As a then 16-year-old, Carola claimed the bronze in Munich with ‘Främling.’ Back in 1983, ‘Si la vie est cadeau’ was the winner. The Luxembourg entry was sung by Corinne Hermès. Runner-up was Ofra Haza’s ‘Hi’ (Israel).
Carola Medley from Melodifestivalen 2003
A star was born and her debut album has sold quantities in Sweden that are unparalelled. Carola went on to record an album with The Bee Gees. In 1986, Runaway saw the light. Released via Polydor Records, it was an attempt to reach a global audience.
She returned to the competition in 1991 when she won the Eurovision Song Contest altogether with ‘Fångad av en stormvind.’
The Rome finale was a real nail-biter. In order to single out the winner, “the 12-points-votes” had to be counted. Unfortunately for France, Amina Annabi lost out to Sweden.
Loreen and Wiktoria aside, Carola has plenty of Eurovision merits under her belt. In 2006, she competed for Sweden with ‘Evighet.’
Andra Chansen Flop
Yet, her last attempt at Melodifestivalen didn’t work out well at all. Performing the duet ‘One Love’ with Andreas Johnson, the duo never reached the finale. Instead they lost the Second Chance battle to Nordman. On paper, it sounded like the perfect fit. Johnson had managed the finale twice before.
Melodifestivalen is a cruel experience for some schlager divas. Former Eurovision winner Charlotte Perelli was eliminated this year.
This Eurovision queen has obviously made a career outside the competition. Becoming one of this country’s leading stars, she was the lead act of Så mycket bättre the other year. In 2011, she was also a judge on Sweden’s The Voice. Over the course of her career, Carola has recorded some of the biggest Christmas albums.
We will never know how Carola would fare this year. No matter what, she is still one of the most successful singers in Sweden!
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