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Will Stella "Haba Haba" to the top?

24 March 2011 at 12:40 CET

Second to perform in the first semi-final of the 2011 Eurovision Song Contest is Norway's very own Stella Mwangi, who will try and capture the hearts of the viewers with her inspiring and feel-good party song, Haba Haba. 

The Norwegian final was held on the 12th of February at the Oslo Spektrum arena. Here, eight acts battled it out for the top spot but only one song could win. Stella managed to achieve a combined jury and televote score of 280,271! This was a huge amount and left no doubt as to who had taken home victory that night.

With comments like "it is a masterpiece!" and "this song makes me smile and dance!" made by the fans, it seems like people enjoy Haba Haba. In addition her song was a huge hit at home in Norway, outdoing the likes of Lady GaGa and Bruno Mars in the charts. 

Stella is sure to be looking forward to starting rehearsals in Düsseldorf on the 1st of May where we are eagerly awaiting her stage performance. In the meantime see how she performed in the Norwegian final, below:

Just before Stella went on stage at the Norwegian final in February, Stella spoke exclusively to Eurovision.tv about her life and her song, Haba Haba. See this interview below:

Who is she?

Born in 1986 in Nairobi, Kenya Stella identifies herself as a Norwegian-Kenyan artist having a particular interest in Hip-Pop. She moved to Norway when she just a small child and was brought up in Eidsvoll, north of Oslo. Here she discovered her love for music and made the decision to pursue a career in the industry. 

As a teenager she had the privilege of being the support act for artists as diverse as Talib Kweli, Busta Rhymes, Flo-Rida, Rick Ross and Angelique Kidjo. In 2005 she performed with the group The Rise in front of Nelson Mandela. Several of her songs have featured in American films and TV series.



The story behind her entry Haba Haba was a vital part of her victory. Like Alexander Rybak’s Fairytale, it was based upon actual events. Having had success in the country where she was born, Kenya, Stella once complained to her grandmother that things did not move fast enough. Grandma dryly told her off by saying Haba haba, Hujaza Kibaba, which is Swahili and means that it’s the little steps in life that’s going to make you happy. 

Take a look at a few pictures of Stella below:

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Norway has won Europe's Favourite TV Show three times. In 1985 Bobbysocks took home the trophy with La det swinge; ten years later in Dublin, Secret Garden won with Nocturne; and in 2009 Alexander Rybak broke records with his song Fairytale.