Eric Saade

Eric Khaled Saade (إريك سعادة, ; born 29 October 1990), is a Swedish singer and songwriter.

He finished third in the competition, Sweden's best placing since Charlotte Perrelli won in 1999 with "Take Me to Your Heaven".

In 2007, Saade was a founding member of What's Up!, a Swedish boy band which included Robin Stjernberg, Ludwig "hejLudde" Keijser and Johan Yngvesson.

Its members were picked from a competition attracting hundreds of applicants.

Fifteen finalists (including Saade) competed at the Ericsson Globe, and the four winners became the band's founding members.

What's Up!

The album spawned two singles: "Go Girl!", released in May 2007, peaked at #5 on the Swedish Singles Chart and "If I Told You Once", released in March 2008, peaked at #16.

The band recorded the Swedish version of the theme for Disney's Camp Rock ("Här är jag") and dubbed the characters' voices, appearing in the Disney Channel's Swedish trailer.

When Saade left the band to pursue a solo career, he was replaced by Johannes Magnusson.

Saade's involvement in Camp Rock led to his hosting a show inspired by the movie; he also hosted the nationwide contest, Julia's Shooting Stars.

began touring Sweden in the spring of 2008 and released an album, In Pose, which spent a week on the Swedish Albums Chart at #40.

He spent two years with the boy band What's Up!, leaving the band in February 2009 to pursue a solo career.

In August 2009, Saade signed with the Swedish record label Roxy Recordings; in December he released his first solo single, "Sleepless", written by Fredrik Kempe and Peter Boström.

Distributed on iTunes, the song peaked at #44 in Sweden.

Anders Rune directed its music video, which premiered in January 2010.

In February 2010, Saade sang "Manboy", written by Fredrik Kempe and Peter Boström, at the second semi-final of Melodifestivalen 2010 (the Swedish qualifier for the Eurovision Song Contest).

He won the semifinal, finishing third overall.

"Manboy" was released in March 2010 in Sweden, reaching #1 on the domestic-single and ringtone charts; its music video also premiered that month.

The song's acoustic version was released in Sweden in May,

and in June the single went platinum in that country.

In January 2010, Saade won a Scandipop Award as the Brightest New Hope for 2010.

In March he was nominated for a Marcel Bezençon Press Award for "Manboy", and won an Artistic Award.

Saade released his first solo album, Masquerade, in May 2010.

The album reached #2 in Sweden, and went gold.

Saade began his first solo tour, known as the Masquerade Tour, playing 24 dates in Sweden from June to September 2010.

The third single from Saade's debut album, "Break of Dawn" (written by Saade and Fredrik Kempe), was released in June 2010 and peaked at #45 on the Swedish charts.

The song's music video also premiered that month.

A remix, "Le Family Remix", was released in July.

In August 2010, Saade was nominated for three Rockbjörnen Awards: Best Swedish Male Live Artist, Best Breakthrough Act and Best Swedish Song of the Year (for "Manboy").

That year, Saade also released the singles "Masquerade" and "It's Gonna Rain".

The music video for "Masquerade" premiered in August, and the video for "It's Gonna Rain" premiered in October.

After winning the Swedish Melodifestivalen 2011 with "Popular", Saade represented Sweden at the Eurovision Song Contest 2011 in Germany, placing third.

Saade was born in Kattarp, a small village in Helsingborg Municipality, Scania, Sweden, to Marlene Jacobsson, a Swede, and Walid Saade, a Palestinian from Lebanon.

After his parents divorced when he was four, he lived with his mother.

Saade is the second of eight siblings and half-siblings.

Saade began singing after seeing Michael Jackson on TV, and his other musical influences are Robbie Williams, Bryan Adams, the Backstreet Boys and Justin Timberlake.

In February 2011, Saade entered the Melodifestivalen for a second time.

This time he made the final, winning with "Popular" (written by Fredrik Kempe and produced by Peter Boström).

The song's music video premiered in April.

In May 2011, Saade competed in the second semifinal of the Eurovision Song Contest 2011, advancing to the final.