| Alexander Rybak | |
|---|---|
 Rybak after he had won Eurovision
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| Background information | |
| Born | 13 May 1986 |
| Origin | Minsk, Belarus |
| Genres | Pop, Folk, Classical |
| Occupations | Singer, Actor, Composer, Pianist |
| Instruments | Vocals, Violin, Piano |
| Years active | 1991–present |
| Associated acts | Eurovision Song Contest 2009, Frikar |
| Website | www.alexanderrybak.com |
Alexander Rybak .(Belarusian: Аляксандр Ігаравіч Рыбак, Russian: Александр Игоревич Рыбак, born 13 May 1986 in Minsk, Belarus) is a Norwegian[1] singer-composer, violinist, pianist, writer, and actor of Belarusian descent. Representing Norway in the 2009 Eurovision Song Contest in Moscow, Russia, Rybak won the contest with 387 points — the highest tally any country has achieved in the history of Eurovision — with "Fairytale", a song he wrote and composed. His debut album, Fairytales, charted within the top 20 in 9 European countries, including a #1 position in Norway and Russia. He also has a new hit song called "Believe in Bigfoot".
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Rybak was born in Minsk, Belarus - which at that time was the Belarusian SSR in the Soviet Union. When he was 4 years old, he and his family moved to Norway.[2] At the age of five, Rybak began to play the piano.[2] His parents are Natallia Valiantsinauna Rybak, a classical pianist, and Igor Aliaksandravich Rybak, a well-known classical violinist who performs alongside Pinchas Zukerman.[3] Alexander Rybak stated "I always liked to entertain and somehow that is my vocation".[4] He currently lives in the borough of Nordstrand in Oslo, Norway.
Rybak has been a student at the Barratt Due Institute of Music in Oslo since the age of 10. Due to his success in the Eurovision Song Contest, he is currently taking a break from his Bachelor's degree studies at the Institute.[5][6] In 2004, Rybak was awarded the Anders Jahre Culture Prize.[7] In 2005, he entered the Norwegian version of Idol, reaching the semifinal. In 2006 Rybak won Kjempesjansen (The Great Opportunity), a talent competition hosted by the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK), with his own song "Foolin'".[4] Alexander Rybak has collaborated with artists such as a-ha's lead singer Morten Harket and Arve Tellefsen. As of 2007, Rybak has played the fiddler in Oslo Nye Teater's production of Fiddler on the Roof and won the Hedda Award for this role.[4]
Rybak won the 54th Eurovision Song Contest in Moscow, Russia, with a record 387 points, singing "Fairytale",[8] a song inspired by Norwegian folk music. The song was composed and written by Rybak[9] and was performed together with the modern folk dance company Frikar. The song received good reviews with a score of 6 out of 6 in the Norwegian newspaper Dagbladet[4] and in an ESCtoday poll he scored 71.3%, making him the favourite to get into the final.[10]
In the Norwegian national heats, Rybak achieved a clean sweep, gaining the top score from all nine voting districts and ending with a combined televote and jury score of 747,888, while the runner up Tone Damli Aaberge received a combined score of 121,856.[11]
The song competed in the second semi-final and won a place in the Eurovision final.
Rybak later won the Eurovision final with a landslide victory, receiving votes from all the participating countries (except Norway, which was not allowed to vote for itself). Rybak finished with a total of 387 points, breaking the previous record of 292 points scored by Lordi in 2006 and scoring 169 points more than the runner-up, Iceland.
Rybak's first album Fairytales was released after his Eurovision win. Rybak also co-stars as Levi in the film Yohan directed by Grete Salomonsen, which is to be released in 2010.[12] Rybak also went on a tour in Norway with former Norwegian Eurovision winner Elisabeth Andreassen, something that had been decided before his Eurovision win and participation. He and Frikar has also toured Norway, and Europe in 2009.
In 2009 he recorded the theme song for the Russian action movie Black Lightning produced by Timur Bekmambetov.[13]
On the 12th March 2010 Alexander Rybak performed his Eurovision 2009 winning song "Fairytale" on UK TV Show Eurovision: Your Country Needs You. He is currently working on His 2nd album which is expected to be released this summer.
| Year | Album | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Sales | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NOR | SWE | GER | DUT | SWI | AUT | IRE | FIN | DEN | EU | ||||
| 2009 | Fairytales[14] | 1 | 2 | 16 | 29 | 65 | 46 | 91 | 4 | 15 | 18 | ||
| Year | Single | Chart positions[15] | Album | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NOR | UK | IRE | FIN | GRE | SWE | DEN | DUT | GER | EU | |||
| 2009 | "Fairytale"[16] | 1 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 3 | Fairytales |
| "Funny Little World"[17] | 1 | — | — | — | — | 4 | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Roll With the Wind"[18] | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| Year | Single | Chart positions | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| RUS | |||
| 2009 | "I Don't Believe in Miracles / Superhero"[19] | 19 | Black Lightning Soundtrack |
| Film | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
| 2010 | How to Train Your Dragon | Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third | Rybak lends his voice to the Norwegian and the Russian dubbed version of this computer-animated film[20] |
| 2010 | Yohan: The Child Wanderer | Levi | |
| 2009 | Fairytale - The Movie | Documentary about Alexander Rybak after his ESC-Victory | |
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Maria Haukaas Storeng with "Hold On Be Strong" |
Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest 2009 |
Succeeded by Didrik Solli-Tangen with "My Heart Is Yours" |
Preceded by Dima Bilanwith "Believe" |
Winner of the Eurovision Song Contest 2009 |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
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Alexander Rybak (13 May, 1986 in Minsk) is a Norwegian singer, composer and violinist most famous for winning the Eurovision Song Contest 2009 with the song Fairytale for Norway. Rybak will attend the Eurovision Song Contest 2010 in Oslo performing his winning entry from the previous year.
   | Alexander Rybak presented on NRKs web pages - Alexander Rybak - Kjempesjansen - NRK |
| | Anders Jahres Culture Prize - Anders Jahres Humanitære Stiftelse - Anders Jahres kulturpris | kulturpris | vestfold | prisvinnere |
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