Joan Franka (born 2 April 1990 in

Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Rotte'') is the second largest city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is in the province of South Holland, part of the North Sea mouth of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta, via the ''"Ne ...

) is a Dutch singer with the birthname of Joany Franka Johanna Ayten Hazebroek. Her late father was Turkish, while her mother is

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

. She represented the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

at the

Eurovision Song Contest 2012 The Eurovision Song Contest 2012 was the 57th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Baku, Azerbaijan, following the country's victory at the with the song " Running Scared" by the duo Ell & Nikki. It was the first time Azerb ...

with You and Me. She became well known in the Netherlands through her participation in the first series of ''

The Voice of Holland ''The Voice of Holland'', also known as ''TVOH'', is a Dutch reality TV singing competition, that became a near global TV format franchise, created by media tycoon John de Mol and musician Roel van Velzen, in the Netherlands airing on RTL 4. ...

'', a talent show.

Music career

2010-2011: ''The Voice of Holland''

In September 2010, Joan Franka entered the talent show, ''

'' in its inaugural 2010–2011 season where she auditioned with

Nickelback Nickelback is a Canadian rock band formed in 1995 in Hanna, Alberta. It is composed of guitarist and lead vocalist Chad Kroeger, guitarist, keyboardist and backing vocalist Ryan Peake, bassist Mike Kroeger, and drummer Daniel Adair. It wen ...

's "

How You Remind Me "How You Remind Me" is a song by Canadian rock band Nickelback. Written by lead singer Chad Kroeger and composed by the band, the track was released on July 17, 2001, as the lead single from their third studio album, ''Silver Side Up'' (2001). ...

". Two of four judges hit their "I Want You" buttons, judges Roel van Velzen and Jeroen van der Boom. She chose to be on van Velzen's team. In the Battle round, she was put against Yvette de Bie. They both sang " One of Us" and she was kept to move to the live shows with de Bie being eliminated. In first live show, she sang Jewel's "

Foolish Games "Foolish Games" is a song by American singer-songwriter Jewel from her debut studio album, ''Pieces of You'' (1995). It was also the third single to be lifted from the '' Batman & Robin'' motion-picture soundtrack. Jewel re-recorded the single f ...

" and in third live show

Marc Cohn Marc Craig Cohn (; born July 5, 1959) is an American singer-songwriter and musician. He won the Grammy Award for Best New Artist in 1992. Cohn is best known for the song " Walking in Memphis" from his eponymous 1991 album, which was a Top 40 ...

's "

Walking in Memphis "Walking in Memphis" is a song composed and originally recorded by American singer-songwriter Marc Cohn, for whom it remains his signature song. It received a Song of the Year nomination at the 34th Grammy Awards in 1992, the same year that the ...

" and in fifth live show

Beverley Craven Beverley Craven (born 28 July 1963) is a British singer-songwriter best known for her 1991 UK hit single " Promise Me". Her album '' Change of Heart'' was released in 2014 and '' Mixed Emotions'' in 1999. Biography Early life Craven was born ...

's " Promise Me" when she was eliminated. Two of the songs she sang during the competition charted as minor hits in the Dutch Singles Chart. "Foolish Games" reached #42 and "Promise Me" #45 based on downloads.

2012-present: Eurovision Song Contest

On 26 February 2012 Joan battled against her former fellow ''The Voice of Holland'' contestant

Raffaëla Paton Raffaëla Paton (born 1 June 1983) is a Dutch singer of Surinamese descent and the winner of the 2006 Dutch talent show ''Idols''. Paton participated in the Netherlands national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest 2012 in Baku, Azerbaijan ...

on the first round of Nationaal Songfestival 2012 and eventually advanced to the final round where she was eventually chosen to represent the

at the

, held in Baku,

Azerbaijan Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of t ...

. Despite coming last with the jury vote of 11 she led the televotes with 26.1 points which resulted in her victory. Her song entry for the contest, " You and Me", was released in the

on 27 February 2012 as a

Music download A music download (commonly referred to as a digital download) is the digital transfer of music via the Internet into a device capable of decoding and playing it, such as a personal computer, portable media player, MP3 player or smartphone. T ...

and also on a limited CD-single. Franka performed at the second semi-final in the 2012 Eurovision Song Contest and failed to reach the final, making it the 8th straight year the Netherlands had failed to make the Eurovision final.

Discography

Singles

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Franka, Joan 1990 births Living people Dutch people of Turkish descent Eurovision Song Contest entrants for the Netherlands Eurovision Song Contest entrants of 2012 Musicians from Rotterdam The Voice (franchise) contestants 21st-century Dutch singers 21st-century Dutch women singers Nationaal Songfestival contestants