Since 1956 the Eurovision Song Contest of the European Broadcasting Union has been providing singers from all over the world a doorway to fame.
Each year, representatives from different countries compete. Their performances, wins, and losses are televised for everyone to watch and cheer on.
Some winners grabbed the chance and made it big, while others not so much, but here in the post, we’ll be going over 11 of the greatest and most famous singers from Eurovision. Let’s dive in!
1. Celine Dion
Arguably one of the most famous singers from Eurovision, Celine Dion competed for Switzerland in 1988 with “Ne Partez Pas Sans Moi” and won.
A Canadian-born singer who grew up in a musical family in Quebec, Dion is known for her many heart-wrenching hits, like “The Power of Love,” “It’s All Coming Back to Me Now,” and “My Heart Will Go On.”
She has sold over 200 million records worldwide and has been dubbed “Queen of Adult Contemporary” by Billboard due to the number of chart-topping singles she has.
Recently, Dion has been going through several health struggles and was forced to cancel her tours due to severe muscle spasms, which were diagnosed as stiff-person syndrome at the end of 2022.
2. Olivia Newton-John
The career of British-Australian singer and actress Olivia Newton-John did not start with Eurovision. The Grease actress first got her big break when she won the television song contest Sing, Sing, Sing in 1965.
By the time she participated in Eurovision in 1974 to represent the UK, she had already released three studio albums and had two top-10 songs with “If Not for You” and “Banks of the Ohio.”
Then to boost her popularity even more, she won fourth place with the song “Long Live Love” in Eurovision. (That year’s winner was ABBA, whom we’ll get to later.)
Since then, Newton-John has released 26 albums and many pop, country, soft-rock, and adult contemporary hits we’re familiar with, including “If Not For You,” “Xanadu,” “Let Me Be There,” and “Hopelessly Devoted to You.”
3. Julio Iglesias
Most everyone these days knows the King of Latin Pop, Enrique Iglesias, but did you know his father, Julio Iglesias, is also a famous singer? The senior Iglesias took fourth place for Spain in the 1970 Eurovision contest with the song “Gwendolyne.”
Initially, Iglesias was a professional footballer until injuries from a car accident pulled him from the pitch. He then shifted to music, focusing on Latin, Latin pop, and dance-pop, and gave us “Ni Te Tengo, Ni Te Olvido,” “Hey,” and “To All the Girls I’ve Loved Before.”
Iglesias is one of the most commercially successful Spanish singers today. He has recorded over 80 albums, selling over 100 million worldwide, and was inducted into the Latin Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2013.
4. Loreen
Lorine Zineb Nora Talhaoui—known in the music scene as Loreen—is quite experienced in participating in singing competitions. After winning fourth in the Swedish Idol in 2004, it’s not very surprising she won in the 2012 Eurovision Song Contest.
Her winning song, with 372 points, was “Euphoria,” which topped the charts in several European countries. It also earned the singer five awards, including Swedish Song of the Year.
Following this, Loreen continued with her work, releasing more charting singles and even participated in another singing contest called Melodifestivalen in 2017 in hopes of another chance at Eurovision, but she didn’t make the final cut.
5. Lulu
Scottish singer Lulu competed for the UK in 1969. With her powerful voice singing “Boom Bang-a-Bang,” she became one of four joint winners that year (the other winners were the Netherlands, France, and Spain).
With their tie, it was apparent the voting and judging system needed updating. As such, rules for future competitions were altered so ties like this would not occur again.
After her win, Lulu went on to release 15 pop and pop-rock studio albums, selling over 175,000 records. She is best known for her song “To Sir, With Love” and the title song for the James Bond movie The Man With the Golden Gun.
6. Johnny Logan
Next up, we have Seán Patrick Michael Sherrard, also known as Johnny Logan. The Irish singer’s history with Eurovision is unique, and here’s why:
In 1980, he won with the song “What’s Another Year.” Four years later, Linda Martin sang a composition of his titled “Terminal 3” and won the top spot. Logan participated again in 1987 with the song “Hold Me Now,” and yet still, in 1992, Linda Martin won the competition with “Why Me?” written by Logan!
With so many wins in Eurovision tied to his name, it’s not surprising Logan became known as Mr. Eurovision. The man today continues to write and perform songs and even joined The Masked Singer, a Belgian song contest, in 2022.
7. Conchita Wurst
Austrian singer Conchita Wurst is the drag persona of Thomas Neuwirth, most known for her long, luxurious dark hair, thick beard, and effeminate features.
In 2014, her powerful performance of the song “Rise Like a Phoenix” during the finals earned him the most points at the Eurovision Song Contest, gaining Austria its first win since 1966.
Controversy surrounded her win from some of the more conservative Eurovision participating countries. Unfazed, Wurst went on with her musical career, releasing three albums that topped the Austrian charts, and became an LGBTQ icon.
8. Salvador Sobral
Portuguese singer Salvador Sobral started his musical career in 2009, joining the Portuguese Idol season 3. Though he won seventh, he went on to release a debut album that topped the charts in his home country.
In 2017, he joined the Eurovision Song Contest, representing Portugal. Despite not being able to join the first few rehearsals due to health issues, Sobral won by a landslide with a whopping 758 points! The song he sang, “Amar pelos dois,” was written by his sister, Luísa.
Following his win, Sobral continued with his work with two more #1 studio albums. The latest (BPM) was released back in 2021 and earned the singer a Latin Grammy nomination for Best Engineered Album.
9. Englebert Humperdinck
When English pop icon Englebert Humperdinck competed in Eurovision in 2012 for the UK, he was already an established singer with a large handful of #1 hits like “Release Me,” “There Goes My Everything,” and “Quando Quando Quando.”
Unfortunately, he did not do well, and the UK’s strategy of employing a proven, successful singer did not work out. Humperdinck came in second to last in the competition, with Norway in last place, and the song he sang, “Love Will Set You Free,” did not hit the charts in the US.
As his reputation was already cemented by this time, landing that spot probably didn’t matter much to the singer. For his more than seven decades of dedicated musical service, Humperdinck was given the royal honor of MBE in 2021.
10. Bonnie Tyler
Most probably know Bonnie Tyler for the hit songs “It’s a Heartache” and “Total Eclipse of the Heart,” 1977 and 1983, respectively. So when the UK selected her to represent the country in the 2013 Eurovision Song Contest, she was already a household name.
The 61-year-old took 19th place in the competition with the song “Believe in Me.” Despite not winning, Tyler received a Eurovision Song Contest Radio Award (the first ever for the UK) as well as Best Female Singer and Best Song accolades.
Age has not stopped the Welsh singer. To this day, Tyler continues touring and recording for an album set to be released in 2023.
11. ABBA
Though technically ABBA is a group, we’ve included them as each of the members—Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad—went on to have solo careers after they disbanded.
In 1974, ABBA performed in the Eurovision Song Contest, competing for Sweden. They won the competition with “Waterloo.” This boosted their popularity, and they continued creating music, releasing the hits we know and love, like “Dancing Queen,” “The Winner Takes It All,” and “Mamma Mia.”
The members separated around 1982 and went their own way toward solo careers as successful as they had been as a group. If you’ve ever seen both Mamma Mia! films, know that Björn and Benny were behind much of the music and production.
Summing Up Our List Of Eurovision Singers
With Eurovision Song Contest’s long history, there have been so many singers that emerged from them; these we’ve listed are just a few who’ve become well-known for their notable wins or extensive works before and after joining the competition.
Since Eurovision is held yearly, we are sure there are bound to be more singers we can add to this list. Who have we left off that should be added here? Let us know!
