t.A.T.u. was a Russian music duo that consisted of Lena Katina and Julia Volkova. The singers were part of children's music group Neposedy before being managed by producer and director Ivan Shapovalov and signing with Russian record label Neformat. t.A.T.u.'s debut album 200 Po Vstrechnoy (2001) was a commercial success in Eastern Europe, and that made the duo sign with Interscope Records to release its English-language counterpart, 200 km/h in the Wrong Lane (2002). The album was certified platinum by the IFPI for one million copies sold in Europe and became the first album by a foreign group to reach number one in Japan. It was also certified gold in the United States and included the international hits "All the Things She Said" and "Not Gonna Get Us". The duo represented Russia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2003 with the song "Ne ver', ne boysia", finishing third.
Russia has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 23 times since their debut in 1994. Russia won the 2008 contest with Dima Bilan performing the song "Believe". One of the most successful countries in the contest in the 21st century with a total of ten top five placements, Russia finished second with Alsou in 2000, Dima Bilan in 2006, Buranovskiye Babushki in 2012 and Polina Gagarina in 2015; third with t.A.T.u. in 2003, Serebro in 2007, Sergey Lazarev in 2016 and 2019, and fifth with Dina Garipova in 2013. In 2018, they failed to qualify for the final for the first time in their history.
Shaffer Chimere Smith, better known by his stage name Ne-Yo, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, actor, dancer, and television judge. He gained fame for his songwriting abilities when he penned his 2004 hit "Let Me Love You" for singer Mario. The single's successful release in the United States prompted an informal meeting between Ne-Yo and Def Jam's label head and the signing of a recording contract.
"Ne ver', ne boysia" also known as "Ne ver', ne boisia, i ne prosi" is a song by t.A.T.u., which they performed at Eurovision Song Contest 2003 representing Russia.
"Sanomi" is a song recorded by Belgian six-piece band Urban Trad, written by Yves Barbieux. It is best known as the Belgian entry at the Eurovision Song Contest 2003, held in Riga.
Ruslan Fyodorovich Alekhno is a Moscow-based Russian and Belarusian singer, who rose to popularity after winning Narodniy Artist – 2, the Russian version of Pop Idol. Alekhno received the Medal of Francysk Skaryna in 2019.
"Let's Get Happy" was the German entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 2003, performed in English by Lou. The pop song received popularity in the United Kingdom and Australia for its fun, up-tempo party tune, being seen as one of Germany's top Eurovision entries.
"To nie ja!" was the Polish entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1994, performed in Polish by Edyta Górniak. This marked Poland's debut at the contest, and consequently the first time that the Polish language had been used in a contest entry. The song achieved second place in the Eurovision final – at the time the highest ever placing attained by a debut song. It was released as a single in English as "Once in a Lifetime".
"Czarna dziewczyna" was the Polish entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 2005, performed in Polish and Russian by Ivan & Delfin.
Pop music in Ukraine is Western influenced pop music in its various forms that has been growing in popularity in Ukraine since the 1960s.
Russia participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2003 in Riga, Latvia. The Russian entry was selected internally by the Russian broadcaster Channel One Russia (C1R). t.A.T.u. represented Russia with the song "Ne ver', ne boisia", which placed 3rd and scored 164 points at the contest.
"Go", written and composed by Julie Forsyth, was the United Kingdom's entry at the Eurovision Song Contest 1988, performed by Scott Fitzgerald. Bruce Forsyth and his wife were in the audience at the contest, supporting their daughter.
"Dime" is a song recorded by Spanish singer Beth, written by Jesús María Pérez and Amaya Martínez. It is best known as the Spanish entry at the Eurovision Song Contest 2003, held in Riga.
Svitlana Serhiivna Loboda, also known by the stage name LOBODA, is a Ukrainian singer and composer. Loboda represented Ukraine in the Eurovision Song Contest 2009 and finished in 12th place with 76 points.
Germany was represented by three-member girl group MeKaDo, with the song "Wir geben 'ne Party", at the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest, which took place on 30 April in Dublin.
Arilena Ara, also known mononymously as Arilena, is an Albanian singer. She rose to national recognition in the Albanian-speaking Balkans following her victory of the second season of the X Factor Albania in 2013. After her participation in the 18th edition of Kënga Magjike with the song "Nëntori", the single found chart success in Romania, Russia and Eastern Europe, peaking at number-one in the Romanian Airplay chart. In 2019, after winning the 58th edition of Festivali i Këngës, she was scheduled to represent Albania in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 before the contest's cancellation.
Not Born Beautiful is a telenovela filmed in Russia, directed by Alexander Nazarov and shown from 5 September 2005 to 7 July 2006 by the Russian network STS. It is a Russian spin of the Colombian "Yo Soy Betty La Fea" telenovela, which has fostered more than a dozen versions in other countries. The telenovela reached success in Russia and boosted the ratings of the TV network STS.
The Netherlands participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 with the song "Lights and Shadows" written by Rory de Kievit and Rick Vol. The song is performed by the Dutch three-piece girl group O'G3NE, who were internally selected by the Dutch broadcaster AVROTROS to represent the Netherlands at the 2017 contest in Kyiv, Ukraine. O'G3NE's appointment as the Dutch representative was announced on 29 October 2016, while the song, "Lights and Shadows", was presented to the public on 3 March 2017.
Russia announced its participation in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017, in Kyiv, Ukraine. The Russian broadcaster Channel One Russia organised their entrant internally. Russia was planned to compete in the first half of the second semifinal on 11 May 2017, until the announcement of their withdrawal on 13 April 2017.
Larisa Roxana Giurgiu, known professionally as Roxen, is a Romanian singer signed to Global Records. Roxen rose to prominence upon being featured on Romanian producer Sickotoy's "You Don't Love Me" (2019), which reached number three in Romania and received radio airplay in several other countries. The singer's following singles, "Ce-ți cântă dragostea" and "Spune-mi", eventually peaked atop the national chart. Roxen was scheduled to represent Romania in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 with the song "Alcohol You" before the event's coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-related cancellation. The singer was instead internally selected as the country's representative for the 2021 contest with the song "Amnesia", but failed to progress from the first semi-final, finishing in 12th place.
"Northern Girl"
