Top 10 Most Famous Eurovision Contestants
Eurovision is a contest that has been going on since 1956, and there have been some surprisingly famous contestants, some were already famous, some became famous later and some even went after their best musical era. These might surprise people.
ABBA are a Swedish pop group formed in Stockholm in 1972 by members Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. A very famous example: The Swedish band won in 1974 with "Waterloo." They then went on to be very popular around the world and had many hits.
Céline Marie Claudette Dion is a Canadian singer and businesswoman. She is best known for her song "My Heart Will Go On", which is the main theme of the 1997 film Titanic, which was the first film to gross $1 billion at the box office. I definitely think she was bigger than ABBA, given how she was so big in both singles and albums. Also, I think it's ironic how the most famous Eurovision winner was not actually from Europe.
One of the most surprising examples: The Canadian singer represented Switzerland when she was younger, in 1988. She sang "Ne Partez Pas Sans Moi" and actually won that year.
Bonnie Tyler is a Welsh singer. She is known for her distinctive husky voice, resulting from an operation to remove vocal nodules in the mid-1970s. A recent example: In 2013, she decided to represent the UK. She had an amazing career in the '80s with hits such as "It's A Heartache," "Holding Out For A Hero," "Total Eclipse Of The Heart," etc., but actually received a low placing with "Believe In Me," finishing 23rd.
Julio José Iglesias de la Cueva is a Spanish singer and songwriter. In 1983, he was celebrated as having recorded songs in the most languages in the world, and in 2013 for being the Latin artist with the most records sold in history. Oh, wow, I had heard of the top 2, but I did not realize that the others had been in Eurovision. Yes, Julio Iglesias is definitely one of the most famous. I think he might also be the most famous Spanish-language music act, or do you think someone else is?
One of the most famous Spanish singers internationally, he represented the country in 1970 with "Gwendolyne" and earned a good 4th place. He then became even more popular.
Dame Olivia Newton-John was a British-Australian singer, songwriter and actress. She was a four-time Grammy award winner who had amassed five number-one and ten other Top Ten Billboard Hot 100 singles, and two number-one Billboard 200 solo albums. She died on August 8, 2022 of breast cancer in Santa... read more A young Olivia Newton-John represented the UK long before "Grease" in 1974. She sang "Long Live Love" and earned a good 4th place. As a fun fact, she competed against ABBA, making it definitely a year with popular artists.
A very popular artist in the '60s (Cliff Richard & The Shadows), '70s, and '80s: He actually represented the UK twice. He earned 2nd place for "Congratulations" in 1968 and 3rd for "Power To All Our Friends" in 1973.
Known especially for "Walking On Sunshine," the band won in 1997 with "Love Shine A Light" for the UK, their last victory in the contest thus far.
Lorine Zineb Nora Talhaoui, known professionally as Loreen is a Swedish multi-genre singer, songwriter and record producer. Representing Sweden, she won the Eurovision Song Contest 2012 in Baku, with her entry "Euphoria". The song reached number one in many European countries, including Germany and... read moreThe Newcomers
Conchita Wurst or simply Conchita is the stage name and persona of Austrian singer Tom Neuwirth, who was born on November 6, 1988 .She has been a TV personality of moderate success for years in Austria, and rose to fame in other European states after winning the 2014 Eurovision Song Contest... read more
Baccara, known for hits such as "Yes Sir, I Can Boogie" and "Sorry, I'm A Lady," represented Luxembourg in 1978 with "Parlez-Vous Français?" They earned a 7th place finish and continued to be successful.
One of the most recent examples: Engelbert represented the UK in 2012 with the ballad "Love Will Set You Free," which actually received a pretty low placing, 25th. He was very successful internationally in the '70s, especially with songs like "Release Me."
Blue is an English boyband consisting of members Antony Costa, Duncan James, Lee Ryan and Simon Webbe.
