With the Eurovision Song Contest on the way, we thought we’d take a look back at some of the Eurovision contestants who competed back in 2012 and see what they are up to now. From singing grandmothers to pure euro-pop perfection, 2012 had everything you’d expect from your typical Eurovision Song Contest.
Let’s take a look at some of the contestants, shall we?:
Loreen – Euphoria (Sweden)
First off, we have the winner of the Eurovision Song Contest 2012 – Loreen and her entry, ‘Euphoria’. This Eurovision hit is not only one of the most successful entries of recent times but possibly, dare we say, of all-time. ‘Euphoria’ received positive reception straight away from Eurovision fans and critics alike, leading to Loreen’s big win.
As for more recent times, Loreen came out as bisexual in February 2017 and competed in Sweden’s traditional Eurovision preliminary competition, Melodifestivalen but failed to win. After competing in Melodifestivalen, Loreen released her ‘Nude’ EP, in anticipation for her sophomore album, which was due for release later that year. In November 2017, after some record label complications, Loreen’s sophomore album, ‘Ride’ was released under BMG.
You can listen to Loreen’s sophomore album, ‘Ride’ below:
Jedward – Waterline (Ireland)
If you live in the UK or Ireland, you may have known of Jedward pre-Eurovision. This wasn’t their first rodeo though, as they also represented Ireland in the Eurovision Song Contest the previous year. However, their return to the ESC in 2012 is something we thought we’d remind you of. This would be the last of Jedward’s Eurovision run for now, as they haven’t shown any interest in representing Ireland since this entry.
More recently, Jedward were ‘all star’ housemates in the January 2017 series of Celebrity Big Brother UK after already participating in 2011. They re-entered the CBB house just a few days into the series and came second place overall, losing out to Coleen Nolan. After their second CBB run, the pair announced that they are working on new music and will release their fourth studio album soon.
Check out Jedward’s other Eurovision entry, ‘Lipstick’ below:
Buranovskiye Babushki – Party For Everybody (Russia)
This article wouldn’t be complete without this Eurovision entry from 2012. Buranovskiye Babushki, which translates to ‘Buranovski Grandmothers’ in English, were one of the most memorable acts of the Eurovision Song Contest that year. Their crowd-pleasing entry landed them second place overall in the contest, just losing out to Loreen’s ‘Euphoria’.
Ever since their Eurovision run, the group continued their music career, covering songs such as The Beatles’ ‘Let It Be’ and The Eagles’ ‘Hotel California’. They have been using any money made from their success to help build a church in Buranovo, which they started as a fundraiser in 2010. However, in terms of Eurovision, Buranovskiye Babushki did make a cameo in 2016’s contest as part of the ‘Love Love Peace Peace’ interval act but are yet to return as contestants.
You can watch the ‘Love Love Peace Peace’ interval act below:
Ivi Adamou – La La Love (Cyprus)
Possibly one of the most underrated Eurovision Song Contest entries of 2012 is Ivi Adamou’s ‘La La Love’. The entry was a commercial success, charting in various European countries after Eurovision, however, it only made sixteenth place in the contest’s final. Cyprus have never really had a good run with Eurovision but surely this entry deserved more points.
Ever since competing in 2012, Ivi has gone on to star in the Greek production of ‘Barbarella: The 80’s Musical’ back in 2015. She is also set to star as Mary Magdeline in the musical, ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’, which will take place at the Akropol Theatre in Athens. Ivy has also met the likes of Beyoncé and Jennifer Lopez.
You can check out Ivy Adamou’s latest single below:
Eleftheria Eleftheriou – Aphrodisiac (Greece)
This infectious dance-pop anthem was a perfect entry for Greece in 2012. ‘Aphrodisiac’ was well received in the semi final, placing 4th overall however in the grand final, it only managed to reach 17th place. It was the first time Greece finished outside the top 10 since 2004, and we can’t understand why.
Since competing in the Eurovision Song Contest, Eleftheriou has gone on to release her debut album, ‘Teleiosame’ in 2014 and has released multiple singles since the album. As for Eurovision, she is yet to return to the song contest, but she is working on new music as we speak, possibly a Eurovision entry?
You can check out Eleftheria Eleftheriou’s latest single below:
Gaitana – Be My Guest (Ukraine)
Here we have Gaitana and her entry, ‘Be My Guest’. No, unfortunately it’s not a cover of that song from The Beauty And The Beast. This entry made Ukrainian history as Gaitana was the first singer of Afro-Ukrainian origin to represent Ukraine in the contest. However, after only receiving 65 points in the final, this entry finished 15th place overall.
As for more recent times, Gaitana has been consistently releasing Ukrainian singles, but with no label backing her music, we haven’t heard much from this contestant since the competition in 2012.
Check out all entries from the Eurovision Song Contest 2012 below:
Also, you can read all Eurovision related articles here.