Yovanna is the professional name of Greek singer Ioanna Fassou Kalpaxi, who started her vocal training at the age of 14, resulting in her becoming an opera singer. In spite of being initially awarded a state scholarship to continue her studies in Rome at the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, it was given to another applicant and she soon moved into releasing popular music.
She started participating in national and international competitions, soon becoming popular in Eastern Europe, and gave performances in many concert halls all over Europe (France, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Belgium).
She gained further recognition when she was selected to represent Switzerland in the Eurovision Song Contest 1965 in Naples with the song "Non, à jamais sans toi', which finished in 8th place with 8 points, just two points behund the entry by Birgit Brüel of Denmark.
Post-Contest, she continued to record and release material, remaining a popular performer in Georgia and Germany, before deciding to pursue a career as a novelist in the 1980s. In spite of this, she remains a popular performer in Eastern Europe.
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