Charlotte Perrelli facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Charlotte Perrelli
Perrelli in 2017
Background information
Birth name	Anna Jenny Charlotte Nilsson
Also known as	Charlotte Nilsson
Born	(1974-10-07) 7 October 1974 (age 50) Hovmantorp, Sweden
Genres	Dansband (up to 1999) disco pop schlager
Occupation(s)	Singer television host author actress entrepreneur
Instruments	Vocals, piano, guitar
Years active	1987–present
Labels	Stockhouse (1999–2008, 2009–present) Universal Music (2008)
Associated acts	Bengt Ingvars med Charlotte, Kendix, Anders Engbergs, Wizex

Charlotte Perrelli (born 7 October 1974) is a famous Swedish singer and TV host. Before 2003, she was known by her maiden name, Charlotte Nilsson. She became very well-known when she won the Melodifestivalen and then the Eurovision Song Contest 1999 in 1999 with her song "Take Me to Your Heaven".

Since her big win in 1999, Charlotte has released many albums and singles. She won Melodifestivalen again in 2008 with her song "Hero" and represented Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest 2008. She is one of Sweden's most loved female singers and often performs at big events. She has sung many types of music, from traditional Swedish dansband and schlager to modern pop, soulful ballads, and jazz.

Charlotte Perrelli's Journey

Early Life and Music (1987–1998)

Charlotte Perrelli was born in Hovmantorp, a town in southern Sweden. When she was just thirteen, she joined a local dansband (a type of Swedish dance band) called Bengt Ingvars. Later, the band changed its name to "Bengt Ingvars med Charlotte."

After finishing school, Charlotte moved to Växjö to study at the High School of Performing Arts. During this time, she also became the lead singer of a band called Kendix.

In 1994, Charlotte started singing with a well-known dansband called Anders Engbergs. After recording two albums with them, she moved on to join the very successful band Wizex in 1997. Being part of Wizex helped her gain more fame and experience. In 1998, Wizex was nominated for a Swedish Grammis (like a Grammy Award) for their album Mot nya mål. Their album Tusen och en natt even sold enough copies to go gold!

From 1997 to 1998, Charlotte also acted in a Swedish TV show called Vita lögner, playing the character Millan Svensson.

Eurovision Success (1999–2000)

In 1999, Charlotte won Sweden's national music competition, Melodifestivalen 1999. This meant she would represent Sweden at the 1999 Eurovision Song Contest in Jerusalem. On May 29, she performed her song "Take Me to Your Heaven" and won the entire contest with 163 points! She was the fourth Swedish singer to win Eurovision, following Carola Häggkvist (1991), the Herreys brothers (1984), and ABBA (1974).

After her big Eurovision win, Charlotte traveled around Europe and the Middle East to promote her song. She also began working on her first solo album, Charlotte. She later released the song "I Write You a Lovesong," which was part of her successful debut album.

New Albums and TV Shows (2001–2007)

In 2001, Charlotte released her second album, Miss Jealousy. This album had a pop/rock sound and included the popular song "You Got Me Going Crazy." She promoted this album across Europe and even in New Zealand.

Charlotte also started hosting TV shows. In 2003, she co-hosted the first semi-final of Melodifestivalen 2003. In April 2003, she performed in the musical Jesus Christ Superstar in Stockholm. Later that year, she released a new song called "Broken Heart," followed by her album Gone Too Long in 2004. This album featured songs like "Flashdance" and "Million Miles Away."

Because she was so good at hosting, Charlotte was asked to host all of Melodifestivalen 2004. After that, a Swedish TV channel, TV4, gave her her own show called Super Troupers, which was a talent show for kids.

In mid-2004, her album Gone Too Long became very popular, topping the Swedish charts for weeks. She also joined the "Rhapsody in Rock" tour. In 2005, she was a judge on Inför Eurovision, a TV show that reviewed the songs for that year's Eurovision.

In 2006, Charlotte released I din röst, an album dedicated to the famous jazz singer Monica Zetterlund. It included Zetterlund's well-known songs and some of Charlotte's own favorites. The album was a hit, and she performed its songs on popular Swedish shows.

In 2007, Charlotte was a Swedish expert on a TV show that discussed the Eurovision Song Contest. She also toured Sweden with the "Diggiloo" show, performing with other famous singers. During this time, she released the song "Som du" and later the disco song "Jag är tillbaks."

Another Eurovision Attempt and International Work (2008–2009)

Charlotte Perrelli performing in April 2008.

On March 15, 2008, Charlotte won Melodifestivalen 2008 again with her song "Hero". This song quickly became number one in Sweden and was the best-selling single by a Swedish artist that year. She then went to Belgrade, Serbia, to represent Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest 2008. To get ready for Eurovision, she toured 17 different countries to promote her song.

On April 14, Charlotte filmed the music video for "Hero" in Stockholm. She also released her album, also called Hero, which sold enough copies to go platinum in Sweden. Even though "Hero" was expected to do very well at Eurovision, it finished 18th in the final. After that, another song from the album, "Bullet," was released as a single.

Charlotte then started rehearsals for the "Rhapsody in Rock" tour again. She even performed a concert in Beijing, China, during the 2008 Summer Olympics. In August, she signed a music deal with a Chinese record label, and her Hero album was released in China.

In the autumn, she worked on her Christmas album, Rimfrostjul, which came out in November 2008. She also appeared on many Swedish TV shows. On October 31, 2008, Charlotte was a guest judge and coach on the TV show Idol 2008. In 2009, she traveled to Beijing to perform on TV shows and worked as a judge on the Swedish show Talang 2009.

Recent Years (2010–present)

In 2010, Charlotte recorded a new song for the Swedish Royal Wedding with singer Magnus Carlsson. The song, "Mitt livs gemål," was very popular. In August, she released a fitness book called Kan du Kan jag. In December 2010, she toured Swedish churches with songs from her Christmas album, Rimfrostjul.

Charlotte continued to be a judge on Talang 2010 and Talang 2011. She also toured with Diggiloo again. In November 2011, she announced that she would play Eva Peron in the Swedish version of the musical Evita at the Malmö Opera. For this role, she released "Don't cry for me Argentina" as a single.

She tried to represent Sweden at Eurovision again in Melodifestivalen 2012 with the song "The Girl." However, she did not make it to the final. Still, she released her seventh album, The Girl, which included new songs and a duet with Belgian singer Kate Ryan called "Little Braveheart." She also launched her own perfume and lotion called The Girl.

In the summer of 2012, she toured with Diggiloo once more and released her second fitness book. In 2013, she released her second Christmas album, Min barndoms jul, and toured a lot in Scandinavia.

In 2015, she released the song Bröllopsvalsen, a tribute to her husband. She also published a book about pregnancy.

In 2017, she released the Swedish album Mitt liv. She continued to tour with Diggiloo in 2014, 2015, 2017, and 2018. In 2018, she appeared on the TV show Så mycket bättre. She also released her autobiography, Flickan från Småland, in October 2018, which was also the name of her 2019 tour.

In 2019, Charlotte was a TV commentator for SVT at the Eurovision Song Contest 2019 in Israel, exactly 20 years after she won the contest in the same country.

She participated in Melodifestivalen 2021 with the song "Still Young" and reached the finale, finishing 8th.

Most recently, Charlotte performed as a special guest during the second semi-final and final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 in Malmö.

Personal Life

In 2003, Charlotte married Nicola Ingrosso. They had two sons, born in 2004 and 2005. Charlotte and Nicola later changed their last names to Perrelli. They separated in 2008 and divorced in 2009.

Since 2012, Charlotte has been in a relationship with Anders Jensen. They welcomed their first child together in July 2013, and her fourth child in October 2018.

Discography

Albums

All studio albums and their chart positions in the Swedish Top 60 (SWE).

Singles

Soundtracks

• 2000: Livet är en schlager soundtrack – "Jag vill bara älska med dig"

Compilations

• 1999: Absolute '99: The Best of 1999 – "Take Me to Your Heaven"
• 1999: Mr Music Hits – Vol 7, 1999 – "Take Me to Your Heaven"
• 1999: Maximum Dance – Vol 7, 1999 – "Take Me to Your Heaven"
• 1999: Absolute Music 30 – "Take Me to Your Heaven"
• 1999: 100% Semester – Vol 4 – "Take Me to Your Heaven"
• 2000: Eurovision Song Contest 1956–1999 – "Take Me to Your Heaven"
• 2000: Barn 2000 – "Behöver Dig Nu"
• 2000: Schooldays – "Tusen och en Natt"
• 2001: Melodifestivalen 2001 – "Tusen och en Natt"
• 2008: Melodifestivalen 2008 – "Hero"
• 2012: "Melodifestivalen 2012" – "The Girl"
• 2015: "Very Best of Eurovision Song Contest - 60th Anniversary" – "Take Me to Your Heaven"