Biography
Who is Alexander Rybak?
Early life and real name
Alexander Rybak was born with the full birth name Aliaksandr Iharavitch Rybak on May 13, 1986, in Minsk, which was part of Soviet Belarus at the time. His parents are Igor Rybak, a classical violinist, and Natalia Gurina, a music journalist and piano teacher. His family originated from the town of Vitebsk in Northern Belarus before moving to Norway.
The family settled in Nesodden after living in the country for several years, and Alexander eventually received Norwegian citizenship. He started playing the piano at the age of five before making the violin his primary instrument. He later attended the Barratt Due Institute of Music in Oslo, where he studied violin performance and graduated with a Bachelor of Music degree.
Eurovision success
Alexander Rybak represented Norway in the 2009 Eurovision Song Contest held in Moscow, Russia. He performed the song Fairytale, which he both wrote and composed, alongside the modern folk dance company Frikar. The entry received a record-breaking 387 points under the voting system at that time, securing a landslide victory for Norway.
At the age of 23, he became the youngest solo male winner of the competition and the first Belarusian-born winner. He returned to the Eurovision stage representing Norway again in 2018 with the song That's How You Write a Song, successfully winning his semi-final before finishing in 15th place in the final.
Albums and musical career
Following his initial Eurovision win, Alexander Rybak released his debut studio album titled Fairytales in 2009. The album charted in the top 20 across nine European countries, reaching the top position in both Norway and Russia. He followed this release with his second pop album, No Boundaries, in 2010.
Over the course of his career, Alexander expanded his work to include family-oriented music, children's songs, and classical recordings, frequently performing alongside youth orchestras. He also released a Christmas album titled Christmas-tales in 2012 and collaborated with various artists throughout Scandinavia and Eastern Europe.
Acting and other projects
In addition to his music career, Alexander Rybak has worked extensively in television and theater productions. In 2007, he played the fiddle in a production of Fiddler on the Roof at the Oslo Nye Teater, an achievement for which he won the Hedda Award. He also co-starred as Levi in the feature film Yohan, directed by Grete Salomonsen and released in March 2010.
Alexander has taken on several roles within the Eurovision franchise beyond performing as a contestant. He served as a judge for the Belgian national finals in 2016 and 2023, worked as a journalist during the 2011 contest, and performed as an opening or interval act in multiple Eurovision final events.
Birthday and age
Alexander Rybak was born on May 13, 1986, which makes Alexander 40 years old today. That birthday falls under the Taurus sign. Alexander shares the date with 31 other famous people.
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