Alexander Rybak: Where Is He Now? Inside the Eurovision Champion’s Second Act
In May 2009, a 23-year-old violinist from Norway walked onto the Eurovision stage in Moscow and delivered what remains one of the most decisive victories in the contest’s history. Alexander Rybak’s “Fairytale” swept up a record-breaking points tally — a record that stood for years — and turned the Belarus-born, Norway-raised musician into a continental phenomenon overnight. But what has he actually been doing since?
It is a question the internet keeps failing to answer. Search for “Alexander Rybak where is he now” and you will find his Wikipedia page, his official site and a stack of stale profiles — but almost nothing that tells the story of his last decade. That story, it turns out, is far more interesting than the highlight reel: a quiet career rebuilding, a second Eurovision run, a brutally honest public reckoning, and — in 2026 — a full-circle comeback.
The Record Win and Its Shadow
Rybak was born in Minsk, Belarus, and moved to Norway at age four, growing up in the country he would later represent as a Norwegian citizen. Trained as a violinist and singer-songwriter, he had already won the Norwegian talent show Kjempesjansen in 2006 and starred as the fiddler in Fiddler on the Roof in Oslo before Eurovision ever entered the picture.
“Fairytale,” a folk-pop song he wrote himself, did something unprecedented at MGP 2009, Norway’s national final: it was already sitting at number one on the Norwegian charts before the final had even been held — the first entry in the competition’s history to do so. In Moscow he won with 387 points, a record total that embodied the scale of his victory. The single went multi-platinum across Europe. His debut album Fairytales, released days later, hit number one in Norway and Sweden.
But the follow-up act proved the hard part. Albums No Boundaries (2010), Visa vid vindens ängar (2011), Christmas Tales (2012) and Trolle og den magiske fela (2015) kept him working and releasing, but the world outside Scandinavia and Eastern Europe largely moved on. Rybak spent years touring, composing for other artists, and performing with orchestras — a respected musician’s life, just not a famous one.
The 2018 Return
Rybak refused to let Eurovision become a one-time footnote. In 2018 he won Norway’s Melodi Grand Prix again with “That’s How You Write a Song,” earning a second shot at the contest in Lisbon. He won his semi-final — becoming the only artist to win two Eurovision semi-finals since the format’s introduction in 2004 — before finishing 15th in the grand final, which was won by Israel’s Netta.
For most artists, a return nine years later would be a victory lap. For Rybak it was something more personal: a statement that he still belonged on that stage, violin in hand, on his own terms.
The Honest Reckoning of 2024
Behind the scenes, however, things had been difficult. In 2024, Rybak disclosed publicly that he had entered rehabilitation, sharing that years of dependency on medication had left him weakened and had damaged his relationships and his will to live. It was a remarkably candid admission from an artist whose public image had always been the smiling fiddler — and fans responded with an outpouring of warmth.
True to form, he processed it the way he processes everything: through music, releasing songs that confronted recovery and emotional healing head-on. For an audience that had only ever seen the upbeat showman, it was the first glimpse of the man behind the smile.
2026: The Full-Circle Comeback
And now, the comeback is in full swing. In January 2026, Rybak released his sixth studio album, Fairytales Too — a deliberate callback to the record that started it all, and, as reported ahead of its release, his first pop album in 15 years. The self-released record arrived on 19 January 2026 and includes material addressing his dependency and recovery directly.
Almost immediately, he stepped back into the Eurovision arena once more: Rybak entered Norway’s Melodi Grand Prix 2026 with a brand-new original, “Rise” — violin in hand, just as promised — competing alongside a field that included former Norwegian and Irish Eurovision entrants. In May 2026 he was also part of the Eurovision Song Contest’s 70th-anniversary interval act, joining fellow former participants for a celebratory medley.
The Numbers Behind the Legend
The scale of the 2009 victory is worth restating, because records like it are rarely broken. At MGP 2009, “Fairytale” drew a combined televote and jury score of 747,888 — the runner-up managed 121,856. It was a landslide before the contest even left Norway, and in Moscow the 387-point final total set a benchmark that stood for years. “Funny Little World,” the follow-up single, went straight to number one in Norway, and in 2010 Rybak received Årets Spellemann — Norway’s biggest music award — and even appeared on a series of Norwegian postage stamps.
That is the paradox of the Rybak story: the win was so total that it almost erased the artist. For years, international media treated him as a trivia answer — the violin guy from 2009. But the 2026 return, the sixth album and the MGP comeback suggest he has finally outlasted the punchline. The record books will always say 2009. The artist, at last, gets to say what comes next.
Seventeen years after Moscow, Alexander Rybak’s story no longer reads like a cautionary tale about peaking early. It reads like something rarer: a pop career that survived its own fairy tale ending, faced the hard parts honestly, and came back — older, more mature, and still holding the violin.
Alexander Rybak: Career Timeline
The “Alexander Rybak where is he now” question has a fuller answer than most people expect — a career that kept moving long after the confetti of 2009.
| Year | Milestone |
|---|---|
| 1986 | Born 13 May 1986 in Minsk, Belarus |
| 1990 | Moves to Norway with his family at age four |
| 2006 | Wins the Norwegian talent show Kjempesjansen; stars as the fiddler in Fiddler on the Roof in Oslo |
| 2009 | Wins Melodi Grand Prix with “Fairytale”; wins Eurovision in Moscow with a then-record 387 points |
| 2009 | Debut album Fairytales hits number one in Norway and Sweden; the single goes multi-platinum across Europe |
| 2010 | Receives Årets Spellemann, Norway’s biggest music award; appears on a series of Norwegian postage stamps |
| 2010–2015 | Releases No Boundaries (2010), Visa vid vindens ängar (2011), Christmas Tales (2012) and Trolle og den magiske fela (2015) |
| 2018 | Wins MGP again with “That’s How You Write a Song”; finishes 15th at Eurovision in Lisbon |
| 2024 | Publicly discloses entering rehabilitation for medication dependency |
| Jan 2026 | Releases sixth studio album Fairytales Too — his first pop album in 15 years |
| 2026 | Enters Melodi Grand Prix 2026 with “Rise”; performs in the Eurovision Song Contest’s 70th-anniversary interval act |
Key Facts & Numbers
- Eurovision 2009: 387 points — a record total that stood for years
- MGP 2009 landslide: 747,888 combined votes; the runner-up managed 121,856
- Chart first: “Fairytale” was number one in Norway before the MGP final was even held — a first in the competition’s history
- Semi-final record: the only artist to win two Eurovision semi-finals (2009 and 2018) since the format began in 2004
- Follow-up single: “Funny Little World” went straight to number one in Norway
- National honour: Årets Spellemann 2010 and a series of Norwegian postage stamps
What’s Next After the Comeback
Fairytales Too arrived as a self-released record, which says something about where Rybak is heading: the independent path, on his own terms, with material that addresses his dependency and recovery directly. The MGP 2026 entry “Rise” and the 70th-anniversary interval act suggest he is not done with the Eurovision world either — but this time as a veteran who survived the fairy-tale ending rather than a newcomer chasing one. Touring and new releases are the likeliest next chapters; after 2026, few would bet against a seventh album.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Alexander Rybak now?
He is active and in the middle of a comeback: in January 2026 he released his sixth studio album Fairytales Too, entered Melodi Grand Prix 2026 with “Rise,” and performed in the Eurovision Song Contest’s 70th-anniversary interval act.
Did Alexander Rybak win Eurovision twice?
No — he won once, in 2009 with “Fairytale.” He returned to the contest in 2018 with “That’s How You Write a Song” and finished 15th in the grand final in Lisbon.
What happened to Alexander Rybak after “Fairytale”?
He kept working: four more albums between 2010 and 2015, constant touring, composing for other artists and performing with orchestras — a respected musician’s life, just with a quieter international profile than 2009 suggested.
What did Alexander Rybak reveal in 2024?
He disclosed publicly that he had entered rehabilitation, sharing that years of dependency on medication had left him weakened and damaged his relationships. He has since released music confronting recovery and emotional healing directly.
Is Alexander Rybak still making music in 2026?
Yes. Fairytales Too, released 19 January 2026, is his first pop album in 15 years, and he remains a live performer and Eurovision-world regular.
What was special about his 2009 Eurovision win?
The scale: a then-record 387 points in Moscow, after a domestic landslide of 747,888 votes at MGP 2009 — one of the most decisive victories in the contest’s history.
Sources & Further Reading
Read next: Ylvis: What Are They Doing Now? Life After ‘The Fox’ | Marcus & Martinus: The Twin Machine That Conquered Scandinavia
