Carola Häggkvist
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Carola | ||
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| Background information | ||
| Born | September 8, 1966 | |
| Origin |  Stockholm, Sweden |
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| Genre(s) | Pop, Gospel | |
| Years active | 1983–present | |
| Label(s) | Universal Records | |
| Website | Carola.com | |
This article is about the Swedish singer Carola. For other uses, see Carola (singer).
Carola Maria Häggkvist (born in Stockholm, Sweden on September 8, 1966), better known as simply Carola, is a Swedish singer and entertainer. She has represented Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest on three occasions: she finished third in 1983 with "Främling", first in 1991 with "Fångad av en stormvind" and fifth in 2006 with "Invincible".
Contents |
[edit] Career
She appeared on television for the first time after winning a talent show in 1977. A couple of years later, promoter Bert Karlsson discovered her and she was offered the chance to take part in Melodifestivalen 1982, the national preselection for the Eurovision Song Contest, but she turned down the offer. In 1983 she recorded the album Stand by with Carola Häggkvist with the Swedish metal band Standby. Later in 1983, she decided to participate in Melodifestivalen with "Främling", winning the contest with full points from all juries. This was her big breakthrough. A few months later she represented Sweden in Eurovision in Munich where 6.1 million Swedish television viewers, or 84% of the population, followed the competition - a record that still has not been broken. She performed the song once again at the 50th anniversary Eurovision concert in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Her debut Främling (transl: Stranger) sold one million copies, a Swedish sales record that is yet to be broken. "Främling" was also recorded in English, German and Dutch, having finished third in the Eurovision Song Contest. During 1983 and 1984 Carola released three albums with Mariann Grammofon AB, the record company of Bert Karlsson, and they all sold very well.
In 1985 Carola started to collaborate with the Bee Gees. She recorded an album, Runaway, with songs written mainly by Maurice and Robin Gibb and produced by Maurice. The record sold double platinum when released in Sweden the following year. After this album Carola left the pop scene for a while, embarking on a church tour together with Per-Erik Hallin, subsequently releasing the live album Carola & Per-Erik Hallin i Rättviks kyrka.
In Melodifestivalen 1990, Carola made a surprising comeback with "Mitt i ett äventyr", finishing in second place. She released a new album, Much more. The following year she went for revenge, winning Melodifestivalen with "Fångad av en stormvind". In the Eurovision Song Contest 1991 in Rome she tied on points with Amina from France. The rules at this time stated that if two or more entries ended up in a tie, they were to be separated by counting which of the entries had been awarded the highest number of twelves, but since both countries had been awarded the same number of twelves, the entries were separated by counting the number of tens awarded. The counting went in Sweden's favour, and an ecstatic Carola, cheered on by her team, did a short victory dance on the table before coming on stage a second time. Later that year she recorded a Christmas album in Swedish – Jul.
Carola was the first Scandinavian pop artist to go to China where she also released an album in 1992. After her tenth anniversary as an artist in 1993, she changed her focus and recorded a gospel album, My tribute, which was released in Scandinavia and 12 other countries. This album made her Gospel Artist of the Year in the Netherlands in 1994. She continued to release albums during the year. Her album Personligt indicated a course change towards a rock sound and was the first album with songs written by Carola herself.
In 1995, Carola made her debut as a musical actress with the role of Maria in The Sound of Music, playing against Tommy Körberg. Three years later, she sang the theme song in the Norwegian musical Sophie's World which was released on the album Songs from Sophie's World. In 2002 she returned to the stage, making a short appearance as Fantine in Les Misérables in London.
In 1998 she left the pop mainstream again, recording an album with psalms written by Lina Sandell, Blott en dag, and then an album with children's songs Sov på min arm in 2001. Later in 2001 she returned to pop with the album My show. The songs "I Believe In Love", "The Light" and "A Kiss Goodbye" from the album all became great hits in Scandinavia and South America.
In 2003, Carola celebrated her 20th anniversary as a recording artist. She has released a compilation, Guld, platina & passion – det bästa med Carola and a boxed set of four CDs: (Guld, platina & passion – det mesta med Carola) and topped the Swedish charts with her song "När löven faller", which was originally written for Melodifestivalen 2003 but got disqualified.
In 2003, Carola released a Christmas album on two CDs called Jul I Betlehem- Jubileumsutgåvan. Her Christmas album was followed by a religious album titled Credo 2004 and a pop-religious album titled Störst av allt 2005, containing the hit "Genom Allt".
Following her victory in the Swedish Melodifestivalen with her song "Evighet", she released a Swedish pop album titled Från nu till evighet. The album sold platinum, and received excellent reviews from many newspapers. The album contained several hits such as "Stanna eller gå", "Jag ger allt" and of course "Evighet".
In total, Carola has released 15 albums, and is one of the most popular singing artists in Sweden. In August 2006, she was voted the "Sweden's Best Female Artist" by the viewers of the popular Swedish TV show Folktoppen.
[edit] Eurovision Return
In November 2005, Carola confirmed that she would participate in Melodifestivalen again, after a fifteen year absence. In the Gothenburg semi-final, held on March 11, 2006, she performed "Evighet", written by Thomas G:son, Bobby Ljunggren and Henrik Wikström. Her performance involved wind machines, dancers with flags and fireworks. In the final, Carola came second in the jury votes and placed first in the public televote, so overall she won the final of Melodifestivalen 2006 and became the representant for Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 in Athens. She performed a reprise of her song half in English (using the title "Invincible") and half in Swedish. Prior to the competition, she was the favourite singer in Ireland's Paddy Power betting at 11-4.
In May 2006, Carola came in 5th in the Eurovision Song Contest with her song "Invincible". She was just a few points from 4th place, which Romania claimed, and only 8 points ahead of Lithuania in 6th. Interestingly she not only ended up at the same place, but also received exactly the same number of points in the final (170) as Sweden's 2004 representative Lena Philipsson (also born 1966).
[edit] Carola's faith
She has been a member of the evangelical prosperity-gospel congregation Livets Ord. She was married to Runar Søgaard, a Norwegian Christian preacher, with whom she has a son, Amadeus, which means "Loves God". After she divorced him, she flaunted her single status by wearing a top saying LEDIG – "Available" in Swedish – on national television.
[edit] Private life and media attention
Her status as one of the most popular national celebrities of her country made her more or less constantly followed by the tabloid press. She has often talked about her Christian faith and much of the focus has been around her membership in the church Livets Ord. Some people have criticized her for objecting to giving homosexuals more rights in Sweden, something she has denied saying.
[edit] Views on homosexuality
In an interview in 2002 for the Swedish gay magazine QX, she alienated many gay and some heterosexual fans by alleging that she knows homosexual persons who have become heterosexual through prayers. She also said that homosexuality would always remain "unnatural" to her. [1]
Four years later, her comment caught up with her when she participated in the Swedish national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest in March 2006. During a press conference a journalist tried to ask her if she still had the same opinion. According to the Swedish newspaper Expressen, Carola didn't answer the question because her advisors told her to keep quiet because answering questions about her stance on homosexuality could cost her the trip to Athens and could also cause a lot of embarrassment and negative media attention. [2]
Rickard Engfors, who is gay and Carola's co-operating partner during the Melodifestivalen and Eurovision Song Contest 2006, said the following in the Swedish newspaper Expressen on March 15, 2006:
| “ | "Carola doesn't hate gays. If she did I wouldn't work for her. She is a fabulous person." [1] | ” |
During an exclusive interview for one of the Eurovision-related websites before the 2006 contest, Carola was also questioned about this, and stated that she "would love for every gay person to feel that she loves them" and that she does not think that "being gay is a sickness". She went on to criticize the tabloids for misinterpreting her original words and making an issue out of it. Later in the interview, she also commented on one of her supporting dancers being gay and his boyfriend being "great". [3]
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
| Year | Cover | Title | Chart positions | Sales & Certification | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sweden Top 60 | Norway Top 60 | Finland Top 60 | ||||
| 1983 |  |
Främling |
1 (12) | 2 (26) | ||
| 1983 |  |
Julefrid med Carola
|
12 (1) | |||
| 1984 |  |
Steg för steg |
1 (6) | 2 (12) | ||
| 1984 |  |
På egna ben |
5 (3) | 10 (5) | ||
| 1984 |  |
Carola...With Love |
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| 1985 |  |
Happy Days |
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| 1986 |  |
Runaway |
1 (6) | 9 (4) | ||
| 1990 |  |
Much more |
16 (5) | |||
| 1991 |  |
Carola Hits |
20 (4) | |||
| 1993 |  |
My Tribute
|
21 (1) | Gold | ||
| 1994 |  |
Personligt
|
14 (1) | Gold | ||
| 1996 |  |
Carola Hits 2
|
50 (1) | |||
| 1997 | |
Det bästa av Carola |
40 | |||
| 1999 |  |
Jul i Betlehem
|
2 (1) | 6 (7) | 2x Platina | |
| 2001 |  |
Blott en dag
|
24 (9) | 32 (6) | ||
| 2001 |  |
Sov på min arm
|
1 | 18 (4) | ||
| 2001 |  |
My Show
|
6 (1) | Gold | ||
| 2003 |  |
Guld, platina & passion |
1 (1) | 5 (7) | 4x Platina | |
| 2004 |  |
Credo |
2 (1) | Gold | ||
| 2004 |  |
18 bästa
|
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| 2005 |  |
Störst av allt |
1 (1) | 16 (4) | Gold | |
| 2006 |  |
Från nu till evighet |
1 (2) | 25 (2) | 22 | Platina |
| SWE | NOR | FIN | ||||
| Number one albums | 7 | |||||
[edit] Singles
| Year | Title | Album | Chart positions | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sweden Top 60 | Norway Top 60 | |||||||||
| 1983 | Främling/Liv | Främling | 5 | 1 | ||||||
| 1983 | Love isn't Love | Främling | ||||||||
| 1983 | Hunger/Ännu en dag | Främling | 3 | 7 | ||||||
| 1984 | Tommy loves me/I think I like it | Steg för steg | 10 | 9 | ||||||
| 1984 | Fushigi na hitomi (Don't tell me what to do)/Rendez-vous | Steg för steg | ||||||||
| 1986 | The Runaway/So far so good | The Runaway | 3 | |||||||
| 1986 | Brand new heart/Spread your wings (for your love) | The Runaway | ||||||||
| 1987 | Gospel train/Vilken värld det ska bli | |||||||||
| 1987 | You've got a friend/Step by step | |||||||||
| 1990 | Mitt i ett äventyr/All the reasons to live | Much more | 5 | |||||||
| 1990 | The girl who had everything/One more chance | Much more | 15 | |||||||
| 1990 | I'll live | Much more | ||||||||
| 1990 | Every beat of my heart/Best shot | Much more | ||||||||
| 1991 | Fångad av en stormvind | Carola Hits | 3 | 6 | ||||||
| 1991 | Stop tellin' me lies | Carola Hits | ||||||||
| 1992 | All the reasons to live | |||||||||
| 1994 | Det kommer dagar/Flickan från igår | My Tribute | 29 | |||||||
| 1994 | Guld i dina ögon/Regnet som faller | My Tribute | 29 | |||||||
| 1994 | Sanningen/Var finns den kärlek | Personligt | ||||||||
| 1994 | Sanna vänner/Förlåt mig | Personligt | ||||||||
| 1996 | Believe | |||||||||
| 1997 | Just the way you are | |||||||||
| 1997 | Dreamer | Det bästa av Carola | ||||||||
| 1999 | Himlen i min famn | Jul i Betlehem | ||||||||
| 2001 | Blott en dag | Blott en dag | ||||||||
| 2001 | Sov på min arm | Sov på min arm | ||||||||
| 2001 | The Light | My Show | ||||||||
| 2001 | You + Me | My Show | ||||||||
| 2003 | När löven faller av | Guld, platina & passion | ||||||||
| 2003 | Walk a mile in my shoes | Guld, platina & passion | ||||||||
| 2004 | Ditt ord består | Credo | ||||||||
| 2004 | Åt alla | Credo | ||||||||
| Number one hits | 0 | 1 | ||||||||
[edit] CD Singles
| Year | Cover | Title | Chart positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sweden Top 60 | Norway Top 60 | ||||
| 2002 |  |
I believe in love
|
13 (1) | ||
| 2006 |  |
Evighet
|
1 (2) | 8 (3) | |
| 2006 |  |
Invincible
|
29 (1) | ||
| 2006 |  |
Stanna eller gå
|
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| SWE | NOR | ||||
| Number one hits | 1 | ||||
[edit] DVDs
| Year | Cover | Title | Chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sweden DVD Top 60 | ||||
| 2003 |  |
Jubileumsshowen
|
1(12) | |
| 2004 |  |
Julkonsert
|
2(4) | |
| 2006 |  |
Live Star (Karaoke)
|
1(4) | |
| SWE | ||||
| Number one DVDs | 2 |
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Carola - Official site
- Carola International - Site in English for the international fans
- Carola Online - Unofficial site
[edit] References
| Preceded by Toto Cutugno |
Winner of the Eurovision Song Contest 1991 |
Succeeded by Linda Martin |
| Eurovision winners | |
|---|---|
| 1950s | Lys Assia • Corry Brokken • André Claveau • Teddy Scholten |
| 1960s | Jacqueline Boyer • Jean-Claude Pascal • Isabelle Aubret • Grethe and Jørgen Ingmann • Gigliola Cinquetti • France Gall • Udo Jürgens • Sandie Shaw • Massiel • Frida Boccara • Lenny Kuhr • Lulu • Salomé |
| 1970s | Dana • Séverine • Vicky Leandros • Anne-Marie David • ABBA • Teach-In • Brotherhood of Man • Marie Myriam • Izhar Cohen & Alphabeta • Gali Atari & Milk and Honey |
| 1980s | Johnny Logan • Bucks Fizz • Nicole • Corinne Hermès • Herreys • Bobbysocks • Sandra Kim • Johnny Logan • Céline Dion • Riva |
| 1990s | Toto Cutugno • Carola • Linda Martin • Niamh Kavanagh • Paul Harrington & Charlie McGettigan • Secret Garden • Eimear Quinn • Katrina and the Waves • Dana International • Charlotte Nilsson |
| 2000s | Olsen Brothers • Tanel Padar, Dave Benton & 2XL • Marie N • Sertab Erener • Ruslana • Elena Paparizou • Lordi |
