News - esctoday.com TOP TEN: No. 10, 9 and 8 | Eurovision Song Contest News - Azerbaijan 2012 

This list features the ten Eurovision Song Contest performers, who are said to have sold the most records, CDs and downloads worldwide. The numbers are based on various sources and mostly estimated based on sales certifications. 

So here we start...

No. 10 - Patricia Kaas

Patricia Kaas is one of most successful singers from France having sold 16-18 million records and CDs worldwide.  She was discoverd by actor Gérard Depardieu at the age of 19 and released a first single in 1985, but her first major success came in 1988 with the release of the album Mademoiselle chante…. All of her seven studio albums had managed to reach the top ten of the French album charts when she decided to take a major break from the music business in 2005. In 2009, she returned with the release of her eighth studio album Kabaret and the announcement that she would represent France in the 2009 Eurovision Song Contest in Moscow.

She was chosen internally by the French broadcaster and later the song Et s'il fallait le faire was picked. At the Eurovision Song Contest, it finished eighth with 107 points, which was the highest placing for a French entry since 2002. Patricia Kaas and the song were also considered fan favourites and they won three esctoday.com awards (Best lyricist/Non-English lyrics, Best female performance and Best performance) as well as a Marcel Bezençon award.

Patricia Kaas' most famous and probably most successful song is her fourth single Mon mec à moi, which  was released in 1988 and peaked at number five in the French single charts and was certified silver for sales exceeding 200,000 copies. Mademoiselle chante le blues and Quand Jimmy dit were also certified silver for equal sales figures. Her most successful albums were her first three studio albums Mademoiselle chante..., Scène de vie and Je te dis vous, which were all certified Diamond in France. 

Mon mec à moi (1988):

No. 9 - Udo Jürgens

Udo Jürgens is Austria's most successful recording artist having sold 90-100 million records worldwide. He is mostly known in the German speaking countries but also achieved successes in other countries. He began his career as a songwriter and gained recognition for writing the UK no. 1 hit Reach for the stars for Shirley Bessey in 1961. He released his first single as a performer the same year and achieved some minor successes over the following years. After his first major hits following his three participations in the Eurovision Song Contest, he released many hit singles and albums over the following years. In total, he is said to have recorded about 900 songs. 

Udo Jürgens represented Austria three times in the Eurovision Song Contest. In 1964, he performed Warum nur warum and finished sixth, in 1965 he performed Sag ihr, ich laß' sie grüßen (which was his first top ten hit in Austria and Germany) and finished fourth while in 1966, he could win the contest with Merci, chérie. In 1968, he returned to the contest as a composer but his song Tausend Fenster, performed by Karel Gott, only finished 13th. 

Udo Jürgens most successful song is Griechischer Wein, which was released in 1974. The music was composed by the singer himself and the lyrics were written by Michael Kunze, who is also known for his various entries in the Eurovision Song Contest. The song was also recorded in various languages and the most famous version is probably Al Martino's English cover version.

Griechischer Wein (1975):

No. 8 - Olivia Newton-John

English-Australian singer Olivia Newton-John has sold about 100 million reords worldwide. She had already had some success with some of her releases but her major breakthrough came shortly after her participation in the Eurovision Song Contest 1974 with two consecutive number one albums and singles in the United States. In 1978, she starred in the musical film Grease alongside John Travolta, which made her even more famous. To date, she had five number one hits in the United States as well as a range of top ten hits all over the world. 

In 1974, Olivia-Newton John was chosen internally to represent the United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest and the song Long live love was chosen in the national final. In Brighton, she finished equal fourth having previously been one of the top favourites. She later stated that Long live love was not her favourite song and that she would have preferred performing a ballad. 

Olivia Newton-John's biggest hits were You're the one that I want, a duet with John Travolta on the Grease soundtrack and her 1981 solo single Physical, which were both certified platinum. Her most successful albums were Totally hot (1978) and Physical (1981).

Physical (1981):

Tomorrow, we will introduce no. 7 and 6 on the list.