Alexander Rybak: A Tale of a Eurovision Legend
Rybak, pictured in 2018. Photo by Fredrik Arff.
The Eurovision Song Contest is one of the most prominent music events in the world. It was created in 1956 by the European Broadcasting Union as a way for national public broadcasters to work on a common project once a year, but this grew rapidly.[1] Each year, Eurovision attracts about 125 million viewers on TV who watch about 40 competing acts, focusing on popular music.[2] It is so popular that it influences national taste and cultural prowess.[3] One of the best Eurovision contests occurred in 2009, when Alexander Rybak won it.
Rybak was born in Minsk in 1986, when it was occupied by the Soviet Union, eventually settling in Oslo, Norway.[4] He began playing violin and piano at age 5 and began to travel around playing music.[4]
Rybak got his big break in 2009, when he participated in Eurovision. On May 16, 2009, he won the contest with his song “Fairytale”, a catchy tune with heavy use of violin (video below).[5] The violin brings a part of the European orchestral tradition and mixes it with modern pop music. It uses louder dynamic levels in the chorus while becoming a bit softer during the verses. Rybak’s voice has a large range while sounding very full as well. These characteristics combine to make “Fairytale” a very enjoyable song to sing, listen, and dance to!
Alexander Rybak’s first run on the Eurovision Song Contest went so well, he decided to do it again in 2018 with his new song “That’s How You Write A Song.” This tune is also very catchy and the lyrics give future Eurovision artists the formula on how to make a great Eurovision song!
The impact of Rybak’s run on Eurovision could not be understated. “Fairytale” ranked in many pop music charts in Europe, including the top 10 in the United Kingdom.[6] Rybak has continued to make music and is one of Eurovision’s most memorable winners.
References
[1] Irving Wolther, “More than Just Music: The Seven Dimensions of the Eurovision Song Contest,” Popular Music 31, no. 1 (2012): 165–71.
[2] Johan Fornäs, “Euro-Visions: East European Narratives in Televised Popular Music,” in Europe Faces Europe, ed. Johan Fornäs, Narratives from Its Eastern Half (Intellect, 2017), 179–236, https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv9hj72r.10.
[3] Gad Yair and Daniel Maman, “The Persistent Structure of Hegemony in the Eurovision Song Contest,” Acta Sociologica 39, no. 3 (1996): 309–25.
[4] Birte Njøsen Horne, “Alexander Rybak,” NRK, October 7, 2006, https://www.nrk.no/kultur/alexander-rybak-1.1087124.
[5] Caroline Bergli Tolfsen, “Alexander Rybak kan bruke flere timer på å kjøpe et brød,” NRK, May 1, 2018, https://www.nrk.no/kultur/alexander-rybak-kan-bruke-flere-timer-pa-a-kjope-et-brod-1.14029302.
[6] Alexis Petridis, “All 69 Eurovision Song Contest Winners – Ranked!,” The Guardian, May 11, 2023, sec. Music, 69, https://www.theguardian.com/music/2023/may/11/all-69-eurovision-song-contest-winners-ranked.