An Xtra Happy Birthday; August 23rd

Today we have a record eight (yes, you read that right; EIGHT!) Eurovision birthdays to celebrate. Two of them are even Eurovision winners, so this might be a good day for Eurovision hopefuls to be born! However, another finished last, with a total of 0 points… Four men, four women. The oldest is 68 (or perhaps just 65…?), the youngest 23. And they are from countries all over the continent. 

Vicky Leandros, 68 (or 65?)

Vicky Leandros represented Luxembourg at the 1967 Eurovision with “L’amour est bleu” and again in 1972 with “Apres toi”. In her first attempt she finished fourth, but the second time around she made it all the way to the top! Today she turns either 68 or 65; apparently she has not wanted to confirm her year of birth publicly.

Bobby Gee, 64

Bobby represented the UK at the 1981 Eurovision Song Contest. He was part of the group Bucks Fizz, who won thw contest with their song “Making Your Mind Up”. He has later won the right to the name Bucks Fizz. The group, though with only Bobby remaining of the original member, is still active.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFmU02QsmeE

Andrius Mamontovas, 50

Andrius represented Lithuania at the 2006 Eurovision Song Contest in Athens. He is the founder and lead singer of the group. They finished 6th in the grand final after having qualified in 5th place in their semi-final. Their entry, “We Are the Winners” is regarded as a joke entry by some. Others, however, think it’s a great song that arrived on the Eurovision stage at just the right time.

Gunvor Guggisberg, 43

Gunvor represented Switzerland at the 1998 Eurovision Song Contest with her own song, “Lass ihn”. She was fairly high up on the list of favorites in the days leading up to the contest, but failed to recieve a single point, finishing dead last.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADKcj6GLWaM

Ovi, 43

Ovi represented Romania at both the 2010 and 2014 Eurovisions, both times in duet with Paula Seling. In their first participation they reached 3rd place with “Playing With Fire”. When they tried their luck again four years later, they finished 12th with “Miracle“. Ovi also tied his luck in Norway’s Melodi Grand Prix twice. In 2006 he failed to make it into the final with “The Better Side of Me“. In 2009, however, he made it to the final, with “Seven Seconds“, but didn’t make it to the Godl Final.

Morgane, 42

Morgane represented Belgium at the 1992 Eurovision Song Contest in Malmö. She finished in a rather disappointing 20th place out of 23 entries, with “Nous, on veut des violons”.

Alenka Gotar, 40

Alenka Gotar represented Slovenia at the 2007 Eurovision Song Contest in Helsinki. Finishing seventh in the semifinal, she secured Slovenia’s first qualification at Eurovision. In the grand final she finished 15th with her entry “Cvet z juga”.

Roberto Bellarosa, 23

It seems today is a brilliant day to be born if you want to represent Belgium at Eurovision in Malmö. Just like Morgane, Roberto Bellarosa represented Belgium at Eurovision in Malmö, but in 2013. He qualified for the final with “Love Kills”, where he finished in 12th place.

 
All of us here at escXtra wish all of today’s birthday boys and girls an Xtra happy birthday!