Paul Oscar

Paul Oscar
Background Information
Origin	Reykjavik, Iceland
Birth date	16 March 1970
Death date	N/A
Age	55
Eurovision Song Contest
Country	Iceland
Year	1997
Song	Minn hinsti dans
Semi Position	N/A
Semi Points	N/A
Final Position	20th
Final Points	18

Páll Óskar Hjálmtýsson, better known as Paul Oscar, is an Icelandic pop singer, songwriter, and disc jockey.

The youngest of seven children, he displayed early artistic talents, to the point where his mother had him sing for the women's sewing club and at birthday parties. He also spent much time singing in choirs and in media commercials,^[6] and recorded his first album at the age of seven. He first appeared in a production of Rubber Tarzan at age 12, but his voice broke after the show and he didn't sing for another two years. Afterward, he came out as gay to his parents when he was 16.

Paul Oscar rediscovered his voice at the age of 18, singing bass with the Hamrahlíð college choir for two years. Then, he won a talent contest at his college, and played Frank-N-Furter in the college's production of The Rocky Picture Horror Show. At the same time, he started performing in drag shows at a Reykjavik night club; when that closed, he became a DJ.

In the summer of 1993, he relocated to New York City, where he collaborated with Jóhann Jóhannsson and Sigurjón Kjartansson. Together, they helped him produce his debut album,  Stuð. During the fall of 1993, he worked with the band Milljónamæringarnir. Two years later, he made his debut as a solo artist, releasing the album Palli. It later became the best-selling album in Iceland that year.

In 1997, he was chosen to represent Iceland at the Eurovision Song Contest 1997 with the song Minn hinsti dans, which he co-wrote, making him the first openly gay artist to perform at the contest. The performance was notable for having four women on a latex couch performing provocative acts behind him. It finished 20th with 18 points, with the majority coming from the newly-installed televote. Nevertheless, he garnered wide attention.

However, his second album, released in 1999, didn't do as well as expected, and he continued to work with other artists. It would be until 2007 when he released his next album, Alt fyrir ástina (All for love), which became a massive hit in Iceland. The title track was considered for the Icelandic national final, but declined. This didn't prevent it from becoming an acclaimed song. The following year, he wrote the lyrics for This Is My Life.