Winning the Eurovision song contests can be the pinnacle of a singer's career - or launch them into worldwide fame.
Since 1956, acts have been attempting to win the famous singing competition by impressing their European neighbours in front of millions of viewers at home.
The result is often controversial and there are accusations that countries vote for political reasons rather than on pure talent.
While some champions become famous worldwide, selling millions of records and performing in sold-out tours, others fade away into obscurity.
The UK always comes way down the leaderboard, and lets not talk about las year, but there is finally some hope with our 2022 entrant.
Space Man singer Sam Ryder has been described as 'perfect Eurovision contestant' who will get 'loads of votes'.
Sam is hoping to take the UK to victory, but what became of some of the winners whose footsteps he's trying to follow in?
Bucks Fizz
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Bobby G, Cheryl Baker, Mike Nolan and Jay Aston, better known as Bucks Fizz, claimed victory at the 1981 competition.
The group formed just for the contest and had Europe on their feet for "Making Your Mind Up" - with the skirt-ripping to reveal shorter mini-skirts underneath going down a treat.
Their Eurovision song was one of three number one singles they released as they became one of the top-selling groups in the 80s.
However, they were never able to replicate their success in America and went on to have creative differences.
There was a horrifying coach crash involving their tour bus after a gig in Newcastle in 1974 which resulted in Mike being in a three-day coma after dying on the operating table.
Mike developed epilepsy, short-term memory loss and lost 50% of his vision in both eyes, while Cheryl broke three vertebrae in her spine and Jay had back injuries.
Jay quit the band in 1985 and was sued for breach of contract before being replaced by Shelley Preston.
There was a messy break-up and two versions of the group were formed, leading to a heated legal battle over the rights to perform under the band's name.
Cheryl, Mike Nolan and Jay have since reunited under the name The Fizz and are still releasing music.
Sadly, Jay has endured a hellish ordeal over the last few years.
Jay was diagnosed with mouth cancer in June 2018, had a gruelling seven-hour operation to remove a section of her tongue and then had it rebuilt using part of her thigh.
The 60-year-old was also left unable to move after being struck with Covid last year - but says none of that compares to the fear of losing her daughter, Josie, who is seriously ill in hospital.
Josie, 18, was rushed to intensive care and put in an induced coma after her organs began to fail and has been diagnosed with bacterial meningitis.
Lordi
Finnish monster rock band Lordi were the surprise winners in 2006.
Led by Tomi Putaansuu, otherwise known as Mr Lord, the scary rockers stormed to victory with the highest ever points score at the time.
Eurovision helped boost their success and their song charted over most of western Europe, while their album charted over in the USA and Japan too.
They tour extensively and have performed at numerous festivals, including on the mainstage at Ozzfest in 2007 - but still not taken off those spooky masks.
They have released ten studio albums and 19 singles and continued making music throughout the pandemic.
Celine Dion
Not many people will remember that Celine Dion won Eurovision in 1988.
The Canadian-born singer managed to snatch victory by just one point for Switzerland with her song Ne Partez Pas Sans Moi.
Celine had previously sung in French but learned English and became a chart topper with the classic Does My Heart Beat Now.
In the early 90s she took a break from singing to spend time with her manager and husband René Angélil, then turned her attention to the movies.
Celine found more international fame with the theme to Disney film Beauty and the Beast and then power ballads The Power Of Love, Think Twice and the mega-selling theme to Titanic, My Heart Will Go On followed.
After starting a family, Celine returned with a five-year Las Vegas residency and is due to return in 2021.
She has sold in excess of 200million albums worldwide and won five Grammys and seven Billboard Music Awards.
Conchita Wurst
Austrian singer Conchita Wurst won the competition in 2014 with aptly named hit Rise Like A Phoenix.
Thomas Neuwirth took to the stage in a drag queen persona and quickly became a massive success - with fans loving that famous beard.
Conchita became an icon all over the world and was even asked to perform at the United Nations Office in Vienna in the same year.
The LGBTQ rights activist has since released an album, performed at the Sydney Opera House and been a judge on reality series Queen of Drags.
In 2018, Conchita announced she was HIV positive and had been receiving treatment for many years.
She said she had to go public because her ex-boyfriend threatened to tell the media about her infection with the HIV virus.
Conchita Wurst said: "Also in the future I will give nobody the right to frighten me and influence my life because of it.
"Coming out is better than being out-leaked by third parties."
Lulu
Scottish songstress Lulu had a bizarre win in 1969 with a a four-way tie with France, Spain and the Netherlands with 'Boom Bang-a-bang'.
Because of the strange split decision, the rules of the contest were changed for future years to prevent it from ever happening again.
She became an international sensation with the hit song from film "To Sir with Love" and the theme for Bond flick The Man with the Golden Gun.
Lulu hosted a long-running Capital Radio show in the 80s and cheekily won Rear of the Year in 1983.
Her singing talents weren't reflected in her footwork as she was fifth to exit with Brendan Cole on Strictly Come Dancing 2017.
In 2014 she opened the Glasgow Commonwealth Games closing ceremony and returned to the West End in 2018.
She is still singing across the globe and last toured along with Take That on their Greatest Hits tour in 2019.
Sandie Shaw
Sandie Shaw was the UK's first ever Eurovision winner back in 1967.
She had three UK number one singles, one of which was the song "Puppet on a String" which she sang while barefoot in Vienna on the night she was crowned champion.
Despite her reservations about destroying her credibility and not liking the song, she won by a near-record points total.
"I hated it from the very first oompah to the final bang on the big bass drum," she once said.
After her success in Europe, Sandie was briefly absent from the music scene and started her own fashion label and hosted her own TV show.
She got back into music in the 70s and in 2010 but announced she was retiring for good in 2013.
During a 2010 Loose Women appearance, Sandi claimed Eurovision was bad when she performed and is even worse now.
In 2017, Sandie received an MBE in 2017 for her services to music and has been a practicing Buddhist for 35 years.
Katrina and the Waves
Katrina and the Waves were "Walking on Sunshine" and achieved international success way before Eurovision came along.
But they had tough times and had basically vanished before they rose like a phoenix to win the singing contest in 1997.
"Love Shine a Light" won by a then-record 70 point margin and became their biggest ever UK hit.
But they split up in 1998 when lead singer Katrina Leskanich left after several rows - and caused a stir when she was spotted kissing comedian Caroline Aherne at a Sony Awards dinner.
The three remaining members dissolved in 1999 and went on to pursue fairly uneventful solo careers.
Abba
The most famous stars to ever come out of Eurovision, ABBA clinched the crown in 1974 for the mammoth hit Waterloo.
They were Sweden's first ever winners and went on to become pop sensations with record-breaking hits such as Mamma Mia, Dancing Queen and Gimme Gimme Gimme.
Made up of Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid Lyngstad, it's estimated the band have sold at least 200million records worldwide.
Sadly they split in the early 80s, with Anni-Frid going on to have a solo career and Agnetha stepping away from the spotlight after tragedy.
Benny and Bjorn carried on making music together and wrote Mamma Mia! the music, which premiered in the West End in 1999 and has spawned two blockbuster movies.
Niamh Kavanagh
Irish singer Niamh Kavanagh won the Eurovision Song Contest with In Your Eyes in 1993.
She was signed by X Factor boss Simon Cowell in a million-dollar deal with Arista Records and recorded a popular album in Tennesse.
Niamh left music to spend more time with her kids but represented Ireland at Eurovision for the second time in 2010, but this time finished 23rd overall.
Last year, Niamh was forced to quit fame to work at Tesco after her husband suffered a crippling stroke.
She took up the job after her musician husband Paul Megahey had a stroke while she was performing alongside fellow Eurovision stars Paul Harrington, Charlie McGettigan and Linda Martin in 2018.
But Niamh was unable to go directly to her husband's side because she still had to perform.
“I still had to go out and sing Waterloo and Making Your Mind Up after that... that’s the nature of what I do, you don’t always get to choose what you do in that moment," she explained.
When the coronavirus pandemic put a temporary stop to live performances, Niamh began working hard to provide for her family at her local Tesco store.
She works alongside her teenage son but the pair haven't let slip they're related because he's too embarrassed.
"My youngest boy and I got the same kind of job so we were in the same induction day in Tesco which was hilarious," she joked.
But customers have already started recognising her and asking what she's doing behind the customer service desk.
"I say, 'well, there isn’t a lot of singing going on'," she joked to the Irish Times.
"This could go on a lot longer for musicians and artists whose jobs may or may not come back. Where are the outlets for us to do what we do?"
*The 66th Eurovision Song Contest Grand Final will air on Saturday on BBC One from 8pm
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