15 Famous Artists You Didn't Know Competed In Eurovision
9. Céline Dion - Ne Partez Pas Sans Moi (Switzerland)
What Is She Know For? French-Canadian singer Céline Dion is one of the world's best selling artists of all time, and she is known for songs like When I Fall in Love, The Prayer, and My Heart Will Go On.
At Eurovision (Winner): Céline Dion represented Switzerland at the 1988 Eurovision Song Contest in Dublin, Ireland. She performed ninth out of twenty-one countries with the song Ne Partez Pas San Moi (Do Not Leave Without Me). While her Eurovision victory might seem inevitable in hindsight due to her superstar career, surprisingly Céline was actually not the favorite to win Eurovision. In fact, throughout most of the voting period, she was trailing second behind the United Kingdom's entrant, Scott Fitzgerald.
But in one of the most memorable and exciting moments in Eurovision history, the tables turned in the end when the penultimate Portuguese jury gave their twelve points to Switzerland, for it narrowed the gap between Céline and Fitzgerald by five points (131 to 136 respectfully). Finally, it was the last jury from Yugoslavia that completely changed the game at the last second--they only gave Switzerland 6 points (upping Céline's cumulative points to 137), but without any Yugoslav votes awarded to the United Kingdom, it was enough for Céline to beat out Fitzgerald by one single point! It was such a dramatic way to end Eurovision, and it opened up international avenues for Céline's career.
After Eurovision: Because of that one point, Céline Dion went on to reign in the 1990s, earning hundreds of music awards (including five Grammys) and selling millions of records. She has continued to put out albums, and although she is not quite as prominent in the music charts as she was in the nineties, she is still the best selling Canadian artist in the world.