Maja Keuc

Last updated

Maja Keuc
Also known asAmaya
Born (1992-01-16) 16 January 1992 (age 32)
Maribor, Slovenia
Genres
Occupation(s)Singer
Instrument(s)Vocals
Years active2010–present

Maja Keuc (born 16 January 1992), also known as Amaya, is a Slovenian singer. She represented Slovenia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2011.

Contents

Career

Keuc was born on 16 January 1992 in Maribor, Slovenia. [1] During her childhood, she joined the "English student theatre" where she got a lot of stage experience including singing, dancing and playing instruments. In 2010, Maja competed in the talent show Slovenija ima talent (Slovenia's Got Talent) and finished as a runner-up to a 7-year-old girl Lina Kuduzović. [2]

She represented Slovenia at the Eurovision Song Contest 2011 with the song "No One" eventually finishing 13th in the grand final. She finished 3rd in the second semi-final with 113 points. According to jury votes only in semi-final she would have finished 1st (3rd by televoters) and according to votes only from jury in final she would finish 4th (but only 22nd by televoters). [3] [4]

She released her second studio album Fairytales in September 2016, under the name Amaya. [5]

Personal life

Keuc was engaged to Swedish band Dirty Loops vocalist Jonah Nilsson, but they later separated. She lives in Stockholm, Sweden. [5] [6]

Discography

Studio albums

Singles

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Slovenia in the Eurovision Song Contest</span>

Slovenia has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 28 times since its debut in 1993, having hosted a qualification round in Ljubljana for seven countries due to the influx of new nations wishing to join the Eurovision Song Contest. Having only missed the event twice in 1994 and 2000 due to the relegation rule after a poor average score in the 1990s, Slovenia's best result is seventh position achieved on two occasions; in 1995 with "Prisluhni mi" performed by Darja Švajger and in 2001 with Nuša Derenda and "Energy". Since the introduction of the semi-finals in 2004, Slovenia has qualified for the final on seven occasions. As of 2023, Slovenia has not made it to the top ten since their seventh place finish in 2001, only making it to the thirteenth position in 2002 and 2011.

Slovenia participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 with the song "Mr Nobody" written by Urša Vlašić and Matjaž Vlašić. The song was performed by Anžej Dežan. Slovenian broadcaster Radiotelevizija Slovenija organised the national final EMA 2006 in order to select the Slovenian entry for the 2006 contest in Athens, Greece. Fourteen entries competed in the national final where "Plan B" performed by Anžej Dežan was selected following the combination of votes from a five-member jury panel and a public televote. The song was later translated from Slovene to English for the Eurovision Song Contest and was titled "Mr Nobody".

Slovenia participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2008 with the song "Vrag naj vzame" written by Josip Miani-Pipi and Igor Amon Mazul. The song was performed by Rebeka Dremelj. Slovenian broadcaster Radiotelevizija Slovenija organised the national final EMA 2008 in order to select the Slovenian entry for the 2008 contest in Belgrade, Serbia. 20 entries competed in the national final which consisted of three shows: two semi-finals and a final. The top five entries were selected to advance from each semi-final based on a public televote. Ten entries qualified to compete in the final where the winner was selected over two rounds of public televoting. In the first round, the top two entries were selected. In the second round, "Vrag naj vzame" performed by Rebeka Dremelj was selected as the winner entirely by a public televote.

Slovenia participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2009 with the song "Love Symphony" written by Andrej Babić and Aleksandar Valenčić. The song was performed by the group Quartissimo featuring Martina. Slovenian broadcaster Radiotelevizija Slovenija organised the national final EMA 2009 in order to select the Slovenian entry for the 2009 contest in Moscow, Russia. 20 entries competed in the national final which consisted of two shows: a semi-final and a final. Fourteen of the entries competed in the semi-final and the top eight entries were selected to advance alongside six pre-qualified songs following the combination of votes from a three-member jury panel and a public televote. Fourteen entries qualified to compete in the final where "Love Symphony" performed by Quartissimo and Martina Majerle was selected as the winner following the combination of votes from a three-member jury panel and a public televote.

Slovenia participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2002 with the song "Samo ljubezen" written by Robert Pešut and Barbara Pešut. The song was performed by the drag act Sestre. Slovenian broadcaster Radiotelevizija Slovenija organised the national final EMA 2002 in order to select the Slovenian entry for the 2002 contest in Tallinn, Estonia. 18 entries competed in the national final which consisted of two shows: a semi-final and a final. Entries were selected to advance from the semi-final based on a public televote and a jury panel. Ten entries qualified to compete in the final where "Samo ljubezen" performed by Sestre was selected as the winner following the combination of votes from two thematical juries.

Slovenia participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2011 with the song "No One" written by Matjaž Vlašič and Urša Vlašič. The song was performed by Maja Keuc. Slovenian broadcaster Radiotelevizija Slovenija organised the national final EMA 2011 in order to select the Slovenian entry for the 2011 contest in Düsseldorf, Germany. Ten entries competed in the national final where the winner was selected over two rounds of voting. In the first round, the top two entries were selected by a three-member jury panel. In the second round, "Vanilija" performed by Maja Keuc was selected as the winner entirely by a public vote. The song was later translated from Slovene to English for the Eurovision Song Contest and was titled "No One".

Slovenia participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2012 with the song "Verjamem" written by Vladimir Graić, Hari Mata Hari and Igor Pirkovič. The song was performed by Eva Boto. Songwriter Hari Mata Hari represented Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 with the song "Lejla" where he placed third in the grand final of the competition. Slovenian broadcaster Radiotelevizija Slovenija organised the national final Misija EMA 2012 in order to select the Slovenian entry for the 2012 contest in Baku, Azerbaijan. 32 performers competed in the first stage of the national final, Misija Evrovizija, from which two artists qualified to compete in Misija EMA 2012 following a five-month-long competition. In Misija EMA 2012, the winner was selected over two rounds of voting. In the first round, each artist performed three songs and one song were selected for each performer following the combination of votes from a four-member jury panel and a public televote. In the second round, "Verjamem" performed by Eva Boto was selected as the winner entirely by a public televote.

Slovenia participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2013 with the song "Straight into Love" written by Hannah Mancini, Gregor Zemljič, Erik Margan, Matija Rodić and Marko Primužak. The song was performed by Hannah, who was internally selected by Slovenian broadcaster Radiotelevizija Slovenija to represent Slovenia at the 2013 contest in Malmö, Sweden. Hannah was announced at the Slovenian representative on 1 February 2013, while the song, "Straight into Love", was presented to the public on 14 February 2013.

Slovenia participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2014 with the song "Round and Round" written by Raay, Tinkara Kovač, Hannah Mancini and Tina Piš. The song was performed by Tinkara Kovač. Songwriter Hannah Mancini represented Slovenia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2013 where she failed to qualify to the final with the song "Straight into Love". Slovenian broadcaster Radiotelevizija Slovenija organised the national final EMA 2014 in order to select the Slovenian entry for the 2014 contest in Copenhagen, Denmark. Seven entries competed in the national final where the winner was selected over two rounds of public televoting. In the first round, the top two entries were selected. In the second round, "Round and Round" performed by Tinkara Kovač was selected as the winner.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tinkara Kovač</span> Slovenian singer and musician (born 1978)

Tinkara Kovač is a Slovenian singer and flautist. She represented her country in the Eurovision Song Contest 2014 in Copenhagen, finishing in 25th place.

Miss Earth Slovenia is a national pageant that selects Slovenia's representative for the Miss Earth.

Slovenia participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2015 with the song "Here for You" written by Raay, Marjetka Vovk and Charlie Mason. The song was performed by the duo Maraaya, which consists of Raay and Marjetka Vovk. Slovenian broadcaster Radiotelevizija Slovenija organised the national final EMA 2015 in order to select the Slovenian entry for the 2015 contest in Vienna, Austria. Eight entries competed in the national final where the winner was selected over two rounds of voting. In the first round, the top two entries were selected by a three-member jury panel. In the second round, "Here for You" performed by Maraaya was selected as the winner entirely by a public televote.

Slovenia participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2016 with the song "Blue and Red" written by Marjan Hvala, Manuella Brečko and Leon Oblak. The song was performed by ManuElla, which is the artistic name of singer Manuella Brečko. Slovenian broadcaster Radiotelevizija Slovenija organised the national final EMA 2016 in order to select the Slovenian entry for the 2016 contest in Stockholm, Sweden. Ten entries competed in the national final where the winner was selected over two rounds of voting. In the first round, the top two entries were selected by a three-member jury panel. In the second round, "Blue and Red" performed by ManuElla was selected as the winner entirely by a public televote.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fairytale (Eneda Tarifa song)</span> 2016 song by Eneda Tarifa

"Fairytale" is a song by Albanian singer Eneda Tarifa. It was issued as a single on 30 March 2016 by Radio Televizioni Shqiptar (RTSH) and Universal Music. An English-language mid-tempo power rock ballad, the song was composed and written by Olsa Toqi. An accompanying music video was premiered to the official YouTube channel of the Eurovision Song Contest on 13 March 2016. The song represented Albania in the Eurovision Song Contest 2016 in Stockholm, Sweden, after Tarifa's victory at the country's pre-selection competition Festivali i Këngës with the song's Albanian-language version "Përrallë". It failed to qualify for the grand final also marking the country's sixth non-qualification in the contest. During her minimalistic performance, she was accompanied by three backing vocalists while the LED screens showed a variety of gold images.

Slovenia participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 with the song "On My Way" written and performed by Omar Naber, who had previously represented Slovenia in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2005 where he failed to qualify to the final with the song "Stop". Slovenian broadcaster Radiotelevizija Slovenija organised the national selection EMA 2017 in order to select the Slovenian entry for the 2017 contest in Kyiv, Ukraine. 16 entries competed in the national final which consisted of three shows: two semi-finals and a final. Entries were selected to advance from each semi-final based on a public televote and a jury panel. Eight entries qualified to compete in the final where "On My Way" performed by Omar Naber was selected as the winner following the combination of votes from six regional juries and a public televote.

Slovenia participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2018 with the song "Hvala, ne!" written by Lea Sirk and Tomy DeClerque. The song was performed by Lea Sirk. Slovenian broadcaster Radiotelevizija Slovenija organised the national selection EMA 2018 in order to select the Slovenian entry for the 2018 contest in Lisbon, Portugal. 16 entries competed in the national final which consisted of two shows: a semi-final and a final. Entries were selected to advance from the semi-final based on a public televote and a jury panel. Eight entries qualified to compete in the final where "Hvala, ne!" performed by Lea Sirk was selected as the winner following the combination of votes from six thematical juries and a public televote.

Slovenia originally planned to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 with the song "Voda" written by Ana Soklič and Bojan Simončič. The song was performed by Ana Soklič. Slovenian broadcaster Radiotelevizija Slovenija organised the national final EMA in order to select the Slovenian entry for the 2020 contest in Rotterdam, Netherlands. 18 entries competed in the first stage of the national final, EMA FREŠ 2020, from which two entries qualified to compete in EMA 2020 following a two-month-long competition. Twelve entries competed in EMA 2020 where the winner was selected over two rounds of voting. In the first round, the top two entries were selected by a three-member jury panel. In the second round, "Voda" performed by Ana Soklič was selected as the winner entirely by a public vote.

Benjamin Dolić, known professionally as Ben Dolic, is a Slovenian singer. He gained popularity in Germany after his participation in the eighth season of The Voice of Germany. Dolic would have represented Germany in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 held in Rotterdam with the song "Violent Thing" before it was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Slovenia participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2021 with the song "Amen" written by Ana Soklič, Bojan Simončič, Žiga Pirnat and Charlie Mason. The song was performed by Ana Soklič, who was internally selected by Slovenian broadcaster Radiotelevizija Slovenija to represent Slovenia at the 2021 contest in Rotterdam, Netherlands, after she was due to compete in the 2020 contest with "Voda" before the 2020 event's cancellation. Ana Soklič was announced at the Slovenian representative on 16 May 2020, while the song, "Amen", was presented to the public on 27 February 2021 during the special show EMA 2021.

Slovenia participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2022 in Turin, Italy, with the song "Disko", written by Filip Vidušin, Žiga Žvižej, Gašper Hlupič, Mark Semeja, Zala Velenšek and Jakob Korošec and performed by LPS. The Slovenian entry for the 2022 contest was selected via a two-stage national final organised by the Radiotelevizija Slovenija (RTVSLO). The first stage EMA Freš began on 29 November 2021 with the purpose of selecting four newcomer artists to advance to the second stage EMA 2022. The national final featured twenty entries competing across two semi-finals on 5 and 12 February 2022, and the final on 19 February 2022, where a combination of jury and public voting decided the Slovenian representative in Turin among twelve entries.

References

  1. "Maja Keuc Biografija". Ekskluzvino (in Slovenian). Archived from the original on 27 February 2011.
  2. "24ur.com – Najbolj obiskana spletna stran v Sloveniji". Talent.24ur.com. n.d. Retrieved 6 November 2011.
  3. "Foto in video: Zaradi Maje Keuc bo Evrovizija dišala po Vaniliji! :: Prvi interaktivni multimedijski portal, MMC RTV Slovenija". Rtvslo.si. n.d. Retrieved 6 November 2011.
  4. Tekst: (ča) (27 February 2011). "EMA 2011: V Düsseldorf bo odpotovala Maja Keuc s pesmijo Vanilija | Dnevnik". Dnevnik.si. Retrieved 6 November 2011.
  5. 1 2 Adams, William Lee (5 July 2016). "Amaya – The artist formerly known as Maja Keuc – Talks love, her new album, and Melodifestivalen". wiwibloggs.com. Wiwibloggs.
  6. "Maja Keuc se bo poročila! :: Žurnal 24". Žurnal24.si. n.d. Retrieved 6 June 2016.
Preceded by Slovenia in the Eurovision Song Contest
2011
Succeeded by