The Eurovision Song Contest may suffer from political disputes and dodgy voting, but it remains one of the most beloved music competitions in the world.
The showpiece event has been held annually since 1956, making it the longest-running annual international televised music contest.
While many of the winners often sink without trace, Eurovision has also been responsible for launching the careers of some of the biggest music stars around.
Read on as we take a closer look at four superstar acts who burst onto the scene with their performances at Eurovision.
Ne Partez Pas Sans Moi – Celine Dion – Switzerland – 1988
As highlighted by a recent Betway study, Ne Partez Pas Sans Moi was Switzerland’s second Eurovision victory and fired Celine Dion to international stardom.
The French-Canadian singer had enjoyed some success in Quebec and France, before being fired onto the global stage at Eurovision 1988.
Dion beat UK singer Scott Fitzgerald by just one point to win the title and subsequently became one of the best-selling artists of all time.
By contrast, Fitzgerald barely featured in music after the contest although his son Ki did become a founding member of pop band Busted.
Waterloo – ABBA -Sweden – 1974
When it comes to one of the best ever Eurovision stories, you would be hard pushed to beat ABBA’s involvement in the competition.
The legendary group failed to qualify in 1973, with the Neil Sedaka-penned Ring Ring finishing third in the Swedish qualifier.
ABBA set the record straight with Waterloo the following year, before establishing themselves as one of the most successful groups ever to grace the music business.
Quite how the fabulous Ring Ring missed out on Eurovision 1973 is anyone’s guess, but ABBA got there in the end!
Long Live Love – Olivia Newton-John – United Kingdom – 1974
Newton-John had enjoyed minor success as a singer before being handed the chance to represent the United Kingdom at Eurovision 1974.
After finishing joint-fourth behind ABBA, Newton-John went onto to become a four-time Grammy Award winner with global sales of more than 100 million records.
She starred alongside John Travolta in the musical film Grease in 1978, fuelling the fantasies of teenage boys across the globe.
Newton-John has continued to perform past her 70th birthday, and topped the iTunes pop music video chart with Window in the Wall in 2021.
Gwendolyne – Julio Iglesias – Spain – 1970
While most music fans will be familiar with Enrique Iglesias, many will not realise that his father was once even more famous.
Julio Iglesias won the Benidorm International Music Festival in 1968, before being chosen to represent Spain at Eurovision two years later.
He finished fourth in the competition, but subsequently went on to become one of the biggest selling Latin music artists worldwide.
In his younger days, Iglesias was a goalkeeper for Real Madrid Castilla in the Segunda Division, but had his career ruined after a serous car crash.
