10 Artists That Were In Eurovision And You Probably Didn't Know About It

If you are European, you probably know it. And you pretend you don't. But admit it: you know they were there. And you also know a lot of artists no one else knows just because of the Eurovision.

10. t.A.T.u. (Russia 2003)

Still on the best moments of their career, the girls took the stage in Riga with "Ne ver’, Ne boisia" and ended up in the third place, only three points away from the winner, Turkey. But Julia and Lena will never be missed by the producers... They gave everybody a massive headache, by making nasty remarks about others contestants, showing up late and missing rehearsals and complaining about the stage. Journalists booed them in a press conference. Ouch.

9. Olivia Newton-John (UK 1974)

Four years before the release of Grease, Olivia Newton-John, (who was born in England, not Australia. Surprise, surprise...) represented the UK as the home girl, in Brighton. Her song, "Long Live Love", took her to a respectable forth place.

Olivia Newton-John later admitted that she disliked her song. Yep, we get it... But then again... Her outfit was no much better.

8. Lordi (Finland 2006)

Ok. Let me be honest here. I had NO idea who Lordi was before they made history and won Eurovision with "Hard Rock Hallelujah" and their stunning metal show, complete with full monsters outfits and fireworks. Mr. Lordi and his team gave Finland their first (and only, by now) victory.

But then, a few months after Eurovision, I found out that they were huge in the hard rock world, according to my brother, a fan of them, that know nothing about the Song Contest. Worlds colliding here, for sure.

7. Jedward (Ireland 2011 and 2012)

The Irish twins, made famous by the british version of The X Factor, took Eurovision by storm not once, but twice. In a row. And the second time around, they had an water fountain on stage. And they went down the water in the performance.

Thank you Ireland. Just... Thank you. Now... can you bring them back in 2015? Thanks.

6. Julio Iglesias (Spain 1970)

Spanish hunk Julio Iglesias, a former goalkeeper whose career ended after he was injured in a car accident, and his bright green suit (oh, the 70's...) had Europe in love with Gwendolyne. After that, he went on to sell over 100 million albums worldwide. Pretty much successful, I guess...

Would his son, Enrique, take the lead over 30 years later and represent Spain in 2015? Well... We can dream...

5. Domenico Modugno (Italy 1958, 1959 and 1966)

Ok. You might not recognize his name, but if you listen to two seconds of his song, you will know who he is. Let's just say: "Volaaaare...". Yes, I know you read it singing. And you completed with "Cantaaaare. Oh Oh Oh Oh...". I know... Just admit it...

Domenico went back to Eurovision in 1959 and 1966, when he sang one of the most know italian ballads ever, "Dio, come ti amo" and surprisingly finish last, with zero points (or null points, in Eurovision language). No wonder why after that he had sore feelings about Eurovision...

4. Bonnie Tyler (UK 2013)

Everybody was in complete shock in March 7th 2013 when BBC announced that Bonnie Tyler would represent the UK in Eurovision later that year. The secret was very well kept (the arrangement was made around Christmas 2012!), since no rumors with her name were rolling.

So... Bonnie Tyler. Everybody was expecting a rock song, right? At least a rock ballad? Maybe... Well... Nopes. Bonnie took to Malmö (Sweden) "Believe In Me", a pop country that landed in the mediocre 23th position, out of 26 contestants. Big ouch.

Bonus: also in 2013, a big international name showed up in Eurovision: Cascada, the German dance music trio made famous by hits like "Everytime we Touch" and "Evacuate the Dancefloor". Only the lead singer, Natalie, took the stage to perform "Glorious". Despite being an early favorite, they only got the 21st place. Well, better then Bonnie, right?

3. Conchita Wurst (Austria 2014)

If you didn't hear about Conchita this year, you were probably living under a rock. Everybody was talking about the "bearded lady" and her name was everywhere after she won Eurovision with the James Bond-like ballad "Rise Like a Phoenix".

Try, just try, not to get goosebumps when Conchita, the drag persona of Tom Neuwirth, hits her key-change by the end of the song... And try, just try to not get the same goosebumps, watching Conchita's reaction after her victory and her speech on stage. Quite a message to homophobes...

2. Celine Dion (Switzerland 1988)

Ok. If you are a fan of Miss Dion and you didn't know about her winning Eurovision, don't feel bad about it. I've met a couple of die-hard fans of hers who knew nothing about her "French phase", as they said...

"Ne partez pas sans moi" was the song that Canadian Celine Dion performed, representing Switzerland (yep...), when she was only 20 years old (and already an stunning voice). She beat the UK (aka the kings of second place in Eurovision) by only one point.

And... Just pay attention to her look. It doesn't get more 80's then that.

1. Abba (Sweden 1974)

It's ABBA. FREAKING ABBA. <3 They won Eurovision in 1974, with Waterloo, their first hit song. After winning, their career was a non-stop mania all around the world.

Thank you Eurovision. Thank you for showing Abba to the world. <3