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Darja Švajger | |
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 Švajger in 2023 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | (1965-06-16)16 June 1965 (age 60) |
| Origin | SFR Yugoslavia, nowSlovenia |
| Occupation | Singer |
| Years active | 1993–present |
Darja Švajger (born 16 June 1965 inMaribor,SR Slovenia,SFR Yugoslavia) is one ofSlovenia's most popular singers, best known for having represented her country in theEurovision Song Contest on two occasions.
Music entered Švajger's life when she was still a child. After finishing secondary school, she entered the College of Music and attended art classes inGraz,Austria, where she studied classical solo singing and jazz. In 1997, she graduated magna cum laude. Already during her studies she had started performing as a solo vocalist with various bands and symphony orchestras. Since 1992 she has been engaged in several projects of theSlovene National Theatre inMaribor. In 1993, the international jury of theMelodies of the Sea and the Sun pop music festival, held inKoper, awarded her first prize in the Slovenian section of the international category. Her first album,In the Arms of the Night, soon followed.
The year 1995 was of great importance to Švajger. She representedrepresented Slovenia in theEurovision Song Contest inDublin, performing the song "Prisluhni mi" (Listen to Me) byPrimoc Peterca andSaso Fajon. The ballad achieved seventh place: Slovenia's best ever result to the contest. Švajger won the 1995 and 1996 Pop Singer of the Year awards in Slovenia. In the following years, she became very active and her second album,Moments, was released in 1998.
In 1999, Švajger again won the Slovene national selection for Eurovision and therefore was selected torepresent the country in theEurovision Song Contest held inJerusalem. Peterca and Fajon again wrote a ballad for her, "For A Thousand Years". The composer stated that he had been inspired by the city ofNew York during his four-month stay there. Slovene broadcaster RTVSLO had high hopes and indeed the song was in first place at the beginning of the voting; it even got a highest score of 12 points fromIreland andCroatia. The song finally scored a total of 50 points and was ranked 11th among the 23 entries.
| Preceded by | Slovenia in the Eurovision Song Contest 1995 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Slovenia in the Eurovision Song Contest 1999 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| Artists | |
