Most consecutive Eurovision Song Contest appearances by a performer

Switzerland’s Lys Assia (b. Rosa Mina Schärer) – the winner of the first Eurovision Song Contest (ESC), in 1956 – is one of four performers to have represented their country at three consecutive editions of the annual music spectacular. Assia and Dutch singer Cornelia “Corry” Brokken achieved it simultaneously in 1956-58, Austria’s Udo Jürgens (b. Jürgen Udo Bockelmann) completed a hat-trick of back-to-back appearances in 1966, and Valentina Monetta represented the European microstate of San Marino at the ESC in 2012-14.

Assia, who performed both of Switzerland’s entries in 1956 (one in German and one in French – winner “Refrain”), Brokken (with “Net als toen” – “Just Like Then” – in 1957) and Jürgens (with “Merci, Chérie” – “Thank You, Darling” – in 1966) chalked up one victory apiece.

Monetta, who represented San Marino for a record-equalling fourth time in 2017 (tying with Belgium’s Fud Leclerc and Switzerland’s Peter, Sue & Marc), failed to advance from the semi-finals in 2012-13 but made history as her country’s first-ever finalist – at the fifth attempt – when “Maybe” made it through to the final in Copenhagen, Denmark, on 10 May 2014. She finished 24th out of 26 entrants, on the night Conchita Wurst’s “Rise Like a Phoenix” stole the show.