A list of Lauras: The definitive ranking of all the Lauras who have performed at Eurovision

With the news that Laura Groeseneken will be representing Belgium at Eurovision 2018, fans have noted that we’ve been seeing quite a lot of Lauras competing at Eurovision in recent years. But just how many women named Laura have performed at Eurovision? And who got the best result?

We delved into the archives and have come up with the definitive list of Lauras. The name Laura may originate from the Latin word for laurel wreath, a sign of victory. But which of these Lauras are victorious?

To rank the Lauras, we’re looking at the percentage of available points that each act received. For example, each finalist in 2013 could only receive a maximum of 456 points — i.e. 12 points from each of the other 38 countries voting. If an act finished with 100 points, they would have received 21.93% of the points available to them.

Honourable mention: Bang “Stop” (Greece 1987)

10th in the final with 64 points — 25.40% of available points

Bang was like a Greek answer to Britain’s Wham!, fronted by popular Greek singer Thanos Kalliris. They were joined at Eurovision by a trio of backing singers, featuring a Laura Burke. Their 1960s-inspired “Stop” (which itself was reminiscent of Wham!’s 1984 hit “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go”) wasn’t the all-conquering song the group intended, but it still delivered a decent tenth place finish.

Dishonourable mention: Belle and the Devotions “Love Games” (United Kingdom 1984)

7th in the final with 63 points — 29.17% of available points

The glamorous girl group trio featured Laura James on backing vocals… or did it? While the threesome delivered a fun Motown-inspired number on stage, there were three more backing vocalists lurking off stage. It was shockingly revealed that the two on-stage “backing vocalists” were only miming. This did not impress the audience in Luxembourg. Despite loud booing in the hall, the song still placed seventh in the grand final.

9. Laura & The Lovers “Little by Little” (Lithuania 2005)

25th in the semi-final with 17 points — 3.73% of available points

Lithuania’s Laura Cepukaite had certainly made an effort, with her straightened hair, purple eyeshadow and bedazzled costume. And her song wasn’t actually all that bad either. But for whatever reason, the viewers of Eurovision 2005 weren’t feeling it. The Lithuanian Laura and her band the Lovers flopped by coming last in the mammoth 25-song semi-final.

8. Iris “Would You?” (Belgium 2012)

17th in the semi-final with 16 points — 6.67% of available points

Laura “Iris” van den Bruel posed the unusual question “What would you do if my house was empty?”. Her vocals were a little shaky and the Disney ballad style of “Would You?” didn’t stand out in a semi-final full of bangers from Ivi Adamou, the Buranovskiye Babushki and Jedward. It placed 17th in its semi, only one spot above Trackshittaz in last place.

7. Suntribe “Let’s Get Loud” (Estonia 2005)

20th in the semi-final with 31 points — 6.80% of available points

16-year-old Laura Põldvere was part of the five-piece girl group Suntribe who delivered the fun tune “Let’s Get Loud”. Despite their mardi gras beads, turntables and matching ugg boots, the song languished in 20th place in the single semi-final. But this was not to be the last we’d hear of the Estonian Laura.

6. Koit Toome and Laura “Verona” (Estonia 2017)

14th in the semi-final with 85 points — 17.71% of available points

Laura Põldvere returned in 2017 along with fellow Estonian Eurovision star Koit Toome. Laura was older with a more developed, more confident voice. Despite their romantic disco track “Verona” being a huge favourite with fans, it missed out on the grand final and placed only 14th in its semi-final.

5. Laura “Addicted To You” (Finland 2002)

20th in the final with 24 points — 8.70% of available points

Finland’s Laura Voutilainen delivered the very funky “Addicted To You” in neighbouring Tallinn. She gave a smooth performance, with the catchy line “If you were a drug, I’d be addicted to you”. Eurovision fans weren’t quite addicted to the Finnish Laura – she placed only 20th in the final.

4. Doce “Bem bom” (Portugal 1982)

13th in the final with 32 points — 15.69% of available points

The four-piece Portuguese girl group Doce featured vocalist Laura Diogo. The group was dressed as, er, a sequinned sexy lady version of the three four musketeers. They had hats, they had wigs, they had tight vocal harmonies and they managed a decent 13th place finish in the final.

3. Frizzle Sizzle “Alles heeft ritme” (Netherlands 1986)

13th in the final with 40 points — 17.54% of available points

Four-piece Dutch teen girl group Frizzle Sizzle featured singer Laura Vlasblom. The group showed off the mid 1980s trend for giant layered skirts that looked like they’d been hastily pulled together using bedsheets and tablecloths. The adorable “Alles heeft ritme” placed 13th in the grand final.

Laura almost had another shot at representing the Netherlands at Eurovision. In 1992 she competed in the Dutch national final with the sultry “Gouden bergen” but ended up as the runner-up by a very narrow margin.

2. Jarkko & Laura “Kuin silloin ennen” (Finland 1969)

12th in the final (note: the old voting system was in use this year so the percentage of points cannot be calculated)

1969 might be known as the year of the notorious four-way tie, but there was more to it than just that. Finland’s Laura Ruotsalo and her singing partner Jarkko Antikainen performed the jaunty “Kuin silloin ennen”. They brought a retro music-hall style to the Madrid stage, and managed to place 12th in the final.

1. Laura Tesoro “What’s the Pressure” (Belgium 2016)

10th in the final with 181 points — 18.39% of available points

Someone had to open the grand final in Stockholm and that honour went to Belgium’s Laura Tesoro. She delivered an infectiously fun, bold, confident, super funky and proudly Belgian performance to the Globe Arena. It brought the house down and earned a top ten placing — the best result any Laura has earned at Eurovision.

Who is your favourite Laura at Eurovision?

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