The Eurovision Song Contest, often known simply as Eurovision, is an international song competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union. Each participating country submits an original song to be performed live and transmitted to national broadcasters via the Eurovision and Euroradio networks, with competing countries then casting votes for the other countries' songs to determine a winner.
The Eurovision Song Contest 2001 was the 46th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Copenhagen, Denmark, following the country's victory at the 2000 contest with the song "Fly on the Wings of Love" by Olsen Brothers. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcaster the Danish Broadcasting Corporation (DR), the contest was held at the Parken Stadium on 12 May 2001. The contest was presented by Danish television presenter Natasja Crone Back and actor Søren Pilmark.
The Eurovision Song Contest 2000 was the 45th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest, held on 13 May 2000 at the Globe Arena in Stockholm, Sweden and presented by Kattis Ahlström and Anders Lundin. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcaster Sveriges Television (SVT), the contest was held in Sweden following the country's victory at the 1999 contest with the song "Take Me to Your Heaven" by Charlotte Nilsson. With an audience of 13,000 people present, the 2000 contest was the largest yet seen in its history.
The Eurovision Song Contest 1999 was the 44th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest, held on 29 May 1999 at the International Convention Centre in Jerusalem, Israel. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcaster Israel Broadcasting Authority (IBA), the contest was held in the country following its victory at the 1998 contest with the song "Diva" by Dana International, and was presented by Dafna Dekel, Yigal Ravid and Sigal Shachmon.
The Eurovision Song Contest 1997 was the 42nd edition of the annual Eurovision Song Contest, held on 3 May 1997 at the Point Theatre in Dublin, Ireland. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcaster Radio Telefís Éireann (RTÉ) and presented by Carrie Crowley and Ronan Keating, the contest was held in Ireland following the country's victory at the 1996 contest with the song "The Voice" by Eimear Quinn. The 1997 contest was the seventh – and to date last – edition to be staged in Ireland, as well as the fourth to be produced by RTÉ in five years. The Point Theatre served as the host venue for the third time, following the 1994 and 1995 contests, becoming the only venue to have been the site of three Eurovision Song Contests.
Karmen Stavec is a Slovene musician and pop singer.
Serge Jean Karel Quisquater, known professionally as Sergio Quisquater or simply Sergio, is a Belgian singer and television presenter. Together with Sandy Boets, he formed the duo Touch of Joy. As the frontman of the band Sergio & the Ladies, he represented Belgium in the Eurovision Song Contest 2002 with the song "Sister".
Slovenia has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 29 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 contest. The Slovenian participant broadcaster in the contest is Radiotelevizija Slovenija (RTVSLO).
"Samo ljubezen" was the Slovene entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 2002. The lyrics were written by Barbara Pešut and the music by Robert Pešut. It was performed by Sestre, a trio of transvestite men dressed as airflight attendants, and marked the first time an entire ensemble had performed at Eurovision in drag, sparking anti-gay protests in Slovenia as well as debate in the Slovenian Parliament and the European Parliament about the song and the public reaction. It came equal thirteenth on 33 points with Bosnia and Herzegovina and Belgium.
Tanja Ribič is a Slovenian actress and singer.
Gaita-Lurdes Klaverivna Essami, known professionally as Gaitana, is a Ukrainian singer and songwriter. Essami's style of pop music has been described as containing elements of jazz, funk, soul, and folk. She represented Ukraine in the Eurovision Song Contest 2012 in Baku, performing the song "Be My Guest" and placing 15th in the final.
Yugoslavia was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 1992 with the song "Ljubim te pesmama" (Љубим те песмама), composed by Radivoje Radivojević, with lyrics by Gale Janković, and performed by Extra Nena. The Yugoslavian participating broadcaster, Jugoslavenska radiotelevizija (JRT), selected its entry through Jugovizija 1992. This was the last entry from Yugoslavia in the Eurovision Song Contest.
Slovenia was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 2003 with the song "Nanana", composed by Martin Štibernik, with lyrics by Karmen Stavec, and performed by Karmen herself. The Slovene participating broadcaster, Radiotelevizija Slovenija (RTVSLO), held the national final Evrovizijska Melodija 2003 in order to select its entry for the contest. Sixteen entries competed in the national final where the winner was selected over two rounds of voting. In the first round, the top three entries were selected following the combination of votes from a five-member jury panel and a public televote. In the second round, "Lep poletni dan" performed by Karmen Stavec was selected as the winner entirely by a public televote. The song was later translated from Slovene to English for Eurovision and was titled "Nanana".
Slovenia was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 2002 with the song "Samo ljubezen", composed by Robert Pešut, with lyrics by Barbara Pešut, and performed by the drag act Sestre. The Slovene participating broadcaster, Radiotelevizija Slovenija (RTVSLO), held the national final Evrovizijska Melodija 2002 in order to select its entry for the contest. 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.
"I Wanna" is a song composed and recorded by Latvian singer Marie N with lyrics written by herself and Marats Samauskis. It represented Latvia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2002 held in Tallinn, resulting in the country's only ever win at the contest.
The Eurovision Song Contest 2014 was the 59th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Copenhagen, Denmark, following the country's victory at the 2013 contest with the song "Only Teardrops" by Emmelie de Forest. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcaster Danish Broadcasting Corporation (DR), the contest was held at B&W Hallerne, and consisted of two semi-finals on 6 and 8 May, and a final on 10 May 2014. The three live shows were presented by Danish television presenter Lise Rønne, musician Nikolaj Koppel and actor Pilou Asbæk.
Thomas Neuwirth is an Austrian singer and drag queen who is known for his stage persona Conchita Wurst. He came to international attention after winning the Eurovision Song Contest 2014 as Austria's entrant with the song "Rise Like a Phoenix". Neuwirth has stated that he is not a trans woman. He is gay, and has also described himself as a drag queen.
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.
Slovenia participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2019 with the song "Sebi" written and performed by Zala Kralj and Gašper Šantl. Slovenian broadcaster Radiotelevizija Slovenija organised the national final EMA 2019 in order to select the Slovenian entry for the 2019 contest in Tel Aviv, Israel. 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, "Sebi" performed by Zala Kralj and Gašper Šantl was selected as the winner entirely by a public televote.
The Eurovision Song Contest has had a long-held fan base in the LGBT community, and Eurovision organisers have actively worked to include these fans in the contest since the 1990s.
