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Lorine Zineb Nora Talhaoui (Arabic: لورين زينب نورا طلحاوي, Berber languages: ⵍⵓⵔⵉⵏ ⵣⵉⵏⴱ ⵏⵓⵕⴰ ⵟⵍⵃⴰⵡⵉ; born 16 October 1983), known professionally as Loreen (Swedish: [lɔˈreːn]), is a Swedish singer-songwriter. Representing Sweden, she won the Eurovision Song Contest in 2012 and 2023 with the songs "Euphoria" and "Tattoo" respectively. She is the second performer, after Johnny Logan, to win the contest twice, and the first woman to do so.

Interested in becoming a musician, Loreen finished fourth in the Idol 2004 television competition. The following year, she released her first single, "The Snake", with the band Rob'n'Raz, and became a television presenter on TV400. While working as a segment producer and director for several Swedish reality TV shows, she entered Melodifestivalen 2011 with the song "My Heart Is Refusing Me", which became a top 10 hit in Sweden. She had two top 20 hits in Sweden with the singles "Crying Out Your Name" (2012) and her Melodifestivalen 2017 entry "Statements".

Early life

Lorine Zineb Nora Talhaoui was born on 16 October 1983 in Åkersberga, Sweden to Moroccan Berber parents. After her parents' divorce when she was six, Loreen moved with her mother and five younger siblings to Västerås. She grew up there, and calls it her hometown. She spent most of her teenage years in Gryta, a residential area in the city.

Music career

2004–2010: Idol

Loreen became known to Swedish audiences after taking part in the Swedish Idol 2004, under the name Lorén Talhaoui. During the qualification round, she placed third with the public vote. She would have been eliminated, but received a wildcard from the judges, allowing her to compete in the program. She finished fourth overall, and was eliminated during the eighth week. After Idol, in 2005, she released a promotional single, "The Snake", with the group Rob'n'Raz. That same year, she also presented the TV show Lyssna, broadcast by the Swedish station TV400. She then took a hiatus from more visible roles, and worked as a segment producer and director for reality TV shows such as TV3's Värsta pojkvänsakademin, TV4's Matakuten and SVT's Frufritt.

2011–2013: Melodifestivalen, Eurovision Song Contest and Heal

Loreen returned to the public eye when she took part in Melodifestivalen 2011 with the song "My Heart Is Refusing Me", which she co-wrote with Moh Denebi and Björn Djupström. After coming fourth in the second semi-final in Gothenburg on 12 February 2011, she competed in the Second Chance round, but failed to qualify for the final after a sing-off with Sara Varga. The song was released on 11 March 2011 and became a hit on the Swedish Singles Chart, debuting and peaking at number 9. Following Loreen's success a year later, the song re-entered the chart, peaking at number 22 in May 2012.