Biography
Born on June 23, 1973, as Marija Naumova, Marie N became Latvia's first-ever Eurovision Song Contest winner. During the mid-'90s she appeared frequently on local television talent programs and took a starring role in a Latvian stage adaptation of Theodore Dreiser's Carrie. Additional notice came her way in 1997 when she performed at a concert honoring the centenary of George Gershwin's birth. The next year she secured her initial recording deal and issued a debut album consisting entirely of Latvian composer Raimonds Pauls's material sung in Russian.
Selected for Latvia's 2000 Eurovision national final shortly before the arrival of her sophomore release Ieskaties Acîs (Look Into My Eyes), she placed second with "For You My Friends," behind Brainstorm, who later reached third place internationally. The album itself achieved gold status inside two weeks and platinum certification before the year ended, confirming her status as a major star.
Public backing for "Hey Boy Follow Me" proved overwhelming at the 2001 qualifiers, yet the entry again fell short; meanwhile her third album, Ma Voix, Ma Voie, which offered French-language renditions of traditional Latvian songs, became another major commercial success. Chosen at last to represent Latvia at Eurovision in 2002, she delivered "I Wanna" accompanied by a striking dance routine and claimed a decisive victory, the country's first at the contest.
Her subsequent album appeared in separate English- and Latvian-language editions titled On a Journey and Noslçpumi. Two further LPs followed: Nesauciet Sev lîdzi in 2004 and Another Dream in 2005. That same year she portrayed Maria in a Latvian mounting of the musical The Sound of Music and received appointment as a UNESCO goodwill ambassador.
Selected for Latvia's 2000 Eurovision national final shortly before the arrival of her sophomore release Ieskaties Acîs (Look Into My Eyes), she placed second with "For You My Friends," behind Brainstorm, who later reached third place internationally. The album itself achieved gold status inside two weeks and platinum certification before the year ended, confirming her status as a major star.
Public backing for "Hey Boy Follow Me" proved overwhelming at the 2001 qualifiers, yet the entry again fell short; meanwhile her third album, Ma Voix, Ma Voie, which offered French-language renditions of traditional Latvian songs, became another major commercial success. Chosen at last to represent Latvia at Eurovision in 2002, she delivered "I Wanna" accompanied by a striking dance routine and claimed a decisive victory, the country's first at the contest.
Her subsequent album appeared in separate English- and Latvian-language editions titled On a Journey and Noslçpumi. Two further LPs followed: Nesauciet Sev lîdzi in 2004 and Another Dream in 2005. That same year she portrayed Maria in a Latvian mounting of the musical The Sound of Music and received appointment as a UNESCO goodwill ambassador.
Albums
