Lorine Zineb Nora Talhaoui (born 16 October 1983), known professionally as Loreen, is a Swedish singer-songwriter.
Although Loreen first made a name for herself in the inaugural season of Idol in 2004, where she placed fourth, her music career would not properly begin until her participation in the 2011 edition of Melodifestivalen, Sweden's annual music competition. Her entry that year ("My Heart is Refusing Me") did not advance to the final, but she would have much greater success with her subsequent 2012 entry "Euphoria", winning the competition and thusly granting her the right to represent Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest.
"Euphoria" was a huge hit at Eurovision, placing first with a then-second best final score of 372 points. The song is often credited as being one of the most beloved and influential entries in Eurovision history, playing a big role in re-legitimizing the contest after an extended period of dismissal from the general public throughout the 2000s.
Loreen returned to Melodifestivalen in 2017 with the song "Statements", but to the surprise of many, it did not advance to the final despite her prior success in 2012. Much like her second bid in 2012, however, Loreen's luck would turn around stupendously with her fourth Melodifestivalen entry, "Tattoo". The song was just as decisive as a winner, easily earning her the right to represent Sweden at Eurovision for the second time. "Tattoo" then went on to win the 2023 contest, giving Loreen the distinction of being only the second person in Eurovision history to win twice as the main performernote and the first woman to do so. She also set a record for the second-most jury points earned by a country in the final (583) placing her just below Salvador Sobral's "Amar Pelos Dois".
Discography:
- Heal (2012)
- Ride (2017)
Selected filmography:
- Idol (2004) as herself
- Eurovision Song Contest (2012, 2023) as herself
- Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga (2020) as herself
- Drag Race Sverige (2023) as herself (guest judge)
Loreen provides examples of:
- The Ace: Both of her participations at Eurovison positioned her as this, topping the betting odds both times by quite a wide margin before the contests. Surely enough, her 2023 win gave her the distinction of being only the second person to win the contest as a main performer, and the first woman to do so.
- Aloof Dark-Haired Girl: She often comes across this way when not performing, in which case she is otherwise usually quite intense and passionate. Many in particular noted how cool and relaxed she seemed during the voting sequence of the Eurovision 2023 final, despite the high-tension stakes of the moment.
- Bald Head of Toughness: Her video for "Ride", filmed right after she'd shaved her trademark long black hair, depicts her as this.
- Crowd Pleaser: Loreen is a self-described people pleaser, and stated
that she only agreed to compete in Melodifestivalen 2023 because she thought it would make people happy to see her again. - Dancing with Myself: In the "Euphoria" video, but downplayed in the live performance, which has her eventually dancing with a partner in the final minute of the song.
- Dance Battler: The martial arts-themed choreography of the "Euphoria" performance has her resembling this, with its intense and intricate movements.
- Earthy Barefoot Character: Both of her Eurovision performances were done barefoot. For "Tattoo" in particular her lack of shoes was one of many nods her staging made to her Amazigh heritage.
- Femme Fatalons: She wears excessively long nails in her "Tattoo" performance, giving the piece a vaguely sinister edge.
- Friendly Rivalry: She notably had one of these with Finland's Käärijä, her closest rival, throughout the Eurovision 2023 season, occasionally ribbing one another at promotional events but ultimately speaking highly of each other before and after the fact. Fittingly, he finished second to her in the final.
- Godiva Hair: Her performance of "Paper Light (Higher)" at the final of Melodifestivalen 2015, which depicts her with long hair covering her bare chest.
- Instant Runes: These appear on the platform above Loreen in the "Tattoo" performance, as though she's beginning a spell ritual during the song.
- Letterbox: The "Tattoo" performance utilizes these to emphasize the claustrophobic effect of the platforms she's laid between.
- My Greatest Second Chance: Both of her winning Eurovision participations (2012, 2023) came after failures to qualify for her preceding Melodifestivalen appearances (2011, 2017). She's also one of the greatest success stories to come from Sweden's Idol despite not having won it.
- One-Word Title: Her two albums, Heal and Ride, as well as her two Eurovision-winning performances, "Euphoria" and "Tattoo", among others.
- Only One Name: She simply goes by Loreen, which is a modified form of her given name, Lorine.
- Pietà Plagiarism: The "Statements" performance contains a clear homage to this, with Loreen holding her younger self in the same pose.
- Snow Means Love: One possible interpretation of the "Euphoria" performance, which involves snow (or a snow-like substance) falling on Loreen from the bridge onwards, right before her dancing partner joins her for the final minute to signify the emotional content of the song.
- Rearrange the Song:
- Downplayed with the version of "My Heart is Refusing Me" performed at Melodifestivalen 2011, which is mildly different than the album version on Heal
- "Paper Light Revisited" is a heavily remixed version of her earlier single, "Paper Light (Higher)", and received its own music video, which the latter did not.
- Time-Shifted Actor: The "Statements" performance featured Loreen alongside younger and older versions of herself.
- Whole Costume Reference: The "Tattoo" performance in general is visually inspired by the 2021 adaptation of Dune, but her outfit and styling especially evokes the costume design of that film.
