As CBC prepares for Canada’s historic Eurovision 2027 debut in Bulgaria, we review the iconic Canadian artists who already made history.
The excitement is at its peak: after reporting that Canada will make its historic debut at Eurovision 2027 in Bulgaria, and that Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced an national selection open to the general public, it is time to map out the context.
Although Canada as a country is only joining the competition now through the national broadcaster CBC, Canadian artists have already left a massive mark on the Eurovision stage over the years while representing other nations. Ahead of next year’s competition, we take a look back at the most iconic Canadian representatives who made history in Europe.
The Undisputed Queen: Céline Dion
It is impossible to talk about Canada and Eurovision without mentioning Céline Dion. In 1988, just one year before her major international breakthrough, the singer from Quebec represented Switzerland and won first place with the immortal song “Ne Partez Pas Sans Moi” (in English: “Do Not Leave Without Me”). To this day, Dion is the only Canadian artist to win the competition, and she is undoubtedly one of the greatest success stories to ever emerge from Eurovision.
The Clash of the Titans in 1988
On that historic evening in Dublin in 1988, Céline Dion was not the only Canadian to reach the top. Lara Fabian, another singer who became a global pop sensation and a Canadian citizen, represented Luxembourg that same year with the song “Croire” and finished in a respectable fourth place.
The Golden Age of the Canadian Chanson
It seems that French-speaking European nations particularly loved adopting artists from Canada. As early as 1986, Sherisse Laurence was the first Canadian artist to represent Luxembourg with the song “L’Amour De Ma Vie“, reaching third place. Five years after Switzerland’s victory, the country sent another Canadian: Annie Cotton, who represented them in 1993 with “Moi, Tout Simplement” and reached third place – the last song in the French language to reach the top 3 until the year 2021.
France did not stay behind either. In 2001, Natasha St-Pier reached fourth place for France with the moving ballad “Je N’ai Que Mon Âme“, which became a massive hit in France, Belgium, and of course, her homeland Canada.
Pop, Disco, and Electronica: Recent Canadians
Artists from Canada did not just settle for nostalgic French chansons. In recent years, we have seen a particularly diverse Canadian representation: Debbie Scerri, born in Toronto, represented Malta in 1997. Gary Lux, born in Ontario, represented Austria no fewer than three times throughout the 1980s (1983, 1985, 1987). Katerine Duska sang the powerful anthem “Better Love” for Greece in 2019. La Zarra brought glam and disco when she represented France in 2023 with “Évidemment“. Rykka represented Switzerland in 2016 with the electro-pop song “The Last of Our Kind“.
With such a rich history of talents who managed to conquer Europe, it is completely clear why the official addition of Canada is raising huge expectations among fans. Now we can only wait and see: who will be the first artist to make history and represent Canada under the Canadian flag at Eurovision 2027? Let us know in the comments who you think it should be!
Eurovision 2027: This will be Canada’s 1st participation in Eurovision. Canada joined the competition in 2027 and will appear for the first time next May in Bulgaria!
