Loreen participated in Eurovision 2012 with her dance track, Euphoria, which still to this day remains one of the most loved Eurovision winners in recent history. What has Loreen been up to since her win at Eurovision?
Who is Loreen?
Lorine Zineb Nora Talhaoui, also known as Loreen, is a Swedish singer, songwriter and producer. The 37-year-old was born in Stockholm, but hails from Västerås, and has been active in the music industry since 2004.
The Journey to Eurovision
Loreen became known to Swedish audiences after participating in the 2004 edition of Swedish Idol. She placed third in the public vote of the qualification round, which would have warranted her elimination, however she received a wildcard from the judges. Overall, Loreen finished in fourth. In the same year, she presented the TV show Lyssna which was broadcast by TV400. The following year, she took a break from on camera roles and worked more behind the scenes as a segment producer and director.
Loreen returned to television screens when she participated in Melodifestivalen 2011 with the song ‘My Heart is Refusing Me’. She qualified to the second chance round, however failed to reach the final after a sing-off with Sara Varga. Despite not reaching the final, the song became a hit on the Swedish Singles Chart, peaking at number 9.
Loreen participated in Melodifestivalen 2012 with the song Euphoria, where she advanced directly to the final. She went on to win the competition, and represented Sweden at Eurovision with Euphoria. As we know, she went on to win the competition with 372 points. Her winning entry wen on to chart at number 3 on the UK Official Singles Chart, which was the highest chart position for a non-UK Eurovision entry since Johnny Logan’s ‘Hold Me Now’ back in 1987.
What Happened Next?
Not long after her Eurovision win, Loreen went on to appear on the MTV World Stage in Gothenburg, Sweden. By August, her debut album ‘Heal’ was confirmed, and then released in October. The album was certified platinum in Sweden in its second week since release. A remixed version of ‘My Heart Is Refusing Me’ was also released in October. To promote her album, Loreen appeared as a guest on a number of European shows such as X Factor Romania and The Voice of Holland.
Keeping with traditions, Loreen performed at Eurovision 2013. She opened the show with her new single, ‘We Got the Power’. In 2014, it was announced that Loreen would be performing at Art on Ice, a tour that combines live performances with performances from figure skaters. In the same year, she participated in a Swedish program where artists travel to the North to meet with talented counterparts in the Sami population. They had three days to write a new song together, and Loreen revealed ‘Son’ which would feature on her next album.
Loreen embarked on a tour in 2014, and continued appearing at different events across Europe. In 2015, her next single was announced, titled ‘Paper Light (Higher)’. Later in the year, she released a new single titled ‘I’m In It With You’. Her next single was a cover of ‘Under ytan’ which was originally performed by Uno Svenningsson, and marked her first Swedish-language release.
In 2017, Loreen returned to Melodifestivalen with the song ‘Statements’. She qualified for the second chance round, however lost her duel against Anton Hagman. In the same year, she released the single ‘Body’ which was featured on her first EP titled ‘Nude’. Later in the year, she released the album ‘Ride’ which featured ’71 Charger’ and ‘Hate The Way I Love You’ as the main singles.
To celebrate the Melodifestivalen Hall of Fame, Loreen performed ‘Fiction Feels Good’, a reimagined medley of her hits including Euphoria, My Heart Is Refusing Me and Statements, her three Melodifestivalen entries. Loreen made an appearance on the Netflix film, Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga. Early in 2021, she released ‘Sötvattentårar’.