Shirley Clamp facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Shirley Clamp
Shirley Clamp at Sommarkrysset, 2009
Background information
Born	(1973-02-17) 17 February 1973 (age 52) Borås, Sweden
Origin	Sweden
Genres	Pop, Schlager
Years active	2000–present

Shirley Natasja Clamp (born 17 February 1973) is a talented pop singer from Sweden. She has also lived in the United Kingdom. Shirley is famous for her powerful voice and for taking part in Sweden's biggest music competition, Melodifestivalen, many times.

She has had four songs reach the top 10 in Sweden. One of her songs, "Med hjärtat fyllt av ljus", even became a number 1 hit in 2009. She has also released three albums that made it into the top 10.

About Shirley Clamp

Shirley Clamp was born in a city called Borås in Sweden. Her mother is Swedish, and her father is British. This means Shirley has dual nationality, which is like being a citizen of two countries at once!

Her Music Journey

Shirley Clamp started her music career by singing backup for other artists. She helped many famous singers and groups on stage. For example, she sang backup for the group Antique when they performed at the Eurovision Song Contest 2001.

Becoming a Solo Artist

In 2003, Shirley decided to start her own solo career. She entered Melodifestivalen 2003 with a song called "Mr. Memory". She didn't make it to the final that year, but it was just the beginning for her.

Her big break came in Melodifestivalen 2004. She sang "Min kärlek" (which means "My love"). This song was very popular! Shirley made it all the way to the final and finished in second place. This was a huge achievement for her.

After her success in Melodifestivalen, Shirley released her first album. It was called Den långsamma blomman (The Slow Flower) and came out in May 2004.

More Melodifestivalen and Albums

Shirley tried to win Melodifestivalen again in 2005. Her song was "Att älska dig" ("To love you"). She won her semifinal heat, showing how popular she was. In the final, she finished in fourth place.

In April 2005, she released her second album, Lever mina drömmar (Living my dreams). A year later, she released a special album called Favoriter på svenska. This album had Swedish versions of famous songs. One popular song on it was "När kärleken föds", which is a Swedish cover of Roxette's "It Must Have Been Love".

Shirley returned to Melodifestivalen in 2009 with "Med hjärtat fyllt av ljus". Even though she didn't do well in the competition, the song became a number 1 hit in Sweden! She also helped commentate for SVT during the Eurovision Song Contest 2009.

In 2011, Shirley competed again as part of a trio called "Shirley's Angels". They sang "I Thought It Was Forever". She also participated in Melodifestivalen 2014 with the song "Burning Alive".

Shirley has also hosted parts of Melodifestivalen. In 2021, she presented the "Second Chance" round of the competition. She entered Melodifestivalen again in 2022 with "Let There Be Angels".

In 2024, Shirley had a main role in a Christmas TV show called Snödrömmar.

Shirley's Melodifestivalen Entries

Shirley Clamp has been a part of Melodifestivalen many times as a performer:

• 2003 - "Mr Memory" (6th in her semifinal)
• 2004 - "Min kärlek" (2nd place in the final)
• 2005 - "Att älska dig" (4th place in the final)
• 2009 - "Med hjärtat fyllt av ljus" (8th in her semifinal, but became a #1 hit)
• 2011 - "I Thought it was Forever" (with Shirley's Angels, knocked out in the "Second Chance" round)
• 2014 - "Burning Alive" (6th in her semifinal)
• 2022 - "Let There Be Angels" (6th in her semifinal)

She also helped write a song for another artist in Melodifestivalen:

• 2003 - "You" performed by Pandora (Shirley was a composer for this song)

Her Albums

Shirley has released several albums throughout her career. Here are some of them:

Studio Albums

• Den långsamma blomman (The Slow Flower)
  • Released: May 26, 2004
  • Reached: #3 in Sweden
  • Singles from this album include "Min kärlek" (#3) and "För den som älskar" (#14).
• Lever mina drömmar (Living my dreams)
  • Released: April 20, 2005
  • Reached: #5 in Sweden
  • Singles include "Att älska dig" (#4).
• Favoriter på svenska (Favorites in Swedish)
  • Released: May 10, 2006
  • Reached: #7 in Sweden
  • This album has Swedish cover versions of popular songs, like "När kärleken föds" (#6).
• Tålamod (Patience)
  • Released: October 24, 2007
  • Reached: #20 in Sweden

Compilation Album

• För den som älskar - en samling (For the one who loves - a collection)
  • Released: March 28, 2009
  • Reached: #11 in Sweden
  • This album includes her #1 hit single "Med hjärtat fyllt av ljus".

Joint Albums

Shirley has also released Christmas albums with other Swedish singers, Sanna and Sonja:

• Our Christmas
  • Released: November 2008
  • Reached: #1 in Sweden
  • This album sold very well and became Platinum in Sweden.
• Vår jul (Our Christmas)
  • Released: November 2010
  • Reached: #6 in Sweden
  • This album also sold well and became Gold in Sweden.

Other Songs

Shirley has also released other singles:

• 2002 - "My Life (C'est ma vie)" (with Christer Björkman)
• 2003 - "Mr. Memory"
• 2004 - "Do They Know It's Christmas?" (#28)

See also

In Spanish: Shirley Clamp para niños