Joan Franka | |
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 Joan Franka in 2012 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Joany Franka Johanna Ayten Hazebroek Kalan (1990-04-02)2 April 1990 (age 35) Rotterdam, Netherlands |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 2010–present |
| Website | www |
Joany Franka Johanna Ayten Hazebroek Kalan (born 2 April 1990), known professionally asJoan Franka, is a Dutch singer and songwriter. She represented the Netherlands in theEurovision Song Contest 2012 with the song "You and Me".[1][2] She became known in the Netherlands through her participation in thefirst season ofThe Voice of Holland.
In September 2010, Hazebroek entered theinaugural 2010–2011 season of the talent showThe Voice of Holland. She auditioned withNickelback's "How You Remind Me". Two out of four judges hit their "I Want You" buttons, and she chose to join the team ofRoel van Velzen. She advanced from the Battle round, where she performed "One of Us" byJoan Osborne.
In the first live show, Hazebroek performedJewel's "Foolish Games", followed byMarc Cohn's "Walking in Memphis" in the third live show. She was eliminated in the fifth live show, following her performance of "Promise Me" byBeverley Craven. Two of the songs she sang during the competition charted as minor hits in theDutch Single Top 100: "Foolish Games" reached number 42 and "Promise Me" reached number 45, based on downloads.
In 2012, Hazebroek entered theNationaal Songfestival, the Dutch national selection for theEurovision Song Contest 2012, with the song "You and Me". In the final on 26 February 2012, she won her duel against fellowThe Voice of Holland alumRaffaëla Paton, and advanced to the superfinal alongside Pearl Jozefzoon and Ivan Peroti. Despite coming last with the expert jury, she won over 50% of the televote. As a result, Hazebroek won the competition and was chosen to represent the Netherlands in the Eurovision Song Contest 2012 inBaku, Azerbaijan. She performed in the second semi-final on 24 May 2012, but failed to qualify for the final. This marked the Netherlands' eighth consecutive elimination in the semi-finals of the Eurovision Song Contest.
From 2014 to 2017, Hazebroek attended theHerman Brood Academie inUtrecht.[3] During her studies, she developed thealter ego 'Luba the Baroness'.[3] In 2021, she appeared in the Belgian documentary seriesI aime who I am, in which she commented on the impact of her participation in the Eurovision Song Contest on herself-image.[3] In 2023, Hazebroek participated in the second season of theRTL 4 television showBetter Than Ever, where she performed a cover of "The Night We Met" byLord Huron. In the show, she revealed to have been in conflict with herrecord label following her Eurovision Song Contest participation, due to negative experiences with, among others, her manager.[4][5][6] She also revealed that she had disagreed to wear the controversialNative American headdress during her Eurovision performance.[4][5][6] On 7 April 2023, she released her debut studio albumLuba the Baroness, containing songs she wrote in 2017.[3]
| Album | Year | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Luba the Baroness | 2023 |
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| Single | Year | Peak chart positions | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| NL [7] | |||
| "Foolish Games" | 2010 | 42 | Non-album singles |
| "Promise Me" | 2011 | 45 | |
| "You and Me" | 2012 | 1 | |
| "Nigel" | 2014 | — | |
| "The End" | 2019 | — | Luba the Baroness |
| "The Night We Met" | 2023 | — | Non-album single |
Media related toJoan Franka at Wikimedia Commons| Awards and achievements | ||
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| Preceded by | Netherlands in the Eurovision Song Contest 2012 | Succeeded by |
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