Charlotte Perrelli

Anna Jenny Charlotte Perrelli (; ; born 7 October 1974), known simply until 2003 as Charlotte Nilsson and later as Charlotte Perrelli, is a Swedish singer and television host. Under her maiden name, she won the 1999 Melodifestivalen and subsequently that year's Eurovision Song Contest with the song "Take Me to Your Heaven". Since 1999 Perrelli has released seven albums and multiple singles. She once again won Melodifestivalen 2008 and represented Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest 2008 with her song "Hero". She is one of Sweden's most popular female singers, often performing at Sweden's top shows. Throughout her career, she has worked with different types of music, ranging from dansband and schlager, via modern pop, to soulful ballads and jazz melodies. Biography 1987–1998 Born in Hovmantorp, in the southern Swedish province of Småland, at the age of thirteen Nilsson joined a local dansband, Bengt Ingvars, which became "Bengt Ingvars med Charlotte". After finishing her compulsory school education, she moved from Hovmantorp to the neighbouring town of Växjö where she attended the High School of Performing Arts. She also became the lead singer of a band named Kendix.