Leonora (singer)

Last updated

Leonora
Leonora at the Danish Melodi Grand Prix 2019 (cropped).jpg
Leonora in 2019
Background information
Birth nameLeonora Colmor Jepsen
Born (1998-10-03) 3 October 1998 (age 25)
Origin Hellerup, Copenhagen, Denmark
Occupation(s)Musician, singer
Instrument(s)Vocals
Years active2018–present

Leonora Colmor Jepsen (born 3 October 1998), also known simply as Leonora, is a Danish singer and former competitive figure skater. As a figure skater, she was a two-time national junior champion in singles in 2015, 2016 and represented her country at the 2016 World Junior Championships. As a singer, she won the 2019 Dansk Melodi Grand Prix and represented Denmark at that year's Eurovision Song Contest in Tel Aviv, finishing 12th with 120 points.

Contents

Early life

Born and raised in Hellerup to the north of Copenhagen where she still lives, Leonora received her high school diploma from Gammel Hellerup Gymnasium. She has written many songs of her own, performing in cafés, libraries and small school concerts. [1] [2] [3]

Career

As a figure skater, she competed in the ISU World Junior Championships in 2016 and in the ISU JGP Riga Cup 2015. [2] [4] In December 2016, Leonora and her brother Linus were gold medallists at the Danish figure-skating championships. She had previously been Denmark's junior champion skating solo. [5] She now no longer competes but works as a figure-skating trainer and choreographer. [6]

She represented her country in the Eurovision Song Contest 2019 in Tel Aviv with the song "Love Is Forever". [7] [8] She won Danish Melodi Grand Prix 2019 after gaining 42% of the public and jury vote in the superfinal, beating favorites Julie & Nina, and Sigmund. [9] Her song "Love Is Forever", written by Lise Cabble, Melanie Wehbe and Emil Lei, combines four different languages: English, Danish, German and French. [1] [10]

Competitive highlights

JGP: Junior Grand Prix

Event 14–15 15–16
International: Junior [11]
Junior Worlds 42nd
JGP Latvia 23rd J
NRW Trophy 20th J
Ice Challenge 19th J
Nordics 7th J12th J
Coupe du Printemps 6th J
National: Junior [11]
Danish Champ. 1st J1st J
Levels: J = Junior

Discography

Singles

TitleYearPeak chart positionsAlbum
DEN
[12]
SCO
[13]
SWE
Heat.

[14]
UK
Down.

[15]
"Love Is Forever"201916771261Non-album singles
"Turquoise"2020
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Related Research Articles

Dansk Melodi Grand Prix, also known as Melodi Grand Prix or simply DMGP, is an annual music competition organised by the Danish public broadcaster DR since 1957, which determines the country's representative for the Eurovision Song Contest. The festival has produced three Eurovision winners and fourteen top-five placings.

Denmark participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 with the song "Twist of Love" written by Niels Drevsholt. The song was performed by Sidsel Ben Semmane. The Danish broadcaster DR organised the national final Dansk Melodi Grand Prix 2006 in order to select the Danish entry for the 2006 contest in Athens, Greece. Ten songs competed in a televised show where "Twist of Love" performed by Sidsel Ben Semmane was the winner as decided upon through two rounds of public voting.

Denmark participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2005 with the song "Talking to You" written by Jacob Launbjerg and Andreas Mørck. The song was performed by Jakob Sveistrup. The Danish broadcaster DR organised the national final Dansk Melodi Grand Prix 2005 in order to select the Danish entry for the 2005 contest in Kyiv, Ukraine. Ten songs competed in a televised show where "Tænder på dig" performed by Jakob Sveistrup was the winner as decided upon through two rounds of public voting. The song was later translated from Danish to English for the Eurovision Song Contest and was titled "Talking to You".

Denmark participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2007 with the song "Drama Queen" written by Peter Andersen, Simon Munk and Claus Christensen. The song was performed by DQ, which is the artistic name of singer and drag queen Peter Andersen. The Danish broadcaster DR organised the national final Dansk Melodi Grand Prix 2007 in order to select the Danish entry for the 2007 contest in Helsinki, Finland. The national selection consisted of two televised semi-finals, a radio wildcard selection and a televised final. In the final, the winner was selected by regional televoting. "Drama Queen" performed by DQ was the winner after gaining the most votes.

Anders Frandsen was a Danish musician, singer, actor and TV presenter. He was born in Copenhagen.

Denmark participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 1999 with the song "This Time I Mean It" written by Ebbe Ravn. The song was performed by Trine Jepsen and Michael Teschl. The Danish broadcaster DR returned to the Eurovision Song Contest after a one-year absence following their relegation from 1998 as one of the six countries with the least total average points over the preceding five contests. DR organised the national final Dansk Melodi Grand Prix 1999 in order to select the Danish entry for the 1999 contest in Jerusalem, Israel. Five songs competed in a televised show where "Denne gang" performed by the Trine Jepsen and Michael Teschl was the winner as decided upon through jury and public voting. The song was later translated from Danish to English for the Eurovision Song Contest and was titled "This Time I Mean It".

Denmark participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2002 with the song "Tell Me Who You Are" written by Michael Ronson. The song was performed by Malene Mortensen. The Danish broadcaster DR organised the national final Dansk Melodi Grand Prix 2002 in order to select the Danish entry for the 2002 contest in Tallinn, Estonia. Ten songs competed in a televised show where "Vis mig hvem du er" performed by Malene Mortensen was the winner as decided upon through two rounds of jury voting and public voting. The song was later translated from Danish to English for the Eurovision Song Contest and was titled "Tell Me Who You Are".

Denmark participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2008 with the song "All Night Long" written by Jacob Launbjerg, Svend Gudiksen and Nis Bøgvad. The song was performed by Simon Mathew. The Danish broadcaster DR organised the national final Dansk Melodi Grand Prix 2008 in order to select the Danish entry for the 2008 contest in Belgrade, Serbia. The national selection consisted of two televised semi-finals, a radio wildcard selection and a televised final. In the final, the winner was selected by regional televoting. "All Night Long" performed by Simon Mathew was the winner after gaining the most votes.

Denmark participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2009 with the song "Believe Again" written by Lars Halvor Jensen, Martin Michael Larsson and Ronan Keating. The song was performed by Brinck. The Danish broadcaster DR organised the national final Dansk Melodi Grand Prix 2009 in order to select the Danish entry for the 2009 contest in Moscow, Russia. Ten songs competed in a televised show where the winner was selected over three rounds of voting. The results of the first round were decided upon through the combination of jury voting and public voting while the results in the second and third round were determined solely by public televoting. "Believe Again" performed by Brinck was the winner after gaining the most public votes in the third round.

Denmark participated in and won the Eurovision Song Contest 2000 with the song "Fly on the Wings of Love" written by Jørgen Olsen. The song was performed by the Olsen Brothers. The Danish broadcaster DR organised the national final Dansk Melodi Grand Prix 2000 in order to select the Danish entry for the 2000 contest in Stockholm, Sweden. Ten songs competed in a televised show where "Smuk som et stjerneskud" performed by the Olsen Brothers was the winner as decided upon through two rounds of jury voting and public voting. The song was later translated from Danish to English for the Eurovision Song Contest and was titled "Fly on the Wings of Love".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Birthe Kjær</span> Danish singer (born 1948)

Birthe Kjær is a Danish singer. She finished second at the Dansk Melodi Grand Prix in 1980, 1986 and 1987, before winning in 1989, and went on to finish third at the 1989 Eurovision Song Contest in Lausanne. She also finished third at the Dansk Melodi Grand Prix in 1991.

Denmark participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2001 with the song "Never Ever Let You Go" written by Søren Poppe, Stefan Nielsen and Thomas Brekling. The song was performed by the duo Rollo and King. In addition to participating in the contest, the Danish broadcaster DR also hosted the Eurovision Song Contest after winning the competition in 2000 with the song "Fly on the Wings of Love" performed by the Olsen Brothers. DR organised the national final Dansk Melodi Grand Prix 2001 in order to select the Danish entry for the 2001 contest in Copenhagen. Ten songs competed in a televised show where "Der står et billede af dig på mit bord" performed by Rollo and King was the winner as decided upon through two rounds of jury voting and public voting. The song was later translated from Danish to English for the Eurovision Song Contest and was titled "Never Ever Let You Go".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lise Cabble</span> Danish singer and songwriter

Lise Cabble is a Danish singer and songwriter. Cabble has written more than ten songs for Dansk Melodi Grand Prix and Eurovision Song Contest performers. Notable songs include the 1995 Danish song Fra Mols til Skagen and the winner of the Eurovision Song Contest 2013, Only Teardrops.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emmelie de Forest</span> Danish singer

Emmelie Charlotte-Victoria de Forest is a Danish singer and songwriter. She represented Denmark in the Eurovision Song Contest 2013 with the song "Only Teardrops" and went on to win the competition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trine Jepsen</span> Danish singer and actress

Trine Randbo Jakobsen (born 29 September 1977) is a Danish singer, actress and television presenter. Trine became known when she along with Michael Teschl won Dansk Melodi Grand Prix 1999 and got to represent Denmark in the Eurovision Song Contest 1999 in Jerusalem with the song "Denne Gang". The duo sang the English version of the song "This Time I mean It". In 2001, she participated in the first season of Popstars which was broadcast on TV2.

Denmark participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2018 with the song "Higher Ground" written by Niclas Arn and Karl Eurén. The song was performed by Rasmussen. The Danish broadcaster DR organised the national final Dansk Melodi Grand Prix 2018 in order to select the Danish entry for the 2018 contest in Lisbon, Portugal. Ten songs competed in a televised show where "Higher Ground" performed by Rasmussen was the winner as decided upon through the combination of jury voting and public voting over two rounds.

Denmark participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2019 with the song "Love Is Forever" written by Lise Cabble, Melanie Wehbe and Emil Lei. The song was performed by Leonora. The Danish broadcaster DR organised the national final Dansk Melodi Grand Prix 2019 in order to select the Danish entry for the 2019 contest in Tel Aviv, Israel. Ten songs competed in a televised show where "Love Is Forever" performed by Leonora was the winner as decided upon through the combination of jury voting and public voting over two rounds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Love Is Forever (Leonora song)</span> 2019 song by Leonora

"Love Is Forever" is a song by Danish singer Leonora that was Denmark's entry at the Eurovision Song Contest 2019 in Tel Aviv. It is the first multilingual entry from Denmark in Eurovision and also the first Danish entry with Danish lyrics since the removal of the language rule in 1999. It was performed at the second semi-final on 16 May 2019, and qualified for the final, where it placed 12th with 120 points.

Denmark originally planned to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 with the song "Yes" written by Emil Lei, Jimmy Jansson and Linnea Deb. The song was performed by the duo Ben and Tan. The Danish broadcaster DR organised the national final Dansk Melodi Grand Prix 2020 in order to select the Danish entry for the 2020 contest in Rotterdam, Netherlands. The national selection consisted of a radio semi-final and a televised final. In the final, the winner was selected over two rounds of voting. The results of the first round were decided upon through the combination of jury voting and public voting while in the second round, the winner was selected solely by public televoting. "Yes" performed by Ben and Tan was the winner after gaining 61% of the public vote.

Denmark participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2021 with the song "Øve os på hinanden" written by Laurits Emanuel. The song was performed by the duo Fyr og Flamme. The Danish broadcaster DR organised the national final Dansk Melodi Grand Prix 2021 in order to select the Danish entry for the 2021 contest in Rotterdam, Netherlands. Eight songs competed in a televised show where "Øve os på hinanden" performed by Fyr og Flamme was the winner as decided upon through two rounds of public voting.

References

  1. 1 2 "Leonora is Denmark's pick for Eurovision 2019". Escxtra. 23 February 2019. Archived from the original on 24 February 2019. Retrieved 24 February 2019.
  2. 1 2 "Leonora Colmor Jepsen". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 26 March 2019. Retrieved 24 February 2019.
  3. Minana, Emil (23 February 2019). "Sådan har Leonora det med favoritrollen". Se og Hør. Archived from the original on 24 February 2019. Retrieved 24 February 2019.
  4. "Fra skøjtetalent til grandprixvinder" (in Danish). B.T. 23 February 2019. Archived from the original on 24 February 2019. Retrieved 24 February 2019.
  5. "Isdans: Gentofte-søskende tog DM-guld" (in Danish). Lokalavisen.dk. 13 December 2016. Archived from the original on 24 February 2019. Retrieved 24 February 2019.
  6. Christensen, Mette (20 February 2019). "DMGP 2019: Portræt og interview med Leonora – 'Love is forever'". Good-Evening-Europe.dk. Archived from the original on 7 April 2019. Retrieved 24 February 2019.
  7. "Leonora 'Love Is Forever'". dr.dk. 23 February 2019. Archived from the original on 1 February 2019. Retrieved 23 February 2019.
  8. "Find din favorit: Hør alle sangene til Dansk Melodi Grand Prix allerede nu". dr.dk. 23 February 2019. Archived from the original on 24 February 2019. Retrieved 23 February 2019.
  9. "Leonora is Denmark's hopeful for Tel Aviv!". eurovision.tv. 23 February 2019. Archived from the original on 24 February 2019. Retrieved 24 February 2019.
  10. "Få kulturen i din indbakke Danmarks bedste kulturredaktion samler ugens vigtigste historier for dig der elsker bøger, musik, film og kunst. 20-årig favorit vinder Dansk Melodi Grand Prix". Politiken (in Danish). 23 February 2019. Archived from the original on 24 February 2019. Retrieved 24 February 2019.
  11. 1 2 "ISU competition results: Leonora Colmor JEPSEN". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 26 March 2019. Retrieved 24 February 2019.
  12. "Discography Leonora". danishcharts.dk. Archived from the original on 24 December 2021. Retrieved 6 May 2019.
  13. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart: 24 May 2019 – 30 May 2019". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 24 May 2019. Retrieved 25 May 2019.
  14. "Veckolista Heatseeker, vecka 21". Sverigetopplistan. Archived from the original on 17 September 2019. Retrieved 24 May 2019.
  15. "Official Singles Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 31 January 2021. Retrieved 24 May 2019.
Awards and achievements
Preceded by Denmark in the Eurovision Song Contest
2019
Succeeded by