, she premiered the song “Close to You” in the Ema show program. Keuc continued to make strides in her career in 2016 by qualifying for Ema 2017, although she later opted out of the competition. In 2017, she ventured into new musical territories with the release of her EP “Fairytales,” a collaborative effort with producer Orphée Noah under the Spinnup label. Expanding her horizons, Keuc ventured into songwriting for other artists, particularly targeting the Asian market in South Korea and Japan. Her collaborations include working with artists like PRISTIN, HyunA, Red Velvet, and SHINee. In 2016, she participated in a songwriting workshop at SM Entertainment in Korea. Notably, she co-wrote a song for Japanese singer Namie Amuro, which earned a Japanese Grammy equivalent and the title of Musician of the Year. Her versatility also extends to film music, contributing to three movie songs. She collaborated with Reconceal for “End of Night,” the soundtrack of “Kresnik: The Lore of Fire” (2014), and delivered the song “Naredi srce” for the film “Gajin svet” (2018). Additionally, under the alias Maria Maya, she featured in Laibach’s “The Coming Race,” created for the 2019 movie “Iron Sky – The Coming Race.” In 2020, Maja Keuc returned to music and released the single “Trust Issues”. In the same year, she teamed up with Joakim Molitor. They released the Tracy Chapman-cover “Crossroads” as a single.  In 2021 she released the singles “Goodbye…” and “Sleep Alone/Sanjam Sama”. She also featured in the songs “Naked” (for Lucas Estrada & Wahlstedt) and “Mladi samo enkrat” (for Drill). “Rdeče” was a new song of her own, released in December 2022 on all platforms. Maja teamed up with Batista Cadillac to feature in their track “Pust me do besede”. Entries No One Country🇸🇮 Slovenia Year2011 LanguageEnglish LyricsUrša Vlašič MusicMatjaž Vlašič BackingsAna BezjakSandra FeketijaKatja KorenMartina Majerle Results Semi Points: 112Position: 3Running order: 13 Results Finals Points: 96Position: 13Running order: 20 https://youtu.be/5vqjb2OYnYs?si=M4z4CxHxuOr_ihGe

Read More »

Christabelle Borg

© EBU/Andres Putting About Quick Facts NameChristabelle Borg Born28 April 1992 Nationality???????? Maltese National SelectionMalta Eurovision Song Contest 2018Malta Eurovision Song Contest 2016Malta Eurovision Song Contest 2015Malta Eurovision Song Contest 2014 In Eurovision2018 Lisbon SongTaboo (2018) Biography Christabelle Borg, known by the stage name of Christabelle, is a Maltese singer-songwriter. She was born in Mġarr, Malta. Christabelle studied music at Mount St. Mary’s College in Los Angeles and graduated in 2014. Her artistic career began when she was a teenager. She then hosted the television shows Teen Trouble and Teen Traffic. She participated in the Maltese national final for the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2005 with the song “Going wild”. She participated in Malta Euorivision Song Contest 2014, with the song “Lovetricity”, and finished in eighth position in the final2. She tried again in 2015 with the song “Rush” and in 2016 with the song “Kingdom”, and placed second and fourth respectively 3rd and 4th. With the song “Taboo”, she won the competition and thus represented her country at the Eurovision Song Contest 2018. With the song and the staging, she asked for attention for mental healthcare. Unfortunately, she did not make it to the final. After Eurovision, Christabelle became a brand ambassador for Dior. She is currently working as an accountant. Entries Taboo Country???????? Maltese Year2018 LanguageEnglish LyricsChristabelle BorgMuxu MusicJohnny SanchezThomas G:son BackingsAnna AzzopardiPamela BezzinaJosef TabonePetra ZammitAnthea Zammit Results Semi Points: 101Position: 13Running order: 12 Results Finals Points: –Position: –Running order: – https://youtu.be/d52ViPImdls

Read More »

Sevak Khanagyan

© EBU/Andres Putting About Quick Facts NameSevak Khanagyan Born28 Juli 1987 Nationality???????? Armenian National SelectionDepi Evratesil 2018 In Eurovision2018 Lisbon SongQami (2018) Biography Sevak Khanagyan is an Armenian singer, born in Metsavan, Armenia but he also lived in Kursk, Russia. By the time he was seven, Sevak was already playing a synthesizer, and was later admitted to a music school where he had been attending accordion classes for a long time. In Kursk, he entered a music college. Sevak studied pop and jazz more in-depth, and in and in 2014 received a diploma from the Faculty of World Music. Sevak began his career singing in corporate evenings, clubs and surroundings. He wrote his own songs, both in Russian and in Armenian. His songs include “Mi’ irrir”, “Milion hambuyr”, “Hayrenik”, as well as “Veradardzir tun”. In early 2015, Sevak took part in his first television project, Glkhavor bemin, a casting show.  Sevak reached the quarter finals. At the end of the year, he participated in another casting show, The Voice of Russia. In 2016 he participated in the 7th season of the X-Factor Ukraine, which he won. After the victory, Sevak had his first solo concert in Armenia on January 13, 2017 at the Havana Restaurant Complex, after which he announced his concert tours both in Armenia and in various cities in Russia.In 2018, Sevak was chosen to represent Armenia in the Eurovision Song Contest with the song “Kami”, the first ever Eurovision song sung in Armenian. Also in 2018 he released a song called “Pustota”, a soundtrack for the movie “Neproshchoniy”. In 2019, Sevak released his debut album “Okean vnutri tebya”. A lot of singles in Russian were released in 2020 and 2021, but sometimes Sevak sings in Armenian. In 2020 he released the single “Siro Hetq” and in 2021 the songs “Artsakh” and “Du Es Im Hogin”. Entries Qami Country???????? Armenia Yearyear LanguageArmenian LyricsAnna DanielyanVictoria Maloyan MusicSevak Khanagyan BackingsArevik GrigoryanJulietta GrigoryanMnats KhanagyanMonica ManucharovaSevak Musakhanyan Results Semi Points: 79Position: 15Running order: 16 Results Finals Points: –Position: –Running order: – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYlWiHjUK0c

Read More »

Despina Olympiou

About Quick Facts NameDespina Olympiou Born17 October 1975 Nationality🇨🇾 Cypriot National SelectionInternal selection 2013 In Eurovision2013 Malmö SongAn Me Thimasai (2013) Biography Despina Olympiou, also known as Dena Olympiou, is a Cypriot singer. Despina Olympiou grew up in Limassol, Cyprus. Her musical journey began there, later taking her to London where she studied piano and music theory at Trinity College.  Launching her music career in 1992, Olympiou relocated to Athens, Greece in 1993. During her time there, she collaborated with renowned artists like Yiannis Parios, Haris Alexiou, and Dimitris Mitropanos, to name a few. Notably, she featured on the George Sarri album with the track “I kounia mas”. Her debut album, “Ton Mation sou i Kalimera”, showcased work from several Greek artists. In 2002, Olympiou signed with Universal Greece. A year later, she teamed up with Michalis Hatzigiannis, producing the hit single “Na ‘soun allios” from the album “Vale Mousiki”. The CD achieved platinum status. Her subsequent albums, “Exoume Logo” and “Auto ine Agapi”, featured songs predominantly written by the Pantelia brothers, with the leading single titled “Kapote”. Olympiou’s 2007 single “Pes to Dinata” achieved great success in Greece and Cyprus. Collaborating once more with Hatzigiannis, she released “Mazi Xorista”. Her duet with Hatzigiannis, “O Paradisos”, won the Best Duet award at the 2008 MAD Video Music Awards. Her 2010 album, ‘Mia stigmi’, was another success, with singles like ‘Pano stin agapi’ and ‘Adynamia’. In 2012, her duet with Stereo Mike, ‘Den s’ afino apo ta matia mou’, became popular in both Cyprus and Greece. Despina Olympiou represented Cyprus at the Eurovision Song Contest 2013 in Malmö, Sweden. The Cypriot entry, a Greek song titled “An me thimasai”, was unveiled in February. Although versions in English and Spanish were created for promotion, Olympiou’s performance in the semi-finals did not advance her to the final round. Later in 2013 she teamed up with Constantinos Christoforou to perform in Greece and Cyprus. That caused a stir in December 2014. Despina was one of the jury members in the 2015 Cypriot national final for Eurovision. She performed in the show, together with Constantinos. But… Contantinos wrote one of the competing songs. In the end, Constantinos’ song did not win. In 2015, Despina gave several performances at the Barbarella Live Party in Thessaloniki. She also played the show “Medina darling” with Bessy Malfa and Krinio Nikolaou. In 2016 she went back to Thessaloniki for a lot of performances, a.o. with Krinio Nikolaou. She performed in Limassol with Constantinos. She also released the song “Gyrna se mena” in December. The song was followed in May 2017 by “Pánta érchetai i avgí” and “Opou mas pai i karthia” in November. In early 2018, Despina was part of a show were she performed songs of Yiorgos Chatzinasios and Yiorgos Theofanous. She performed in the show Notes Live with a.o. Constantinos Christoforou and Evridiki. The tour continued in 2019, when she also performed together with Kostas Hatzis. In April 2020, Despina released a new song, “Mi skefteis ksana”. She also participated in the show Just The 2 Of Us. In September 2021 a new song, “Ki as ehis figi” was released.   Entries An Me Thimasai Country🇨🇾 Cyprus Year2013 LanguageGreek LyricsZenon Zindilis MusicAndreas Giorgallis Backings– Results Semi Points: 11Position: 15Running order: 14 Results Finals Points: –Position: –Running order: – https://youtu.be/Ekx8mT-fR80?si=WowYD3as9PHuVsbt

Read More »

Stig Rästa

© EBU/Andres Putting About Quick Facts NameRaul-Stig Rästa Born24 February 1980 Nationality🇪🇪 Estonian National SelectionEesti Laul 2020Eesti Laul 2015Eesti Laul 2014Eesti Laul 2012Eesti Laul 2011Eesti Laul 2009Eurolaul 2008Eurolaul 2004Eurolaul 2003 In Eurovision2015 Vienna SongGoodby To Yesterday (with Elina Born, 2015) Biography Raul-Stig Rästa, born on 24 February 1980 in Tallinn, is an Estonian singer and songwriter.  Rästa’s musical journey includes being part of various bands and projects. From 2002 to 2006, he formed a band called Slobodan River with Ithaka Maria and Tomi Rahula. He played in the bands Traffic from 2006 and Outloudz from 2010. Additionally, in 2011, Rästa participated as a contestant in the fifth season of Let’s Dance, finishing in fourth place with his partner Karina Vesman. In 2012, he played the role of Moritz in the Estonian production of the musical Spring Awakening. He is also involved in the electronic music duo Kisma, alongside Vallo Kikas. Rästa made multiple attempts to represent Estonia in the Eurovision Song Contest. He competed with Slobodan River in Eurolaul 2003 and 2004, with Traffic in Eurolaul 2008 and Eesti Laul 2009, 2012, 2014, and 2020. He also finished as a runner-up with Outloudz in Eesti Laul 2011. In Eesti Laul 2015, Rästa entered with the duet “Goodbye to Yesterday” performed with Elina Born. The song won by a significant margin in the superfinal, receiving 79% of the popular vote. In the Eurovision Song Contest, the entry qualified for the grand final and achieved 7th place. Rästa co-wrote the song “Play” by Jüri Pootsmann, which represented Estonia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2016 but failed to qualify. In Eesti Laul 2017, Rästa returned as a composer for Elina Born’s entry “In or Out,” which finished 10th in the final. He also wrote her song “Enough” for her first Eesti Laul in 2013, which placed 8th in the final. He competed as a solo artist in Eesti Laul 2018 with the song “Home,” securing a second-place finish. Rästa co-wrote the song “Storm” by Victor Crone, which represented Estonia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2019, placing 20th in the final with 76 points. In Eesti Laul 2022, he participated with the song “Interstellar,” earning a 9th place in the final. Rästa took part in the 2023 Estonian parliamentary election as a candidate for Estonia 200 but did not get elected as a member of Parliament for electoral district no. 4 (Harju and Rapla counties, excluding Tallinn). Entries Goodbye To Yesterday (& Elina Born) Country🇪🇪 Estonian Year2015 LanguageEnglish LyricsStig Rästa MusicStig Rästa Backings– Results Semi Points: 105Position: 3Running order: 7 Results Finals Points: 106Position: 7Running order: 4 https://youtu.be/Xsx_dIJOtgI

Read More »

Elina Born

© EBU/Thomas Hanses About Quick Facts NameElina Born Born29 June 1994 Nationality🇪🇪 Estonian National SelectionEesti Laul 2017Eesti Laul 2015Eesti Laul 2013 In Eurovision2015 Vienna SongGoodbye To Yesterday (with Stig Rästa, 2015) Biography Elina Born is an Estonian singer. She was born in Lehse in northern Estonia in 1994. She caught the attention of Stig Rästa through a YouTube video where she showcased her singing skills by performing “Cruz” by Christina Aguilera. It was during Elina’s school days that she received a Facebook message from Stig.  In 2012, Elina Born participated in the Estonian reality competition show called Eesti otsib superstaari (Estonia is Searching for a Superstar). This program aimed to uncover the most talented singer in Estonia by conducting auditions across the country. Elina successfully navigated through the audition, theatre round, studio round, and ultimately reached the final stage. Although she advanced to the Super Final, she ended up as the runner-up, with Rasmus Rändvee emerging as the winner.  Elina Born participated in the Eesti Laul 2015 competition, in collaboration with Stig Rästa. Eesti Laul is the national final for the Eurovision Song Contest. They competed with the song “Goodbye to Yesterday”. They were eventually selected to represent Estonia at the Eurovision Song Contest 2015. In the final of the Eurovision Song Contest, Elina and Stig secured 7th place. Right after the Eurovision Song Contest, Elina released a new solo single, called “Kilimanjaro”. The song became a huge hit again for the singer, reaching the no. 3 spot in the Estonian charts. In 2017, two years later, Elina returned to the Eesti Laul competition with the song “In or Out,” which was co-written by Stig Rästa, Vallo Kikas, and Fred Krieger. Elina successfully qualified for the final and finished in 10th place. Although “In or Out” did not reach the charts, the follow up “Jagatub saladus” did. It was a duet with Jüri Pootsmann. In the national Estonian charts, it even reached the no. 1 spot.  In 2019, the songs “Tagasi me” and “Kordumatu” also reached the charts. In 2020, she released the song “Niinea” and in 2021 “Linnuteid”. Entries Goodbye To Yesterday (& Stig Rästa) Country🇪🇪 Estonian Year2015 LanguageEnglish LyricsStig Rästa MusicStig Rästa Backings– Results Semi Points: 105Position: 3Running order: 7 Results Finals Points: 106Position: 7 Running order: 4 https://youtu.be/Xsx_dIJOtgI

Read More »

Albina Kelmendi

© EBU/Chloe Hashemi About Quick Facts NameAlbina Kelmendi Born27 January 1998 Nationality🇦🇱 Albanian National SelectionFestivali i Këngës 2022 In Eurovision2023 Liverpool SongDuje (2023) Biography Albina Kelmendi is an Albanian singer and songwriter from Kosovo. She was born in Peja, Kosovo (then part of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia). She studied clarinet and piano at a music school in her hometown and began performing with her family under the name Family Band. She became famous in 2014, when she was runner-up in the fourth season of The Voice of Albania. A year later, she took part in the twelfth edition of Top Fest, where she presented the song “Nuk ka ma mirle”. In June 2022, Albina Kelmendi released her debut album, “Nana loke”. In December of the same year, she participated in the 61st Song Festival, where she presented the song “Duje”, during the performance of which she was accompanied by five members of her family named the Familja Kelmendi. Despite being ranked second in the final night, the result of which was decided by a jury, the public vote chose her as the Albanian representative at the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest in Liverpool, United Kingdom. They reached the final and became 22nd there. Entries Duje Country🇦🇱 Albania Year2023 LanguageAlbanian LyricsEriona Rushiti MusicEnis Mullaj BackingsBujar KelmendiAlbana KelmendiAlbin KelmendiVesa KelmendiSidorela Gashi – Kelmendi Results Semi Points: 83Position: 9Running order: 14 Results Finals Points: 76Position: 22Running order: 10 https://youtu.be/TI9rSDhXwyc

Read More »

S10

©EBU/Nathan Reinds About Quick Facts NameStien den Hollander Born08 november 2000 Nationality🇳🇱 Dutch National SelectionInternal selection 2022 In Eurovision2022 Turin SongDe diepte (2022) Biography Stien den Hollander, known professionally as S10, is a Dutch singer, rapper and songwriter. She was born in Abbekerk.  Throughout her teenage years, Den Hollander suffered from mental health issues. When she was 14 years old, she was admitted to a psychiatric hospital following a suicide attempt. She has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. In her songs, her struggle with mental illness was an important theme. Her first two EP’s “Lithium” and “Antipsychotica” even being named after types of psychiatric medication. The first EP, “Antipsychotica”, was released in 2017. She already self-released it in 2016. It caught the attention of rapper Jiggy Djé. He helped her by letting her sign a contract at his record label Noah’s Ark. She also released the 2nd EP, “Lithium”.  After completing highschool in 2018, she studied at the Herman Brood Academie in Utrecht. In 2019, her debut album “Snowsniper” was released. The album was rewarded an Edison Award in 2020. In november of that year, her second album “Vlinders” was released. It became a success in the Dutch album charts. In 2021, Den Hollander scored a hit with the single “Adem je in”. After the 2021 Eurovision Song Contest, S10 expressed her wish to go to Eurovision on Twitter: “darlings, how are we going to make sure I can participate in #Eurovision next year??? xx”. It happened, and in 2022 she was the Dutch representative with the song “De diepte”. At the same time, S10 had a hit in The Netherlands in duet with Froukje, “Zonder gezicht”.       Entries De diepte Country🇳🇱 Netherlands Year2022 LanguageDutch LyricsStien Den HollanderArno Krabman MusicStien Den HollanderArno Krabman Backings– Results Semi Points: 221Position: 2Running order: 8 Results Finals Points: 171Position: 11Running order: 11 https://youtu.be/sgOnu7ux2-k?si=-avz34zBy_ET6XuC

Read More »

The Common Linnets

© Albin Olsson About Quick Facts MembersIlse DelangeWaylon Active2013-2017 Nationality Dutch National SelectionInternal selection 2014 In Eurovision2014 Copenhagen SongCalm After The Storm (2014) Biography The Common Linnets, a band hailing from the Netherlands, was established in 2013, initially featuring Ilse DeLange and Waylon. DeLange elucidated that the group was formed as a dynamic platform for Dutch musicians to experiment and create country, Americana, and bluegrass music. The band saw a change in lineup when Waylon departed in May 2014 and was replaced by American country artist Jake Etheridge. Their debut album, featuring the song “Calm After the Storm”, secured them a second-place finish in the Eurovision Song Contest 2014 – the best performance by the Netherlands since their victory in 1975. The band’s name draws inspiration from the regional nickname ‘heikneuters,’ attributed to individuals from the eastern part of the Netherlands, DeLange and Waylon’s birthplace. This term refers to the songbird ‘kneu’ or common linnet. Credit for this innovative name goes to Dutch designer Rens Dekker, who also designed their album and single artworks. The initial band members were individual country artists, Ilse DeLange and Waylon, with DeLange acknowledged as the founder and leading member. DeLange envisaged the band as a project to facilitate Dutch artists in their musical explorations. Since 2014, the band has been composed of Ilse DeLange, JB Meijers, Jake Etheridge, and Matthew Crosby, who along with Rob Crosby, penned the hit “Calm After The Storm”. Born on May 13, 1977, in Almelo, Netherlands, Ilse DeLange’s musical journey started at the tender age of 8. Her talents were showcased in regional and national talent shows in Hilversum, followed by a musical partnership with guitarist Joop Liefland. Waylon, born on April 20, 1980, in Apeldoorn, Netherlands, adopted his stage name in honor of his idol, Waylon Jennings. After their Eurovision success, the band embarked on a promotional tour. The noticeable absence of Waylon sparked speculations of him leaving the band. On his official Facebook page, Waylon revealed that the unexpected success of the band led him to focus on his album releasing in September 2014. JB Meijers, born on June 10, 1972, in Delft, Netherlands, joined the band after his stint with Dutch indie bands Charmin’ Children, Shine, and Supersub. Besides playing with De Dijk, Eboman, and Acda & De Munnik, he also worked as a producer. Jake Etheridge, born on April 25, 1988, in Columbia, South Carolina, joined the band post-Waylon’s departure. Before joining, he had gained recognition for his online song uploads. Matthew Crosby, born on May 21, 1981, in Columbia, South Carolina, was an accomplished actor in New York City and had previously performed with the band “The Easy Tells”. The band represented the Netherlands in the Eurovision Song Contest 2014 in Copenhagen, with the song “Calm After the Storm”. The Common Linnets won the 2014 Buma Cultuur Pop Award and the 2015 Echo Awards for Best International Newcomer Act. Their second studio album ‘II’ was released in 2015. The album became a Gold disc. In november 2015, the band toured throughout Germany and Austria. They received an award for best an award at Radio 538 for best live performance. In 2016 the band played at Eurosonic Noorderslag. They went to Sweden to perform in Douwe Bob‘s pub in Stockholm, during the Eurovision week. In June, they did a UK tour, in November they went back to Germany. Also in 2017, the band kept on performing. After that, Ilse Delange, JB Meijers and Matthew Crosby had solo projects.  In 2019, Ilse Delange was a coach at the Eurovision Song Contest for Duncan Laurence, who won the contest. Entries Calm After The Storm Country🇳🇱 The Netherlands Year2014 LanguageEnglish LyricsIlse DelangeJB MeijersRob CrosbyMatthew CrosbyJake Etheridge MusicIlse DelangeJB MeijersRob CrosbyMatthew CrosbyJake Etheridge BackingsBart VergoossenJB MeijersMartijn Van Agt Results Semi Points: 150Position: 1Running order: 14 Results Finals Points: 238Position: 2Running order: 24 https://youtu.be/4ggBPAm5XLA

Read More »

Christos Mylordos

About Quick Facts NameChristos Mylordos Born30 April 1991 Nationality🇨🇾 Cypriot National SelectionPerformance 2011 In Eurovision2011 Düsseldorf SongSan aggelos s’agapisa (2011) Biography Christos Mylordos (Greek: Χρίστος Μυλόρδος) (Nicosia, April 30, 1991) is a Cypriot singer. On September 10, 2010, he won the talent show Performance, the Cypriot version of X Factor, with the song ‘Love Supreme’ by Robbie Williams. With 11,004 votes, he comfortably beat Louis Panagiotou (5,924 points), who represented Cyprus at the Junior Eurovision Song Contest in 2006. As a result, he was chosen to represent his country at the Eurovision Song Contest 2011 in Germany with the song ‘San aggelos s’agapisas’. However, he did not manage to qualify for the final. The song “Giates mafineis mono” was the follow up of this song in 2012.  Christos started working at the Asmation Live Stage in Nicosia in 2013, as one of the permanent performers there. With 5 other Cypriot artists, he formed a team and worked together until May 2014. A new collaboration started in February 2015, with the VSeven Live Club in Paphos. In May of that year, Christos’ new single “Na pou girises” was released. He later became member of the Venue Club team in Larnaka. That lasted until May 2016. He left the Venue Club for a short time to return in October. Since 2017, Mylordos performs in several clubs. He especially sang in the Baraki club in Nicosia. That stopped in March 2020, due to the COVID19 crisis, but in June he left Baraki. However, in June 2021 he started to perform again at Baraki. In February 2022 he started performing in the Classico All Day Bar in Nicosia until it closed in December of the same year.   Entries San Aggelos S’Agapisa Country🇨🇾 Cyprus Year2011 LanguageGreek LyricsMichalis Antoniou MusicAndreas Anastasiou BackingsChrissie Andreou MaroulliAgathaggelos AgathaggelouChristos NikolaouPavlos PolichrinisAntoniou Antonis Results Semi Points:Position:Running order: Results Finals Points:Position:Running order: https://youtu.be/RxkBW0ey5BU?si=kGQqH-mZLDVaMMPV

Read More »

Maja Keuc

About Quick Facts NameMaja Keuc Born16 January 1992 Nationality🇸🇮 Slovenian National SelectionSelection Method In Eurovision2011 Düsseldorf SongNo One (2011) Biography Maja Keuc is a Slovenian singer. She is also known under her stage name Amaya (occasionally spelled AMAYA). Born on January 16, 1992, in Maribor, her journey in music began from a young age. She spent seven years performing with the English Student Theatre and honed her skills as a lead vocalist for three years with the rock band Hrošči. Keuc’s rise to fame in Slovenia was marked by her remarkable performance in “Slovenia’s Got Talent” in 2010, where she secured the second position in the show’s inaugural season. That same year, she became part of the Papir project and was instrumental in releasing the album “Po viharju.” Her talents led to a significant milestone in 2011 when RTV Slovenia, the national broadcaster, invited her to compete for the Slovenian entry in the Eurovision Song Contest. Performing “Vanilija,” a song by Matjaž Vlašič, Keuc emerged victorious in the superfinal, outperforming the singer April. This win earned her the role of Slovenia’s representative at the Eurovision 2011, where she impressively finished 13th in the final round. Following her Eurovision experience, Keuc launched her debut album, “Indigo,” on December 1, 2011, under the label Reflektor Music. The album, comprising 11 tracks with lyrics in both English and Slovene, showcased her versatility as a lyricist. Collaborating with prominent figures like Krešimir Tomec, Marco Grabber, and members of Papir, including Sebastijan Duh, Tadej Kampl, and Rok Vilčnik, the album marked a significant phase in her career. In 2012, Keuc’s musical journey took her to Rotterdam, where she was accepted into the Codarts music academy. She focused on vocal studies in the pop music department, a period during which she met Jonah Nilsson, vocalist and keyboardist of the Swedish band Dirty Loops. Their relationship blossomed, leading them to relocate to Stockholm in 2014. Keuc further expanded her musical education by joining the jazz program at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm, from which she graduated in 2016. Embracing her stage persona, Amaya, Keuc started performing under this name in 2014, initially using it for her international performances. In March of the same year, reverting to her birth name, she premiered the song “Close to You” in the Ema show program. Keuc continued to make strides in her career in 2016 by qualifying for Ema 2017, although she later opted out of the competition. In 2017, she ventured into new musical territories with the release of her EP “Fairytales,” a collaborative effort with producer Orphée Noah under the Spinnup label. Expanding her horizons, Keuc ventured into songwriting for other artists, particularly targeting the Asian market in South Korea and Japan. Her collaborations include working with artists like PRISTIN, HyunA, Red Velvet, and SHINee. In 2016, she participated in a songwriting workshop at SM Entertainment in Korea. Notably, she co-wrote a song for Japanese singer Namie Amuro, which earned a Japanese Grammy equivalent and the title of Musician of the Year. Her versatility also extends to film music, contributing to three movie songs. She collaborated with Reconceal for “End of Night,” the soundtrack of “Kresnik: The Lore of Fire” (2014), and delivered the song “Naredi srce” for the film “Gajin svet” (2018). Additionally, under the alias Maria Maya, she featured in Laibach’s “The Coming Race,” created for the 2019 movie “Iron Sky – The Coming Race.” In 2020, Maja Keuc returned to music and released the single “Trust Issues”. In the same year, she teamed up with Joakim Molitor. They released the Tracy Chapman-cover “Crossroads” as a single.  In 2021 she released the singles “Goodbye…” and “Sleep Alone/Sanjam Sama”. She also featured in the songs “Naked” (for Lucas Estrada & Wahlstedt) and “Mladi samo enkrat” (for Drill). “Rdeče” was a new song of her own, released in December 2022 on all platforms. Maja teamed up with Batista Cadillac to feature in their track “Pust me do besede”. Entries No One Country🇸🇮 Slovenia Year2011 LanguageEnglish LyricsUrša Vlašič MusicMatjaž Vlašič BackingsAna BezjakSandra FeketijaKatja KorenMartina Majerle Results Semi Points: 112Position: 3Running order: 13 Results Finals Points: 96Position: 13Running order: 20 https://youtu.be/5vqjb2OYnYs?si=M4z4CxHxuOr_ihGe

Read More »

Christabelle Borg

© EBU/Andres Putting About Quick Facts NameChristabelle Borg Born28 April 1992 Nationality???????? Maltese National SelectionMalta Eurovision Song Contest 2018Malta Eurovision Song Contest 2016Malta Eurovision Song Contest 2015Malta Eurovision Song Contest 2014 In Eurovision2018 Lisbon SongTaboo (2018) Biography Christabelle Borg, known by the stage name of Christabelle, is a Maltese singer-songwriter. She was born in Mġarr, Malta. Christabelle studied music at Mount St. Mary’s College in Los Angeles and graduated in 2014. Her artistic career began when she was a teenager. She then hosted the television shows Teen Trouble and Teen Traffic. She participated in the Maltese national final for the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2005 with the song “Going wild”. She participated in Malta Euorivision Song Contest 2014, with the song “Lovetricity”, and finished in eighth position in the final2. She tried again in 2015 with the song “Rush” and in 2016 with the song “Kingdom”, and placed second and fourth respectively 3rd and 4th. With the song “Taboo”, she won the competition and thus represented her country at the Eurovision Song Contest 2018. With the song and the staging, she asked for attention for mental healthcare. Unfortunately, she did not make it to the final. After Eurovision, Christabelle became a brand ambassador for Dior. She is currently working as an accountant. Entries Taboo Country???????? Maltese Year2018 LanguageEnglish LyricsChristabelle BorgMuxu MusicJohnny SanchezThomas G:son BackingsAnna AzzopardiPamela BezzinaJosef TabonePetra ZammitAnthea Zammit Results Semi Points: 101Position: 13Running order: 12 Results Finals Points: –Position: –Running order: – https://youtu.be/d52ViPImdls

Read More »

Sevak Khanagyan

© EBU/Andres Putting About Quick Facts NameSevak Khanagyan Born28 Juli 1987 Nationality???????? Armenian National SelectionDepi Evratesil 2018 In Eurovision2018 Lisbon SongQami (2018) Biography Sevak Khanagyan is an Armenian singer, born in Metsavan, Armenia but he also lived in Kursk, Russia. By the time he was seven, Sevak was already playing a synthesizer, and was later admitted to a music school where he had been attending accordion classes for a long time. In Kursk, he entered a music college. Sevak studied pop and jazz more in-depth, and in and in 2014 received a diploma from the Faculty of World Music. Sevak began his career singing in corporate evenings, clubs and surroundings. He wrote his own songs, both in Russian and in Armenian. His songs include “Mi’ irrir”, “Milion hambuyr”, “Hayrenik”, as well as “Veradardzir tun”. In early 2015, Sevak took part in his first television project, Glkhavor bemin, a casting show.  Sevak reached the quarter finals. At the end of the year, he participated in another casting show, The Voice of Russia. In 2016 he participated in the 7th season of the X-Factor Ukraine, which he won. After the victory, Sevak had his first solo concert in Armenia on January 13, 2017 at the Havana Restaurant Complex, after which he announced his concert tours both in Armenia and in various cities in Russia.In 2018, Sevak was chosen to represent Armenia in the Eurovision Song Contest with the song “Kami”, the first ever Eurovision song sung in Armenian. Also in 2018 he released a song called “Pustota”, a soundtrack for the movie “Neproshchoniy”. In 2019, Sevak released his debut album “Okean vnutri tebya”. A lot of singles in Russian were released in 2020 and 2021, but sometimes Sevak sings in Armenian. In 2020 he released the single “Siro Hetq” and in 2021 the songs “Artsakh” and “Du Es Im Hogin”. Entries Qami Country???????? Armenia Yearyear LanguageArmenian LyricsAnna DanielyanVictoria Maloyan MusicSevak Khanagyan BackingsArevik GrigoryanJulietta GrigoryanMnats KhanagyanMonica ManucharovaSevak Musakhanyan Results Semi Points: 79Position: 15Running order: 16 Results Finals Points: –Position: –Running order: – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYlWiHjUK0c

Read More »

Despina Olympiou

About Quick Facts NameDespina Olympiou Born17 October 1975 Nationality🇨🇾 Cypriot National SelectionInternal selection 2013 In Eurovision2013 Malmö SongAn Me Thimasai (2013) Biography Despina Olympiou, also known as Dena Olympiou, is a Cypriot singer. Despina Olympiou grew up in Limassol, Cyprus. Her musical journey began there, later taking her to London where she studied piano and music theory at Trinity College.  Launching her music career in 1992, Olympiou relocated to Athens, Greece in 1993. During her time there, she collaborated with renowned artists like Yiannis Parios, Haris Alexiou, and Dimitris Mitropanos, to name a few. Notably, she featured on the George Sarri album with the track “I kounia mas”. Her debut album, “Ton Mation sou i Kalimera”, showcased work from several Greek artists. In 2002, Olympiou signed with Universal Greece. A year later, she teamed up with Michalis Hatzigiannis, producing the hit single “Na ‘soun allios” from the album “Vale Mousiki”. The CD achieved platinum status. Her subsequent albums, “Exoume Logo” and “Auto ine Agapi”, featured songs predominantly written by the Pantelia brothers, with the leading single titled “Kapote”. Olympiou’s 2007 single “Pes to Dinata” achieved great success in Greece and Cyprus. Collaborating once more with Hatzigiannis, she released “Mazi Xorista”. Her duet with Hatzigiannis, “O Paradisos”, won the Best Duet award at the 2008 MAD Video Music Awards. Her 2010 album, ‘Mia stigmi’, was another success, with singles like ‘Pano stin agapi’ and ‘Adynamia’. In 2012, her duet with Stereo Mike, ‘Den s’ afino apo ta matia mou’, became popular in both Cyprus and Greece. Despina Olympiou represented Cyprus at the Eurovision Song Contest 2013 in Malmö, Sweden. The Cypriot entry, a Greek song titled “An me thimasai”, was unveiled in February. Although versions in English and Spanish were created for promotion, Olympiou’s performance in the semi-finals did not advance her to the final round. Later in 2013 she teamed up with Constantinos Christoforou to perform in Greece and Cyprus. That caused a stir in December 2014. Despina was one of the jury members in the 2015 Cypriot national final for Eurovision. She performed in the show, together with Constantinos. But… Contantinos wrote one of the competing songs. In the end, Constantinos’ song did not win. In 2015, Despina gave several performances at the Barbarella Live Party in Thessaloniki. She also played the show “Medina darling” with Bessy Malfa and Krinio Nikolaou. In 2016 she went back to Thessaloniki for a lot of performances, a.o. with Krinio Nikolaou. She performed in Limassol with Constantinos. She also released the song “Gyrna se mena” in December. The song was followed in May 2017 by “Pánta érchetai i avgí” and “Opou mas pai i karthia” in November. In early 2018, Despina was part of a show were she performed songs of Yiorgos Chatzinasios and Yiorgos Theofanous. She performed in the show Notes Live with a.o. Constantinos Christoforou and Evridiki. The tour continued in 2019, when she also performed together with Kostas Hatzis. In April 2020, Despina released a new song, “Mi skefteis ksana”. She also participated in the show Just The 2 Of Us. In September 2021 a new song, “Ki as ehis figi” was released.   Entries An Me Thimasai Country🇨🇾 Cyprus Year2013 LanguageGreek LyricsZenon Zindilis MusicAndreas Giorgallis Backings– Results Semi Points: 11Position: 15Running order: 14 Results Finals Points: –Position: –Running order: – https://youtu.be/Ekx8mT-fR80?si=WowYD3as9PHuVsbt

Read More »

Stig Rästa

© EBU/Andres Putting About Quick Facts NameRaul-Stig Rästa Born24 February 1980 Nationality🇪🇪 Estonian National SelectionEesti Laul 2020Eesti Laul 2015Eesti Laul 2014Eesti Laul 2012Eesti Laul 2011Eesti Laul 2009Eurolaul 2008Eurolaul 2004Eurolaul 2003 In Eurovision2015 Vienna SongGoodby To Yesterday (with Elina Born, 2015) Biography Raul-Stig Rästa, born on 24 February 1980 in Tallinn, is an Estonian singer and songwriter.  Rästa’s musical journey includes being part of various bands and projects. From 2002 to 2006, he formed a band called Slobodan River with Ithaka Maria and Tomi Rahula. He played in the bands Traffic from 2006 and Outloudz from 2010. Additionally, in 2011, Rästa participated as a contestant in the fifth season of Let’s Dance, finishing in fourth place with his partner Karina Vesman. In 2012, he played the role of Moritz in the Estonian production of the musical Spring Awakening. He is also involved in the electronic music duo Kisma, alongside Vallo Kikas. Rästa made multiple attempts to represent Estonia in the Eurovision Song Contest. He competed with Slobodan River in Eurolaul 2003 and 2004, with Traffic in Eurolaul 2008 and Eesti Laul 2009, 2012, 2014, and 2020. He also finished as a runner-up with Outloudz in Eesti Laul 2011. In Eesti Laul 2015, Rästa entered with the duet “Goodbye to Yesterday” performed with Elina Born. The song won by a significant margin in the superfinal, receiving 79% of the popular vote. In the Eurovision Song Contest, the entry qualified for the grand final and achieved 7th place. Rästa co-wrote the song “Play” by Jüri Pootsmann, which represented Estonia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2016 but failed to qualify. In Eesti Laul 2017, Rästa returned as a composer for Elina Born’s entry “In or Out,” which finished 10th in the final. He also wrote her song “Enough” for her first Eesti Laul in 2013, which placed 8th in the final. He competed as a solo artist in Eesti Laul 2018 with the song “Home,” securing a second-place finish. Rästa co-wrote the song “Storm” by Victor Crone, which represented Estonia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2019, placing 20th in the final with 76 points. In Eesti Laul 2022, he participated with the song “Interstellar,” earning a 9th place in the final. Rästa took part in the 2023 Estonian parliamentary election as a candidate for Estonia 200 but did not get elected as a member of Parliament for electoral district no. 4 (Harju and Rapla counties, excluding Tallinn). Entries Goodbye To Yesterday (& Elina Born) Country🇪🇪 Estonian Year2015 LanguageEnglish LyricsStig Rästa MusicStig Rästa Backings– Results Semi Points: 105Position: 3Running order: 7 Results Finals Points: 106Position: 7Running order: 4 https://youtu.be/Xsx_dIJOtgI

Read More »

Elina Born

© EBU/Thomas Hanses About Quick Facts NameElina Born Born29 June 1994 Nationality🇪🇪 Estonian National SelectionEesti Laul 2017Eesti Laul 2015Eesti Laul 2013 In Eurovision2015 Vienna SongGoodbye To Yesterday (with Stig Rästa, 2015) Biography Elina Born is an Estonian singer. She was born in Lehse in northern Estonia in 1994. She caught the attention of Stig Rästa through a YouTube video where she showcased her singing skills by performing “Cruz” by Christina Aguilera. It was during Elina’s school days that she received a Facebook message from Stig.  In 2012, Elina Born participated in the Estonian reality competition show called Eesti otsib superstaari (Estonia is Searching for a Superstar). This program aimed to uncover the most talented singer in Estonia by conducting auditions across the country. Elina successfully navigated through the audition, theatre round, studio round, and ultimately reached the final stage. Although she advanced to the Super Final, she ended up as the runner-up, with Rasmus Rändvee emerging as the winner.  Elina Born participated in the Eesti Laul 2015 competition, in collaboration with Stig Rästa. Eesti Laul is the national final for the Eurovision Song Contest. They competed with the song “Goodbye to Yesterday”. They were eventually selected to represent Estonia at the Eurovision Song Contest 2015. In the final of the Eurovision Song Contest, Elina and Stig secured 7th place. Right after the Eurovision Song Contest, Elina released a new solo single, called “Kilimanjaro”. The song became a huge hit again for the singer, reaching the no. 3 spot in the Estonian charts. In 2017, two years later, Elina returned to the Eesti Laul competition with the song “In or Out,” which was co-written by Stig Rästa, Vallo Kikas, and Fred Krieger. Elina successfully qualified for the final and finished in 10th place. Although “In or Out” did not reach the charts, the follow up “Jagatub saladus” did. It was a duet with Jüri Pootsmann. In the national Estonian charts, it even reached the no. 1 spot.  In 2019, the songs “Tagasi me” and “Kordumatu” also reached the charts. In 2020, she released the song “Niinea” and in 2021 “Linnuteid”. Entries Goodbye To Yesterday (& Stig Rästa) Country🇪🇪 Estonian Year2015 LanguageEnglish LyricsStig Rästa MusicStig Rästa Backings– Results Semi Points: 105Position: 3Running order: 7 Results Finals Points: 106Position: 7 Running order: 4 https://youtu.be/Xsx_dIJOtgI

Read More »

Albina Kelmendi

© EBU/Chloe Hashemi About Quick Facts NameAlbina Kelmendi Born27 January 1998 Nationality🇦🇱 Albanian National SelectionFestivali i Këngës 2022 In Eurovision2023 Liverpool SongDuje (2023) Biography Albina Kelmendi is an Albanian singer and songwriter from Kosovo. She was born in Peja, Kosovo (then part of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia). She studied clarinet and piano at a music school in her hometown and began performing with her family under the name Family Band. She became famous in 2014, when she was runner-up in the fourth season of The Voice of Albania. A year later, she took part in the twelfth edition of Top Fest, where she presented the song “Nuk ka ma mirle”. In June 2022, Albina Kelmendi released her debut album, “Nana loke”. In December of the same year, she participated in the 61st Song Festival, where she presented the song “Duje”, during the performance of which she was accompanied by five members of her family named the Familja Kelmendi. Despite being ranked second in the final night, the result of which was decided by a jury, the public vote chose her as the Albanian representative at the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest in Liverpool, United Kingdom. They reached the final and became 22nd there. Entries Duje Country🇦🇱 Albania Year2023 LanguageAlbanian LyricsEriona Rushiti MusicEnis Mullaj BackingsBujar KelmendiAlbana KelmendiAlbin KelmendiVesa KelmendiSidorela Gashi – Kelmendi Results Semi Points: 83Position: 9Running order: 14 Results Finals Points: 76Position: 22Running order: 10 https://youtu.be/TI9rSDhXwyc

Read More »

S10

©EBU/Nathan Reinds About Quick Facts NameStien den Hollander Born08 november 2000 Nationality🇳🇱 Dutch National SelectionInternal selection 2022 In Eurovision2022 Turin SongDe diepte (2022) Biography Stien den Hollander, known professionally as S10, is a Dutch singer, rapper and songwriter. She was born in Abbekerk.  Throughout her teenage years, Den Hollander suffered from mental health issues. When she was 14 years old, she was admitted to a psychiatric hospital following a suicide attempt. She has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. In her songs, her struggle with mental illness was an important theme. Her first two EP’s “Lithium” and “Antipsychotica” even being named after types of psychiatric medication. The first EP, “Antipsychotica”, was released in 2017. She already self-released it in 2016. It caught the attention of rapper Jiggy Djé. He helped her by letting her sign a contract at his record label Noah’s Ark. She also released the 2nd EP, “Lithium”.  After completing highschool in 2018, she studied at the Herman Brood Academie in Utrecht. In 2019, her debut album “Snowsniper” was released. The album was rewarded an Edison Award in 2020. In november of that year, her second album “Vlinders” was released. It became a success in the Dutch album charts. In 2021, Den Hollander scored a hit with the single “Adem je in”. After the 2021 Eurovision Song Contest, S10 expressed her wish to go to Eurovision on Twitter: “darlings, how are we going to make sure I can participate in #Eurovision next year??? xx”. It happened, and in 2022 she was the Dutch representative with the song “De diepte”. At the same time, S10 had a hit in The Netherlands in duet with Froukje, “Zonder gezicht”.       Entries De diepte Country🇳🇱 Netherlands Year2022 LanguageDutch LyricsStien Den HollanderArno Krabman MusicStien Den HollanderArno Krabman Backings– Results Semi Points: 221Position: 2Running order: 8 Results Finals Points: 171Position: 11Running order: 11 https://youtu.be/sgOnu7ux2-k?si=-avz34zBy_ET6XuC

Read More »

The Common Linnets

© Albin Olsson About Quick Facts MembersIlse DelangeWaylon Active2013-2017 Nationality Dutch National SelectionInternal selection 2014 In Eurovision2014 Copenhagen SongCalm After The Storm (2014) Biography The Common Linnets, a band hailing from the Netherlands, was established in 2013, initially featuring Ilse DeLange and Waylon. DeLange elucidated that the group was formed as a dynamic platform for Dutch musicians to experiment and create country, Americana, and bluegrass music. The band saw a change in lineup when Waylon departed in May 2014 and was replaced by American country artist Jake Etheridge. Their debut album, featuring the song “Calm After the Storm”, secured them a second-place finish in the Eurovision Song Contest 2014 – the best performance by the Netherlands since their victory in 1975. The band’s name draws inspiration from the regional nickname ‘heikneuters,’ attributed to individuals from the eastern part of the Netherlands, DeLange and Waylon’s birthplace. This term refers to the songbird ‘kneu’ or common linnet. Credit for this innovative name goes to Dutch designer Rens Dekker, who also designed their album and single artworks. The initial band members were individual country artists, Ilse DeLange and Waylon, with DeLange acknowledged as the founder and leading member. DeLange envisaged the band as a project to facilitate Dutch artists in their musical explorations. Since 2014, the band has been composed of Ilse DeLange, JB Meijers, Jake Etheridge, and Matthew Crosby, who along with Rob Crosby, penned the hit “Calm After The Storm”. Born on May 13, 1977, in Almelo, Netherlands, Ilse DeLange’s musical journey started at the tender age of 8. Her talents were showcased in regional and national talent shows in Hilversum, followed by a musical partnership with guitarist Joop Liefland. Waylon, born on April 20, 1980, in Apeldoorn, Netherlands, adopted his stage name in honor of his idol, Waylon Jennings. After their Eurovision success, the band embarked on a promotional tour. The noticeable absence of Waylon sparked speculations of him leaving the band. On his official Facebook page, Waylon revealed that the unexpected success of the band led him to focus on his album releasing in September 2014. JB Meijers, born on June 10, 1972, in Delft, Netherlands, joined the band after his stint with Dutch indie bands Charmin’ Children, Shine, and Supersub. Besides playing with De Dijk, Eboman, and Acda & De Munnik, he also worked as a producer. Jake Etheridge, born on April 25, 1988, in Columbia, South Carolina, joined the band post-Waylon’s departure. Before joining, he had gained recognition for his online song uploads. Matthew Crosby, born on May 21, 1981, in Columbia, South Carolina, was an accomplished actor in New York City and had previously performed with the band “The Easy Tells”. The band represented the Netherlands in the Eurovision Song Contest 2014 in Copenhagen, with the song “Calm After the Storm”. The Common Linnets won the 2014 Buma Cultuur Pop Award and the 2015 Echo Awards for Best International Newcomer Act. Their second studio album ‘II’ was released in 2015. The album became a Gold disc. In november 2015, the band toured throughout Germany and Austria. They received an award for best an award at Radio 538 for best live performance. In 2016 the band played at Eurosonic Noorderslag. They went to Sweden to perform in Douwe Bob‘s pub in Stockholm, during the Eurovision week. In June, they did a UK tour, in November they went back to Germany. Also in 2017, the band kept on performing. After that, Ilse Delange, JB Meijers and Matthew Crosby had solo projects.  In 2019, Ilse Delange was a coach at the Eurovision Song Contest for Duncan Laurence, who won the contest. Entries Calm After The Storm Country🇳🇱 The Netherlands Year2014 LanguageEnglish LyricsIlse DelangeJB MeijersRob CrosbyMatthew CrosbyJake Etheridge MusicIlse DelangeJB MeijersRob CrosbyMatthew CrosbyJake Etheridge BackingsBart VergoossenJB MeijersMartijn Van Agt Results Semi Points: 150Position: 1Running order: 14 Results Finals Points: 238Position: 2Running order: 24 https://youtu.be/4ggBPAm5XLA

Read More »

Christos Mylordos

About Quick Facts NameChristos Mylordos Born30 April 1991 Nationality🇨🇾 Cypriot National SelectionPerformance 2011 In Eurovision2011 Düsseldorf SongSan aggelos s’agapisa (2011) Biography Christos Mylordos (Greek: Χρίστος Μυλόρδος) (Nicosia, April 30, 1991) is a Cypriot singer. On September 10, 2010, he won the talent show Performance, the Cypriot version of X Factor, with the song ‘Love Supreme’ by Robbie Williams. With 11,004 votes, he comfortably beat Louis Panagiotou (5,924 points), who represented Cyprus at the Junior Eurovision Song Contest in 2006. As a result, he was chosen to represent his country at the Eurovision Song Contest 2011 in Germany with the song ‘San aggelos s’agapisas’. However, he did not manage to qualify for the final. The song “Giates mafineis mono” was the follow up of this song in 2012.  Christos started working at the Asmation Live Stage in Nicosia in 2013, as one of the permanent performers there. With 5 other Cypriot artists, he formed a team and worked together until May 2014. A new collaboration started in February 2015, with the VSeven Live Club in Paphos. In May of that year, Christos’ new single “Na pou girises” was released. He later became member of the Venue Club team in Larnaka. That lasted until May 2016. He left the Venue Club for a short time to return in October. Since 2017, Mylordos performs in several clubs. He especially sang in the Baraki club in Nicosia. That stopped in March 2020, due to the COVID19 crisis, but in June he left Baraki. However, in June 2021 he started to perform again at Baraki. In February 2022 he started performing in the Classico All Day Bar in Nicosia until it closed in December of the same year.   Entries San Aggelos S’Agapisa Country🇨🇾 Cyprus Year2011 LanguageGreek LyricsMichalis Antoniou MusicAndreas Anastasiou BackingsChrissie Andreou MaroulliAgathaggelos AgathaggelouChristos NikolaouPavlos PolichrinisAntoniou Antonis Results Semi Points:Position:Running order: Results Finals Points:Position:Running order: https://youtu.be/RxkBW0ey5BU?si=kGQqH-mZLDVaMMPV

Read More »

Maja Keuc

About Quick Facts NameMaja Keuc Born16 January 1992 Nationality🇸🇮 Slovenian National SelectionSelection Method In Eurovision2011 Düsseldorf SongNo One (2011) Biography Maja Keuc is a Slovenian singer. She is also known under her stage name Amaya (occasionally spelled AMAYA). Born on January 16, 1992, in Maribor, her journey in music began from a young age. She spent seven years performing with the English Student Theatre and honed her skills as a lead vocalist for three years with the rock band Hrošči. Keuc’s rise to fame in Slovenia was marked by her remarkable performance in “Slovenia’s Got Talent” in 2010, where she secured the second position in the show’s inaugural season. That same year, she became part of the Papir project and was instrumental in releasing the album “Po viharju.” Her talents led to a significant milestone in 2011 when RTV Slovenia, the national broadcaster, invited her to compete for the Slovenian entry in the Eurovision Song Contest. Performing “Vanilija,” a song by Matjaž Vlašič, Keuc emerged victorious in the superfinal, outperforming the singer April. This win earned her the role of Slovenia’s representative at the Eurovision 2011, where she impressively finished 13th in the final round. Following her Eurovision experience, Keuc launched her debut album, “Indigo,” on December 1, 2011, under the label Reflektor Music. The album, comprising 11 tracks with lyrics in both English and Slovene, showcased her versatility as a lyricist. Collaborating with prominent figures like Krešimir Tomec, Marco Grabber, and members of Papir, including Sebastijan Duh, Tadej Kampl, and Rok Vilčnik, the album marked a significant phase in her career. In 2012, Keuc’s musical journey took her to Rotterdam, where she was accepted into the Codarts music academy. She focused on vocal studies in the pop music department, a period during which she met Jonah Nilsson, vocalist and keyboardist of the Swedish band Dirty Loops. Their relationship blossomed, leading them to relocate to Stockholm in 2014. Keuc further expanded her musical education by joining the jazz program at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm, from which she graduated in 2016. Embracing her stage persona, Amaya, Keuc started performing under this name in 2014, initially using it for her international performances. In March of the same year, reverting to her birth name, she premiered the song “Close to You” in the Ema show program. Keuc continued to make strides in her career in 2016 by qualifying for Ema 2017, although she later opted out of the competition. In 2017, she ventured into new musical territories with the release of her EP “Fairytales,” a collaborative effort with producer Orphée Noah under the Spinnup label. Expanding her horizons, Keuc ventured into songwriting for other artists, particularly targeting the Asian market in South Korea and Japan. Her collaborations include working with artists like PRISTIN, HyunA, Red Velvet, and SHINee. In 2016, she participated in a songwriting workshop at SM Entertainment in Korea. Notably, she co-wrote a song for Japanese singer Namie Amuro, which earned a Japanese Grammy equivalent and the title of Musician of the Year. Her versatility also extends to film music, contributing to three movie songs. She collaborated with Reconceal for “End of Night,” the soundtrack of “Kresnik: The Lore of Fire” (2014), and delivered the song “Naredi srce” for the film “Gajin svet” (2018). Additionally, under the alias Maria Maya, she featured in Laibach’s “The Coming Race,” created for the 2019 movie “Iron Sky – The Coming Race.” In 2020, Maja Keuc returned to music and released the single “Trust Issues”. In the same year, she teamed up with Joakim Molitor. They released the Tracy Chapman-cover “Crossroads” as a single.  In 2021 she released the singles “Goodbye…” and “Sleep Alone/Sanjam Sama”. She also featured in the songs “Naked” (for Lucas Estrada & Wahlstedt) and “Mladi samo enkrat” (for Drill). “Rdeče” was a new song of her own, released in December 2022 on all platforms. Maja teamed up with Batista Cadillac to feature in their track “Pust me do besede”. Entries No One Country🇸🇮 Slovenia Year2011 LanguageEnglish LyricsUrša Vlašič MusicMatjaž Vlašič BackingsAna BezjakSandra FeketijaKatja KorenMartina Majerle Results Semi Points: 112Position: 3Running order: 13 Results Finals Points: 96Position: 13Running order: 20 https://youtu.be/5vqjb2OYnYs?si=M4z4CxHxuOr_ihGe

Read More »

Christabelle Borg

© EBU/Andres Putting About Quick Facts NameChristabelle Borg Born28 April 1992 Nationality???????? Maltese National SelectionMalta Eurovision Song Contest 2018Malta Eurovision Song Contest 2016Malta Eurovision Song Contest 2015Malta Eurovision Song Contest 2014 In Eurovision2018 Lisbon SongTaboo (2018) Biography Christabelle Borg, known by the stage name of Christabelle, is a Maltese singer-songwriter. She was born in Mġarr, Malta. Christabelle studied music at Mount St. Mary’s College in Los Angeles and graduated in 2014. Her artistic career began when she was a teenager. She then hosted the television shows Teen Trouble and Teen Traffic. She participated in the Maltese national final for the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2005 with the song “Going wild”. She participated in Malta Euorivision Song Contest 2014, with the song “Lovetricity”, and finished in eighth position in the final2. She tried again in 2015 with the song “Rush” and in 2016 with the song “Kingdom”, and placed second and fourth respectively 3rd and 4th. With the song “Taboo”, she won the competition and thus represented her country at the Eurovision Song Contest 2018. With the song and the staging, she asked for attention for mental healthcare. Unfortunately, she did not make it to the final. After Eurovision, Christabelle became a brand ambassador for Dior. She is currently working as an accountant. Entries Taboo Country???????? Maltese Year2018 LanguageEnglish LyricsChristabelle BorgMuxu MusicJohnny SanchezThomas G:son BackingsAnna AzzopardiPamela BezzinaJosef TabonePetra ZammitAnthea Zammit Results Semi Points: 101Position: 13Running order: 12 Results Finals Points: –Position: –Running order: – https://youtu.be/d52ViPImdls

Read More »

Sevak Khanagyan

© EBU/Andres Putting About Quick Facts NameSevak Khanagyan Born28 Juli 1987 Nationality???????? Armenian National SelectionDepi Evratesil 2018 In Eurovision2018 Lisbon SongQami (2018) Biography Sevak Khanagyan is an Armenian singer, born in Metsavan, Armenia but he also lived in Kursk, Russia. By the time he was seven, Sevak was already playing a synthesizer, and was later admitted to a music school where he had been attending accordion classes for a long time. In Kursk, he entered a music college. Sevak studied pop and jazz more in-depth, and in and in 2014 received a diploma from the Faculty of World Music. Sevak began his career singing in corporate evenings, clubs and surroundings. He wrote his own songs, both in Russian and in Armenian. His songs include “Mi’ irrir”, “Milion hambuyr”, “Hayrenik”, as well as “Veradardzir tun”. In early 2015, Sevak took part in his first television project, Glkhavor bemin, a casting show.  Sevak reached the quarter finals. At the end of the year, he participated in another casting show, The Voice of Russia. In 2016 he participated in the 7th season of the X-Factor Ukraine, which he won. After the victory, Sevak had his first solo concert in Armenia on January 13, 2017 at the Havana Restaurant Complex, after which he announced his concert tours both in Armenia and in various cities in Russia.In 2018, Sevak was chosen to represent Armenia in the Eurovision Song Contest with the song “Kami”, the first ever Eurovision song sung in Armenian. Also in 2018 he released a song called “Pustota”, a soundtrack for the movie “Neproshchoniy”. In 2019, Sevak released his debut album “Okean vnutri tebya”. A lot of singles in Russian were released in 2020 and 2021, but sometimes Sevak sings in Armenian. In 2020 he released the single “Siro Hetq” and in 2021 the songs “Artsakh” and “Du Es Im Hogin”. Entries Qami Country???????? Armenia Yearyear LanguageArmenian LyricsAnna DanielyanVictoria Maloyan MusicSevak Khanagyan BackingsArevik GrigoryanJulietta GrigoryanMnats KhanagyanMonica ManucharovaSevak Musakhanyan Results Semi Points: 79Position: 15Running order: 16 Results Finals Points: –Position: –Running order: – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYlWiHjUK0c

Read More »

Despina Olympiou

About Quick Facts NameDespina Olympiou Born17 October 1975 Nationality🇨🇾 Cypriot National SelectionInternal selection 2013 In Eurovision2013 Malmö SongAn Me Thimasai (2013) Biography Despina Olympiou, also known as Dena Olympiou, is a Cypriot singer. Despina Olympiou grew up in Limassol, Cyprus. Her musical journey began there, later taking her to London where she studied piano and music theory at Trinity College.  Launching her music career in 1992, Olympiou relocated to Athens, Greece in 1993. During her time there, she collaborated with renowned artists like Yiannis Parios, Haris Alexiou, and Dimitris Mitropanos, to name a few. Notably, she featured on the George Sarri album with the track “I kounia mas”. Her debut album, “Ton Mation sou i Kalimera”, showcased work from several Greek artists. In 2002, Olympiou signed with Universal Greece. A year later, she teamed up with Michalis Hatzigiannis, producing the hit single “Na ‘soun allios” from the album “Vale Mousiki”. The CD achieved platinum status. Her subsequent albums, “Exoume Logo” and “Auto ine Agapi”, featured songs predominantly written by the Pantelia brothers, with the leading single titled “Kapote”. Olympiou’s 2007 single “Pes to Dinata” achieved great success in Greece and Cyprus. Collaborating once more with Hatzigiannis, she released “Mazi Xorista”. Her duet with Hatzigiannis, “O Paradisos”, won the Best Duet award at the 2008 MAD Video Music Awards. Her 2010 album, ‘Mia stigmi’, was another success, with singles like ‘Pano stin agapi’ and ‘Adynamia’. In 2012, her duet with Stereo Mike, ‘Den s’ afino apo ta matia mou’, became popular in both Cyprus and Greece. Despina Olympiou represented Cyprus at the Eurovision Song Contest 2013 in Malmö, Sweden. The Cypriot entry, a Greek song titled “An me thimasai”, was unveiled in February. Although versions in English and Spanish were created for promotion, Olympiou’s performance in the semi-finals did not advance her to the final round. Later in 2013 she teamed up with Constantinos Christoforou to perform in Greece and Cyprus. That caused a stir in December 2014. Despina was one of the jury members in the 2015 Cypriot national final for Eurovision. She performed in the show, together with Constantinos. But… Contantinos wrote one of the competing songs. In the end, Constantinos’ song did not win. In 2015, Despina gave several performances at the Barbarella Live Party in Thessaloniki. She also played the show “Medina darling” with Bessy Malfa and Krinio Nikolaou. In 2016 she went back to Thessaloniki for a lot of performances, a.o. with Krinio Nikolaou. She performed in Limassol with Constantinos. She also released the song “Gyrna se mena” in December. The song was followed in May 2017 by “Pánta érchetai i avgí” and “Opou mas pai i karthia” in November. In early 2018, Despina was part of a show were she performed songs of Yiorgos Chatzinasios and Yiorgos Theofanous. She performed in the show Notes Live with a.o. Constantinos Christoforou and Evridiki. The tour continued in 2019, when she also performed together with Kostas Hatzis. In April 2020, Despina released a new song, “Mi skefteis ksana”. She also participated in the show Just The 2 Of Us. In September 2021 a new song, “Ki as ehis figi” was released.   Entries An Me Thimasai Country🇨🇾 Cyprus Year2013 LanguageGreek LyricsZenon Zindilis MusicAndreas Giorgallis Backings– Results Semi Points: 11Position: 15Running order: 14 Results Finals Points: –Position: –Running order: – https://youtu.be/Ekx8mT-fR80?si=WowYD3as9PHuVsbt

Read More »

Stig Rästa

© EBU/Andres Putting About Quick Facts NameRaul-Stig Rästa Born24 February 1980 Nationality🇪🇪 Estonian National SelectionEesti Laul 2020Eesti Laul 2015Eesti Laul 2014Eesti Laul 2012Eesti Laul 2011Eesti Laul 2009Eurolaul 2008Eurolaul 2004Eurolaul 2003 In Eurovision2015 Vienna SongGoodby To Yesterday (with Elina Born, 2015) Biography Raul-Stig Rästa, born on 24 February 1980 in Tallinn, is an Estonian singer and songwriter.  Rästa’s musical journey includes being part of various bands and projects. From 2002 to 2006, he formed a band called Slobodan River with Ithaka Maria and Tomi Rahula. He played in the bands Traffic from 2006 and Outloudz from 2010. Additionally, in 2011, Rästa participated

Read More »

Elina Born

© EBU/Thomas Hanses About Quick Facts NameElina Born Born29 June 1994 Nationality🇪🇪 Estonian National SelectionEesti Laul 2017Eesti Laul 2015Eesti Laul 2013 In Eurovision2015 Vienna SongGoodbye To Yesterday (with Stig Rästa, 2015) Biography Elina Born is an Estonian singer. She was born in Lehse in northern Estonia in 1994. She caught the attention of Stig Rästa through a YouTube video where she showcased her singing skills by performing “Cruz” by Christina Aguilera. It was during Elina’s school days that she received a Facebook message from Stig.  In 2012, Elina Born participated in the Estonian reality competition show called Eesti otsib superstaari (Estonia is

Read More »

Albina Kelmendi

© EBU/Chloe Hashemi About Quick Facts NameAlbina Kelmendi Born27 January 1998 Nationality🇦🇱 Albanian National SelectionFestivali i Këngës 2022 In Eurovision2023 Liverpool SongDuje (2023) Biography Albina Kelmendi is an Albanian singer and songwriter from Kosovo. She was born in Peja, Kosovo (then part of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia). She studied clarinet and piano at a music school in her hometown and began performing with her family under the name Family Band. She became famous in 2014, when she was runner-up in the fourth season of The Voice of Albania. A year later, she took part in the twelfth edition of Top

Read More »

S10

©EBU/Nathan Reinds About Quick Facts NameStien den Hollander Born08 november 2000 Nationality🇳🇱 Dutch National SelectionInternal selection 2022 In Eurovision2022 Turin SongDe diepte (2022) Biography Stien den Hollander, known professionally as S10, is a Dutch singer, rapper and songwriter. She was born in Abbekerk.  Throughout her teenage years, Den Hollander suffered from mental health issues. When she was 14 years old, she was admitted to a psychiatric hospital following a suicide attempt. She has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. In her songs, her struggle with mental illness was an important theme. Her first two EP’s “Lithium” and “Antipsychotica” even being named after types of psychiatric medication. The first

Read More »

The Common Linnets

© Albin Olsson About Quick Facts MembersIlse DelangeWaylon Active2013-2017 Nationality Dutch National SelectionInternal selection 2014 In Eurovision2014 Copenhagen SongCalm After The Storm (2014) Biography The Common Linnets, a band hailing from the Netherlands, was established in 2013, initially featuring Ilse DeLange and Waylon. DeLange elucidated that the group was formed as a dynamic platform for Dutch musicians to experiment and create country, Americana, and bluegrass music. The band saw a change in lineup when Waylon departed in May 2014 and was replaced by American country artist Jake Etheridge. Their debut album, featuring the song “Calm After the Storm”, secured them a

Read More »

Christos Mylordos

About Quick Facts NameChristos Mylordos Born30 April 1991 Nationality🇨🇾 Cypriot National SelectionPerformance 2011 In Eurovision2011 Düsseldorf SongSan aggelos s’agapisa (2011) Biography Christos Mylordos (Greek: Χρίστος Μυλόρδος) (Nicosia, April 30, 1991) is a Cypriot singer. On September 10, 2010, he won the talent show Performance, the Cypriot version of X Factor, with the song ‘Love Supreme’ by Robbie Williams. With 11,004 votes, he comfortably beat Louis Panagiotou (5,924 points), who represented Cyprus at the Junior Eurovision Song Contest in 2006. As a result, he was chosen to represent his country at the Eurovision Song Contest 2011 in Germany with the song ‘San

Read More »

Maja Keuc

About Quick Facts NameMaja Keuc Born16 January 1992 Nationality🇸🇮 Slovenian National SelectionSelection Method In Eurovision2011 Düsseldorf SongNo One (2011) Biography Maja Keuc is a Slovenian singer. She is also known under her stage name Amaya (occasionally spelled AMAYA). Born on January 16, 1992, in Maribor, her journey in music began from a young age. She spent seven years performing with the English Student Theatre and honed her skills as a lead vocalist for three years with the rock band Hrošči. Keuc’s rise to fame in Slovenia was marked by her remarkable performance in “Slovenia’s Got Talent” in 2010, where she secured

Read More »

Christabelle Borg

© EBU/Andres Putting About Quick Facts NameChristabelle Borg Born28 April 1992 Nationality???????? Maltese National SelectionMalta Eurovision Song Contest 2018Malta Eurovision Song Contest 2016Malta Eurovision Song Contest 2015Malta Eurovision Song Contest 2014 In Eurovision2018 Lisbon SongTaboo (2018) Biography Christabelle Borg, known by the stage name of Christabelle, is a Maltese singer-songwriter. She was born in Mġarr, Malta. Christabelle studied music at Mount St. Mary’s College in Los Angeles and graduated in 2014. Her artistic career began when she was a teenager. She then hosted the television shows Teen Trouble and Teen Traffic. She participated in the Maltese national final for the Junior

Read More »

Sevak Khanagyan

© EBU/Andres Putting About Quick Facts NameSevak Khanagyan Born28 Juli 1987 Nationality???????? Armenian National SelectionDepi Evratesil 2018 In Eurovision2018 Lisbon SongQami (2018) Biography Sevak Khanagyan is an Armenian singer, born in Metsavan, Armenia but he also lived in Kursk, Russia. By the time he was seven, Sevak was already playing a synthesizer, and was later admitted to a music school where he had been attending accordion classes for a long time. In Kursk, he entered a music college. Sevak studied pop and jazz more in-depth, and in and in 2014 received a diploma from the Faculty of World Music. Sevak began his career

Read More »

Despina Olympiou

About Quick Facts NameDespina Olympiou Born17 October 1975 Nationality🇨🇾 Cypriot National SelectionInternal selection 2013 In Eurovision2013 Malmö SongAn Me Thimasai (2013) Biography Despina Olympiou, also known as Dena Olympiou, is a Cypriot singer. Despina Olympiou grew up in Limassol, Cyprus. Her musical journey began there, later taking her to London where she studied piano and music theory at Trinity College.  Launching her music career in 1992, Olympiou relocated to Athens, Greece in 1993. During her time there, she collaborated with renowned artists like Yiannis Parios, Haris Alexiou, and Dimitris Mitropanos, to name a few. Notably, she featured on the George Sarri

Read More »