Leon (singer)
Encyclopedia
Leon is a German
singer, best known for his participation in the 1996 Eurovision Song Contest
, when he was controversially eliminated at the pre-selection stage.
Leon had taken part in the 1996 German Eurovision selection with the song "Planet of Blue", which had gained a comprehensive victory in a public televote. It was a very contemporary, techno
-influenced song which had been expected to do well in the contest. The 1996 Eurovision Song Contest
was to take place in Oslo
on 18 May. Hosts Norway
were given an automatic place in the contest, but as 29 other countries were chasing the 22 remaining places, it was decided to hold an audio-only pre-qualifier on 20 March where a jury from each country would listen to all the songs and vote in the normal ESC manner, with the bottom seven songs being eliminated. To universal surprise, "Planet of Blue" finished 24th in the voting, and failed to qualify for the contest. The unexpected result caused consternation in Germany and left the European Broadcasting Union
facing the situation where its largest contributor at the time had to miss the contest. To avoid a re-occurrence in future years, the EBU introduced the controversial "Big Four" rule whereby Germany, along with France
, Spain
and the United Kingdom
as the largest contributors, would be guaranteed a place in the Eurovision final each year.
Undeterred by disappointment, Leon returned to the German Eurovision selection in 1997 with "Schein (meine kleine Taschenlampe)", which finished second. He remains active and continues to release new material.
Albums
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
singer, best known for his participation in the 1996 Eurovision Song Contest
Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual competition held among active member countries of the European Broadcasting Union .Each member country submits a song to be performed on live television and then casts votes for the other countries' songs to determine the most popular song in the competition...
, when he was controversially eliminated at the pre-selection stage.
Leon had taken part in the 1996 German Eurovision selection with the song "Planet of Blue", which had gained a comprehensive victory in a public televote. It was a very contemporary, techno
Techno
Techno is a form of electronic dance music that emerged in Detroit, Michigan in the United States during the mid to late 1980s. The first recorded use of the word techno, in reference to a genre of music, was in 1988...
-influenced song which had been expected to do well in the contest. The 1996 Eurovision Song Contest
Eurovision Song Contest 1996
The Eurovision Song Contest 1996 was the 41st Eurovision Song Contest and was held on 18 May 1996 in Oslo Spektrum in Oslo, Norway. The presenters were Ingvild Bryn and Morten Harket. Harket, lead singer of a-ha, opened the show with a performance of his single "Heaven's Not For Saints". Eimear...
was to take place in Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
on 18 May. Hosts Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
were given an automatic place in the contest, but as 29 other countries were chasing the 22 remaining places, it was decided to hold an audio-only pre-qualifier on 20 March where a jury from each country would listen to all the songs and vote in the normal ESC manner, with the bottom seven songs being eliminated. To universal surprise, "Planet of Blue" finished 24th in the voting, and failed to qualify for the contest. The unexpected result caused consternation in Germany and left the European Broadcasting Union
European Broadcasting Union
The European Broadcasting Union is a confederation of 74 broadcasting organisations from 56 countries, and 49 associate broadcasters from a further 25...
facing the situation where its largest contributor at the time had to miss the contest. To avoid a re-occurrence in future years, the EBU introduced the controversial "Big Four" rule whereby Germany, along with France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
and the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
as the largest contributors, would be guaranteed a place in the Eurovision final each year.
Undeterred by disappointment, Leon returned to the German Eurovision selection in 1997 with "Schein (meine kleine Taschenlampe)", which finished second. He remains active and continues to release new material.
Discography
Singles- 1996: "Planet of Blue"
- 1996: "Loving You"
- 1996: "Follow Your Heart"
- 1997: "Schein (meine kleine Taschenlampe)"
- 1998: "Hast du Ihn geküsst"
- 1998: "Bloss so'n Flirt"
- 1999: "Mayday Mayday"
- 2001: "Donde vas"
- 2004: "Mi amor"
- 2005: "C'est passeé"
- 2006: "Den Mond berühren"
- 2007: "Schau in mein Herz"
- 2008: "Soleil Bonjour"
- 2009: "C'est fini, ma chérie"
Albums
- 1996: Leon
- 1998: Einfach verknallt