Sanna Nielsen facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sanna Nielsen
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Nielsen in 2025
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Sanna Viktoria Nielsen |
| Born | 27 November 1984 Edenryd, Sweden |
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| Years active | 1996–present |
| Labels | Warner, Parlophone |
| Associated acts | Mats Elmes, Sonja Aldén, Shirley Clamp, Fredrik Kempe |
Sanna Viktoria Nielsen (born on November 27, 1984) is a famous Swedish singer. She is also a television presenter and a musical theatre performer. Sanna is well-known for representing Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest 2014. She won the Swedish national selection, Melodifestivalen 2014, with her song "Undo". At Eurovision, she finished in an impressive 3rd place.
Sanna has also hosted several big shows. She co-hosted Melodifestivalen 2015 and became the main presenter for the popular Swedish sing-along show Allsång på Skansen in 2016. She has also been a commentator for Eurovision.
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Sanna Nielsen's Music Journey
Sanna Nielsen grew up in Edenryd, a town in Sweden. Her music journey began very early. She started participating in talent shows when she was just eight years old. In 1994, she won a talent show by singing "Can You Feel the Love Tonight".
When Sanna was only eleven, she performed with a dance band called Mats Elmes. Around the same time, her song "Till en fågel" became number one on the Swedish chart called Svensktoppen. This made her the youngest person ever to reach the top of that chart.
In September 1996, Sanna released her first album, "Silvertoner". Music critics compared her to famous singers like Carola Häggkvist. She continued to release more music, including a Christmas album called Min önskejul in 1997. During her high school years, she focused on music studies.
Sanna has also performed in many concerts and tours. In 2001, she went on a Christmas tour with other Swedish artists. She also toured with Roger Pontare in 2002. Later, she performed in Christmas concerts with Kalle Moraeus and Tito Beltran.
In 2006, Sanna released her second solo album, Nära mej, nära dej. In 2007, she toured with Shirley Clamp and Sonja Aldén. Her first album completely in English, Stronger, came out in 2008. She also released a Christmas album with Shirley Clamp and Sonja Aldén that year. In 2011, she released the album I'm In Love. Her seventh studio album, Min jul, which features Christmas songs, was released in December 2013.
Melodifestivalen Adventures
Sanna Nielsen is famous for her many attempts in Melodifestivalen. This is Sweden's big music competition to choose their song for the Eurovision Song Contest. She has competed seven times!
- First Attempts: Sanna first competed in Melodifestivalen 2001 with "I går, i dag", finishing third. She returned in Melodifestivalen 2003 with "Hela världen för mig", placing fifth. In Melodifestivalen 2005, she sang "Du och jag mot världen" as a duet with Fredrik Kempe, finishing eighth.
- 2007 Competition: In Melodifestivalen 2007, Sanna performed "Vågar du, vågar jag". She made it to the final and ended up in seventh place.
- Close Call in 2008: Sanna competed in Melodifestivalen 2008 with the song "Empty Room". Her song won the public vote by a lot! However, when the jury votes were added, she finished second overall. Charlotte Perrelli's song "Hero" won that year. Even though she didn't win Melodifestivalen, "Empty Room" later won the OGAE Second Chance Contest 2008. This is a competition for songs that didn't win their national selections.
- Return in 2011: Sanna came back to Melodifestivalen 2011 with "I'm in Love". She won her semi-final but finished fourth in the grand finale.
- Melodifestivalen Win and Eurovision 2014:
Sanna decided to try again in Melodifestivalen 2014 with her song "Undo". This time, she won the final! This meant she would represent Sweden at the Eurovision Song Contest 2014 in Copenhagen, Denmark. She performed in the first semi-final and made it to the grand final. In the final, Sanna placed third with 218 points. This was the second-highest score for Sweden at Eurovision at that time. "Undo" also became Sanna's first song to enter the UK Top 40 singles charts.
After Eurovision Success
After her success at Eurovision, Sanna took on new roles.
- Hosting Melodifestivalen: On September 29, 2014, it was announced that Sanna would host Melodifestivalen 2015. She hosted it alongside comedian Robin Paulsson.
- Eurovision Commentator: In April 2015, Sanna and Edward af Sillén were chosen to commentate on the Eurovision Song Contest 2015 for Swedish television. She also returned as a commentator for Sweden in 2018.
- Allsång på Skansen Presenter: In August 2015, it was announced that Sanna would become the new presenter for the popular sing-along show Allsång på Skansen. This show takes place at Skansen in Stockholm during the summer. She started this role in the summer of 2016.
- Eurovision The Party Host: Sanna also hosted "Eurovision The Party" in 2016. This event was held at the Tele2 Arena on the night of the Eurovision Song Contest 2016 final.
Personal Life
Sanna Nielsen lives in Årsta, south of Stockholm, with her boyfriend Joakim Ramsell. Their son was born in October 2021.
Musical Theatre
Sanna Nielsen has also performed in musical theatre shows:
- Doctor Zhivago (Malmö Opera, 2014), where she played Lara Antipova.
- Funny Girl (Malmö Opera, 2020, 2023), where she played Fanny Brice.
Awards
Sanna Nielsen has received several awards for her talent:
- 2002 – Ulla Billquist-stipendiet
- 2002 – Birgit Nilssons stipendium
- 2003 – Skåning of the Year
- 2009 – Song of the Year for "Empty Room" at the Gaygalan Awards
- 2008 – Lidingöbo of the Year
- 2018-2019 – Female Presenter of the Year
See also
In Spanish: Sanna Nielsen para niños
- Swedish popular music
