On the first day of July (also known as Canada Day), the Eurovision Song Contest made the shocking announcement that Canada will be joining the competition for the first time in 2027. Despite the contest’s name, Canada will not be the first non-European country to compete: Israel (Asia) has competed since 1973 (and even won the contest four times), Australia (Oceania) has competed since 2015, and Morocco (Africa) competed in 1980, to name just a few. In addition, whoever CBC/Radio-Canada chooses to represent The Great White North will not be the first Canadian artist to compete in Eurovision! There is no rule that artists need to have been born in the country they represent for the contest, and as a result, several countries have sent artists with Canadian origins. Here are the nine Eurovision alumni who were born in Canada!
Gary Lux (Austria 1983, 1985, and 1987)
Although he was born in Ontario, Gary Lux moved to Austria as a young child, so his ties to his birth country are very loose; nevertheless, he fits the criteria for this list. Before entering as a solo artist, Lux competed in Eurovision as one of the four vocalists in the pop group Westend in Munich, Germany with the song “Hurricane” in 1983. The group landed in the Top 10 at 9th place. Two years later in 1985, Lux earned Austria another Top 10 placement on his own in Gothenburg, Sweden with the song “Kinder Dieser Welt,” which came in 8th place. Two years later he returned to the contest with the song “Nur Noch Gefühl” in Brussels, Belgium. Unfortunately, his Top 10 streak was broken and he placed 20th.
Sherisse Laurence (Luxembourg 1986)
Sherisse Laurence (now Stevens) was born in Manitoba and still lives in Canada today. In 1986, Laurence competed for Luxembourg in Bergen, Norway with the song “L’amour De Ma Vie.” She came in 3rd place: one of the nine Top 3 placements in the country’s history. Despite her high ranking in Eurovision, she only released one other song before turning to musical theatre and choir. She appears to have retired from performing.
Céline Dion (Switzerland 1988)
This fact is so well-known that it almost feels silly mentioning it, but at the same time, how could I leave it out? Céline Dion was born in Québec, and 1988 she competed for Switzerland in Dublin, Ireland with the song “Ne Partez Pas Sans Moi.” She secured Switzerland’s second ever victory, and 36 years passed before they won for a third time. Dion moved to the United States in her 30s, and by this point in her life she had already risen to global superstardom. She has broken numerous world records, released 27 studio albums, and is indisputably considered the most successful Canadian singer of all time. While Dion is grateful to Switzerland for helping launch her career and has come to call the United States her home, she is by and large a product of Canada.
Annie Cotton (Switzerland 1993)
Five years after Celine Dion’s victory, Switzerland chose another Québec-born representative. Annie Cotton competed for Switzerland in Millstreet, Ireland with the song “Moi, Tout Simplement.” The song came in 3rd place; excluding the aforementioned three victories, Switzerland has only achieved a Top 3 placement a total of eight times in their 68-year history, so Cotton’s result is rather remarkable. Like Luxembourg’s Sherisse Laurence, however, her success in Eurovision did not lead to a career in music. She focused on acting instead, and although she doesn’t have many credits to her name, she did play a recurring character on the Canadian sitcom Watatatow.
Debbie Scerri (Malta 1997)
Although Debbie Scerri was born in Toronto, she grew up in Malta and, like Gary Lux above, has very minimal connection to her birth country and is Maltese through and through. In 1997, Scerri represented Malta in Dublin, Ireland with the song “Let Me Fly.” She landed in the Top 10 at 9th place. She actually attempted to represent Malta at Eurovision for a second time in 2004 by competing in Malta’s national selection, Malta Song for Europe, but ended up placing 14 out of 16. More recently, in 2023 she competed in the Maltese song festival L-Għanja tal-Poplu and finished in second place. In addition to making music, her portfolio also includes acting in musical theatre and hosting Maltese TV programs.
Natasha St-Pier (France 2001)
Natasha St-Pier was born in New Brunswick and released her first album when she was only 15 years old, five years before competing in Eurovision. In 2001, St-Pier represented France in Copenhagen, Denmark with the song “Je N’ai Que Mon âme.” She came in 4th place, which was France’s best result for 20 years until they came in 2nd in 2021. She is one of the only artists on this list to actually relocate to the country she represented in Eurovision after the competition. She currently has 14 studio albums to her name, three of which are certified Platinum in France. She has successfully established herself as a member of the European music scene, serving as a vocal coach on the Belgian edition of The Voice and competing in the French edition of Dancing With The Stars.
Rykka (Switzerland 2016)
Christina Maria Rieder was born in Vancouver, but they relocated to Switzerland in their 20s and started using the stage name “Rykka” a few years later. In 2016, they represented Switzerland in Stockholm, Sweden with the song “The Last of Our Kind” after winning the Swiss national final, Die Entscheidungsshow (which was discontinued after 2018). Despite the success of the previous two Canadians who had flown the Swiss flag at Eurovision, Rykka ultimately placed 18 out of 18 in their Semi-Final and did not qualify for the Grand Final. Nowadays, they divide their time between both Canada and Switzerland. Even though they haven’t released any albums since their sophomore album in 2016, they have put out at least one single almost every year since.
Katerine Duska (Greece 2019)
Katerine Duska was born in Montreal but moved to Athens, Greece, as a teenager. In 2019, Duska represented Greece in Tel Aviv, Israel with the song “Better Love.” She qualified for the Grand Final by placing 5th in her Semi-Final, and came in 21st place overall. She had entered the Greek music scene in 2013 and released her first (and so far, only) album two years later. She is still actively making music and released an EP in 2025 (which includes two tracks featuring fellow Eurovision alumni Eleni Foureira).
La Zarra (France 2023)
The most recent Canadian to grace the Eurovision stage was La Zarra in 2023. La Zarra was born as Fatima-Zahra Hafdi in Québec. Her music career took off in 2016 when she collaborated on a song with French rapper Niro, then soared even higher in 2021 with the success of her solo single “Tu t’en iras.” Two years later, she was internally selected to compete for France in Liverpool, UK with the song “Évidemment.” Since France is one of the Big 5 countries, she automatically qualified for the Grand Final, where she placed 16th. She is signed to record labels in both Canada and France and, like Rykka above, she now splits her time between her home country and her Eurovision country. Fun fact: She released a duet with France’s 2024 Eurovision representative, Slimane, in 2022, before either artist competed in Eurovision.
Canada has produced its fair share of global superstars, including punk rock band Sum 41, country star Shania Twain, pop icon Justin Bieber, R&B sensation The Weeknd, and my personal favorite artist of all time, Avril Lavigne. Will they also produce the next Eurovision Song Contest winner? We’ll have to wait until next May to find out!
