Main points
- Oleksandr Rybak won Eurovision in 2009 with the song Fairytale, setting a record with 387 points.
- The musician continues to live in Norway, is active on social media, and was invited to perform at the Eurovision Grand Final on May 16.
Oleksandr Rybak / Collage of Channel 24
Oleksandr Rybak – won Eurovision in 2009 with the song Fairytale. After some time, the artist tried his hand at the contest again, but the victory eluded him. After all this, the popularity of the singer and musician fell somewhat.
- 1 Oleksandr Rybak and participation in Eurovision
- 2 Why was Rybak depressed and what scandal affected his career?
- 3 Where is Alexander Rybak now?
Who didn't know, Alexander was born in Minsk. When he was four years old, the family moved to Norway. Since then, Rybak positions himself as a Norwegian singer, violinist and composer of Belarusian origin. Since the performer was invited to perform at the Eurovision grand final, which will take place on May 16, 24 Channel will tell you what is known about Rybak's participation in the contest and how his life turned out.
Oleksandr Rybak and participation in Eurovision
The violinist first appeared on the Eurovision stage in 2009. Interestingly, the contest was held for the first and last time in history on the territory of Russia. Rybak triumphed magically at the contest, and his song Fairytale still holds the status of a hit.
At that time, Alexander set an absolute Eurovision record, having received as many as 387 points.
Oleksandr Rybak – Fairytale (Eurovision): watch the video of the performance online
After the victory of the representative of Norway, his song was heard from almost every corner of different countries. But few people know that the track bored the artist so much that he decided to come to Eurovision a second time to get rid of the status of “hostage to one song.”
This happened in 2018. Oleksandr performed the song That's How You Write A Song. He managed to reach the final, but in the overall standings he took only 15th place. Moreover, the winner of Eurovision-2009 did not manage to reduce the popularity of Fairytale.
Oleksandr Rybak – That's How You Write A Song (Eurovision): watch the video online
Interestingly, this year the singer took part in the Norwegian National Selection. His competition track was called Rise. The song was included in the artist's new album Fairytales Too. The composition can be listened to on the YouTube channel AlexanderRybakVideo.
Oleksandr Rybak – Rise: watch the video online
But, as is known, the artist did not manage to win the selection.
Why was Rybak depressed and what scandal affected his career?
In 2020, the artist openly revealed that he had been addicted to sleeping pills and antidepressants for 11 years. Because of this, he had to go to the USA for rehabilitation. It almost ruined his life, wrote the publication OBOZ.UA.
In 2023, Evgenia Skrypnyk, a native of Moldova, accused the Eurovision winner of allegedly filming her in an intimate video and threatening to post it online.
The musician denied all the accusations and called the girl mentally ill.
We will also recall that in 2010, Oleksandr Rybak made a loud statement: he is gay. The singer assured that he is not interested in girls, TSN wrote.
Where is Alexander Rybak now?
The musician continues to live in Norway. In 2014, when Russia started the war in Donbas and occupied Crimea, and in 2022, when a full-scale war began, the artist for some reason limited himself in expressing his own position, and instead spoke in vague phrases about “peace in the world” and “no to war.” In addition, Rybak could previously be seen in several Russian projects.
Oleksandr continues to be active on social media. For example, in his latest posts, he played the violin to a track by this year's Finnish representatives at Eurovision. Bookmakers predict them to win, and the artist himself may be supporting these performers.
We also remind you that Eurovision fans will be able to see Oleksandr Rybak in the final of the singing competition, which will be held this Saturday, May 16.