The Contestants The Contestants CYPRUS GREECE Song: Gimme Song: S.A.G.A.P.O (I Love You) Performer: One Performer: Michalis Rakintzis Music: George Theofanous Music: Michalis Rakintzis Lyrics: George Theofanous Lyrics: Michalis Rakintzis One formed in 1999 with songwriter George Michalis Rakintzis is one of the most famous Theofanous, Constantinos Christoforou, male singers in Greece with 16 gold and Dimitris Koutsavlakis, Filippos Constantinos, platinum records to his name. This is his second Argyris Nastopoulos and Panos Tserpes. attempt to represent his country at the Eurovision Song Contest. The group’s first CD, One, went gold in Greece and platinum in Cyprus and their maxi-single, 2001-ONE went platinum. Their second album, SPAIN Moro Mou was also a big hit. Song: Europe’s Living A Celebration Performer: Rosa AUSTRIA Music: Xasqui Ten Lyrics:Toni Ten Song: Say A Word Performer: Manuel Ortega Spain’s song, performed by Rosa López, is a Music:Alexander Kahr celebration of the European Union and single Lyrics: Robert Pfluger currency. Rosa won the hearts of her nation after taking part in the reality TV show Twenty-two-year-old Manuel Ortega is popular Operacion Triunfo. She used to sing at in Austria and his picture adorns the cover of weddings and baptisms in the villages of the many teenage magazines. He was born in Linz Alpujarro region and is now set to become one and, at the age of 10, he became a member of of Spain’s most popular stars. the Florianer Sängerknaben, one of the oldest boys’ choirs in Austria. CROATIA His love for pop music brought him back to Linz where he joined a group named Sbaff and, Song: Everything I Want by the age of 15, he had performed at over 200 Performer:Vesna Pisarovic concerts. At 17, he auditioned for an Austrian Music: Milana Vlaovic boy band and was chosen out of 1,300 Lyrics: Milana Vlaovic contestants to be the lead singer of the group Whatz Up. Vesna Pisarovic is a popular performer in Croatia and has released two albums. Born in A year ago, Manuel went solo and his single, Brcko, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Vesna is now El Amor, La Vida, became one of the most one of the most photographed women in the played songs in Austria during the summer of country. She moved to Zagreb with her band 2001. His first solo album, Any Kind Of Love and performed at the Croatian festival will be released shortly. Zadarfest, where she met Milana Vlaovic, who wrote Everything I Want. Milana and Vesna have now worked together on two albums: If Eurovision Song Contest 2002 13 The Contestants You Knew (the best-selling debut album in Karolina made her debut at the age of 11 at the Croatia in 2000) and Made For You in 2001. Makfest ‘91 festival. She signed her first professional contract in February 2000 and Vesna Pisarovic has won numerous awards and hasn’t looked back since. her third album is due to be released shortly. ISRAEL RUSSIA Song: Light A Candle Song: Northern Girl Performer: Sarit Hadad Performer: Premier Ministr Music: Svika Pick Music: Kim Breitburg Lyrics:Yoav Ginai Lyrics: Karen Kavaleryan, Evgene Fridlyand, Irina Antonyan Sarit Hadad, 23, is one of Israel’s most popular singers and, last year, was named Premier Ministr, described as Russia’s answer to Israel’s Woman of the Year and Best Female Take That!, formed in 1999. They have already Singer. Light A Candle is sung in English and released three best-selling albums in Russia; Hebrew and was written by Svika Pick and Northern Girl is their first song in English. Yoav Ginai, who composed Diva for Dana International, which won the Eurovision Song Contest in 1998. ESTONIA Sarit was born into a family of musicians and Song: Runaway began performing at the age of eight. She has Performer: Sahléne released nine albums, all of which have achieved Music: Pearu Paulus, Ilmar Laisaar,Alar quadruple platinum status. She plays the drums, Kotkas the organ, the guitar and the accordion and was Lyrics: Jana Hallas the first Israeli singer ever to perform in Jordan. Sahléne (Anna Cecilia Sahlin) is a 25-year-old Swedish singer, who has performed at the SWITZERLAND Eurovision Song Contest three times before as a backing singer. The composers of Runaway are Song: Dans le jardin de mon âme well-known producers and writers in Estonia, Performer: Francine Jordi and their song Once In A Lifetime came fourth Music: Francine Jordi at the Eurovision Song Contest two years ago. Lyrics: Francine Jordi Twenty-four-year-old Francine Jordi is popular MACEDONIA in Austria and Germany and has won a national music award twice. Jordi started her singing Song: Od nas zavisi (It Depends On Us) career performing with her sister and parents in Performer: Karolina a vocal band when she was 10. Her latest album Music: Nikola Perevski was a big success in Switzerland. Arranger: Diran Tavitjan Lyrics:Vladimir Krstevski SWEDEN Karolina is a 22-year old singer who has won many awards in Macedonia. Her two albums, Song: Never Let It Go I’ve Got A Song and Why The Dream Has An Performer:Afro-dite End have enjoyed great success and spawned Music: Marcos Ubeda several hit singles. Lyrics: Marcos Ubeda Eurovision Song Contest 2002 14 The Contestants Gladys del Pilar, Blossom Tainton and Kayo DENMARK Shekoni make up Afro-dite, Sweden’s entry for Eurovision. Song: Tell Me Who You Are Performer: Malene W Mortensen Gladys was born in Ecuador and came to Music: Michael Ronson Sweden at the age of seven. Her career took off Lyrics: Michael Ronson in the early Nineties and she has worked with big names in Sweden, including Denniz Pop and Denmark is represented by 19-year-old music Dr Alban. Her real breakthrough came in 1993 student Malene Winther Mortensenm, a well- when she performed in ABBA – The True Story known singer in her country. She first found in Stockholm. In 1994, Gladys came second in fame on Star For A Night on Danish TV – an the Swedish Eurovision finals with Det amateur song contest – and came second, vackraste jag vet and she has had both speaking propelling her to overnight success and making and singing roles in Disney films. her an obvious choice for the Eurovision Song Contest. Blossom Tainton has been in the spotlight for as long as she can remember. She’s worked in the Despite all the attention she has received, theatre, song, dance, musicals, gospel and as a Malene has put her school work first – she is a TV host. She is also a personal trainer. student at one of Denmark’s most highly regarded music schools – and intends to return Kayode Shekoni has been a singer, actress, TV to do her final exams immediately after the host, tour guide, model, speaker and entertainer. Eurovision Song Contest in Estonia. In 1980 she was in the pop group Freestyle, who had a huge hit in Sweden with Vill ha dej. Malene comes from a musical family; her father Kayo has had four solo albums, one of which is a well-known jazz player, and her mother, was successfully launched in the USA. who died a few years ago, was the drummer in one of the leading female rock groups in Denmark in the Eighties. FINLAND Song: Addicted To You BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA Performer: Laura Music: Maki Kolehmainen Song: Na Jastuku Za Dvoje (Fairytales Arranger: Mika Mettälä About Love) Lyrics: Janina Frostell and Tracy Lipp Performer: Maja Tatic Music: Dragan Mijatovic Laura Voutilainen is a 27-year-old Finnish Lyrics: Ruzica Cavic and Stevo Cvikic singer. Her first single, Muuttanut oot maailmain (You Changed My World), was Maja Tatic is a 31-year-old singer who lives released in 1993. She has received two Emma on the Canary Islands. She started performing Awards and has had her own TV show. In 1997 at an early age, and has taken part in several she became the voice of Meg from the Walt song contests. She recently completed a Disney cartoon Hercules. formal musical education, specialising in classical guitar. At the age of five, Laura was accepted to music kindergarten and a year later she learned to play At the age of 17, Maja began her professional the cello. She joined her first band, Kevytlinja, career and has been in several pop and rock when she was just 15 years old. bands. She released a CD of cover versions in the Canary Islands last year, performing songs She also appeared in the musical What A by Celine Dion and Tina Turner, among others. Feeling in London and Helsinki. Eurovision Song Contest 2002 15 The Contestants BELGIUM comes true and she performs I Can’t Live Without Music at the Contest in Estonia. Blind Song: Sister since birth, Corinna is already a popular singer Performer: Sergio And The Ladies in Germany. Music: Mark Paelinck Lyrics: Dirk Paelinck TURKEY Sergio (Serge Quisquater) is a 36-year-old Song: Leylaklar Soldu Kalvinde Belgian singer and released his first single at the (Lilacs Have Faded In Your Heart) age of 22. He is a popular TV host in his native Peformer: Buket Bengisu and Sapphire country, presenting a show called One Hour Music: Fani Hodara Full Power, which sums him up! He was, until Lyrics: Sami Hodara, Figen Cakmak recently, one half of Touch Of Joy but he has put the group on the back burner while he Turkey is represented by Sapphire, fronted by continues his solo career. Buket Bengisu with Eser Alioglu, Dilek Aba, Gulnur Gokce and Sitare Bilge.