#BIRTHDAY: Michelle Courtens from the Netherlands is 41 today

Imagine the dilemma. You’re taking part in Europe’s favourite TV show. It covers dozens of languages, and you want to make yourself stand out from the crowd. You family name might not be very easy to some parts of Europe, so you stick to your forename.

What could possibly go wrong? Well, of you’re in sunny Copenhagen in 2001, you get there and find out someone else has the same name. If you were today’s birthday girl Michelle Courtens, you were up against some other Michelle from elsewhere. She asks you to change your name! How dare she! You refuse and carry on regardless. After all, you’re opening the whole shenanigans. And you’ve got a nicely pared-down song that concentrates on the singing. Unfortunately, the other Michelle did a little better than you. The @#!$€. Still, she didn’t open the show.

Authors: Riigi Ametnik, John Stanton

Source: OnEurope.biz