The third annual esctoday.com awards are currently being held. While you can still cast your votes until 23rd December, we will take a closer look on the nominees and the categories every day in random order. Part three is dedicated to the Best female vocal performance category.
History
This award was introduced last year and opera singer Alenka Gotar from Slovenia won the award ahead of Eurovision Song Contest winner Marija Šerifović from Serbia and Magdi Rúzsa from Hungary in a strong field withonly 5% between the top three. The complete results were as follows:
- Alenka Gotar (Slovenia)- 27%
- Marija Šerifović (Serbia) – 24%
- Magdi Rúzsa (Hungary) – 22%
- Edsilia Rombley (Netherlands) – 14%
- Natalia Barbu (Moldova) – 12%
2008 awards
The following acts are nominated this year:
- Ani Lorak of Ukraine for Shady lady
- Maria Haukaas Storeng of Norway for Hold on be strong
- Vânia Fernandes of Portugal for Senhora do mar
- Isis Gee of Poland for For life
- Csézy of Hungary for Candlelight
Ani Lorak from Ukraine, who is the only singer nominated in this category for the performance of an up-tempo song, began singing at the age of four. Having already participated in various talent contests, she won the popular Pervotsvit award in 1992 at the age of 14. The victory also brought the singer her first record contract the same year.
It was at the age eleven when Norway's Maria Haukaas Storeng got her first leading role in a musical as Annie. She would keep performing on musical stages until she took part in the second season of Idols in 2004 and finished sixth. After her participation in the Eurovision Song Contest and her first #1 hit in Norway, she is now back on stage in the musical Grease.
Since 1997, whenshe was twelve years old, Vânia Fernandes has participated in various singing competitions inPortugal, both on the mainland and on her home island Madeira. In 2007, she took part in the televisedtalent search Operação Triunfo and won while the same year, she also completed her studies atthe Cooservatory in Madeira, where she was trained both in pop and jazz singing.
US born Isisi Gee, who represented Poland in Belgrade,took her first singing lessons at the age of five and would be trained in classical music, pop, jazz, country and R&B over the following years.When she was13, shewon 1,000 $ in a national singingcompetition and four years later, she took home the first prize in an international contest held in Los Angeles.
Csézy represented Hungary in the Eurovision Song Contest 2008 but finished last in the second semi final, which means she is the only act nominated that did not make it to the final. On stage, she was accompanied by composer Viktor Rakonczai on the piano, while she actually succesfully studied the instrument at the Béla Bartók music institute in Miskolc. Her first public appearance as a vocalist was in 2007, when she released her first album.
REGISTER AS AN ESCTODAY.COM MEMBER
To vote, you must be a registered esctoday.com member. Membership is free and allows you to vote in our online polls, react to articles and enter all competitions on the website. As a member, you can also subscribe to our newsletter. Click here to register.
