Sofia (Swedish singer)
Encyclopedia
Sofia Berntson known professionally as Sofia (Greek
: Σοφία) is a Swedish
singer who often sings in Greek. She has released three CD singles since 2007 and has taken part in the Swedish song selection process for the Eurovision Song Contest
, Melodifestivalen
, twice, in 2007
and more recently in 2009
.
, Sweden
in 1979. Up until she was about sixteen, she visited Greece every summer on vacation and toured the country while being based mainly in Athens
. She stated that she fell in love with the country and its music and culture after becoming friends with Greek musician Alexandros Papakonstantinou.
, the Swedish song selection process for the Eurovision Song Contest
. She appeared in the first semi-final on February 3, 2007 and performed the song "Hypnotized" seventh in the running order. The song was described as having a Greek flavor and overall her performance was seen as professional, with her singing with a "very strong voice". The song did not manage to make it to the next round, placing seventh. Sofia stated in an interview after the event that she was very satisfied with her performance and that she never thought that she would be able to go through to the final. She added that she was "happy that [she] got a chance to show the Swedish audience who [she was] and what [she] can deliver on stage".
Following her appearance in Melodifestivalen, she released "Hypnotized" digitally as a four track CD single on February 5, 2007, with a physical copy being released on February 10. In addition to the original version, it contained a remix by Oscar Holter, a karaoke version, and a version sung in Greek titled "Ipopta Vlemata" (Suspicious). The song charted in Sweden for two weeks, peaking at number 50, and in Finland where it charted for a week, peaking at number six.
After Melodifestivalen, Sofia traveled to Greece where she stayed for eleven months. At the beginning of November 2007, Sofia attended and performed at the Thessaloniki
Song Festival with the song "Anikse Tin Porta" (Open the door) once again composed by Dimitris Stassos and sung in Greek. In Fall 2008, Sofia made her Greek market debut, releasing a two track CD single titled "Pote" (Never). "Pote" is a pop ballad written by Greek-Swedes Nektarios Tyrakis, Dimitris Stassos and Irini Michas; Stassos had previously written "Hypnotized". In addition to the title track, the song "Toso Apla" (That simple) was also included, which is a duet between Sofia and Greek rap group Goin' Through.
, this time with the song "Alla
" (Other), sung in Greek. In an interview, Sofia said that she wanted to perform the song in Greek because she likes the language and because it was originally written in Greek and therefore should be performed that way. It was written by Dimitris Stassos, Nina Karolidou, Irini Michas, and Henrik Wikström who described it as "a rock inspired ethno pop number, or pop/rock [song] with a cool riff". Sofia performed the song seventh on the night in the third semi-final of Melodifestivalen 2009, held on February 21, 2009. She was not one of the four songs selected for the final or second chance rounds, placing seventh of eight, but was chosen by the international jury to go against the other jury choices from the other semi-finals, with a chance of being the eleventh song in the contest's final. A little more than a week later, "Alla" was released as a two track CD single on March 1, 2009 along with many of the other songs in the contest; it features the radio mix and a remix of the song by Oscar Holter.
On March 7, Sofia once again appeared at Melodifestivalen, though she did not perform. Following the end of the "Second Chance Round", the jury chose her over Amy Diamond
to go to the final, held on March 14, 2009. In an interview after the round, Sofia said that she was glad that she would have the chance to sing the song even better than before and that she was probably chosen because she is an international artist with an international song. At the Melodifestivalen final, Sofia presented "Alla" ninth out of the eleven participants. When the results were announced, she received twelve points in total, eight from the international jury and four from the regional juries, placing her tenth. Soon after the final, the song entered the Swedish Singles Chart and peaked at number 24.
In early 2011, Sofia resurfaced in music after a press release by Oxygen Music/4 Music stated that she and writer/rapper Apollon were submitted to Greek broadcaster Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation to be considered as participants together in a national final to represent Greece in the Eurovision Song Contest 2011
. The record label alleged that the broadcaster would not entertain the idea of either the label or Sofia and Apollon participating in the final. The claim was similar to several other acts who wished to participate, but were blocked from consideration by the broadcaster.
Greek alphabet
The Greek alphabet is the script that has been used to write the Greek language since at least 730 BC . The alphabet in its classical and modern form consists of 24 letters ordered in sequence from alpha to omega...
: Σοφία) is a Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
singer who often sings in Greek. She has released three CD singles since 2007 and has taken part in the Swedish song selection process for the Eurovision Song Contest
Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual competition held among active member countries of the European Broadcasting Union .Each member country submits a song to be performed on live television and then casts votes for the other countries' songs to determine the most popular song in the competition...
, Melodifestivalen
Melodifestivalen
Melodifestivalen is an annual music competition organised by Swedish public broadcasters Sveriges Television and Sveriges Radio . It determines the country's representative for the Eurovision Song Contest, and has been staged almost every year since 1959...
, twice, in 2007
Melodifestivalen 2007
Melodifestivalen 2007 was the selection for the 47th song to represent Sweden at the Eurovision Song Contest. It was the 46th time that this system of picking a song has been used. Five semifinals took place to select the ten songs for the final, in Jönköping, Gothenburg, Örnsköldsvik, Gävle and a...
and more recently in 2009
Melodifestivalen 2009
Melodifestivalen 2009 was a Swedish song contest held between February and March 2009. It was the selection for the 49th song to represent Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest, and was the 48th edition of Melodifestivalen...
.
Early life
Sofia was born in StockholmStockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
in 1979. Up until she was about sixteen, she visited Greece every summer on vacation and toured the country while being based mainly in Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
. She stated that she fell in love with the country and its music and culture after becoming friends with Greek musician Alexandros Papakonstantinou.
2007–2008: "Hypnotized" and "Pote"
In 2007, Sofia participated in MelodifestivalenMelodifestivalen 2007
Melodifestivalen 2007 was the selection for the 47th song to represent Sweden at the Eurovision Song Contest. It was the 46th time that this system of picking a song has been used. Five semifinals took place to select the ten songs for the final, in Jönköping, Gothenburg, Örnsköldsvik, Gävle and a...
, the Swedish song selection process for the Eurovision Song Contest
Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual competition held among active member countries of the European Broadcasting Union .Each member country submits a song to be performed on live television and then casts votes for the other countries' songs to determine the most popular song in the competition...
. She appeared in the first semi-final on February 3, 2007 and performed the song "Hypnotized" seventh in the running order. The song was described as having a Greek flavor and overall her performance was seen as professional, with her singing with a "very strong voice". The song did not manage to make it to the next round, placing seventh. Sofia stated in an interview after the event that she was very satisfied with her performance and that she never thought that she would be able to go through to the final. She added that she was "happy that [she] got a chance to show the Swedish audience who [she was] and what [she] can deliver on stage".
Following her appearance in Melodifestivalen, she released "Hypnotized" digitally as a four track CD single on February 5, 2007, with a physical copy being released on February 10. In addition to the original version, it contained a remix by Oscar Holter, a karaoke version, and a version sung in Greek titled "Ipopta Vlemata" (Suspicious). The song charted in Sweden for two weeks, peaking at number 50, and in Finland where it charted for a week, peaking at number six.
After Melodifestivalen, Sofia traveled to Greece where she stayed for eleven months. At the beginning of November 2007, Sofia attended and performed at the Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki , historically also known as Thessalonica, Salonika or Salonica, is the second-largest city in Greece and the capital of the region of Central Macedonia as well as the capital of the Decentralized Administration of Macedonia and Thrace...
Song Festival with the song "Anikse Tin Porta" (Open the door) once again composed by Dimitris Stassos and sung in Greek. In Fall 2008, Sofia made her Greek market debut, releasing a two track CD single titled "Pote" (Never). "Pote" is a pop ballad written by Greek-Swedes Nektarios Tyrakis, Dimitris Stassos and Irini Michas; Stassos had previously written "Hypnotized". In addition to the title track, the song "Toso Apla" (That simple) was also included, which is a duet between Sofia and Greek rap group Goin' Through.
2009–present: "Alla"
In early 2009, Sofia released "Pote" in Sweden as a two track CD single, switching the duet with a remix of "Pote". In February, she once again took part in MelodifestivalenMelodifestivalen 2009
Melodifestivalen 2009 was a Swedish song contest held between February and March 2009. It was the selection for the 49th song to represent Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest, and was the 48th edition of Melodifestivalen...
, this time with the song "Alla
Alla (song)
"Alla" is a song by Swedish singer Sofia and was her entrant in Sweden's Eurovision Song Contest selection process Melodifestivalen...
" (Other), sung in Greek. In an interview, Sofia said that she wanted to perform the song in Greek because she likes the language and because it was originally written in Greek and therefore should be performed that way. It was written by Dimitris Stassos, Nina Karolidou, Irini Michas, and Henrik Wikström who described it as "a rock inspired ethno pop number, or pop/rock [song] with a cool riff". Sofia performed the song seventh on the night in the third semi-final of Melodifestivalen 2009, held on February 21, 2009. She was not one of the four songs selected for the final or second chance rounds, placing seventh of eight, but was chosen by the international jury to go against the other jury choices from the other semi-finals, with a chance of being the eleventh song in the contest's final. A little more than a week later, "Alla" was released as a two track CD single on March 1, 2009 along with many of the other songs in the contest; it features the radio mix and a remix of the song by Oscar Holter.
On March 7, Sofia once again appeared at Melodifestivalen, though she did not perform. Following the end of the "Second Chance Round", the jury chose her over Amy Diamond
Amy Diamond
Amy Diamond is a Swedish pop singer, actress and television presenter. She is known for her single "What's in It for Me" and album This Is Me Now which were released when she was 12 years old. The song was a 2005 hit in Sweden, Denmark, Norway, and Finland. It was the most-played song in Poland...
to go to the final, held on March 14, 2009. In an interview after the round, Sofia said that she was glad that she would have the chance to sing the song even better than before and that she was probably chosen because she is an international artist with an international song. At the Melodifestivalen final, Sofia presented "Alla" ninth out of the eleven participants. When the results were announced, she received twelve points in total, eight from the international jury and four from the regional juries, placing her tenth. Soon after the final, the song entered the Swedish Singles Chart and peaked at number 24.
In early 2011, Sofia resurfaced in music after a press release by Oxygen Music/4 Music stated that she and writer/rapper Apollon were submitted to Greek broadcaster Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation to be considered as participants together in a national final to represent Greece in the Eurovision Song Contest 2011
Greece in the Eurovision Song Contest 2011
Greece took part in the Eurovision Song Contest 2011, held between 10 and 14 May 2011, placing seventh. On 2 March 2011, as part of the selection process organized by the Greek national broadcaster Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation , six competing acts—Antigoni Psihrami, Kokkina Halia, Loukas...
. The record label alleged that the broadcaster would not entertain the idea of either the label or Sofia and Apollon participating in the final. The claim was similar to several other acts who wished to participate, but were blocked from consideration by the broadcaster.
CD Singles
- 2007: "Hypnotized"
- "Hypnotized" (Radio Version) – 3:17
- "Ipopta Vlemata" – 3:16
- "Hypnotized" (Oscar Holter Remix) – 2:42
- "Hypnotized" (Karaoke Mix) – 3:13
- 2008: "Pote" (Never) [Greek Release]
- "Pote" – 4:04
- "Toso Apla" (duet with Goin' Through) – 3:08
- 2009: "Pote" (Never) [Swedish Release]
- "Pote" – 4:04
- "Pote" (Remix) – 4:09
- 2009: "AllaAlla (song)"Alla" is a song by Swedish singer Sofia and was her entrant in Sweden's Eurovision Song Contest selection process Melodifestivalen...
" (Other)
- "Alla" (Radio Mix) – 3:00
- "Alla" (Oscar Holter Remix) – 4:30