Yovanna
Encyclopedia
Yovanna is a Greek
singer and writer
, known for her participation on behalf of Switzerland
in the 1965 Eurovision Song Contest
.
Having trained as an opera singer at the Athens Music Academy, Yovanna decided to move into the field of popular music. She began participating in festivals in Greece in the late 1950s, and also performed in other countries, becoming very popular in the Soviet Union
and particularly the Republic of Georgia.
In 1965, Yovanna took part in the Swiss Eurovision selection and her song "Non, à jamais sans toi
" was chosen as the country's representative for the tenth Eurovision Song Contest
, held in Naples
on 20 March. Performed as the last song in the contest, "Non, à jamais sans toi" finished in eighth place of the 18 competing entries.
Yovanna continued recording and performing, mainly in Greece and Germany, until the early 1980s, when she made the decision to devote herself to writing. She initially wrote volumes of poetry, and in 1986 published her first novel Άντε γεια (translated as Bye Bye) which proved to be a bestseller in Greece and was subsequently made into a successful film. She has now published seven full-length works of fiction, some of which have also been adapted for television.
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
singer and writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
, known for her participation on behalf of Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
in the 1965 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...
.
Having trained as an opera singer at the Athens Music Academy, Yovanna decided to move into the field of popular music. She began participating in festivals in Greece in the late 1950s, and also performed in other countries, becoming very popular in the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
and particularly the Republic of Georgia.
In 1965, Yovanna took part in the Swiss Eurovision selection and her song "Non, à jamais sans toi
Non, à jamais sans toi
"Non, à jamais sans toi" is a song by Yovanna, stage name of Ioanna Fassou Kalpaxi, performed in French. The song represented Switzerland at the Eurovision Song Contest 1965....
" was chosen as the country's representative for the tenth Eurovision Song Contest
Eurovision Song Contest 1965
The Eurovision Song Contest 1965 was the 10th in the series. Luxembourg's win was their second. Belgium, Finland, Germany, and Spain each scored "null points" for the second time. The 1965 contest marked the debut of Ireland, a country which later went on to dominate the competition. This was also...
, held in Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
on 20 March. Performed as the last song in the contest, "Non, à jamais sans toi" finished in eighth place of the 18 competing entries.
Yovanna continued recording and performing, mainly in Greece and Germany, until the early 1980s, when she made the decision to devote herself to writing. She initially wrote volumes of poetry, and in 1986 published her first novel Άντε γεια (translated as Bye Bye) which proved to be a bestseller in Greece and was subsequently made into a successful film. She has now published seven full-length works of fiction, some of which have also been adapted for television.