Secret
Garden made history by winning the Eurovision Song Contest in 1995 with "Nocturne",
an entry that was more an instrumental piece than a song. In the 4o- year
history of this prestigious pan-European television extravaganza, an instrumental
piece had never previously won. A piece so stylistically removed from the
“European pop format” commonly associated with the song contest,
that the press stated: "Secret Garden has redefined the Eurovision
Song Contest”.
Secret
Garden continues to write history. This surprise victory at the Eurovision
Song Contest was the ultimate showcase that successfully launched their first
album Songs
from a Secret Garden. It was made available around the globe,
including most European territories, the USA, Canada, Australia, Mexico, Hong
Kong, China and Korea. This was a historic event for a Norwegian artist and
record company, who for the first time had produced a worldwide release with
sales of more than a million. Awards followed, including Platinum record in
Norway and Korea, Gold record in Ireland, Hong Kong Korea and New Zealand
as well as 2 years (101 weeks) in the Billboard New Age charts in USA.
Though the record was never technically classified as an "international
release", Secret Garden’s success developed through a fantastic
enthusiasm and commitment among PolyGram and Philips Classics staff (later
Universal records) on a local level. Nobody was commanded to work with this
project. They were driven by a passion for the music, and have seen it as
a challenge to market Secret Garden in their own territories.
Listen to "Nocturne"