Alexander Rybak

In this name that follows Eastern Slavic naming customs, the patronymic is Igorevich and the family name is Rybak.

Alexander Rybak
Rybak in 2010
Rybak in 2010
Background information
Birth nameAlexander Igorevich Rybak
Born (1986-05-13) 13 May 1986 (age 38)
Minsk, Byelorussian SSR, Soviet Union (now Belarus)
OriginOslo, Norway
Genres
Occupations
  • Singer
  • songwriter
  • actor
Instruments
Years active2004–present
LabelsSelf-released
Websitewww.alexanderrybak.com

Alexander Igorevich Rybak (Russian: Александр Игоревич Рыбак; born 13 May 1986) or Alyaksandr Iharavich Rybak (Belarusian: Аляксандр Ігаравіч Рыбак) is a Belarusian-born Norwegian musician and actor.[1] Based in Oslo, Norway, Rybak extensively worked on television programs and on tours in Europe, particularly in Scandinavia and Eastern Europe throughout the early 2010s. Performing in English, Russian and Norwegian, Rybak has released five albums.

His debut 2009 album, Fairytales, charted in the top 20 in nine European countries, including a top position in Norway and Russia. After two pop albums in Fairytales and No Boundaries (2010), Rybak switched to become a family-oriented artist, focusing on children's and classical music and frequently performing with youth orchestras.[2]

Rybak is best known for his involvement in the Eurovision Song Contest. He represented Norway in the 2009 contest in Moscow, Russia and won the competition with 387 points—the highest tally any country has achieved in the history of Eurovision under the then-voting system—with "Fairytale", a song he wrote and composed. Winning at the age of 23, Rybak remains the youngest solo male winner of the contest and the only Belarusian-born winner to date.[3][4]

Since then, Rybak has been involved several times in the contest. He represented Norway again in the Eurovision Song Contest 2018 in Lisbon, Portugal, with the song "That's How You Write a Song", winning the second semi-final and finishing in 15th place in the final. He performed as an opening act for the 2010 final and as an interval act in 2012 and 2016. Rybak has frequently provided commentary on the contest, and also worked as a journalist in 2011, and as a judge on the Belgian national finals in 2016 and 2023.[5][6][7]

  1. ^ Hansen, Kjeld-Willy (9 May 2009). "Rybaks ukjente fortid i Larvik" (in Norwegian). Østlands-Posten. Archived from the original on 11 May 2009. Retrieved 12 July 2009.
  2. ^ "Alexander Rybak: kinderboekenschrijver". Eurostory. 10 February 2016. Archived from the original on 13 May 2020. Retrieved 13 April 2020.
  3. ^ "Евровидение-2020: лучшие выступления Норвегии на конкурсе". STB.ua. Archived from the original on 12 June 2020. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
  4. ^ "Sprookje komt uit voor Noorse winnaar". Radio.nl. Archived from the original on 16 November 2022. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
  5. ^ "Alexander Rybak: If I hadn't won Eurovision, I would still be happy I had courage to compete". YouTube. Eurovision Song Contest. 24 August 2014. Archived from the original on 2 November 2021.
  6. ^ "Hadise en Alexander Rybak adviseren Eurosongkandidaten". VRT. 17 December 2015. Archived from the original on 6 August 2020. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
  7. ^ Rybak, Alexander. "Login • Instagram". Instagram. Archived from the original on 26 December 2021. {{cite web}}: Cite uses generic title (help)