The Swedish Final, Melodifestivalen 2010, was held on March 13th at the Globe Theatre in Stockholm, hosted by Måns Zelmerlöw, Christine Meltzer Lind & Dolph Lundgren. The winner was chosen by 11 juries (5 regional & 6 international) (50%) and televoting (50%).
Before the final there were 5 semi-finals
The Swedish Semi-Finals were also hosted by Måns Zelmerlöw, Christine Meltzer Lind & Dolph Lundgren. The first 4 semi-finals had two rounds of televoting. In the first round, the top song automatically qualified for the final, while the bottom 3 songs were eliminated. In the second round, the top song (out of the remaining 4) also qualified for the final, while the 2nd & 3rd placed songs went forward to the 5th semi-final where they had a second chance to qualify for the final. In the 5th semi-final songs competed in groups of pairs. The most popular song from each pairing was chosen by televoting, then the winners of pairs 1 & 2 competed against each other to qualify for the final as did the winners of pairs 3 & 4.
Semi-Final 1 - February 6th - Swedbank Arena, Örnsköldsvik
1. Keep on walking - Salem Al Fakir 2. Unstoppable - Ola 3. I did it for love - Jessica Andersson 4. Road salt - Pain of Salvation 5. You're making me hot-hot-hot - Linda Pritchard 6. The saviour - Anders Ekborg 7. Singel - Frispråkarn 8. A place to stay - Jenny Silver
Semi-Final 2 - February 13th - Göransson Arena, Sandviken
1. Manboy - Eric Saade 2. We can work it out - Andreas Johnson 3. Underbart - Kalle Moraeus & Orsa Spelmän 4. Sucker for love - Pauline 5. Manipulated - Hanna Lindblad 6. Hippare hoppare - Andra Generationen & Dogge Doggelito 7. Come and get me now - Highlights & MiSt 8. Innan alla ljusen brunnit ut - Anna Maria Espinosa
Semi-Final 3 - February 20th - Scandinavium, Gothenburg
1. Kom - Timoteij 2. You're out of my life - Darin 3. Heaven or hell - Crucified Barbara 4. Headlines - Alcazar 5. Hur kan jag tro på kärlek - Erik Linder 6. Yeba - Getty Domein 7. Doctor doctor - Elin Lanto 8. Tonight - Johannes Bah Kuhnke
Semi-Final 4 - February 27th - Malmö Arena, Malmö
1. This is my life - Anna Bergendahl 2. Hollow - Peter Jöback 3. Jag vill om du vågar - Pernilla Wahlgren 4. Human frontier - NEO 5. Idiot - Noll Disciplin 6. Thursdays - Lovestoned 7. Stop - Sibel 8. Magisk stjärna - Py Bäckman
Semi-Final 5 - March 6th - Conventum Arena, Örebro
Road salt - Pain of Salvation (out) V Jag vill om du vågar - Pernilla Wahlgren Sucker for love - Pauline (out) V Heaven or hell - Crucified Barbara Underbart - Kalle Moraeus & Orsa Spelmän V Human frontier - NEO (out) Headlines - Alcazar (out) V I did it for love - Jessica Andersson
Jag vill om du vågar - Pernilla Wahlgren (Final) V Heaven or hell - Crucified Barbara Underbart - Kalle Moraeus & Orsa Spelmän V I did it for love - Jessica Andersson (Final)
The Final - March 13th - Globen, Stockholm
01. This is my life - Anna Bergendahl, 214 points 02. Keep on walking - Salem Al Fakir, 183 points 03. Manboy - Eric Saade, 159 points 04. You're out of my life - Darin, 117 points 05. Kom - Timoteij, 95 points 06. We can work it out - Andreas Johnson, 50 points 07. Unstoppable - Ola, 47 points 08. I did it for love - Jessica Andersson, 37 points 09. Hollow - Peter Jöback, 32 points 10. Jag vill om du vågar - Pernilla Wahlgren, 12 points
Anna Bergendahl was the eventual winner and represented Sweden with her song This Is My Life which was written by Kristian Lagerström and Bobby Ljunggren.
Sweden competed in the second semi-final of the contest on May 27 2010, performing sixth on stage. Sweden finished in 11th place with 62 points and failed to qualify for the final marking the first time being unsuccessful to pass the semi-final stage since they were introduced in 2004 and the first time since 1976 that they have missed the main show.
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Anna Henrietta Bergendahl (born December 11 1991) is a Swedish singer. She was born in Hägersten, Stockholm and raised in Nyköping and Katrineholm. Anna Bergendahl is of partial Irish descent as her grandmother was born and lives in Ireland, and Anna's first performance in front of an audience was made in a cathedral in York when she was only eight years old. She took part in Swedish TV4 music program Super Troupers in 2004, and in Idol 2008 where she reached the Final 5 before being eliminated.
Anna successfully applied for the TV4 talent show Idol 2008 with her rendition of Bonnie Raitt's Have a Heart which received praises from the jury which consisted of Laila Bagge, Anders Bagge and Andreas Carlsson. She later sang songs like ABBA's Mamma Mia, Py Bäckman's Stad i ljus, Save Up All Your Tears, Bleeding Love by Leona Lewis, The Best and Over the Rainbow.
Anna Bergendahl finished fifth in the Idol season which was later won by Kevin Borg.
In 2009 Anna was approached by Kristian Lagerström and Bobby Ljunggren and asked if she wanted to record a song for Melodifestivalen 2010.
Anna Bergendahl participated in Melodifestivalen 2010 with the song This Is My Life, written and produced by Kristian Lagerström (lyrics) and Bobby Ljunggren (music). The song won the final in Ericsson Globe on March 13, 2010, with 214 points. Anna Bergendahl represented Sweden at the Eurovision Song Contest 2010 in Bærum, Norway, where she became the first Swedish singer not to qualify for the final since the introduction of the semifinals in 2004 (although she placed 11th, just outside the top 10 qualifiers by a margin of 5 points). This Is My Life was the first ballad to win Melodifestivalen since 1998 when Kärleken är won and was also Sweden's 50th entry in the Eurovision Song Contest.
After Eurovision Anna participated in Allsång på Skansen, Sommarkrysset, and Lotta på Liseberg. She also went on a tour and sang songs from her debut album.
The Swedish Final, Melodifestivalen 2009, was held on March 14th at the Globe Theatre in Stockholm, hosted by Petra Mede. The winner was chosen by televoting (50%) and 11 regional juries & an international jury (50%).
Before the final there were 5 semi-finals.
The Swedish Semi-Finals were also hosted by Petra Mede. The first 4 semi-finals had three rounds of televoting. In the first round, the top 5 songs were chosen, before the top 4 songs were chosen in the second round. In the third round, songs competed in pairs (indicated below by P1 & P2). The most popular song from the second round competed against the song that came 4th, and the 2nd & 3rd placed songs also competed against each other. The winner of each pair qualified for the final, while the other song went forward to the 5th semi-final where they had a second chance to qualify for the final. In the 5th semi-final songs competed in groups of pairs. The most popular song from each pairing was chosen by televoting, then the winners of pairs 1 & 2 competed against each other to qualify for the final as did the winners of pairs 3 & 4. An international jury selected one song from the first 4 semi-finals, and after all the semi-finals had been held they awarded a 'wildcard' for the final. The international jury's favourites were Caroline af Ugglas, Amy Diamond, Sofia & Sarah Dawn Finer - Sofia was awarded the 'wildcard'.
Results:
Semi-Final 1 - February 7th - Scandinavium, Gothenburg
1. Stay the night - Alcazar (P1) (Final)
2. You're my world - Emilia (P2) (Final)
3. Snälla, snälla - Caroline af Ugglas (P2) (Second Chance)
4. Jag tror på oss - Scotts (P1) (Second Chance)
5. Tick tock - Nina Söderquist (out)
6. Disconnect me - Marie Serneholt (out)
7. Welcome to my life - Jonathan Fagerlund (out)
8. Med hjärtat fyllt av ljus - Shirley Clamp (out)
Semi-Final 2 - February 14th - Skellefteå Kraft Arena, Skellefteå
1. Hope & glory - Måns Zelmerlöw (P2) (Final)
2. 1000 miles - H.E.A.T (P1) (Final)
3. It's my life - Amy Diamond (P1) (Second Chance)
4. Show me heaven - Lili & Susie (P2) (Second Chance)
5. What if - Cookies 'n Beans (out)
6. Kärlekssång från mig - Markoolio (out)
7. Never been here before - Jennifer Brown (out)
8. Jag ska slåss i dina kvarter! - Lasse Lindh & Bandet (out)
Semi-Final 3 - February 21st - Ejendals Arena, Leksand
1. Baby goodbye - E.M.D. (P1) (Final)
2. Så vill stjärnorna - Molly Sandén (P2) (Final)
3. You're not alone - BWO (P2) (Second Chance)
4. I got u - Rigo & The Topaz Sound feat. Red Fox (P1) (Second Chance)
5. Du vinner över mig! - Mikael Rickfors (out)
6. The queen - Velvet (out)
7. Alla - Sofia (out)
8. Här för mig själv - Gullstrand (out)
Semi-Final 4 - February 28th - Malmö Arena, Malmö
1. La Voix - Malena Ernman (P2) (Final)
2. Love love love - Agnes (P1) (Final)
3. Higher - Star Pilots (P1) (Second Chance)
4. Moving on - Sarah Dawn Finer (P2) (Second Chance)
5. Sweet kissin' in the moonlight - Thorleifs (out)
6. Esta noche - Next 3 (out)
7. Killing me tenderly - Anna Sahlene & Maria Haukaas Storeng (out)
8. Du är älskad där du går - Susanne Alfvengren (out)
Semi-Final 5 - March 7th - Himmelstalundshallen, Norrköping
Jag tror på oss - Scotts (out) V Moving on - Sarah Dawn Finer (Q)
Show me heaven - Lili & Susie (Q) V You're not alone - BWO (out)
It's my life - Amy Diamond (out) V Star Higer - Pilots (Q)
I got u - Rigo & The Topaz Sound feat. Red Fox (out) V Snälla, snälla - Caroline af Ugglas (Q)
Moving on - Sarah Dawn Finer (Final) V Show me heaven - Lili & Susie (out)
Higher - Star Pilots (out) V Snälla, snälla - Caroline af Ugglas (Final)
The Final - March 14 - Globen, Stockholm
01. La voix - Malena Ernman, 182 points
02. Snälla, snälla - Caroline af Ugglas, 171 points
03. Baby goodbye - E.M.D., 145 points
04. Hope & glory - Måns Zelmerlöw, 144 points
05. Stay the night - Alcazar, 139 points
06. Moving on - Sarah Dawn Finer, 87 points
07. 1000 miles - H.E.A.T., 82 points
08. Love love love - Agnes, 40 points
09. You're my world - Emilia, 28 points
10. Alla - Sofia, 12 points
11. Så vill stjärnorna - Molly Sandén, 2 points
The final winner was Malena Ernman with the pop/opera song La voix, composed by Ernman and last year's winning composer Fredrik Kempe, and was sung in both English and French. Ernman received top marks from the televoting public, and only came 8th with the juries. Second place went to Caroline af Ugglas with Snälla snälla, while third place went to boyband E.M.D. with Baby Goodbye.
Since Sweden is not one of the "Big Four" and was not the host of the 2009 contest, it had to compete in one of the two semi-finals.
Following a draw in Moscow, the Swedish entrant took part in the first semi-final on 12 May 2009, performing 5th. At the semifinal, Sweden's entry qualified for the final, which took take place on May 16. Sweden finished 21st of 25 participants with just 33 points.
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Sara Magdalena Malena Ernman (born November 4, 1970 in Uppsala, Sweden) is a Swedish opera singer (coloratura mezzo-soprano). Malena Ernman is a versatile artist in her field, who outside the world of opera and operettas also has performed chansons, cabaret, jazz, appeared in musicals and she is a performer who's declared that she's very much attracted to the attributes of varité theatre and small, intimate stage rooms. Malena represented Sweden at the Eurovision Song Contest 2009 in Moscow, Russia. Malena Ernman is a member of The Royal Swedish Academy of Music.
Malena has sung in many opereas and operettas and she is today a highly renowned concert artist with concerts in Tokyo, Berlin, Madrid, Rome, Paris, London and Los Angeles. She has performed with many notable conductors and artists.
On November 28, 2008 it was announced that Malena Ernman would enter Melodifestivalen 2009 for the Eurovision Song Contest 2009, with the song La voix written by Fredrik Kempe. On February 28, 2009 Malena competed in the 4th semi-final of Melodifestivalen in Malmö and was announced as a finalist. She then went on to win the final on March 14 at the Globe Arena in Stockholm and to represent Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest 2009 in Moscow. Sweden was put into the first of two semifinals from which the songs would advance to the finals. At the end of SF1, Ernman emerged as a finalist. La voix was the first Swedish entry to contain a substantial amount of French lyrics, written by Ernman herself who speaks French fluently. Malena revealed that the dress for her Eurovision performance cost 400,000 kronor (€37,471) and was made by designer Camilla Thulin. Singer Dea Norberg joined Ernman as one of the choirgirls. She qualified through the first semi final on May 12 to the final on May 16 where she finished 21st with 33 points.
The Swedish Final, Melodifestivalen 2008, was held on March 15th at the Globe Theatre in Stockholm, hosted by Kristian Luuk. The winner was chosen by regional juries (50%) and televoting (50%).
The 5 Swedish Semi-Finals were also hosted by Kristian Luuk. In the first 4 semi-finals there were two rounds of televoting - the first to select the top 5 and the second to select the top 2 songs to qualify directly for the final and the 3rd and 4th placed songs that went forward to the 5th semi-final. In the 5th semi-final songs competed in groups of pairs. The most popular song from each pairing was chosen by televoting, then the winners of pairs 1 & 2 competed against each other to qualify for the final as did the winners of pairs 3 & 4.
The final was won by Charlotte Perrelli with the song Hero, which was written and composed by Fredrik Kempe and Bobby Ljunggren. Sanna Nielsen, who was the favourite of televoters, came second, as she did not receive enough points from the 11 juries.
Results:
Semi-Final 1 - February 9th - Scandinavium, Gothenburg
1. Thank you - Amy Diamond
2. I love Europe - Christer Sjögren
3. Line of fire - E-Type & The Poodles
4. Visst finns mirakel - Suzzie Tapper
5. Déjà vu - Velvet
6. That's love - Michael Michailoff
7. Lullaby - Brandur
8. Alla gamla x - Face-84
Semi-Final 2 - February 16th - ABB Arena - Västerås
1. Empty Room - Sanna Nielsen
2. Just a minute - Rongedal
3. One love - Johnson & Häggkvist
4. Love in stereo _ Ola
5. Kebabpizza Slivovitza - Andra Generationen
6. Du behöver aldrig mer vara rädd - Lasse Lindh
7. Den första svalan - Alexander Schöld
8. Razborka - The Nicole
Semi-Final 3 - February 23rd - Cloetta Center, Linköping
1. Lay Your Love on Me - BWO
2. Upp o hoppa - Frida feat. Headline
3. Smiling in Love - Caracola
4. When you need me - Thérèse Andersson
5. Under mitt tunna skinn - Patrik Isaksson & Bandet
6. Jag saknar dig ibland - Ainbusk
7. Izdajice - Mickey Huskić
8. Hallelujah New World - Eskobar
Semi-Final 4 - March 1st - Telenor Arena Karlskrona, Karlskrona
1. Hero - Charlotte Perrelli
2. Hur svårt kan det va - Linda Bengtzing
3. That Is Where I'll Go - Sibel
4. I lågornas sken - Nordman
5. If I Could - Calaisa
6. Ingen mår så bra som jag - Fronda
7. Pame - Daniel Mitsogiannis
8. För många ord om kärlek - Niklas Strömstedt
Semi-Final 5 - March 9th - Arena Arctica, Kiruna
Line of fire - E-Type & The Poodles (-) V That's where I'll go - Sibel (Q)
Love in stereo - Ola (Q) V Caracola - Smiling in love (-)
One love - Johnson & Häggkvist V I lågornas sken - Nordman (Q)
When you need me - Thérèse Andersson V Visst finns mirakel - Suzzie Tapper (Q)
That's where I'll go - Sibel (F) V Love in stereo - Ola (-)
I lågornas sken - Nordman (F) V Visst finns mirakel - Suzzie Tapper (-)
The Final - March 15 - Globen, Stockholm
01. Hero - Charlotte Perrelli, 224 points
02. Empty room - Sanna Nielsen, 206 points
03. Lay your love on me - BWO, 158 points
04. Just a minute - Rongedal, 142 points
05. Hur svårt kan det va? - Linda Bengtzing, 64 points
06. I lågornas sken - Nordman, 48 points
07. There is where I'll go - Sibel, 39 points
08. Thank you - Amy Diamond, 36 points
09. I love europe - Christer Sjögren, 23 points
10. Upp o hoppa - Frida feat. Headline, 6 points
At the ESC, Charlotte Perrelli competed in the second semi-final on 22 May. She did
not actually finished among the ten best, but thanks to the new rule
that the last finalist will be chosen by the back-up juries, she took
the final ticket at the expense of Macedonia. The actual placement was
12th, 7 points after Macedonia and 2 points after Bulgaria. She was
drawn into the 15th spot in the final. Although being one of the heavy
favorites before the final, Sweden did not finish higher than 18th,
receiving only 47 points.
***
Charlotte Perrelli (born Anna Jenny Charlotte Nilsson on 7 October 1974, in Hovmantorp, Kronobergs län, Sweden) is a Swedish singer and occasional television host, perhaps most famous for winning the 1999 Melodifestivalen and subsequently that year's Eurovision Song Contest with the song Take Me to Your Heaven. She is one of Sweden's most popular female singers, often performing at
Sweden's top shows. Throughout her career, she has worked with different
types of music, ranging from dansband and schlager, via modern pop, to
soulful ballads and jazz.
At thirteen Charlotte joined a local dansband in Hovmantorp in the Småland-province in southern Sweden. The band Bengt Ingvars became Bengt Ingvars med Charlotte. After finishing her compulsory school education, Perrelli moved from Hovmantorp to the neighbouring town of Växjö where she attended the High School of Performing Arts. She also became the lead singer of the band Kendix.
In 1994, Charlotte started singing with the well-established dansband Anders Engbergs. After two albums, Perrelli left the band and joined the highly successful dansband Wizex in 1997. The years with Wizex gave Charlotte the opportunity to develop her skills as a performer. Larger venues and professional management produced results. In 1998 the band was nominated for a Swedish Grammis for the album Mot nya mål, and the album Tusen och en natt sold gold. Perrelli was ready to go solo. Between 1997–1998 Charlotte also starred as the training instructor Millan Svensson in the Swedish soap opera Vita lögner.
After being selected as the Swedish contestant for the 1999 Eurovision Song Contest by winning that year's Melodifestivalen, Charlotte went to Jerusalem in late May to compete with her song Take Me To Your Heaven. She won and her solo career really took to the skies. The following months were hectic for Charlotte, she toured Europe and the Middle East, promoting her Take me to your heaven and started working on her first solo album, the self titled Charlotte. Later that year she was voted Sweden's sexiest woman by the magazine Café. She later released I write you a lovesong, together with debut album Charlotte, which was well-received. Throughout the rest of the year, she toured Europe, the Middle East and parts of Asia in support of her album. For the Eurovision Song Contest 2000, Charlotte did not make an appearance due to a conflict between her and the SVT.
In 2001 she released her second album, Miss Jealousy, a pop/rock album which included the top 20 hit single You Got Me Going Crazy, written by Johan Åberg and Paul Rein, known for their work with Christina Aguilera and Victoria Beckham. This song would later become the debut single for Spanish singer Natalia, whose Spanish version of the song Vas a volverme loca in 2002 sold over 200,000 in Spain alone, a record for that year. The album also contained the radio hit Light of my life. During the months after the release, she promoted the album throughout Europe, and also travelled to New Zealand, to promote her work.
Charlotte hosted the first semifinal of Melodifestivalen 2003 together with Mark Levengood and Lena Philipsson. In April 2003 she performed in Jesus Christ Superstar. In September she released the new single Broken Heart, which was followed up by the album Gone Too Long in June 2004, containing hits like Gone too long, Flashdance and Million miles away.
After the success in Melodifestivalen 2003, Charlotte was once again offered to host Melodifestivalen 2004. Charlotte Perrelli, Peter Settman and Ola Lindholm hosted the entire tour together. After the festival, Swedish TV4 offered her an own show on the channel. The show was called Super Troupers which was a talent-show for kids. One of the contestants was Amy Diamond, who is now a successful and singer also Alice Svensson who later came first runner-up in Idol 2008.
In mid-2004 she released her, until then, most successful album, Gone Too Long, which included songs by some of Sweden's top producers, including Jörgen Elofsson. The album topped the Swedish top for weeks and contained hits like A million miles away and Gone too long. In the summer, she joined Robert Wells, Jill Johnson and others on the Rhapsody In Rock-tour in mid-2004. In the spring of 2005, she was a judge on Inför Eurovision, a TV show which previewed that year's Eurovision songs.
In 2006, she released the album I din röst, in honour of the famous jazz singer Monica Zetterlund, which contained Monica's most famous songs, along with some personal favorites and the soul-ballad I din röst, written by Charlotte for the album. The album was successful, and she performed many of the songs in Sweden's top shows like Allsång på Skansen and Nationaldagen. She also co-hosted the TV-show Tillsammans för världens barn in October, where she also performed The Greatest Love of all.
In May, 2007 Charlotte was the Swedish expert in the Nordic preview show panel discussion about the Eurovision Song Contest. The contestants and their songs and chances to win were commented on. She was also a part of the panel in 2005.
In mid-2007 Charlotte toured Sweden with the yearly successful Diggiloo. She was joined by singers such as Linda Bengtzing, Lasse Holm, Molly Sandén, Lotta Engberg and Jan Johansen. During the summer she released the love ballad Som du which she performed att the popular show Sommarkrysset. During the autumn she released the single disco song Jag är tillbaks which she performed at the show Babban & Co. Both singles had moderate success.
On 15 March 2008 Perrelli performed and won Melodifestivalen 2008 again with her song Hero at the Stockholm Globe Arena. Hero became an enormous hit in Sweden, topping the charts for several weeks and becoming the most sold single of 2008 for a Swedish artist. She went on to represent Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest 2008 in Belgrade, Serbia, where she advanced to the finals. Before Eurovision, she went out on an enormous tour, performing at popular TV shows in 17 nations, in order to promote Hero.
On 14 April Charlotte filmed the music video for Hero on location in Stockholm. She also released her album titled Hero, which went on to sell platinum in Sweden. Although Hero was one of the favourites to win the Eurovision Song Contest 2008, it ended 18th out of 25 entries in the final, with 47 points in total. After Eurovision, the song Bullet was released as a single, and it performed moderately on the Swedish charts. Perrelli started rehearsals for Rhapsody in Rock along with Robert Wells, with whom she toured with during that summer. Perrelli and Robert did a concert in Beijing, China during the 2008 Summer Olympics. In August, it was revealed that Charlotte had signed a record deal with a Chinese record label. As a result, her album Hero was released inside China.
During the autumn, she worked on her Christmas album Rimfrostjul, which was released in November. She also performed at several of Sweden's top TV-shows, such as Sommarkrysset, Victoriadagen and Nationaldagen. On 31 October 2008 Charlotte was a guest judge and coach for the remaining contestants on Idol 2008. In November and December, she promoted her Christmas album and toured Sweden in a set of Christmas concerts.In the beginning of 2009, she travelled to Beijing to perform in a series of TV-shows. She worked as a judge on the Swedish show Talang 2009.
At the Schlager pride in Stockholm in July 2009, she announced that she will release a new album in 2010. This was later changed to 2012. Charlotte recorded a new single for the Swedish Royal Wedding in June 2010 together with pop singer Magnus Carlsson titled Mitt livs gemal, which was very well-received and performed throughout Sweden. In August, she released her first fitness book titled Kan du Kan jag. In December 2010, she toured Swedish churches with her material from her Christmas album Rimfrostjul. Charlotte was also a judge on Talang 2010. She returned as a judge for Talang 2011 which is the series fifth season. During the Summer, she toured with Diggiloo once more. In November 2011, she confirmed that she would play Eva Peron in the musical Evita at the Malmoe Opera, something which she described as a dream come true.
In November 2011, it was announced that she would once again participate in Melodifestivalen 2012 with the entry The Girl by Fredrik Kempe in hopes of representing Sweden at the Eurovision Song Contest 2012 in Baku, Azerbaijan. In the fourth semifinal of the show, she came 5th, and failed to qualify to the final. Nonetheless, she released her seventh album titled The Girl, which contained 8 new tracks. One of the tracks was called Little Braveheart, which was a duet with the successful Belgian singer Kate Ryan. She also released her own perfume and shimmering lotion titled The Girl, which was an enormous success. In the summer of 2012, she will once again tour with Diggiloo. After this, she will release her second fitness book, and then play Eva Peron in the musical Evita at the Malmö Opera.
In 2003, Charlotte married Stockholm-based Swedish-Italian restaurateur Nicola Ingrosso, brother of Emilio Ingrosso who had been married to another Swedish singer, Pernilla Wahlgren. Following a feud with Ingrosso's family, Charlotte and Nicola decided to change their last names to Perrelli. They have two sons; Angelo (born in 2004) and Alessio (born in 2005). After speculations in Swedish media that their relationship was on the rocks, the couple officially announced their separation in June 2008. It is believed that Charlotte's heavy workload was a contributing factor to the couple's split. On 24 September 2009, the couple filed for divorce.
In 2012, Perrelli announced that she is not single in a Swedish radio interview, and that she has been dating an unknown man for a while. It was later confirmed that this was Anders Jensen.
The Swedish Final was held on March 10th at the Globe Theatre in Stockholm, hosted by Kristian Luuk. The winner was chosen by regional juries (50%) and televoting (50%) - The Ark were the favourite with both.
The 5 Swedish Semi-Finals were also hosted by Kristian Luuk. In the first 4 semi-finals there were two rounds of televoting - the first to select the top 5 and the second to select the top 2 songs to qualify directly for the final and the 3rd and 4th placed songs that went forward to the 5th semi-final. In the 5th semi-final songs competed in groups of pairs. The most popular song from each pairing was chosen by televoting, then the winners of pairs 1 & 2 competed against each other to qualify for the final as did the winners of pairs 3 & 4.
Some familiar faces returned to Melodifestivalen this year; among them Eurovision 1989 representative Tommy Nilsson, 1966 representative Svante Thuresson, 2003 representative Jessica Andersson, and 1996 representative Nanne Grönvall. Andreas Lundstedt also went to Eurovision in 2006 for Switzerland.
The Ark won with the song The Worrying Kind which was written by Ola Salo.
Results:
Semi-Final 1 - February 3rd - Kinnarps Arena, Jönköping
1. Samba Sambero - Anna book
2. Jag tror på människan - Tommy Nilsson
3. Money - Elin Lanto
4. God morgon - Uno & Irma
5. Anything But You - Andersson & Gibson
6. Move - Andreas Lundstedt
7. Hypnotised - Sofia
8. Clubbin' - Addis Black Widow
Semi-Final 2 - February 10th - Scandinavium, Gothenburg
1. The Worrying Kind - The Ark
2. Trying To Recall - Marie Lindberg
3. Amanda - Jimmy Jansson
4. Kom - Jessica Andersson
5. What's Your Name - Cosmo4
6. Första gången - Svante Thuresson & Anne-Lie Rydé
7. Allt vi en gång trodde på - Lustans Lakejer
8. Rainbow Star - Regina Lund
Semi-Final 3 - February 17th - Swebank Arena, Örnsköldsvik
1. Cara mia - Måns Zelmerlöw
2. When The Night Comes Falling - Sebastian Karlsson
3. Jag måste kyssa dig - Nanne
4. För att du finns - Sonja Aldén
5. Live Forever - Magnus Carlsson
6. I mina drömmar - Sheida
7. The arrival - The Attic featuring Therese
8. Drop dead - MissMatch
Semi-Final 4 - February 24th - Läkerol Arena, Gävle
1. A Little Bit Of Love - Andreas Johnson
2. I Remember Love - Sarah Dawn Finer
3. För kung och fosterland - Magnus Uggla
4. Vågar du, vågar jag - Sanna nielsen
5. (Åh) När ni tar saken i egna händer - After Dark
6. Tror på dig - Caroline af Ugglas
7. Vi hade nåt - Emile Azar
8. La musica - Verona
Semi-Final 5 - March 3rd - Rosvalla Eventcenter, Nyköping
Money - Elin Lanto (-) V Kom - Jessica Andersson (Q)
Amanda - Jimmy Jansson (-) V Vågar du, vågar jag - Sanna Nielsen (Q)
God morgon - Uno & Irma (-) V För att du finns - Sonja Aldén (Q)
Jag måste kyssa dig - Nanne (-) V För kung och fosterland - Magnus Uggla (Q)
Kom - Jessica Andersson (-) V Vågar du, vågar jag - Sanna Nielsen (F)
För att du finns - Sonja Aldén (F) V För kung och fosterland - Magnis Uggla (-)
The Final - March 10 - Globen, Stockholm
01. The Worrying Kind - The Ark, 248 points
02. A Little Bit Of Love - Andreas Johnson, 189 points
03. Cara mia - Måns Zelmerlöw, 171 points
04. I Remember Love - Sarah Dawn Finer, 122 points
05. Trying to Recall - Marie Lindberg, 70 points
06. För att du finns - Sonja Aldén, 62 points
07. Vågar du, vågar jag - Sanna Nielsen, 44 points
08. When the Night Comes Falling - Sebastian Karlsson, 39 points
09. Samba Sambero - Anna Book, 1 point
10. Jag tror på människan - Tommy Nilsson, 0 points
Sweden were considered bookmakers' favorites before the contest, but
finished in a disappointing 18th place out of 24. They received 51
points, of which 42 came from their Scandinavian neighbours.
***
The Ark was a Swedish glam rock band formed in 1991 by Mikael Jepson (better known as Jepson), Lasse (Leari) Ljungberg and Ola Salo (being only fourteen years old at the time). In 1996 The Ark released an EP featuring four songs, of those Racing With The Rabbits being the most known. The EP gained very little success in both critical and commercial sense. Martin Axén officially joined the band in 1997, and Sylvester Schlegel in 1999. In late 2005, Jens Andersson joined The Ark as an official member. He had at that point played live with the band for several years.
Ola salo was the main song-writer of the group and his lyrics have sometimes been seen controversial. For example, the 2002 single Father of a Son is about homosexuals’ right to adopt. In October 2006, the band was criticized by members of the U.S. public for some controversial comments referring to the September 11, 2001 attacks that were apparently part of the joking banter between songs as the band performed at the opening festivities for the new Swedish embassy in Washington, D.C.
The Ark participated in a bunch of top festival all over the countries where its music has been spread, and was the only band ever who performed at Hultsfred's festival - the most important summer festival of the entire northern Europe - each year of career. The Ark also performed in the Melodifestivalen 2007 with the song The Worrying Kind. The song won the contest after capturing both the popular vote and the jury's vote. The song was Sweden’s Eurovision Song Contest 2007 entry, and is also included in The Ark’s fourth album Prayer for the Weekend, released in April 2007. Despite being a bookmaker favorite, it finished in 18th place (out of 24)
In 2006 The Ark toured the UK acting as the warm-up band for The Darkness.
One of Us Is Gonna Die Young was used in the 2007 snowboarding video, Picture This from Mack Dawg Productions for Seth Huot and Andreas Wiig's video part, also was it used for the Sam Blenkinsop and Philip Polc Section of the FOX Racing Shox 2007 Sequel. Let Your Body Decide was used in the 2010 film Super starring Rainn Wilson and Ellen Page. Their all time hit remains being the 2000s manifesto for one's freedom in life, It Takes A Fool To Remain Sane. It gained massive radio play especially in Sweden and Italy.
On December 8, 2010 the band announced that they would be breaking up after the release of their greatest hits compilation, Arkeology, and the following spring and summer tours. Arkeology contained two new songs, Breaking Up With God and The Apocalypse Is Over. The Ark won numerous awards during their 20 years together and were lauded as the most successful Swedish band since ABBA, even being recognized by MTV as the most influential northern group of the last 10 years. Ola Salo and Jepson appeared once in Expressen, a Swedish newspaper, where they were referred to as two of the 10 most important personalities in Scandinavia. They made their last concert at the amusement park Gröna Lund in Stockholm 16 September 2011. The crowd was counted up to around 15.000 people and doors had to be closed long before the concert started.
Members:
Ola Salo: vocals, piano, percussion and songwriting (1991–2011)
Jepson: lead guitar and vocals (1991–2011)
Lars Ljungberg: bass, backing vocals (1991–2011)
Martin Axén: rhythm guitar, backing vocals (1997–2011)
Sylvester Schlegel: drums and backing vocals (1999–2011)
Jens Andersson: keyboards and sound engineering (2006–2011)
The Swedish Final was held at the Globe Theatre in Stockholm on March 18th, hosted by Lena Philipsson who represented Sweden in ESC 2004. The winner was chosen by a combination of televoting (50%) and regional juries (50%). Carola won the televote and Andreas Johnson was the favourite of the regional juries.
Before the final there were 5 semi-finals which were all hosted by Lena Philipsson who represented Sweden in ESC 2004. In the first 4 semi-finals there were two rounds of televoting - the first to select the top 5 and the second to select the top 2 songs to qualify directly for the final and the 3rd and 4th placed songs that went forward to the 5th semi-final. In the 5th semi-final the televoting was in two rounds - the first to select the top 5 and the second to select the two qualifiers for the final.
Carola was chosen to go to Athens for Sweden singing the song Evighet. The song is written and composed by Thomas G:son, Carola Häggkvist, Bobby Ljunggren & Henrik Wikström.
Carola's entry in the contest sparked controversy. From the moment she declared that she would be entering the 2006 contest, there were cries of that she had just won the contest out of fear of her already established fanbase voting her to victory no matter what she sung. Carola was also criticized for her prior statements about homosexuality and for her use of "personal assistants" who pretty much controlled what she said and didn't say when she appeared in public.
The controversy of Carolagate was further inflamed by a series of mysterious events during the Semi Final from which she qualified (Gothenburg) and during the Final in Stockholm itself. Further, during the recap for the voting of the Gothenburg Semi Final, the recap of Carola's performance ran for approximately 30 seconds instead of the traditional 10-12.
During the final, people had major problems televoting for several entrants, the brunt of which were revolved around two entrants: Andreas Johnson and BWO, the two entrants who placed 2nd and 3rd. While there were wide reports of people not being able to vote for these two entrants, nobody complained about complications when voting for Carola. Furthermore, during the recap during for voting, SVT used footage from the Gothenburg Semi Final when showing Carola's entry, which wouldn't have been so suspicious and noticeable had Carola not had a throat infection which resulted in a less stellar performance than in Gothenburg.
Though not part of the controversy, aforementioned throat infection persisted, which lead to Carola being forced to actually alter (lower) her vocals for the last stanza (the one with the wailing, which wasn't wailing anymore) when performing Invincible in Athens.
Results:
Semi-Final 1 - Ejendahls Arena, Leksand - 18th February
1. Sing for Me - Andreas Johnson
2. Jag ljuger så bra - Linda Bengtzing
3. The name of love - Magnus Bäcklund
4. Kameleont - Electric Banana Band
5. This Woman - Anna Sahlene
6. Kuddkrig - Pandang
7. Naughty Boy - Hannah Graaf
8. Aiayeh (The Music of the Samba) - Simone Moreno
Semi-Final 2 - Löfbergs Lila, Karlstad - 25th February
1. Lev livet! - Magnus Carlsson
2. Idag och imorgon - Kikki Danielsson
3. En droppe regn - Niclas Wahlgren
4. Mi amore - Velvet
5. Etymon - Sonya
6. Ge mig en kaka till kaffet - Östen med Resten
7. La chica dela copa - Pablo Cepelda
8. Oh Yeah - The elephantz
Semi-Final 3 - Rosenholm Arena, Karlskrona - 4th March
1. Night of Passion - The Poodles
2. Temple of Love - BWO
3. Faller du så faller jag - Patrik Isaksson
4. Golden Star - Elysion
5. Kalla nätter - Jessica Andersson
6. Innan natten är över - Kayo Shekoni
7. When Love's Comin' Back Again - Jessica Folcker
8. Mi amor - Gregor
Semi-Final 4 - Scandinavium, Gothenburg - 11th March
1. Evighet - Carola Häggkvist
2. Älskar du livet - Björn Kjellman
3. Mama Take Me Home - Rednex
4. Silverland - Roger Pontare
5. Jag tar det jag vill ha - Sandra Dahlberg
6. Like Fire Tonight - Günther and the Sunshine Girls
7. Don't Try To Stop Me - Laila Adéle
8. Under Your Spell - Evan
Semi-Final 5 - SVT TV Studios, Stockholm - 12th March - Host: Carin Hjulström-Livh
1. Mama Take Me Home - Rednex
2. The Name of Love - Magnus Bäcklund
3. Faller du så faller jag - Patrik Isaksson
4. Silverland - Roger Pontare
5. Golden Star - Elysion
6. Kameleont - Electric Banana Band
7. Mi amore - Velvet
8. En droppe regn - Niclas Wahlgren
The Final - Globen, Stockholm - March 18th
01. Evighet - Carola Häggkvist, 234 points
02. Temple of Love - BWO, 202 points
03. Sing for Me - Andreas Johnson, 200 points
04. Night of Passion - The Poodles, 98 points
05. The Name of Love - Magnus Bäcklund, 68 points
06. Mama Take Me Home - Rednex, 61 points
07. Jag ljuger så bra - Linda Bengtzing, 56 points
08. Lev livet! - Magnus Carlsson, 19 points
09. Älskar du livet - Björn Kjellman, 6 points
10. I dag & i morgon - Kikki Danielsson, 2 points
She sang Evighet in English in Athens, under the name Invincible, and
came fifth in the final, after coming fourth in the semi-final.
***
Carola Maria Häggkvist, better known as Carola, is a Swedish singer and occasional songwriter. She has been among Sweden's most popular performers since the early 1980s, and has released albums ranging from pop and disco to hymns and folk music. Her debut album, Främling, sold around one million copies and remains the biggest-selling album in Swedish music history. She has also worked as a songwriter. During her 25-year long career, she has recorded many top-selling albums and singles and is referred to as Sweden's most prominent female singer. Some of her biggest hits include Främling from 1983, Tommy tycker om mig from 1984, Fångad av en stormvind from 1991, All the Reasons to Live from 1992, I Believe in Love from 2001, Genom allt from 2005 and Evighet from 2006.
Carola Häggkvist has represented Sweden at the Eurovision Song Contest on three occasions: in 1983, finishing third; in 1991, winning the contest; and in 2006, finishing fifth.
Carola has released records in various languages: Swedish, Dutch, German, English, Norwegian and Japanese.
In an interview in 2002 for the Swedish gay magazine QX, Carola alienated many gay and some heterosexual fans by alleging that she knows homosexual people who have become heterosexual through prayers. She also said that homosexuality would always remain "unnatural" to her.
Four years later, her comment was brought up when she participated in the Swedish national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest in March 2006. During a press conference a journalist tried to ask her about her opinions on homosexuality, but she didn't answer.
On March 15, 2006, Rickard Engfors, who is gay and Carola's cooperating partner during the Melodifestivalen and Eurovision Song Contest 2006, said "Carola doesn't hate gays. If she did, I wouldn't work for her. She is a fantastic person."
During an exclusive interview for one of the Eurovision-related websites before the 2006 contest, Carola was also questioned about this, and stated that she "would love for every gay person to feel that she loves them" and that she does not think that "being gay is a sickness". She went on to criticize the tabloids for misinterpreting her original words and making an issue out of it. Later in the interview, she also commented on one of her supporting dancers being gay and his boyfriend being "great".
In 2008, she spoke to the newspaper Aftonbladet and again revisited her opinions about homosexuality, which she insisted have evolved over the past two decades and are very inclusive. She said, "I actually invited gays from QX to my 25 year anniversary, but QX turned it down. What can I do? I love all people. I love the gays. So I am definitely not homophobic in any way. We are here for the music and I have no wacky opinions. And I feel love from many homosexuals too."
Alexandros Panayi, also known as Alex Panayi was born on June 24 1970 in Nicosia, Cyprus. Alex is a Cypriot singer, composer, lyricist, producer, vocal coach and vocal arranger, best known for having represented his country twice at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1995 and 2000.
Alex Panayi grew up in a family of musicians and artists, and took his first musical steps under the guidance of his father Panayiotis Panayi (founder of the first symphony orchestra in Cyprus), and his mother Klairy Panayi (acclaimed Cypriot pianist). By the age of 18 he had already established himself as one of the leading singers and songwriters of his country, moving on to study music at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, sponsored by the Fulbright Scholarship. During his five-year stay in the United States he had the opportunity to perform with artists such as Gary Burton, Peter Erskine, The Manhattan Transfer, The New York Voices and Billy Joel. He also toured the USA as a member of The Vocal Summit – an a capella free improvisation vocal group – gaining the Outstanding Musicianship Award from the International Association of Jazz Educators.
Alex's involvement with the Eurovision Song Contest:
1989: backing vocals for the Cypriot entry Apopse As Vrethoume (11th place);
1990: performing the song Pistevo in the first Cypriot national Final (3rd place);
1991: backing vocals for Elena Patroklou in the Cypriot entry SOS (9th place);
1993: performing the song Gia Sena Tragoudo in the Cypriot National Final (3rd place);
1995: soloist and composer for the Cypriot entry Sti Fotia (9th place);
1998: performing the duet Fterougisma with Marlen Angelidou in the Cypriot preselection (2nd place);
2000: performing the duet Nomiza with Christina Argyri for the Cypiot entry Nomiza (21st place);
2005: vocal director and backing vocalist for Helena Paparizou in the song, My Number One which won the contest.
2006: stage director for Fabrizio Faniello, Malta, with the song I do (24th place) and vocal coach for the Greek entry Everything for Anna Vissi (9th place);
2009: performing the song There Is Love in the Cypriot National Final (6th place) and vocal director and backing vocalist for Sakis Rouvas in the Greek entry This Is Our Night (7th place);
2011: producer for the song Hamogela by the group Triimitonio in the Greek National Final (2nd place);
2012: vocal director and backing vocalist for the song We Are The Heroes by Litesound for Belarus at the ESC (16th in semi-final 2);
Alex currently lives in Athens, Greece where he coaches and performs with the country’s leading artists including Peggy Zina, Kostas Martakis and Anna Vissi. He is also a vocal producer and vocal coach in other European countries working with performers such as Helena Paparizou, Philippe Kirkorov, Kamaliya and with producers such as Bruce Lowe and Uwe Fahrenkrog.
He has performed on many occasions at the Herodion Theatre of the Acropolis and is a Regional Music Supervisor for Disney, Buena Vista. Alex is the official Greek voice of many Disney characters such as Tigger and has starred in more than 40 movies such as Tarzan, Mulan, Brother Bear, and many TV shows - he has the role of Johnny in the Greek production of Disney's Johnny and the Sprites, Captain Monogram, Dad, Irving, Buford, Norm, Roger in Disney's Phineas and Ferb. He has also performed in Musical Theatre productions in Athens such as Grease in the role of Kennickie, and the Nikos Karvelas musical Mala in the roles of Moses & Abraham.
Alex was producer and manager of the group Triimitonio releasing the album Triimitonio and the single Hamogela. He is also the lead vocalist and co-producer of the album Native Hue (arranged by Matheson Bayley), featuring several classic Eurovision songs reinterpreted through different genres. Alex was a teacher of vocal arts at the Fame Studio free study music school in Athens, and assists various TV and live music shows as artistic director. He has participated in many TV shows in Greece and Cyprus as a vocal coach, judge and panelist like X-Factor, Get on Stage, DanSing For You. He has written the script to, directed and written music and lyrics for the hit musicals Feggaromberdemata, Esmeralda, and Mia Mera Tou Dekemvri, all staged in Cyprus.
He has been commissioned by UNESCO to write a new musical to celebrate the presidency of Cyprus to the EU. The musical Dimentia will premiere in Paris on October 16, 2012, and then go on a European tour. He is currently filming a new TV music game The Music Box where he is appearing as a judge and co-presenter. His big new project is opening his own music school with close collaborator and friend Katerina Christofidou in Cyprus in collaboration with MTV Cyprus in October 2012. Together they have also founded an international production company (A.Panayi & K.Christofidou Productions) offering services ranging from composition, staging, direction, choreography, organization, artist management, big band and symphonic orchestration and recording, to full music and theatre production.
Alex is also known in Cyprus for his active role in fundraising for charity. He is a permanent volunteer for the Cyprus Anti-Cancer Society with many of his productions' proceeds going to their fund, and has acted in the official 2012 TV spot. His experience with his mother's condition has also made him a vehement spokesman for Alzheimer's awareness.
The Swedish Final was held on March 12th at the Globe Theatre in Stockholm, hosted by Jill Johnson who represented Sweden in ESC 1998 & Mark Levengood. The winner was chosen by televoting (50%) and regional juries (50%). Nanne Grönvall won the televote and Martin Stenmarck the regional juries vote.
Before the final there were 5 semi-finals. In the first 4 semi-finals the voting was in two rounds - for the first two semi-finals, in the first round the top 3 songs chosen by televoting and 2 songs chosen by an "expert" jury went forward to the second round, where televoting decided the top 2 songs to qualify directly for the final and the 3rd and 4th placed songs that went forward to the 5th semi-final. However, as the "expert" jury agreed with the televoters in the first two semi-finals, they were not used in the subsequent semi-finals. In the 5th semi-final the televoting was in two rounds - the first to select the top 4 and the second to select the two qualifiers for the final.
The final was won by Martin Stenmarck with his song Las Vegas, which was written and composed by Niklas Edberger, Johan Fransson, Tim Larsson and Tobias Lundgren. Nanne, who was the favourite of televoters, came second, as she did not receive enough points from the 11 juries. This caused much controversy in Sweden.
Results:
Semi-Final 1 - February 12th - Scandinavium, Gothenburg - Hosts: Alexandra Pascalidou & Shan Atci
1. Att älska dig - Shirley Clamp
2. Ödet var min väg - Nordman
3. Alla flickor - Linda Bengtzing
4. Alcastar - Alcazar
5. Invisible people - The Wallstones
6. My no.1 - Papa Dee
7. Refrain refrain - Pay TV
8. Var mig nära - Cecilia Vennersten
Semi-Final 2 - February 19th - Cloetta Center, Linköping - Hosts: Erik Haag & Henrik Schyffert
1. Du och jag mot världen - Fredrik Kempe & Sanna Nielsen
2. Higher ground - Sanne Salomonsen
3. Med hjärtats egna ord - Josefin Nilsson
4. Roma - Cameron Cartio
5. Gone - Bodies Without Organs
6. Big up - Group Avalon
7. Jenny - Camilla Brinck
8. Vad du än trodde så trodde du fel - Arja Sajonmaa
Semi-Final 3 - February 26th - Isstadion, Skellefteå - Hosts: Johanna Westman & Marko Lehtosalo
1. Las Vegas - Martin Stenmarck
2. Vi kan gunga - Jimmy Jansson
3. Wherever you go - NaNa
4. Nothing at all - LaGaylia
5. Rain - Josef
6. Om natten - Jessica Folcker
7. We got it all - K2 feat. Alannah Myles
8. Lovin' your feen - Kwanzaa
1. Håll om mig - Nanne Grönvall
2. A different kind of love - Caroline Wennergren
3. As if tomorrow will never come - Katrina & The Nameless
4. Långt bortom tid och rum - Mathias Holmgren
5. Så närä - Anne-Lie Rydé
6. One step closer - B-Boys International feat. Paul M
7. Hörde änglarna viska ditt namn - Date
8. Ready for me - Rickard Engfors & Katarina Fallholm
Semi-Final 5 - March 6th - Berns Restaurant, Stockholm - Host: Annika Jankell
1. Alcastar - Alcazar
2. Alla flickor - Linda Bengtzing
3. Nothing at all - LaGaylia
4. Wherever you go - NaNa
5. Långt bortom tid och rum - Mathis Holmgren
6. As if tomorrow will never come - Katrina & The Nameless
7. Med hjärtats egna ord - Josefin Nilsson
8. Roma - Cameron Cartio
The final - March 12th - Globen, Stockholm - Hosts: Jill Johnson & Mark Levengood
01. Las Vegas - Martin Stenmarck, 212 points
02. Håll om mig - Nanne Grönvall, 209 points
03. Alcastar - Alcazar, 135 points
04. Att älska dig - Shirley Clamp, 130 points
05. A different kind of love - Caroline Wennergren, 116 points
06. Vi kan gunga - Jimmy Jansson, 49 points
07. Higher ground - Sanne Salomonsen, 35 points
08. Du och jag mot världen - Fredrik Kempe & Sanna Nielsen, 30 points
09. Ödet var min väg - Nordman, 15 points
10. Alla flickor - Linda Bengtzing, 15 points
Martin was automatically qualified for the Kiev final (thanks to Lena
Philipssons 5th place in 2004), where he performed 14th. But the result
was disastrous: a joint 18 place (out of 24) with only 30 points; this
was the worst placement for Sweden in 13 years.
***
Martin Olof Jon Stenmarck (born October 3, 1972 in Täby Municipality, Stockholm County) is a Swedish singer and voice actor. He represented Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest 2005 with Las Vegas, finishing 19th with 30 points.
In 2006, he released his first single in Swedish, 7milakliv, which became one of the year's biggest hits in Sweden. The single was certified Platinum and spent 10 weeks at #1 on the official Swedish singles chart.
The album Nio sanningar och en lögn (Nine truths and one lie) topped the Swedish albums chart and achieved Gold status in the first of its three weeks at #1.
He has also embarked on a voice acting career, dubbing animated films. He provided the Swedish voice for Lightning McQueen in the Disney movie Cars. Since 2011 he is also the host of the TV show Kvällen är din.
