The Eurovision Song Contest is the third most popular show in Europe. It is second only to the European Football Championship and the Olympics. For many young performers, this contest is the only chance to become famous not only in their homeland, but throughout Europe. Lena Mayer-Landrut got the coveted Crystal Microphone in 2010, when she was only 19 years old. Has her life changed after Eurovision?
Childhood and youth
The future winner of Eurovision was born in 1991 in Hanover (Germany). Her father left the family when her daughter was 2 years old, so her mother was forced to raise Lena on her own. She is the granddaughter of the ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany in the Soviet Union.
From the age of 5, the girl began to engage in dancing, and music, on the contrary, was never professionally carried away. As a child, she liked ballroom dancing. Then, when Lena Mayer grew up, she changed direction to a more modern one. She practiced in such areas as hip hop and jazz dance. As she grew up, she played several secondary and episodic roles in German TV series, but they did not bring her success. In 2010, Lena graduated with honors from high school. Then she decides to take part in the selection for Eurovision. Lena Mayer-Landrut did not yet know that the contest would completely change her life.
Eurovision 2010
The selection for Eurovision in Germany was a competition of young performers not yet known to the public. Spectators using voting selected the one who will represent their country at the competition. Germany is the main sponsor of Eurovision, but it still shows low results from year to year, often staying in last places.
Therefore, the preparations for Eurovision 2010 were taken very seriously. Lena from the very beginning became the undisputed favorite of the contest, and with the support of producer Stefan Raab, she was easily able to get around her competitors. After winning the national selection, they started talking about her not only in Germany, but also in Europe. Without a musical background, Lena easily outperformed more talented singers.
Even before Eurovision, she was considered a favorite. About 17 million people watched the video clip for her song Satellite for the final of the contest. Also, the girl’s victory was predicted by the Google search resource. Since Germany is a sponsor of Eurovision, the performers representing it at the competition automatically get into the finals, bypassing the semi-finals of the competition.
At Eurovision, Lena Mayer-Landrut won an unconditional victory, gaining almost 250 points. For comparison: Turkey, which took 2nd place, earned only 170 points. Home, to Germany, the girl returned as a star. Her first album, released immediately after the contest, sold 500, 000 copies.
Eurovision 2011
Few artists participate in Eurovision again. More rarely, winners return to the competition. But the organizers decided that Lena Mayer-Landrut is worthy to represent the country again. The girl herself happily responded to the offer.
This time only Lena participated in the selection, and the audience got the right to choose a song with which she will represent Germany. Based on the results of the vote, the song Taken by a Stranger was selected.
This time, the singer Lena Mayer again got directly into the finals of the competition, but now as a winner. However, she failed to repeat the previous success. Despite the fact that the audience warmly supported the singer in the hall, she was able to take only 10th place.
