Lena Valaitis, who gave Germany one of their highest positions up to this date in the 1981 Eurovision Song Contest, celebrated her 65th birthady a few weeks ago. Despite her age she is still actively involved in the show business. In spring 2008 she released a new single Du bist nicht alleine. A new album with some brand new songs together with some older ones is on the way. Release date has been set around the beginning of 2009.
Lena Valaitis came to the world in the Lithuanian town of Klaipeda, but at a very early age and just before the end of the second world war she moved with her family to West Germany. While still at school, she started taking singing lessons and competing in various talent shows. In the late sixties, she entered the show businnes with the band Federick Brothers and throughout the seventies she managed to make a name and some well known hits as a solo artist. In 1976, she made her first contact with the Eurovision Song Contest by competing in the German national finals with the song Du machst Karriere, finishing 7th and eventually 6th as the winner was disqualified .
In 1981, some 5 years later, she finally got the ticket to Dublin to represent Germany with Johny Blue. The song, composed by the very successful hit maker duo Siegel/Meinunger(responsible for Nicole's Ein bißchen Frieden and many other German participations) finished second. Lena missed the victory for just four points . Her title though made a big impression on show experts from the whole Europe. It was released as a single in 14 European countries, and one day after the contest the british media praised it with titles such as "We love Johny".
In the following years she remained partly active but with less success. In 1992, she tried to make it to the Eurovision Song Contest again with the Wir sehen uns wieder, but the song came 3rd in the German national final. Since 2001 she has successfully started a comeback. Currently, she is making some TV appearances in Germany promoting her latest single and also singing some of her older hits, such as Ob es so, oder so, oder anders kommt(the Nickel song), So wie ein Regenbogen, Da kommt José der Straßenmusikant. Lena Valaitis is still seen in Germany as a talented singer and she is very appreciated for "her melancholic voice and her nice and down to earth attitude with her fans".
An article by Nikolas Psomas
Johnny blue
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uw1g-PXccTk
Du bist nicht alleine, her latest single, 2008
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atFfyvNRDtg
