Alexander Rybak, the winner of "Eurovision-2009" (22 photos)

On the "Eurovision" 23-year-old Alexander Rybak made a song «Fairytale» («Fairy Tale"), which he wrote himself. Alexander admitted that the song is dedicated to his first love.

Following a vote, the second place at the "Eurovision" got the singer from Iceland - Yohanna from songs «Is It True?».

Third place went to the duo Aysel and Arash from Azerbaijan with the song «Always».

Alexander Rybak was born May 13, 1986 in Minsk in a family of musicians. When he was five, his parents moved to a suburb of Oslo, and since then he has never been at home. He is playing the violin since five years. He has performed with musicians of a certain group A-Ha and the famous violinist Pinchas Zukerman.

Alexander reached the semifinals in the Norwegian version of "American Idol" and participated in the talent show «Kjempesjansen», which won, singing a song of his own composition «Foolin». Now he is busy filming the Norwegian television movie «Yohan - Child Wanderer», which will be released in August 2009.

Their idols in music Alexander Rybak called Mozart, "The Beatles" and Sting. Winner Anders Yahresa Fund in the field of culture. Speaking from the folk song «Fairytale» («Fairy Tale"), received a Norwegian national tour of "Eurovision-2009" viewers to vote 700,000.

Despite the fact that Alexander after moving to Norway not been at home, he and his parents retain ties with Belarus, and in general with the countries of the former Soviet Union.

Their relatives live in Minsk and Vitebsk, and his uncle on his father Alexander, a journalist who lives in Moscow. Books in the Belarusian or Russian Alexander now reads rare, but sings his father's poems M. Bogdanovich. He believes that the native culture influenced the formation of his musical preferences.

Recall, for the victory in the final of "Eurovision-2009" in Moscow fought 25 performers.

He opened the final of "Eurovision-2009" contest winner of last year Russian singer Dima Bilan, who went to the scene, surrounded by angels.

Dima Bilan flew into the 20-thousand hall SC "Olympic", surrounded by angels, as that made by acrobats from legendary Canadian circus «Cirque du Soleil» (du Soleil). Circus artists performed various tricks, juggling torches against the backdrop of changing images of cities participating countries.

Flying over the audience, the winner of "Eurovision-2008" performed their winning song «Believe». In his room Bilan presented the story of a little boy who was growing up as a victory in the competition. Actor punched a wall of bricks symbolizing the obstacles on the way to first place.

Leading the final was a showman and singer Ivan Urgant Alsu. Russian commentators broadcast - singer Filipp Kirkorov and Yana leading Churikov.

In the contest was attended by 42 countries, of which the finals were held by representatives of the 25 countries, 20 were selected in the semi-finals of the competition, which took place on May 12 and 14, and five - a country classical Big Four England, France, Germany and Spain, as well as Russia, as the host country is automatically qualified to the final of the competition rules.

Recall the first "Eurovision" was held in 1956 as a radio competition and every year subsequently broadcast on television. The festival was first organized in Monaco by Marcel Besancon and the first winner was Switzerland.

In 1968, the first broadcast took place on "Eurovision" in color - from London's Royal Albert Hall.

The most famous winner of "Eurovision" was the Swedish group ABBA, won first prize at the festival in 1974 with the song "Waterloo».

Most of the last festival took place on Norway - in 1963, 1969, 1974, 1976, 1978, 1981, 1990, 1997, 2001 and 2004. However, the country has won the Eurovision Song Contest twice - in 1985 and 1995.

Ireland won first place seven times, Luxembourg, France and Britain - on five. Sweden and the Netherlands - four times.

More often than not defeated the song in English - 22 times the French have been written 14 songs victor. Songs in Dutch and Hebrew rendering first three times.

In 2008, 26-year-old Russian singer Dima Bilan won the first place, and the first title of the winner of the festival in Russia May 24, 2008 with the ballad «Believe».

Residents of Germany, were disappointed that the most popular German bands of the decade «No Angels» 0 points earned from 40 of the 42 countries in the course of voting.

Georgia, in summer 2008 war with Russia during a brief conflict in the Caucasus, has refused to participate in "Eurovision" this year, after the festival organizing committee has banned Georgian band perform the song, referring to its political overtones.