Working two jobs used to be a way make ends meet. Now, it has a name. Slashies work two (or more) jobs, building ‘portfolio careers’. We checked out the CVs of some of this year’s Eurovision hopefuls.
Shopping and building
Albania’s Jonida Maliqi is a singer/shopkeeper. She combines Eurovision croonery with the running of a haute couture boutique and shoe salon.
If/when work as a singer/underwear model dries up for Swiss stomper Luca Hänni, he’ll always have a standby career thanks to early training as a bricklayer.
Sporting chance
Singer/figure-skater Leonora might look happy on her big Eurovision chair, but in December 2016, Leonora and her brother Linus were Danish gold medal winning figure-skaters. In 2005, singer/sprinter Swede John Lundvik scored bronze for running very fast.
The (almost) professionals
Singer/trainee-lawyer Katerine Duska studied at the Kapodistrian University of Athens before deciding she’d be happier with music. A similar career path beckoned for Spanish singer/trainee-primary school teacher Miki. Meanwhile, Irish singer/trainee nurse Sarah McTernan once said: ‘My career will either be to help people or music’.
Not everyone quit before qualifying. Should anyone chip a tooth in Tel Aviv, they have only to knock on the dressing room door of singer/dentist Serhat, who graduated from the Faculty of Dentistry at Istanbul University in 1988.
The Eurovision bigwigs can insist politics have no place in the contest until they’re blue in the face. Try telling that to singer/MP Fred Buljo. The joiking Norwegian served as leader on the Sami Parliament of Norway.
Acting the part
Judging by some of the positions Sergey Lazarev gets himself into, it’s no surprise to learn he started out as a gymnast. The Russian fave went on to become an actor/singer, graduating with honours from one of Russia’s leading dramatic institutions.
Simlarly, if Kobi Marimi looks to be putting a lot into his performance, it’s because he also trained as an actor. the Israeli talent show winner is a bit of an all-rounder, having previously worked as a barman and cinema cashier.
If the music thing doesn’t quite work out, Kobi could go into business with fellow singer/former pint-puller Mahmood. British boy wonder Micheal Rice, could draft in supplies from the family waffle and crepe business.
Slashies insist they do two or more jobs for personal, creative reasons. It’s something to fall back on while boarding Wednesday and Friday flights home.