Eurovision Daily

Ira Losco became a Eurovision return visitor last year, when she represented her country Malta for the second time. She appeared first in 2002 with the song '7th Wonder', which reached second place. Last year's song, 'Walk on water' was less successful, placing 12th in a field of 26 competitors. She was born on 31 July 1981 and has had quite a successful career in her native Malta. She has appeared in front of audiences ranging from 1,000 to 80,000, and has played alongside renowned international acts such as Elton John, Katie Melua, Maroon 5, Akon, Mel C, Ronan Keating, Bob Geldof, Tokio Hotel and Gigi D'Alessio.

Elena Gheorghe was born on 30 July 1985. In the first half of the 2000s, she joined the Romanian pop group Mandinga, with whom she released two albums. In 2006 she quit the group and started a solo career. After an internal selection, Gheorghe was elected to represent Romania in the Eurovision Song Contest 2009 with the song 'The Balkan Girls' written by Laurenţiu Duţă. After qualifying for the final, she finished in 19th place in a field of 25 competitors. After Eurovision she became more famous Europe-wide and released her signature song 'Disco romancing' which was a smash hit in Romania as well as a minor success in other European countries.

Rather surprisingly, no Eurovision performer has ever been born on 29 July as far as we know - nor has anyone ever passed away on this date. In that case, there's always the next best thing: a composer. And in 1931 on this day, a very renowned composer was born: Kjell Oddvar Karlsen, a Norwegian band leader, composer, arranger, jazz pianist and organist, with a career spanning more than 60 years. Inspired by the Nat King Cole jazz ensembles from the time of World War II, he started his own orchestra at the age of 16 in 1947, The Syncopators Band, in Sarpsborg, and he soon became a central figure in the local jazz scene. His Kjell Karlsen Orchestra performed the music in the national final of the Norwegian Melodi Grand Prix in 1966, 1967 and 1968. Karlsen also was the composer of 'Kom sol, kom regn', which represented Norway in 1962, as performed by Inger Jacobsen.

'Open your heart' was one of the most upbeat Icelandic entries to the Eurovision Song Contest ever. This bright, poppy song was performed by Birgitta Haukdal at the 2003 edition. Born on 28 July 1979, she started her music career at 20, replacing the lead vocalist of the group Írafár. They released their debut album 'Allt sem ég sé' in early November. It is Iceland's fastest selling pop album of the last 25 years, reaching platinum - which is not common in Iceland. Birgitta was chosen to represent Iceland with 'Open your heart' the next year. The song finished in eighth place in a field of 26 competitors.

Peppino di Capri was born today in 1939, which means that he is celebrating his 78th birthday. He's one of the oldest Eurovision artists still alive and still performing. As recently as last year, he released the song 'Sogno di una sera', his 501st published song. Back in 1991, he performed at the Eurovision Song Contest hosted in Italy with 'Comme e' ddoce 'o mare', sung in Neapolitan. The song finished in 7th place, in a field of 22 competitors.

Ann-Christine Nyström was born in Helsinki (Finland) on 26 July 1944. She is perhaps best known for her performance at the 1966 Eurovision Song Contest, representing Finland with the song 'Playboy'. The song finished in 10th place, in a field of 18 competitors. She got her big breakthrough in 1962 with the song 'Kun twistataan', a Finnish version of 'Let's Twist Again'. The year before, she had won a talent contest, with a five-year record contract as the prize. But she never released an album. She did however release about 30 singles between 1962 and 1969. Although she is Finnish-Swedish, she recorded all of her songs in Finnish and English. In 1973, she decided to quit the music business and worked in the banking world for over 30 years. She did make a few exceptions, performing in Finnish television programmes in 2003 and 2005, and performing as a puppetist in the Finnish Melodifestival in 2007.

In 2015, Greek Cypriot singer Giannis Karagiannis impressed the audience with his song 'One thing I should have done'. Born on 25 July 1994, he was just 20 years old when he performed on the Eurovision stage. After qualifying for the final, he finally reached number 22 in a field of 27 competitors. The song did become a minor hit in Austria, where it reached number 61 in the singles chart.

Reynaert was born as Joseph Reynaerts on 24 July 1955 in Seraing, Belgium. He started busking at the age of 18. In 1978 he won the annual music competition in the town of Spa with the song 'Cerf-volant' ('Kite'), which was released as a single Another single, 'Pas assez' ('Not enough'), followed in 1982 and he released his first album in 1984. In 1988, Reynaert's song 'Laissez briller le soleil' ('Let the sun shine') was chosen as the Belgian representative in the 33rd Eurovision Song Contest. Quite possibly the best entry of Belgium in the Contest ever - in my opinion at least - it finished in joint 18th place of 21 entries, having received points solely from the French jury.

Tal Sondak was born on 23 July 1976. His musical career started at the age of ten as a member of a boys choir. He received several first prizes at children's song festivals, most recently as a 15-year-old, where he won with a song that he had written himself. He has represented Israel at several music festivals and sung for the Jewish community in Denmark, the USA, Switzerland and Canada. He has been a frequent guest on TV programs and in several musical projects in Israel. In 2001, Sondak represented Israel in the Eurovision Song Contest with the song "En Davar" and reached 16th place in a field of 23 competitors.

It is 21 years ago today that Inger Jacobsen died of cancer, aged 72. Born on 13 October 1923, she made her first recordings during World War II and became a popular singer and actress in the post-war period, appearing often on television and radio, and in films and stage productions, until shortly before her death. In 1962, Jacobsen was chosen to represent Norway at the seventh Eurovision Song Contest with the song 'Kom sol, kom regn' ('Come sun, come rain'). The song finished in joint tenth place of the 16 entries, having picked up just two votes, both from the French jury.

Joanna Deborah Bussinger - who became known as Debra Scarlett professionally - was born on 20 July 1993 in Basel, Switzerland to Norwegian parents. The family moved to Nittedal, Norway where her family origin from when she was six. However, she returned to Switzerland at the age of ten. In the fall of 2013 she participated in the Norwegian talent program The Voice. During the song competition, she coveted artists like Florence and the Machine, Rihanna, Sonny Bono and The Black Keys. She later referred to the participation in the program as a "door opener": "The Voice started my career and became a door opener. After that, I've worked a lot with the music and I've grown older and more confident." In the fall of 2014 she returned to Norway, where she received a request from artist Kjetil Mørland to contribute to a song to the Melodi Grand Prix. The song 'A monster like me' became Norway's contribution to the 2015 Eurovision Song Contest 201...

Amila Glamočak was born on 19 July 1966 in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia. She participated in the 1996 Eurovision Song Contest with the song 'Za našu ljubav' for Bosnia and Herzegovina, finishing in 22nd place in a field of 23 competitors. She appeared in the Bosnian national final on two other occasions (2001 and 2003) but failed to qualify. She now lives in Turkey and is remarried.

Sabahudin Kurt (born 18 July 1935) is a Bosnian folk and pop singer. Kurt represented Yugoslavia in Copenhagen in the 1964 Eurovision Song Contest with the song 'Život je sklopio krug' ('Life has come full circle'). He finished in thirteenth place in a field of sixteen competitors, with zero points. After suffering a heart attack and having triple-bypass surgery in 2007, Kurt retired from music and decided to live out the rest of his life in the Bosnian countryside. He was among the guests honoring Serbian composer Kornelije Kovac on 25 November 2012 for the 50th anniversary of Kovac's professional career. He was again hospitalized 29 August 2014 due to "cardiovascular problems".

Born exactly 40 years ago today, Justyna Majkowska made a name for herself as a member of the Polish band Ich Troje. With the song 'Keine Grenzen - Zadnych Granic' they appeared at the 2003 Eurovision Song Contest. They finished in seventh place. Later on in 2003 Justyna left the band, only to return three years later. But in 2006 she came back and together with the other members of the band they represented Poland once more with the song 'Follow my heart'. This song was performed in English, Polish, German, Russian and Spanish. It failed to qualify for the final.

Today we celebrate the 71st birthday of Monica Aspelund. She became known in the Eurovision world when she represented Finland at the 1977 Eurovision Song Contest with the song 'Lapponia'. The song finished tenth in a field of eighteen competitors. Although this was a moderate placing, the song was released in twenty countries. Aspelund recorded the song in Dutch, English, French, German and Swedish as well as Finnish. In 1980, Aspelund divorced an emigrated to Florida with her then two-year-old son, performing locally and on cruise ships from time to time. In 2010 it was reported that she'd returned to Finland on a permanent basis.

Croatian singer Danijela Martinovic was born on 15 July 1971. She began singing from an early age. Her big break came in 1991 when she joined the pop band Magazin. Magazin had long been a big name on the Croatian music scene. They represented Croatia at the 1995 Eurovision Song Contest, along with the opera singer Lidija Horvat-Dunjko, they performed the song "Nostalgija" finishing in sixth place in a field of 23 competitors. After leaving Magazin in the late 1990's, Danijela pursued a solo career. She represented Croatia as a solo artist in the 1998 Eurovision Song Contest with the song 'Neka mi ne svane'. This was even more successful: she finished in fifth place in a field of 25 competitors. More recently, she had a summer hit in Croatia with the song 'Brodolom' in 2012. The song reached more than 3 million views on YouTube in less than one month.

Karel Gott represented Austria in the Eurovision Song Contest 1968 with the song 'Tausend Fenster', finishing in 13th place. This doesn't make him one of the most famous names in the history of the Contest, but he still had a long and fascinating career. He decided to become a professional singer in 1960. After studying opera at the Prague Conservatory he also became involved in popular music, releasing his debut single in 1962. It was a duet with Czech jazz singer Vlasta Pruchová. In the same year as his Eurovision performance, he spent six months performing nightly in Las Vegas. More international success followed in the 1970's and 1980's, followed by a farewell tour in 1990. The success of this tour made him reconsider, eventually causing him to keep performing to this day.

Canadian actress and siner Annie Cotton was born on 13 July 1975.When she was just 17 years old, she represented Switzerland in the 1993 Eurovision Song Contest with the song 'Moi, tout simplement'. Although she followed in the footsteps of fellow Canadian Celine Dion (being the second Canadian to represent Switzerland), she did not manage to win the Contest, finishing third in a field of 25 competitors. Cotton played a role in a TV series called Watatatow. On January 25, 2007, she appeared in the French Canadian long-time daily soap 'Virginie' as well-known artist Annie Cloutier.

Maja Sarihodžic was born 12 July 1981. She became known by her stage name Maya Sar. In 2005, Maya Sar graduated with a Bachelor of Music with concentration on piano from University of Sarajevo's Sarajevo Music Academy. Before she started her solo career, Sar was a backing vocalist for many famous singers, performing on the Eurovision stage in 2004 and 2011 in that capacity. She represented Bosnia and Herzegovina at the 2012 Eurovision Song Contest with the song 'Korake ti znam'. Although the song progressed from the semi-final into the final, its final placing was number 18 in a field of 25 competitors. It was Bosnia and Herzegovina's worst result in the Eurovision final since 1997. Still, it's a beautiful song as you can hear below.

Lauris Reiniks (born 11 July 1979 in Dobele, Latvia) is a Latvian pop music singer, songwriter, television host, and actor. Lauris has graduated from Jelgava Music college, studied, although never graduated, communication studies at the University of Latvia and trained as an actor in Los Angeles, California. He has released eight solo albums and singles in 11 languages. As a composer and recording artist Lauris Reiniks has received more than 20 National Latvian awards and has gained international recognition in the Baltic States. The millions of views of his music videos on YouTube has unofficially made him a "King of YouTube" in Latvia. In 2003 he formed the band F.L.Y. together with Yana Kay and Martinš Freimanis. With their song 'Hello from Mars' they represented Latvia at the Eurovision Song Contest. They received 5 points, placing 24th in a field of 26 competitors.

Anne-Cathrine Herdorf (born 10 July 1967 in Copenhagen) is a Danish singer and actress who represented Denmark with the group Bandjo at the 1987 Eurovision Song Contest. Performing the song 'En lille melodi' she finished in 5th place with 83 points. In 1992 she co-hosted the Danish national final - Dansk Melodi Grand Prix - with another Danish former Eurovision competitor, Anders Frandsen. She appeared at the national final again in 1999 as a jury member and was one of several guest presenters in 2001. From 1987 to 1993 she played acting roles in several Danish TV productions and from 2001 she has guested or performed as a singer on a number of TV shows.

Tó Cruz represented Portugal in 1995 with his song 'Baunilha e chocolate'. He was born as António José Ramos da Cruz in Lisbon on 9 July 1967 and started out as a studio backing singer and voice over performer for television and radio commercials. His appearance on the Eurovision stage was his first international performance. The song 'Baunilha e chocolate' did not prove popular with the juries, finishing in 21st place of the 23 entries after receiving points only from France and Greece. This was Portugal's lowest Eurovision placement ever at the time. His first album, 'Alma nua', was released in 1998, followed two years later by 'Camaleão', but neither sold well. In 2001, Cruz moved to the United States, where he recorded an English-language album under the name of António TC Cruz. Having returned to Portugal, Cruz provided more voiceover work for Disney's 2007 film 'Enchanted' and has sung with artists such as Laura Pausini, Paulo ...

Estonian singer Dagmar Oja was born on 8 July 1981. She graduated from the Georg Ots Music School of Tallinn, and become known as a backing singer for different pop acts of Estonia, such as Anne Veski, Maarja-Liis Ilus, Eda-Ines Etti or Ithaka Maria. After being a backing singer for Ira Losco (Malta, 2002), Sandra Oxenryd (Estonia, 2006), Jüri Pootsmann (Estonia, 2016) and Koit Toome and Laura Põldvere (Estonia, 2017). So far, she has not stood on the Eurovision stage on her own, but who knows what happens in the future... For today, we go back to 2002 and her Eurovision stage debut.

Rudolf Wijbrand Kesselaar (born on 19 December 1934) became better known as Rudi Carrell when he became a show host in the 1960's. He started in the Netherlands as a singer and presenter, but also found success in Germany where he became quite popular despite his poor pronunciation of German. His own 'Rudi Carrell Show' brought many German pop stars and actors to prominence. He also presented other shows such as 'Rudis Tagesshow', 'Die verflixte Sieben' and 'Am laufenden Band'. In 1987, he famously caused a diplomatic rift between Germany and Iran with a sketch in which veiled women threw their undergarments at someone dressed like Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khomeini. The Iranian government responded by expelling two German diplomats and permanently closing the Goethe Institute in Tehran. Before all this, Rudi Carrell performed 'Wat een geluk' at the 1960 Eurovision Song Contest, representing the Netherlands. The song only recei...

One of the mysteries of Eurovision is that sometimes catchy, modern pop songs don't make it to the finals anymore. Even if they are sung by beautiful young women. Perhaps in the case of Jana Burceska, who was born 24 years ago today, there was too much focus on her private life: she announced her pregnancy before her performance and shortly after it, she was proposed to by her boyfriend Alexander and she accepted - all on air. All this took the focus away from this year's entry from Macedonia: 'Dance alone', a song written by Joacim Persson, Johan Alkanaes, Florence A. and Borislav Milanov. Although a hit in Macedonia, the song didn't qualify for this year's Eurovision final.

Born as Lucia Pérez Vizcaino on 5 July 1985, Lucia Perez entered the Eurovision stage in 2011 with the song 'Que me quiten lo bailao'. She debuted in 2003 with her album 'Amores y amores'. Two years later, she represented Spain in the Viña del Mar International Song Festival in Chile and she placed second in the international competition with the song "Qué haría contigo". After releasing four albums, she took part in the Spanish selection process for the Eurovision Song Contest in 2011. At the final that took place in Düsseldorf, Germany on 14 May she placed 23rd. However, she was 16th in the separate televoting result. It did not harm her recording career: in 2014 she released her sixth album.

France can be proud of their earliest Eurovision winner, André Claveau. 'Dors mon amour' has proved to be a timeless Eurovision classic, which you'll find out if you listen to the song below. Unfortunately, he passed away 14 years ago today. André Claveau was born on 17 December 1911. He was the only son of a tapestry maker and decided from an early age to become a craftsman. He studied woodwork and cabinetmaking, but then started working as a graphic designer and jewelry designer. His career as a singer began in 1936, when he participated in a talent show - and won. During World War II his voice and charisma allowed him to become the host of a variety show on Radio Paris 4. After the war, he started appearing in numerous films. On 7 February 1958, André was one of the candidates of the French national selection for the third edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. The song Dors, mon amour was chosen and, performed by André, it won. He became the first male artist to ...

As a matter of principle, this blog does not celebrate the birthdays of Eurovision stars that are already deceased, but today there is an exception to the rule, because according to our research there are no births or deaths in Eurovision land, amazingly enough! Vice Vukov was born on this day in 1936. During the 1960's, he was one of the most popular singers in Yugoslavia. He was chosen to represent his country both in 1963 and in 1965. The songs he performed were 'Brodovi' (ending in 11th place in a field of 16 competitors) and 'Čežnja' (ending in 12th place in a field of 18 competitors). After being outlawed in Yugoslavia his singing career effectively ended in the early 1970's. Later on in his life he became one of the most noteworthy Croatian singers when Croatia became an independent country following the breakup of Yugoslavia. After a political career, he had a critical injury after slipping and falling from the stairs in the Parliament building and ...

Roman Lob (born 2 July 1990) is a German recording artist. His career started in 2007, when he competed in the fourth season of the 'Idols' programme, entitled 'Deutschland sucht den Superstar' in Germany. He had to quit because of a vocal infection when he'd advanced to the top 20 contestants. More bad luck followed when he took part in the competition to represent Germany at the Eurovision Song Contest in 2008 as part of the band G12P. Their song 'When the boys come' was not chosen to participate in the national final. In January and February 2012, Lob was a contestant in the national finals, this time as a solo artist. 'Standing Still' was a song written by British musician Jamie Cullum. It became the German entry at the Eurovision Song Contest 2012 in Baku, finishing in 8th place.

Catherine Ferry was born on 1 July 1953. She rose to fame when she represented France with the song 'Un, deux, trois' at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1976. The song ended up in second place. Among the backing vocalists was Daniel Balavoine. She worked and was produced mainly by Daniel Balavoine, a famous French singer who wrote nearly 30 songs for her. At the end of the 1980's, she retired from the music scene, not long after Balavoine passed away. In 2010, 'Un, deux, trois' was selected to appear in the new movie 'Potiche', by French director François Ozon, starring Catherine Deneuve and Gérard Depardieu.