Norway: Get to know Alexander Rybak

Let us introduce you to this year’s Norwegian representative and Eurovision 2009 winner Alexander Rybak.
Alyaksander Igoryevich Rybak was born 13 May 1986 in Minsk and is a Belarusian Norwegian singer-composer, violinist, pianist and actor. He will represent Norway for the second time this year.

We first got introduced to Alexander Rybak in Eurovision Song Contest 2009 in Moscow where he took home the trophy with “Fairtytale” to Norway, winning with 387 points, the highest score any country had ever received in the history of Eurovision before the new presentation voting system from 2016 and on.
Alexander had written and composed his “Fairtytale” by his own and the song topped the charts in the top-20 in nine countries, including a No.1 position in Russia and Norway.

Rybak made a return to Eurovision in 2012 and 2016, playing the violin during both interval acts. Alexander is now making a comeback again this year for Norway in Eurovision 2018 in Portugalafter having won the Norwegian national final with his self-penned song “That’s how you write a song”.

Rybak was born in Minsk, Belarus, which at that time was the Belarusian SSR in the Soviet Union.
When he was 4 years old, he and his family moved to Nesodden, Norway. Rybak was raised in the Orthodox religion. At the age of five, Rybak began to play the piano and the violin.
Rybak comes from a familly of musicians, His parents are Natalia Valentinovna Rybak, a classical pianist, and Igor Alexandrovich Rybak, a well-known classical violinist.
Alexander Rybak speaks Norwegian, Russian and English fluently, and has performed songs in all three languages.

In 2010, several incidents of uncontrolled anger caused commentators to question whether Rybak has an anger controll problem. During the trials for the ESC 2010 finals in Bærum, Rybak became so infuriated when a sound technician was not doing what he wanted that he smashed his own hand, breaking his fingers. Also, during trials forSwedish Television in June 2010, he smashed his violin on the floor.
His appearance was then cancelled. According to his manager, Kjell Arild Tiltnes, Rybak does not have an issue with aggression. Tiltnes stated that “as long as he abreacts on objects and on himself, I see no reason for this to be something that he needs help dealing with.”
Rybak said, “I never raised my voice before, and that’s why I did what I did. I’m just a human being —and perhaps not the glossy image many believe. So it was good to get out frustrations so I could go on. It’s only me that goes beyond the same.”

Norway will perform in start position 1 in the second semifinal.
We wish Alexander Rybak good luck in Lisbon.

Watch the final performance of the Norwegian entry below:

Lyrics of “That’s How You Write a Song”

[Verse 1]
If you got a minute
Get down your idea
It may do wonders
Maybe disappear
Who knows? Just get it down
And nothing can go wrong
Go find your rhythm
That’s how you write a song (hello)

[Verse 2]
Enjoy the small things
With time they will get big
Gotta find your mission
A mission to pursue
You know you’ve got a talent
Whatever it may be
So work your magic
And sing along with me

[Chorus]
Step one: Believe in it
And sing it all day long
Step two: just roll with it
That’s how you write a song
Come on!

[Post-Chorus]
Sing
Shoo-bee-doo-bee dab dab (Shoo-bee-doo-bee dab dab)
Sha-ba-da-da hey (Sha-ba-da-da hey)
Sing it all day long (All day long)
And that’s how you write a song
Scoo-bee-doo-bee bap bap (Scoo-bee-doo-bee bap bap)
Boogie boogie woogie hey (Boogie boogie woogie hey)
Sing it all day long (All day long)
See, that’s how you write a song

[Chorus]
Step one: Believe in it
And sing it all day long
Step two: just roll with it
That’s how you write a song
Step one: Believe in it
And sing it all day long
Step two: just roll with it
That’s how you write a song

Step one: Believe in it
And sing it all day long
Step two: just roll with it
That’s how you write a song
Step one: Believe in it
And sing it all day long
Step two: just roll with it
That’s how you write a song
Step one: Believe in it
And sing it all day long
Step two: just roll with it
That’s how you write a song

[Outro]
See, that’s how you write a song
And that’s how you write a song