Tooji facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Tooji
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|---|---|
| Birth name | Touraj Keshtkar |
| Also known as | Tooji |
| Born | 26 May 1987 Shiraz, Iran |
| Origin | Norway |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, model, television host, social worker |
| Years active | 2008–present |
| Japanese stage name | |
| Kanji | 冬至 |
| Romanization | tōji |
| Literal meaning | winter solstice |
Touraj Keshtkar (Persian: تورج کشتکار; born 26 May 1987), known professionally as Tooji, is a Norwegian singer, painter, model and television host. He represented Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest 2012 in Baku, Azerbaijan and finished 26th (last) in the final. Beginning with his single "Cocktail", he also started using the kanji characters 冬至 (tōji) in his artistic identity.
Contents
Career
Tooji Keshtkar was born in Shiraz, Iran, and moved to Norway when he was one year old. His mother is author and political commentator Lily Bandehy. At the age of 16, he started modelling. Afterwards, he started working on MTV Norway where he presented "Super Saturday" and "Tooji's Top 10". He was also educated as a social worker and has worked in asylum reception centres.
He won Melodi Grand Prix 2012 and was given the opportunity to represent Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest 2012 in Baku, Azerbaijan with his entry "Stay" which qualified from the second semi-final and went on to place 26th (last) in the final, scoring 7 points.
On 10 March 2012, he presented the international jury votes on behalf of Norway at the finals of Melodifestivalen 2012, the Swedish preselection. On 18 May 2013 he presented the Norwegian votes for the Eurovision Song Contest 2013 held in Malmö, Sweden.
Since 2012, Tooji presents, with Margrethe Røed, the Melodi Grand Prix Junior in Norway. In 2013, he released a single entitled "Rebels". Tooji himself describes ‘Rebels’ as “dramatic pop-dance, with new organic elements blended in with hard electronica“.
He moved to Stockholm prior to the release of the song "Packin' Guns". His songs often express a political and social message. Tooji's single "Cocktail" deals with the gender roles in today's society.
The Father Project and single
His EP and single "Father" was part of his coming out process. The music video, filmed inside an Oslo church, received criticism. Ole Christian Kvarme, the Bishop of Oslo of the Lutheran Church of Norway, condemned the video as "totally unacceptable" and "a gross misuse of the church", accusing the video's producers of misinforming the church's administration prior to filming about the video's actual contents.
Tooji said he lost his job as a host to Melodi Grand Prix Junior, a version of Eurovision for younger performers as a result of the "Father" video and the Father Project. Tooji called this project as "the most important thing I've done in my life."
Personal life
Tooji is a supporter of Green Wave, Iran's democratic reform movement. Tooji wore a Free Iran green bracelet during his performance in the Eurovision Song Contest 2012 held in Baku, Azerbaijan.
In June 2015, Tooji came out as gay to the Norwegian website Gaysir. He was praised for his decision by the Norwegian National Association for Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals and Transgender People.
Discography
Extended plays
| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| Stay |
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| Father |
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Singles
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NOR | |||||||||||||||||||
| "Swan Song" | 2008 | — | Non-album singles | ||||||||||||||||
| "Stay" | 2012 | 2 | Stay | ||||||||||||||||
| "If It Wasn't For You" | — | ||||||||||||||||||
| "Rebels" | 2013 | — | Non-album singles | ||||||||||||||||
| "Packin' Guns" | 2014 | — | |||||||||||||||||
| "Cocktail" | — | ||||||||||||||||||
| "Money" | 2015 | — | |||||||||||||||||
| "L.Y.S" | — | ||||||||||||||||||
| "Father" | — | Father | |||||||||||||||||
| "Say Yeah" | — | Non-album singles | |||||||||||||||||
| "—" denotes a single that did not chart or was not released. | |||||||||||||||||||
See also
In Spanish: Tooji para niños
