Loreen

Loreen, born Lorine Zineb Nora Talhaoui on October 16, 1983 in Stockholm, is a Swedish pop singer. pop singerwho made history when she won the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) twice for her country: in 2012 in Baku with the song Euphoria and in 2023 in Liverpool with the song Tattoo. This makes her only the second person after Johnny Logan to win the contest twice.

Loreen was born in Stockholm in 1983 to Berber-Moroccan parents and grew up in Västerås. She made her first public appearance in 2004 when she took part in the first season of the Swedish casting show Idol under her birth name Lorén Talhaoui and made it through to the quarter finals. After her participation, she released the song The Snake together with Rob’n’Raz and worked as a presenter for TV400.

In 2011, the 1.65 m tall Loreen took part in the Swedish preliminary round of the Eurovision Song Contest, Melodifestivalen, for the first time. Her entry My Heart Is Refusing Me, which she co-wrote with Moh Denebi and Björn Djupström, failed in the second round (Andra Chansen), but made it into the Swedish charts.

She made a triumphant return in 2012, presenting the song Euphoria, composed by Thomas G:son and Peter Boström. Her impressive performance, which included elements of the Brazilian martial art capoeira, won over the jury and audience alike. After winning the Swedish Melodifestivalen, she also won the Eurovision Song Contest in Baku with 372 points, well ahead of the second-placed Russians Buranowskije Babuschki. *Euphoria” went on to become a Europe-wide chart success and is considered one of the most iconic songs in the history of the ESC.

In October 2012, Loreen released her first studio album Heal, which reached number 1 in the album charts in Sweden. In addition to her musical career, she has also performed at international events, such as the Eurovision Song Contest 2013, where she performed her winning song in sign language.

In 2017, Loreen tried her luck again at the Melodifestivalen with the song Statements, but was defeated by Andra Chansen. She then released the album Ride and appeared in other projects, including the Netflix film Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga (2020) and the Swedish show Så mycket bättre, in which she presented her first song in Swedish, Sötvattentårar.

In 2023, Loreen took part in Melodifestivalen again and won with the song Tattoo. The song reached the top of the Swedish charts even before the competition. At the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 in Liverpool, Loreen won again and clinched victory for Sweden with her emotional performance.

With her extraordinary musicality, her charismatic stage presence and her ability to inspire fans all over the world, Loreen remains one of the most influential artists of the modern ESC.

Studio albums by Loreen

• 2012 Heal
• 2017 Ride