Joan Franka
| Joan Franka | |
|---|---|
 Joan Franka (2012) | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Ayten Kalan |
| Born | 2 April 1990 |
| Origin | Dutch / Turkish |
| Genres | Pop, folk |
| Occupation(s) | Singer |
| Years active | 2010–present |
Joan Franka (born 2 April 1990 in Rotterdam) is a Dutch singer with the birthname of Ayten Kalan. Her late father was Turkish, while her mother is Dutch. She represented the Netherlands at the Eurovision Song Contest 2012 with You and Me.[1][2] She became well known in the Netherlands through her participation in the first series of The Voice of Holland, a talent show.
Music career
2010-2011: The Voice of Holland
In September 2010, Joan Franka entered the talent show, The Voice of Holland in its inaugural 2010-2011 season where she auditioned with Nickelback's "How You Remind Me". 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" and in third live show Marc Cohn's "Walking in Memphis" and in fifth live show Beverley Craven'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 February 26, 2012, Joan battled against her former fellow The Voice of Holland contestant Raffaëla Paton on the first round of Nationaal Songfestival 2012 and eventually advanced to the final round where she was eventually chosen to represent the Netherlands at the Eurovision Song Contest 2012, held in Baku, Azerbaijan. 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 Netherlands on February 27, 2012 as a Music download and also on a limited CD-single.
Franka performed at the second semi-final in the 2012 Eurovision Song Contest but failed to reach the final, making it the 8th straight year the Netherlands had failed to make the Eurovision final.
Discography
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| NL [3] | |||
| 2010 | "Foolish Games" | 42 | |
| 2011 | "Promise Me" | 45 | |
| 2012 | "You and Me" | 1 | |
| 2014 | "Nigel" | - | |
References
- ↑ Storvik-Green, Simon. "Joan to be the voice of the Netherlands in Baku". European Broadcasting Union. Retrieved 26 February 2012.
- ↑ "The hardest competition comes from Adana!". Milliyet. Retrieved 1 March 2012.
- ↑ "Dutch Charts - Joan Franka". dutchcharts.nl/.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Joan Franka. |
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by 3JS with "Never alone" |
Netherlands in the Eurovision Song Contest 2012 |
Succeeded by Anouk with "Birds" |
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