Anna Saba Lykke Oehlenschlæger (; born 11 August 1997), known simply as Saba (stylised in
all caps), is a Danish singer, musical theatre actress and model. She is set to
represent Denmark in the
Eurovision Song Contest 2024
The Eurovision Song Contest 2024 is set to be the 68th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It is scheduled to take place in Malmö, Sweden, following the country's victory at the with the song "Tattoo" by Loreen. Organised by the Euro ...
with the song "
Sand
Sand is a granular material composed of finely divided mineral particles. Sand has various compositions but is defined by its grain size. Sand grains are smaller than gravel and coarser than silt. Sand can also refer to a textural class of s ...
".
Early life
Anna Saba (born Saba) Lykke Oehlenschlæger and her twin sister
Andrea (born Sara) Lykke Oehlenschlæger were born on 11 August 1997 in
Addis Abbaba, Ethiopia.
They were adopted at eight months old and were raised in
Ringkøbing
Ringkøbing (older spelling ''Ringkjøbing'') is a town in Ringkøbing-Skjern Municipality in Region Midtjylland on the west coast of the Jutland peninsula in west Denmark. It has a population of 9,894 (1 January 2022). , Denmark.
During her youth, Oehlenschlæger played football at
DBU Jutland.
Career
After
dropping out of high school, Oehlenschlæger and her sister moved to
Copenhagen
Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...
, starting off as a model and entrepreneur in
teeth whitening products, while her sister pursued a singing and musical acting career.
On 23 February 2023, Oehlenschlæger replaced her pregnant sister in the role of Dionne for the premiere of the musical ''
Hair
Hair is a protein filament that grows from follicles found in the dermis. Hair is one of the defining characteristics of mammals.
The human body, apart from areas of glabrous skin, is covered in follicles which produce thick terminal and f ...
'' at the , making her debut as a non-stunt stage actress.
On 25 January 2024, Saba was announced as one of the participants of , the Danish national final for the
Eurovision Song Contest 2024
The Eurovision Song Contest 2024 is set to be the 68th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It is scheduled to take place in Malmö, Sweden, following the country's victory at the with the song "Tattoo" by Loreen. Organised by the Euro ...
, with the song "Sand".
She went on to win the final on 17 February 2024, earning the right to represent Denmark in the upcoming contest.
Personal life
In 2018, Oehlenschlæger was diagnosed with
bipolar I disorder
Bipolar I disorder (BD-I; pronounced "type one bipolar disorder") is a type of bipolar spectrum disorder characterized by the occurrence of at least one manic episode, with or without mixed or psychotic features. Most people also, at other time ...
and was hospitalised several times until 2020, as she explained in the 2020
DR documentary ().
She also practiced
self-harm
Self-harm is intentional behavior that is considered harmful to oneself. This is most commonly regarded as direct injury of one's own skin tissues usually without a suicidal intention. Other terms such as cutting, self-injury and self-mutilatio ...
during her teenage years.
She is an ambassador for the Danish Depression Association.
Oehlenschlæger has been in a
same-sex relationship
A same-sex relationship is a romantic or sexual relationship between people of the same sex. ''Same-sex marriage'' refers to the institutionalized recognition of such relationships in the form of a marriage; civil unions may exist in countries w ...
with Lærke-Maria Schmidt since 2020.
Discography
Singles
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saba
1997 births
Living people
21st-century Danish businesswomen
21st-century Danish LGBT people
21st-century Danish women singers
Danish adoptees
Danish female models
Danish LGBT actors
Danish LGBT models
Danish LGBT singers
Danish musical theatre actresses
Danish people of Ethiopian descent
Danish twins
Dansk Melodi Grand Prix contestants
Dansk Melodi Grand Prix winners
Eurovision Song Contest entrants for Denmark
Eurovision Song Contest entrants of 2024
People from Ringkøbing-Skjern Municipality
People with bipolar disorder