Sarah Dawn Finer (born 14 September 1981) is a Swedish singer, songwriter and actress. Her father is of English heritage from the United Kingdom, her mother is
Jewish
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
from the United States, and she was born and raised in Sweden. As a student, she attended the
Adolf Fredrik's Music School
Adolf Fredrik's Music School ( sv, Adolf Fredriks Musikklasser) is a general municipal junior high school ( sv, grundskola) in Stockholm, Sweden with a focus on choral music, and highly competitive admission based on audition in singing and mu ...
, a high-profile song-and-chorus school in Stockholm, where she was also president of the
students' union
A students' union, also known by many other names, is a student organization present in many colleges, universities, and high schools. In higher education, the students' union is often accorded its own building on the campus, dedicated to social, ...
. She is also known for playing Lynda Woodruff, the "official" spokesperson of the
European Broadcasting Union
The European Broadcasting Union (EBU; french: Union européenne de radio-télévision, links=no, UER) is an alliance of Public broadcasting, public service media organisations whose countries are within the European Broadcasting Area or who ar ...
(EBU) in
Melodifestivalen
Melodifestivalen (; literally "the Melody Festival") is an annual song competition organised by Swedish public broadcasters Sveriges Television (SVT) and Sveriges Radio (SR). It determines the country's representative for the Eurovision Song ...
and the
Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest (), sometimes abbreviated to ESC and often known simply as Eurovision, is an international songwriting competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), featuring participants representing pr ...
, a character created by
Edward af Sillén
Edward af Sillén (born 1982 in Blumenau, Santa Catarina, Brazil) is a Swedish screenwriter and director for stage, film and TV. He has translated and directed many highly successful theatre shows including ''Twelfth Night'' by William Shakespea ...
.
Background
Finer was born and grew up in Sweden with British and American roots through her parents David Finer and Francine Lee Mirro-Finer. Her sister
Zoie Finer and half-brother
Rennie Mirro are also singers. Her paternal grandmother
Dorothy Irving was a music coach and professor in Stockholm.
In 1989, she appeared on Swedish television as a child actor, and as a result she toured Sweden with her sister Zoie and other children. In 1994, she had a principal part in the ''
Bert
Bert or BERT may refer to:
Persons, characters, or animals known as Bert
*Bert (name), commonly an abbreviated forename and sometimes a surname
*Bert, a character in the poem "Bert the Wombat" by The Wiggles; from their 1992 album Here Comes a Son ...
'' TV series and was also in a soul gospel choir for seven years. While working as a
backing vocalist
A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are us ...
behind several famous singers, she also attended the
Adolf Fredrik's Music School
Adolf Fredrik's Music School ( sv, Adolf Fredriks Musikklasser) is a general municipal junior high school ( sv, grundskola) in Stockholm, Sweden with a focus on choral music, and highly competitive admission based on audition in singing and mu ...
.
Solo music career
Finer's first EP "Sarah Dawn Finer" with 6 songs, was released in 2006. Her first full-length debut album ''A Finer Dawn'', released 30 May 2007, debuted at number two on the Swedish album charts. The singles from the album were "
I Remember Love", "Stockholm by Morning" and "A way back to love".
Her next album ''
Moving On'' was released on 26 August 2009. The album included the title single "
Moving On" and "Does She Know You?" and "Standing Strong". The album ''Moving On'' debuted at Number 1 on iTunes in its digital release on 17 August 2009. The CD version was released on 26 August 2009, debuting at Number 1 in the Swedish Charts.
Both the singles "I Remember Love" and "Moving On" were the most played songs on Swedish radio in 2007 and 2009. Her 3rd album "Winterland" also sold gold and debuted at Number 2 on the Swedish charts. She made a holiday special live from Hamburger Börs 2010 for
SVT, and went on a critically acclaimed tour with "Winterland" in 2011. Her fourth album was "Sanningen Kommer Om Natten" 2011, which received 5/5 in DI Weekend by Jan Gradvall, after which she went on a critically acclaimed live tour with 2012. She received a songwriting award/scholarship from SKAP in 2012. She has recorded duets with
Moneybrother
Anders Olof Wendin (born 16 March 1975, Norrtälje, Sweden) is a Swedish rock musician, best known for his solo project Moneybrother.
Career
After the split-up of his ska-punk band Monster, Wendin took a new direction and released Moneybrother ...
,
Peter Jöback
Peter Arne Jöback (born 4 June 1971 in Stockholm, Sweden) is a Swedish singer, actor and musical artist.
Biography
Early life and education
Peter Jöback was born on 4 June 1971 in Stockholm. He spent his childhood in Värmland and Östergö ...
, Mauro Scocco, Tommy Körberg, Fatboy, Samuel Ljungbladh and
Patrik Isaksson.
Musicals
She was nominated for "Best Actress in a leading role" for her part as "Lucy" in Jekyll & Hyde at Chinateatern 2008.
She also starred as Joanne in "Rent" – the rock musical in 2001, 2002 and 2003 at Göta Lejon, a tour with Riksteatern and at Göteborgs Operan.
She starred in "Godspell" the musical at Parkteatern/Stockholms Stadsteater 2002.
Shows
Finer was featured in "Ugglas Revy" with Magnus Uggla at
Chinateatern
Chinateatern or commonly known as ''"China"'' (in English: ''The China Theatre'') is a private theatre in Stockholm, Sweden, located at Berzelii Park in Stockholm city. Originally built 1928 as a movie theatre but has over the years simultaneo ...
2010; "Livet" with
Jonas Gardell
Lars Jonas Holger Gardell (born 2 November 1963) is a Swedish novelist, playwright, screenwriter and comedian. He is the brother of religion scholar Mattias Gardell. He is well known for his books and plays in all of Scandinavia and his books h ...
2002 and 2003; "Happy Holidays" at The
Grand Hotel (Stockholm) A grand hotel is a large and luxurious hotel, especially one housed in a building with traditional architectural style. It began to flourish in the 1800s in Europe and North America.
Grand Hotel may refer to:
Hotels Africa
* Grande Hotel Beir ...
with brother Rennie Mirro and
Karl Dyall
Karl Anders Fabian Dyall (born 11 February 1967) is a Swedish dancer, singer and actor.
Biography
Dyall was born in England. His mother was Swedish; his father was a musician from Guyana and he grew up in the West Indies. He is the younger bro ...
in 2012; and "Humorator" there 2006 with Mikael Tornving, Henrik Hjelt and Ulf Kvensler.
She was Swedish television's Christmas Host for 2012 on SVT. Finer was one of three hosts of the radio/television music aid show
Musikhjälpen
''Musikhjälpen'' (; "Music Aid") is the Swedish version of the Dutch '' Serious Request'' radio and television campaign. The annual show is an appeal for money which each year helps a certain cause. Three radio/television personalities are locke ...
in December 2013.
She is the current host of the Swedish musical game show,
Så ska det låta
''Så ska det låta'' is a Swedish
Swedish or ' may refer to:
Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically:
* Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland
** Swedish al ...
.
Melodifestivalen and Eurovision participation
![Lynda Woodruff, ESC2016 02](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3e/Lynda_Woodruff%2C_ESC2016_02.jpg)
*Finer entered
Melodifestivalen 2007
Melodifestivalen 2007 was the selection for the 47th song to represent Sweden at the Eurovision Song Contest. It was the 46th time that this system of picking a song has been used. Five heats took place to select the ten songs for the final, in J ...
with the
ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...
"
I Remember Love", which she co-wrote with
Peter Hallström. The song qualified to the final in
Globen
Avicii Arena, originally known as Stockholm Globe Arena and previously as Ericsson Globe, but commonly referred to in Swedish simply as Globen (; "the Globe"), is an indoor arena located in Stockholm Globe City, Johanneshov district of Stockh ...
, Stockholm, from the semi final in
Gävle
Gävle () is a city in Sweden, the seat of Gävle Municipality and the capital of Gävleborg County. It had 77,586 inhabitants in 2020, which makes it the 13th most populated city in Sweden. It is the oldest city in the historical Norrland (Swede ...
. In the final, the song placed fourth and became a big chart success in Sweden (most played song on Swedish Radio in 2007), also becoming certified gold.
*She competed once again in
Melodifestivalen 2009
Melodifestivalen 2009 was a Sweden, Swedish song contest held between February and March 2009. It was the selection for the 49th song to represent Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest, and was the 48th edition of Melodifestivalen. Five heats were ...
for the
Eurovision Song Contest 2009
The Eurovision Song Contest 2009 was the 54th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Moscow, Russia, following the country's victory at the with the song "Believe (Dima Bilan song), Believe" by Dima Bilan. Organised by the Euro ...
. Her song "
Moving On" qualified to the final through the Andra Chansen. Finer was given the opportunity to present the Swedish votes in the Eurovision final on 16 May as a spokesperson. The single has also been released with remixes and an acoustic version. It was the most played song on Swedish radio in 2009.
*Finer hosted
Melodifestivalen 2012
Melodifestivalen 2012 is a Swedish song contest that was held between 4 February and 10 March 2012. It selected the fifty-second Swedish entry to be internationally represented in the Eurovision Song Contest 2012 (ESC 2012).
As in the editions be ...
along with
Helena Bergström
Helena Kristina Bergström Nutley (born 5 February 1964) is a Swedish actress and film director. From an acting family, she began her career in 1982. She has appeared on the stages of the Royal Dramatic Theatre (''Dramaten'') and the Stockho ...
and
Gina Dirawi
Gina Dirawi ( ar, غنا ديراوي; born 11 December 1990) is a Swedish television presenter, singer-songwriter, radio personality, blogger, comedian and actress. While she is best known as the first woman ever to host Melodifestivalen on thre ...
. In a sketch recorded for the finale, Finer played Lynda Woodruff, an English EBU spokeswoman. She reprised her role for a European audience when delivering Sweden's vote in 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 ...
, and again in
Melodifestivalen 2013
Melodifestivalen 2013 was the Swedish music competition that selected the 53rd Swedish entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2013. Robin Stjernberg's song " You" won the final, and became the first Second Chance song to win the Melodifestivalen f ...
where she first introduced Stockholm as host city of the
Eurovision Song Contest 2013
The Eurovision Song Contest 2013 was the 58th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Malmö, Sweden, following the country's victory at the with the song "Euphoria" by Loreen. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EB ...
before being made aware of it being hosted in Malmö. She then continued her sketch in Malmö.
*Finer returned as Lynda Woodruff for the Eurovision Song Contest 2013 in a series of sketches introducing Sweden to viewers. She also appeared as herself in the final, performing "
The Winner Takes It All
"The Winner Takes It All" is a song recorded by Swedish pop group ABBA. Released as the first single from the group's seventh studio album, '' Super Trouper'' (1980), it is a ballad in the key of G-flat major, reflecting on the end of a relatio ...
", which she later released as a single.
*Finer was a commentator for ''
Eurovision Song Contest's Greatest Hits
''Eurovision Song Contest's Greatest Hits'' (also known as ''Eurovision's Greatest Hits'') was a live television concert programme organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and produced by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) to ...
'' alongside
Christer Björkman
Christer Samuel Björkman (; born 25 August 1957) is a Swedish singer and television producer. He represented Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest 1992 with the song "I morgon är en annan dag". From 2002 to 2021, he served as a producer of Me ...
on 4 April 2015.
*In the fourth semi-final of
Melodifestivalen 2016
Melodifestivalen 2016 was the 56th edition of the Swedish music competition Melodifestivalen, which selected Sweden's entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2016. The competition was organised by Sveriges Television (SVT) and took place over the s ...
, Finer was once again a host alongside Gina Dirawi. In the contest's final she appeared in the interval act medley singing her 2009 entry "Moving On", and also reprised her role as Lynda Woodruff in a sketch welcoming viewers to Stockholm, the host city of the
Eurovision Song Contest 2016
The Eurovision Song Contest 2016 was the 61st edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Stockholm, Sweden, following the country's victory at the with the song "Heroes" by Måns Zelmerlöw. Organised by the European Broadcasting ...
. She later returned as Woodruff for a live sketch at the Eurovision 2016 final.
*Finer co-hosted all six shows of
Melodifestivalen 2019
Melodifestivalen 2019 was the 59th edition of the Swedish music competition Melodifestivalen and was held between 2 February 2019 and 9 March 2019. Presenters were Sarah Dawn Finer, Kodjo Akolor, Marika Carlsson and Eric Saade. Edward af Sillé ...
alongside
Eric Saade
Eric Khaled Saade (; ar, إريك سعادة, ʾĪrik Saʿāda, ; born 29 October 1990), is a Swedish singer and songwriter.
He spent two years with the boy band What's Up!, leaving the band in February 2009 to pursue a solo career. After winn ...
,
Marika Carlsson and
Kodjo Akolor.
*Finer co-hosted ''
Sveriges 12:a'', the Swedish replacement program for the cancelled
Eurovision Song Contest 2020
The Eurovision Song Contest 2020 was planned to be the 65th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It would have taken place in Rotterdam, Netherlands, following the country's victory at the with the song "Arcade" by Duncan Laurence. The con ...
, alongside Christer Björkman.
Discography
Albums
EPs
Singles
;Other non-charting
*2007: "A Way Back to Love"
*2007: "Stockholm by Morning"
*2008: "Does She Know You"
*2010: "I'll Be Your Wish Tonight"
*2011: "Is Anybody There"
Filmography
*2015 - ''
Arne Dahl - En midsommarnattsdröm''
*2014 - ''Kärlek deluxe''
*2014 - ''
The Pirate Fairy
''The Pirate Fairy'' (originally titled as ''Tinker Bell and the River of Doom'' or alternatively ''Tinker Bell and the Pirate Fairy'') is a 2014 American 3D computer-animated fantasy film directed by Peggy Holmes. It is the fifth direct-to-vid ...
'' (Swedish version, voice)
*2012 - ''
The Lorax
''The Lorax'' is a children's book written by Dr. Seuss and published in 1971. It chronicles the plight of the environment and the Lorax, the titular character, who "speaks for the trees" and confronts the Once-ler, a business magnate who cause ...
'' (Swedish version, voice)
*2012 - ''
Secret of the Wings
''Secret of the Wings'' (originally titled as ''Tinker Bell and the Mysterious Winter Woods'' or alternatively ''Tinker Bell and the Secret of the Wings'') is a 2012 American computer-animated fantasy film, and the fourth installment in the ''Disn ...
'' (Swedish version, voice)
*2011 - ''
Hop
A hop is a type of jump.
Hop or hops may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Hop'' (film), a 2011 film
* Hop! Channel, an Israeli TV channel
* ''House of Payne'', or ''HOP'', an American sitcom
* Lindy Hop, a swing dance of the 1920s and ...
'' (Swedish version, voice)
*2009 - ''Så olika''
*2009 - ''
The Princess and the Frog
''The Princess and the Frog'' is a 2009 American Animation, animated musical film, musical fantasy film, fantasy romantic comedy film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The List of Walt Disney Anima ...
'' (Swedish version, voice)
*2007 - ''Elias and the Royal Yacht'' (Swedish version, voice)
*2001 - ''
Pokémon 3: The Movie'' (Swedish version, voice)
*1995 - ''
Bert: The Last Virgin''
*1994 - ''
Bert
Bert or BERT may refer to:
Persons, characters, or animals known as Bert
*Bert (name), commonly an abbreviated forename and sometimes a surname
*Bert, a character in the poem "Bert the Wombat" by The Wiggles; from their 1992 album Here Comes a Son ...
'' (TV series)
*1989 - ''Maskrosbarn'' (TV movie)
References
External links
*
Sarah Dawn Fineron
MySpace
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Finer, Sarah Dawn
1981 births
Living people
Singers from Stockholm
Swedish Jews
English-language singers from Sweden
Swedish-language singers
Swedish people of American descent
Swedish people of British descent
Melodifestivalen contestants
Swedish songwriters
Swedish television actresses
Swedish soul singers
Swedish gospel singers
Swedish pop singers
21st-century Swedish singers
21st-century Swedish women singers