Carola Häggkvist facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Carola Häggkvist
Carola Häggkvist in June 2015
Background information
Birth name	Carola Maria Häggkvist
Also known as	Carola Carola Søgaard
Born	(1966-09-08) 8 September 1966 (age 58) Stockholm, Sweden
Genres	Pop gospel schlager
Occupation(s)	Singer songwriter
Years active	1983–present
Labels	Sonet
Associated acts	Andreas Johnson

Carola Maria Häggkvist (born 8 September 1966), known simply as Carola, is a famous Swedish pop singer and songwriter. She has been one of Sweden's most popular performers since the early 1980s. Carola has released many different types of music, from pop and disco to gospel and folk songs.

Her first album, Främling (1983), sold about one million copies. It is still the best-selling album in Swedish music history! Carola has had many top-selling albums and singles. She is often called Sweden's most important female singer. Some of her biggest hits include "Främling", "Tommy tycker om mig", and "Fångad av en stormvind". She has also released music in Dutch, German, English, Norwegian, and Japanese.

Carola has represented Sweden at the Eurovision Song Contest three times. In 1983, she came in third place. In 1991, she won the contest! And in 2006, she finished fifth.

Early Life and First Steps in Music

Carola Maria Häggkvist was born on 8 September 1966 in Stockholm, Sweden. She grew up in Norsborg, a town south of Stockholm. When she was eight years old, Carola started performing at Stockholm's Miniteatern, a children's theater. She also went to Adolf Fredrik's Music School. In 1977, Carola won a talent competition. She appeared on television for the first time, singing "Krokodilbarnets klagan" on a show called Sveriges magasin.

Carola's Amazing Career Journey

1981–1989: Early Success with Främling

Carola and John Travolta in 1983

In 1981, a Swedish music promoter named Bert Karlsson met Carola. She was only 15 years old. He saw her perform on TV and offered her a chance to join Melodifestivalen. This is the Swedish competition to choose a song for the Eurovision Song Contest. Carola said no to the offer at first.

Later, songwriter Lasse Holm offered Carola two songs for Melodifestivalen 1983. One was "Mona Lisa" and the other was "Främling". "Främling" was chosen, and Carola won the right to represent Sweden at Eurovision in Munich. The song received the highest possible score from all eleven regional juries. Carola performed at the Eurovision Song Contest on 23 April. She finished in third place. A record 6.1 million Swedish TV viewers watched her, which was 84% of the country's population!

"Främling" became the title of Carola's first album. It sold over one million copies, making it the best-selling album in Swedish history. After Eurovision, Carola toured many European TV shows. She promoted "Främling" and sang it in different languages. She sang it in English as "Love Isn't Love" and in German as "Fremder". The album also had other hits like "Mickey" and "Tokyo". In December 1983, she released her first Christmas album, Julefrid med Carola, which sold 200,000 copies.

In 1984, Carola released two more popular pop/rock albums. Together, they sold over one million copies. "Tommy tycker om mig" and "Hunger" became big hits in Sweden. She later went to Japan and recorded a song in Japanese. In 1985, the famous Bee Gees group worked with her on the album Runaway. The Gibb brothers wrote the songs, and Maurice Gibb produced it. This album sold double platinum in Sweden when it was released in 1986. Songs like "The Runaway" and "Brand New Heart" became huge hits in Scandinavia. In 1987, Carola went on a church tour with pianist Per-Erik Hallin. After this, she took a break from her music career.

1990–1991: Eurovision Victory and New Beginnings

In 1990, Carola returned to Melodifestivalen with "Mitt i ett äventyr" ("In the middle of an adventure"). The song came in second place, so she didn't get to represent Sweden at Eurovision that year. Her comeback album, Much More, was released and earned a gold award in Sweden.

In 1991, she tried Melodifestivalen again with "Fångad av en stormvind" ("Captured by a lovestorm"). This time, the song won the festival by a lot of points. It became the Swedish entry for the Eurovision Song Contest in Rome. Many people thought Carola was one of the top favorites to win. On the night of the contest, Sweden and France ended up tied for first place. Sweden won the contest after a special tie-breaking rule! "Fångad av en stormvind" became a huge hit across Europe. After her victory, she released an international version of "Much More" and toured Europe.

1992–2004: Albums, Tours, and Musicals

Carola in concert

In 1992, Carola became the first Scandinavian pop artist to perform in China. An estimated 600 million TV viewers watched her! She also released an album in China that year.

In 1993, ten years after her first Eurovision appearance, Carola released a gospel album called My Tribute. It was released in sixteen countries. She was even named gospel artist of the year in the Netherlands in 1994. The album included the hit song "My Tribute." In 1994, Carola released a rock album called "Personligt" (Personally). This album was special because she wrote some of the songs herself for the first time. It sold enough copies to earn a gold award.

In 1995, Carola started acting in musicals. She played Maria in The Sound of Music alongside Tommy Körberg. She performed the role 325 times and won a special award called Guldmasken (Golden Mask). In 1998, she sang the theme song for the Norwegian musical Sophie's World. Also in 1998, Carola was the voice of Mirjam in the Swedish version of The Prince of Egypt animated movie. In 2002, she had a small role as Fantine in Les Misérables in London and other cities.

In 1997, Carola released a collection of her best songs, De bästa av Carola. This included new songs like "Dreamer." After that, she released an album of hymns called Blott en dag ("Just One Day"). In 1999, another Christmas album, Jul i Betlehem ("Christmas in Bethlehem"), came out. It sold 600,000 copies in Scandinavia, with 350,000 in Sweden. It became the best-selling album of 1999. She also helped write the song "Himlen i min famn," which is now a popular Christmas song.

In 2001, she released Sov på min arm, an album with Christian hymns and gospel songs. It was one of the most sold albums in Scandinavia that year. In 2002, she released the pop/country album My Show. This album marked her return to pop music. It had hits like "The Light" and "I believe in love." Even though it only reached number 6 on the Swedish album chart, it sold 100,000 copies. Carola went on a big tour in Scandinavia that summer.

In 2003, Carola submitted a song called "Autumn Leaf" for Melodifestivalen. She decided not to perform it, so it was removed from the competition. "Autumn Leaf" later appeared on her next album, Guld, platina & passion, as "När löven faller" (When the leaves fall). This song became a huge hit. Guld, platina & passion reached number 1 on the Swedish charts and sold over 300,000 copies. The next year, Carola released a religious album, Credo. She said it showed her "love for God." This album reached number 2 on the Swedish chart. It was followed by Störst av allt, which had spiritual music about love and life. "Genom Allt" became a big radio hit.

2005–Present: Eurovision Returns and More Music

Carola in 2006

After performing at Melodifestivalen 2005, Carola announced she would compete again in 2006. She sang "Evighet" ("Eternity"). Many people thought it would win. The song qualified for the final and won the competition with 232 points. Before the Eurovision contest, Carola visited 12 countries to promote her song. The English version, "Invincible", was played a lot on the radio. Carola finished fifth out of twenty-four countries at the Eurovision Song Contest in Athens. This made her one of the most successful artists in Eurovision history!

After Melodifestivalen, Carola released a pop album, Från nu till evighet ("From Now to Eternity"). The album topped the Swedish sales chart and sold about 100,000 copies. "Stanna eller gå," a Latin-inspired pop song, became a radio hit that summer. Carola toured Sweden and received great reviews. Later that year, she sang "Because We Believe" with the Italian singer Andrea Bocelli.

In late 2007, Carola released another Christmas album, I denna natt blir världen ny ("There is a New World This Night"). It was a follow-up to Jul i Betlehem. The album had songs in Swedish and English and was recorded in Jerusalem. It sold 90,000 copies. After the album, she toured Scandinavia.

Carola entered Melodifestivalen 2008 as part of a duo called Johnson & Häggkvist with Andreas Johnson. Their first song was "Lucky Star," which became popular on the radio. They sang "One Love" at Melodifestivalen. They were favorites to win but didn't make it to the final. However, "Lucky Star" sold well and topped the Swedish charts for weeks. Carola took it easy for the rest of the year but did a small Christmas tour.

In 2009, Carola worked on a new album. She also started a camp called Carola Camp to help young singers. In May, she performed her three Eurovision songs at the Eurovision Song Contest in Moscow. In July, she performed with Eurovision winner Alexander Rybak in Norway. They sang "Fairytale" and "Främling." At the end of 2009, she released the album Christmas in Bethlehem, which included duets with artists like Paul Potts. She went on another Christmas tour across Scandinavia.

Carola performed in a fun act about Swedish culture at the final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2013 in Malmö. In the summer of 2010, Carola toured Sweden, singing hits by Elvis Presley and Barbra Streisand. This tour was very successful. In March 2011, she released a studio album with twelve songs.

In 2014, Carola appeared on the TV show Så mycket bättre. Carola also attended the final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2016 in Stockholm. In late 2016, she released a new Christmas album called Drömmen om julen, followed by a tour. In April 2021, Carola was the spokesperson for Sweden at the Eurovision Song Contest 2021. She announced Sweden's jury points at the Grand Final. She will also perform "Waterloo" with Charlotte Perrelli and Conchita Wurst at the final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2024.

Personal Life and Public Attention

Because Carola is one of Sweden's most popular celebrities, newspapers often follow her. She has often spoken about her Christian faith. She was married to Runar Søgaard, a Norwegian Christian preacher. They have a son named Amadeus. They divorced in 2000. In 2012, she adopted a daughter named Zoe from South Africa.

In 2015, Carola helped some refugees on the Greek island of Kos. She stopped thieves from stealing their boat engine, which led to a car chase. At a police station, the thieves accused her of illegally helping refugees. She was arrested but released a few hours later without any charges.

Discography

Voice Acting Roles

Awards and Recognition

Carola Häggkvist was given the Illis quorum medal by the Government of Sweden on 13 July 2023. This is a special award for people who have done great things for Sweden.

Images for kids

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  Carola in 2006

See also

In Spanish: Carola Häggkvist para niños