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

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

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

Carola has represented Sweden at the Eurovision Song Contest three times. She came third in 1983, won in 1991, and finished fifth in 2006.

Early Life and First Steps in Music

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

Carola's Amazing Music Journey

Starting Out and Främling (1981–1989)

Carola and John Travolta in 1983

In 1981, a Swedish music promoter named Bert Karlsson met Carola. She was 15 years old and had performed on a TV show. He offered her a chance to join Melodifestivalen in 1982. This is the Swedish competition to choose a song for the Eurovision Song Contest. Carola decided not to take the offer that year.

Later, songwriter Lasse Holm offered Carola two songs for Melodifestivalen 1983. One of them was "Främling." This song was chosen, and Carola won the right to represent Sweden at Eurovision in Munich. The song received top scores from all eleven juries. Carola performed at the Eurovision Song Contest 1983 on April 23. She finished third, and 6.1 million Swedes watched her. This was 84% of the country's population, a record for Sweden.

"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 traveled around Europe. She promoted "Främling" and sang it in different languages. These included English ("Love Isn't Love"), German ("Fremder"), and Dutch. The album also had other hits like "Mickey" and "Tokyo." In December 1983, she released her first Christmas album, Julefrid med Carola. It 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 Bee Gees 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 the next year. Songs like "The Runaway" and "Brand New Heart" became very popular in Scandinavia. In 1987, Carola went on a church tour. After this, she took a break from her music career.

New Beginnings and Eurovision Victory (1990–1991)

In 1990, Carola returned to Melodifestivalen with "Mitt i ett äventyr" ("In the middle of an adventure"). The song came in second place. This meant she did not get to represent Sweden at Eurovision that year. Her comeback album, Much More, was released and earned a gold award in Sweden. However, Carola and songwriter Stephan Berg were already planning another try for Eurovision.

In 1991, she returned to Melodifestivalen with "Fångad av en stormvind" ("Captured by a lovestorm"). This song won the festival by a large margin. It became the Swedish entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 1991 in Rome. Many people thought Carola was a strong favorite to win. On the night of the contest, Sweden and France were tied for first place. Sweden won the contest because they had received more high scores during the voting. "Fångad av en stormvind" became a huge hit in Europe. After her victory, she released an international version of "Much More." She also went on a long tour to promote her music across Europe.

Albums, Tours, and Musicals (1992–2004)

Carola in concert, 2005

Carola was the first pop artist from Scandinavia to perform in China. An estimated 600 million TV viewers watched her. She also released an album in China in 1992.

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

In 1995, Carola started acting in musicals. She played Maria in The Sound of Music. She performed in 325 shows and won the Guldmasken (Golden Mask) award. 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. In 2002, she had a small role in Les Misérables in London and other cities.

In November 1997, Carola released a collection of her best songs, De bästa av Carola. After this, she released Blott en dag ("Just One Day"), an album of hymns. 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. This made it the best-selling album of 1999. She also helped write "Himlen i min famn," a popular Christmas song.

In 2001, she released Sov på min arm, an album with Christian hymns and ballads. 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 the album reached number 6 in Sweden, it sold 100,000 copies. Carola then went on a big tour in Scandinavia.

In 2003, Carola submitted a song called "Autumn Leaf" for Melodifestivalen. She decided not to perform it, so the song was removed from the competition. "Autumn Leaf" 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 in Sweden and sold over 300,000 copies. She also recorded her favorite Elvis Presley songs. 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 album chart. This was followed by Störst av allt. "Genom Allt" became a big radio hit.

Return to Eurovision and Recent Years (2005–Present)

Carola in 2006

After performing at Melodifestivalen 2005, Carola announced she would return in 2006. She sang "Evighet" ("Eternity"), a song she called a "true winning song." The song won Melodifestivalen with 232 points. Before the Eurovision contest, Carola visited 12 countries to promote her song. "Invincible" (the English version of "Evighet") was played a lot on the radio. She qualified from the semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest in Athens. Carola finished fifth out of twenty-four countries with 170 points. 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. Carola toured Sweden and received great reviews. In the autumn, 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"). This album was recorded in Jerusalem. It sold 90,000 copies and included the gospel song Go and Tell It on the Mountain. She then toured Scandinavia.

Carola entered Melodifestivalen 2008 as part of a duo called Johnson & Häggkvist with Andreas Johnson. Their song "One Love" did not win, but their earlier single "Lucky Star" was very popular. Carola took it easy for the rest of the year but did a small Christmas tour. In 2009, Carola worked on a new album and other projects. She went to the United States to record new music. She also started Carola Camp, a camp for 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.

At the end of 2009, she released the album Christmas in Bethlehem. It included duets with artists like Paul Potts. She went on another Christmas tour in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Finland.

In the summer of 2010, Carola toured Sweden, singing hits by Elvis Presley and Barbra Streisand. This tour was very successful and sold out. In March 2011, she released a studio album with twelve songs.

In 2014, Häggkvist took part in Så mycket bättre on TV4. Carola attended the final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2016 in Stockholm. She was interviewed briefly with another Swedish winner, Loreen.

In late October 2016, she released her new Christmas album, Drömmen om julen. A tour followed this release.

In April 2021, Carola was the spokesperson for Sweden at the Eurovision Song Contest 2021. She read out the Swedish jury points at the Grand Final. She also performed "Waterloo" with Charlotte Perrelli and Conchita Wurst as a special act for the final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2024.

Personal Life and Public Attention

Carola is a very famous person in Sweden. News about her is often in newspapers and magazines. She often talks about her Christian faith.

She was married to Runar Søgaard, and they have a son named Amadeus. They divorced in 2000. In 2012, she adopted a daughter named Zoe from South Africa.

In 2015, she helped some refugees on the Greek island of Kos. She stopped thieves from stealing their boat engine. She was briefly arrested but released without charges.

Discography

Voice Acting Roles

Awards and Recognition

Carola Häggkvist received the Illis quorum medal from the Government of Sweden on July 13, 2023. This is a special award given for important contributions.

See also

In Spanish: Carola Häggkvist para niños