Introduction
Eva Sylvia Vrethammar (born 22 August 1945, Uddevalla, Sweden), is a Swedish traditional pop and jazz singer. She is the daughter of Harald Vrethammar, an education official, and Britta Vrethammar, a musical education teacher, specializing in the piano.
In 1969, she released a Swedish-language cover version of Dusty Springfield's "Son of a Preacher Man", entitled "En lärling på våran gård". Vrethammar is also fluent in English.
In the 1970s, she occasionally appeared as guest singer with the Bert Kaempfert orchestra, singing in English. After a series of tribute concerts in Germany in 2006 and 2008, where she returned to the bandleader's music with ex-Kaempfert trombonist Jiggs Whigham and other former orchestra members (playing as the HR Big Band), in 2012 she recorded numbers from the tours.
She is perhaps best known for the 1974 song, "Y Viva España". It reached #4 in the UK Singles Chart in September 1974, spending over six months in that listing. She was known in the UK simply as Sylvia Globally her version alone sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc.
She took part in Melodifestivalen 2002, singing "Hon är en annan nu". She participated again in Melodifestivalen 2013 in the hope of representing Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest 2013 which was held in Malmö. She sang her song "Trivialitet" in the fourth semifinal, which was also held in Malmö. She came seventh and was therefore eliminated from the contest.
Discography
- 1969 – Tycker om dej
- 1970 – Sylvia
- 1971 – Dansa samba med mej
- 1972 – Gamla stan
- 1973 – Jag sjunger för dej
- 1973 – Y Viva España
- 1974 – Sylvia & Göran på Nya Bacchi
- 1975 – Stardust & Sunshine
- 1976 – Somebody loves you
- 1977 – Mach das nochmal
- 1977 – Leenden i regn
- 1979 – Chateau Sylvia
- 1980 – In Goodmansland
- 1985 – Rio de Janeiro blue
- 1990 – Öppna dina ögon
- 1992 – Ricardo
- 1999 – Best of Sylvia
- 2002 – Faller för dig
- 2005 – Sommar! Samba! Sylvia!
- 2006 – Champagne
- 2009 - Te quiero
- 2013 - Trivialitet