Darja Švajger (born 1965 in Maribor, SR Slovenia SFR Yugoslavia). Darja is one of the country's most popular singers but perhaps most known internationally for representing Slovenia in the Eurovision Song Contest twice.
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Music entered her life when she was still a child. After finishing secondary school she entered the College of Music and attended art classes in Graz, Austria where she studied classical solo singing and jazz. In 1997 she graduated with Magna cum Laude. Already during her studies she started performing as a solo vocalist with various bands and symphony orchestras. Since 1992 she has been engaged in several projects of the Slovenian National Theater in Maribor. In 1993 the international jury of the Koper Festival of pop music, known as the Melodies of the Sea and the Sun, awarded her first prize in the Slovenian section of the international category. Soon her first album In the Arms of the Night, followed.
1995 was of great importance to her. She represented Slovenia in the Eurovision Song Contest in Dublin. She performed the song "Prisluhni mi" ("Listen to me") by Primoc Peterca and Saso Fajon. Her ballad reached 7th place Slovenia's best result to the contest ever. Darja was awarded Pop Singer of the Year in Slovenia for the years 1995 and 1996. In the following years she became very active and her second album, Moments, was released in 1998.
In 1999 RTV, the national television broadcaster chose her to represent the country to the Eurovision Song Contest held in Jerusalem. Peterca and Fajon again wrote a ballad for her, entitled "For A Thousand Years". The composer stated that he was inspired by the city of New York during his staying there for four months. RTV had high hopes and indeed the song was in the first place during the first minutes of the voting - it even got a 12 points high score from Ireland. The song scored 50 points and ranked 11th among 23 entries.
| Preceded by 1X Band with "Tih deževen dan" |
Slovenia in the Eurovision Song Contest 1995 |
Succeeded by Regina with "Dan najlepših sanj" |
| Preceded by Vili Resnik with "Naj bogovi slišijo" |
Slovenia in the Eurovision Song Contest 1999 |
Succeeded by Nuša Derenda with "Energy" |