Skip to main content

What do they look like now? Eurovision stars from the past: Part Two

29 August 2017 at 15:15 CEST
Last week we went back in time to look to see which female Eurovision stars had changed and which singers had stayed the same. Today we turn our attention to the men. Would you still recognise these artists if you met them on the street?

Toto Cutugno (Italy 1990)

Toto Cutugno began his professional career in the 1960s and participated in Sanremo for the first time in 1976. He won the Eurovision Song Contest for Italy in 1990 with the song Insieme: 1992, a celebration of European unity. He went on to present the 1991 Eurovision Song Contest in Rome alongside Italy's other winner, Gigliola Cinquetti.

This is what Toto looked like in 1990:


Josh Dubovie (United Kingdom 2010)

Josh Dubovie had his breakthrough when he represented the United Kingdom in 2010. Unfortunately, his song, That Sounds Good To Me, written by legendary music producer Pete Waterman, ended up last in 25th place. Josh rebranded himself in 2013 and now goes by the name of Josh James. He has also changed his musical style, moving away from pop music towards RnB and dance. 

This is what Josh looked like in 2010:

Scott Fitzgerald (United Kingdom 1988)

Scott Fitzgerald (left, pictured alongside Glen Vella who represented Malta in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2011) became the first artist chosen by telephone to represent the UK in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1988. His song, Go, was written and composed by Julie Forsyth, daughter of the late Bruce Forsyth. Scott finished second, just one point behind winner Celine Dion after one of the most thrilling voting sequences ever

This is what Scott looked like in 1988:

Gerard Joling (The Netherlands 1988)

Gerard Joling performed Shangri-La for The Netherlands in the 1988 Eurovision Song Contest. The dramatic ballad finished 9th in Dublin. Gerard has gone on to have a successful career in his home country and was set to participate once again in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2009 as part of the group De Toppers, however, he was forced to pull out after breaking his arm. 

This is what Gerard looked like in 1988:

Paul Oscar (Iceland 1997)

Paul Oscar, or Páll Óskar as he is known in Iceland, represented his country in the 1997 Eurovision Song Contest with Minn Hinsti Dans (My Final Dance). Paul's performance at Eurovision was groundbreaking and saw him dressed in black PVC, sat on a sofa alongside several women in provocative costumes. As former UK commentator Terry Wogan said, it "broke the mould" when it came to Eurovision performances. Paul has continued to have a successful career in Iceland and has released several albums in addition to his work on radio and television. 

This is what Paul Oscar looked like in 1997:

Fillip Kirkorov (Russia 1995)

Fillip Kirkorov represented Russia in the 1995 Eurovision Song Contest with the rather unusually titled Lullaby For The Volcano. His then wife, Alla Pugacheva, followed two years later representing Russia in 1997. Fillip has enjoyed continued success in his own recording career and is also a successful songwriter. Kirorov was behind Belarus' first ever Eurovision qualifier, Work Your Magic, in 2007, Ukraine's second-placed Shady Lady in 2008 and more recently, Sergey Lazarev's You Are The Only One in 2016. 

This is what Fillip looked like in 1995:

Martin Stenmarck (Sweden 2005)

Martin Stenmarck represented Sweden in the 2005 Eurovision Song Contest with the song Las Vegas which finished 19th in Kyiv. He has continued to release albums and singles and in addition to work on-stage, he has recently carved out a successful career as a voiceover artist. 

This is what Martin looked like in 2005:

Sergio Dalma (Spain 1991)

Sergio Dalma was something of a hearthrob when he represented Spain in the 1991 Eurovision Song Contest with the song Bailar Pegados, finishing fourth. He is one of the biggest selling artists in Spain and has topped the charts numerous times over the years. In addition to Spanish, Sergio has also recorded songs in Catalan, Italian, English and French.

This is what Sergio looked like in 1991:

Deen (Bosnia & Herzegovina 2004 & 2016)

Fuad Backović, better known by his stage name, Deen, is a Bosnian singer, reality star and fashion designer. He was previously member of the boy band 7Up before going solo in 2002. Deen represented Bosnia & Herzegovina in the 2004 Eurovision Song Contest with the song In The Disco, finishing ninth. He returned in 2016 where was he joined by Dalal Midhat-Talakić, Ana Rucner and rapper Jala Brat. Unfortunately for them their song, Ljubav Je, failed to qualify, making it the first time that the country has failed to reach the Grand Final since the Semi-Finals were introduced in 2004.    

This is what Deen looked like in 2004:

Milan Stanković (Serbia 2010)

Milan Stanković represented Serbia in 2010 with the song Ovo Je Balkan, finishing 13th in the Grand Final. He has continued to release singles and in 2015 released his second album, Milan

This is what Milan looked like in 2010:

Time changes everything, well, that's what they say!