Elisabeth Andreasen is somewhat of a Eurovision Song Contest veteran. She has participated no less than 4 times and even won the competition for Norway in 1985 as part of the duo Bobbysocks with La det swinge.
Elisabeth or "Bettan" as she is fondly known has since forged a successful career for herself in both Norway and Sweden and has just this week released a brand new album entitled Kärleken & Livet (Love & Life) with 13 songs written by acclaimed Norwegian songwriter and fellow Eurovision Song Contest compatriot Rolf Løvland.
The album includes some familiar tracks including a rendition of La det swinge and the Swedish version of the worldwide hit You Raise Me Up, which was originally written by Rolf for his group Secret Garden who incidently won Europe's favourite TV show in 1995 with Nocturne.
Here is the track list:
Kärleken och livet
Mitt land
Alt du er for meg
Ta meg heim
Fyll ditt hjärta
Duett
Havet
Danse mot vår
Sang i en stormfull natt
Första sommaren
Du ga meg en vår
Rör vid min själ
La det swinge
An esteemed career
Rolf and Elisabeth go way back and as mentioned he was responsible for Norway's winning entries in both 1985 and 1995. Before winning in 1985, Elisabeth had represented Sweden in 1982 together with Kikki Danielsson as Chips with the song Dag efter dag. They achieved a very respectable 8th place.
After winning the contest in 1985, Elisabeth went on to represent Norway twice more, in 1994 singing Duett with Jan Werner Danielsen coming 6th and in 1996 with I evighet achieving an impressive 2nd place on home turf in Oslo. As such Elisabeth Andreassen could well be seen as one of the contest's great participants with four entries all coming in the top 10.
In addition to her appearances in the Eurovision Song Contest, Elisabeth also participated in the Swedish national selection (Melodifestivalen) in 1981 with God Morgon, 1984 with Kärleksmagi, 1990 with Jag ser en stjärna falla, 2002 with Vem é dé du vill ha and in 2011 with Vaken i en dröm. She also took part in the Norwegian national selection (Melodi Grand Prix) in 1998 with Winds Of The Northern Sea and in 2003 with Din hånd i min hånd.
Elisabeth has also had countless other hits and released many albums in her career spanning over 30 years, including her new album Kärleken & Livet which can be downloaded on iTunes.
Some of you may also remember that Elisabeth and Hanne Krogh (Bobbysocks) performed at the opening reception of the 2010 Eurovision Song Contest in Oslo, wearing their trademark pink colours.
