| Fourth time is a charm! This was true for Lena Philipsson who won the Swedish “Melodifestival” with the song “Det gör ont” (“It hurts”) and will represent Sweden at the 2004 the Eurovision Song Contest.
Lena Philipsson hails from Småland in southern Sweden. After winning a childrens’ talent contest at the age of 16 she went from success to success, taking part in the Swedish national finals of the Eurovision Song Contest for the first time in 1986 with “Love is eternal,” where she came second. The following year she competed with “Dancing in the Neon Light,” and finished fifth. In 1988 it was almost third time lucky when she came second once again with, yes, a song called “Once Again.” Lena has also taken part in the contest as a composer of lyrics and music.
Lena has been voted Sweden’s sexiest woman. She has toured Sweden with her own stage shows and has participated in several charity galas, toured with show “Rhapsody in Rock” and has made frequent television appearances.
Her first idol was David Cassidy. Not because she’d ever heard him sing, but because he was a ‘suitable’ pin-up. The group “Sweet,” on the other hand, totally fascinated her. Otherwise, her musical tastes haven’t so much been Rock’n’Roll as synth, disco and soul. At upper secondary school she opted for the structural engineering programme and she was once a keen table tennis player – at one point she ranked 5th in Sweden.
The pop star, Thomas “Orup” Eriksson composed the winning song “Det gör ont” especially for Lena. As an artist, he released his first album in 1988. Since then Orup has released seven albums. He is very well respected and loved by the Swedish people. |
