#BIRTHDAY: 1 Sept – Stella Mwangi from Norway is 40

The free language rule can be a bit of a challenge sometimes. Do you stay true to your country’s culture and only sing in a native one? Do you pick one that’s more widely known to the world? Do you pick one from leftfield? Or a mix?

Our friends in Norway went for many years without using a native language. And it was principally English. That’s almost, partly because of what happened in 2011. Yes, they used English, but they also used Swahili. Get them! It came from a song from today’s birthday girl Stella Nyambura Mwangi. She was of Kenyan birth, so there was no cultural appropriation to worry about. Stella did find points difficult to come by, especially from the juries of Europe. It was maybe the early draw order. Or the unusual language to European ears.

Authors: Riigi Ametnik, John Stanton

Source: OnEurope