Lys Assia

Lys Assia
Assia in 2012
Background information
Birth name	Rosa Mina Schärer
Born	(1924-03-03) 3 March 1924 Rapperswil, Aargau, Switzerland
Occupation(s)	Singer
Instruments	Vocals
Years active	1942–present
Website	www.Lys-Assia.de

Lys Assia (born Rosa Mina Schärer; 3 March 1924, in Rapperswil, Aargau, Switzerland) is a Swiss singer who won the first Eurovision Song Contest in 1956. When Assia was a young girl she was a dancer. In 1940, however, she stood in for a female singer. People who heard her singing liked it, so she changed from dancing to singing.

Eurovision Song Contest

In 1956 she was the winner of the very first Eurovision Song Contest, in which she sang for Switzerland. She had also been in the German national final of that year and returned to the contest again for Switzerland in 1957 and 1958.

In September 2011, Assia entered her song "C'était ma vie" written by Ralph Siegel and Jean Paul Cara into the Swiss national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest 2012 in Baku, Azerbaijan. The song, however, only came eighth in a closely fought national selection. She attended the event in Baku as a guest of honour.

In 2012, Assia again entered the Swiss national selection Die grosse Entscheidungs Show to represent Switzerland in Malmö at the Eurovision Song Contest 2013 with the song "All In Your Head" featuring the hip-hop band New Jack. There were rumours of Assia representing San Marino, however it was announced on 30 January 2013 that Valentina Monetta would represent San Marino.

In 1957 she became the first artist in the Eurovision Song Contest to perform in the contest on her birthday. It took 30 years for a repeat occurrence with Sanja Doležal, lead singer from Novi fosili group, representing Yugoslavia in 1987.

Personal life

Schärer married Johann Heinrich Kunz on 11 January 1957 in Zürich. Kunz died just nine months later after battling a serious illness.

Discography

Lys Assia at Eurovision Song Contest 1958

• "O mein Papa"
• "Ein kleiner goldner Ring"
• "Refrain(s)"
• "Das alte Karussell"
• "Holland Mädel"
• "Jolie Jacqueline"
• "L'enfant que j'étais"
• "Giorgio"
• "C'était ma vie"
• "All In Your Head"

Selected songs

• "L'Amore" 1958

External links

• Official website

Awards and achievements
Preceded by None	Winner of the Eurovision Song Contest 1956	Succeeded by Corry Brokken with "Net als toen"
Preceded by Debut entry	Switzerland in the Eurovision Song Contest 1956 with "Das alte Karussell" and "Refrain" 1957 with "L'enfant que j'étais", 1958 with "Giorgio"	Succeeded by Christa Williams with "Irgendwoher"