The Unforgettables, part 1: Loreen

09 July 2018 at 16:57 CEST

Loreen won the 2012 Eurovision Song Contest in Baku with the song Euphoria Photo: Andres Putting

This summer, in 'The Unforgettables', we put the spotlight on memorable artists who performed at Eurovision after the turn of the millennium. These singers have made a lasting impression by winning by a landslide, achieving a staggering amount of streams and downloads, wearing outrageous outfits or by going viral. First up: 2012 Eurovision winner Loreen from Sweden.

It comes as no surprise when Loreen wins Melodifestivalen on 10 March 2012, she had been the favourite in Sweden's national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest for quite a while. The surprising part is that she wins with record figures; more than 670,000 voters from the four million Swedish viewers call in to vote for her song Euphoria.

In the months following her national victory, Loreen also becomes the main favourite to win Eurovision. Euphoria takes Europe by storm, resulting in Sweden winning the 2012 Eurovision Song Contest in Baku, Azerbaijan by a landslide. With a total of 372 points, Euphoria receives the much-coveted 12 points from no less than eighteen countries, the most times of any entry in the history of the contest at that time.

After the Grand Final, the song goes on to become a worldwide hit and reaches the number one position in several countries, selling more than two million copies.

In the summer of 2012 Euphoria dominates the charts in various European countries, from Austria to the United Kingdom. The latter is very significant, since it is the first time since Gina G charted in 1996 with Just a Little Bit, that a Eurovision Song Contest entry reaches the number one spot in the UK.

As Loreen refers to it on Instagram in 2015, winning Eurovision on the 26th of May 2012 is one of the best moments of her life.

In 2016, we caught up with Loreen to reflect upon her win.

Loreen Talhaoui was raised in the Swedish countryside outside Stockholm, in a family of Moroccan-Berber origin. She has a very focused attitude to her music and gets frustrated when people label her an R&B artist: ”It's almost bizarre. I never listen to R&B or soul music!” She continues: ”The music I get inspiration from is music that gets you into kind of a trance. Both musically and vocal-wise. Artists like Björk, some of Enya's music, and especially Lisa Gerrard”.

In 2017, Loreen competes again in Melodifestivalen, but does not make it to the final this time. Robin Bengtsson's I Can't Go On wins the selection and goes on to receive 344 points at Eurovision in Kyiv, Ukraine, taking Sweden up to fifth place.

So what is Loreen up to in 2018? She is promoting her new album Ride on a European summer tour and has left behind her signature long dark hair, sporting a short, fresh blonde hairdo.