Zoe

Biography

Zoë Straub (German pronunciation: [ˈzoːiː ˈʃtʁaʊp]; born 1 December 1996), known professionally as Zoë (stylized in all caps), is an Austrian singer, songwriter and actress. She represented Austria in the Eurovision Song Contest 2016 with the song "Loin d'ici", placing thirteenth in the grand final.

1996–2014: Early life

Zoë Straub was born in Vienna to musician parents, Christof and Roumina Straub (née Wilfling), on 1 December 1996.
At the age of six, she featured in a song by her parents' musical project, Papermoon, called "Doop Doop (Baby Remix)". In 2007, Straub participated in the Austrian reality singing competition Kiddy Contest, where she covered "Engel ohne Flügel", originally performed by Mark Medlock, a German singer, while she was attending the Lycée Français de Vienne (French High School of Vienna), where she studied for nine years.

2015–2018: Career beginnings, Debut and Eurovision Song Contest

Straub appeared on ORF television series Vorstadtweiber in 2015. She also competed in the Austrian national final for the Eurovision Song Contest 2015, where she eventually placed third with the song "Quel filou×Quel Filou12 March 2015 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Quel Filou2:57", written by Straub herself and her father, Christof Straub. She performed live at Rathausplatz while Vienna was serving as the host city of the Eurovision Song Contest 2015. In October 2015, she released her debut album Debut×Debut23 October 2015 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1Je m'en fous3:222Devinez3:133Danse avec moi3:334Rien ne va plus3:335Quel filou2:596Adieu2:477Mon ange3:278Mon coeur a trop aime3:279Je t'aime3:0210Rendes-moi mon coeur2:4911Pourquoi alors je pleure?4:1312Loin d'ici4:18.
On 12 January 2016, she was announced as one of the participants of the Austrian national final for the Eurovision Song Contest 2016, and on 12 February 2016, she emerged as the winner of the national final and therefore represented Austria in the contest with the song "Loin d'ici"; qualified for the grand final where she placed 13th in total and 8th in televoting. On 29 April 2016, she released a reissued version of Debut. In Eurovision 2017, she was a member of the Austrian jury for semi-final 2 and for the grand final. In December 2017, it was announced that she would serve as a judge in the Sammarinese national selection event for the Eurovision Song Contest 2018 a national final event she and her family funded,
alongside Neon Hitch and Vince Bugg.

2018–present

After her album Debut×Debut23 October 2015 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1Je m'en fous3:222Devinez3:133Danse avec moi3:334Rien ne va plus3:335Quel filou2:596Adieu2:477Mon ange3:278Mon coeur a trop aime3:279Je t'aime3:0210Rendes-moi mon coeur2:4911Pourquoi alors je pleure?4:1312Loin d'ici4:18 achieved gold status, Straub toured Austria and Europe. Her single "C'est la vie×C'est la vie23 November 2018 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1C'est la vie3:08" was number 1 in Italy for many months, and also became a radio hit in some other European countries.
She also appeared in the first German Netflix production Isi & Ossi.
After her releases "Tout Paris×Tout Paris13 November 2020 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)" and "Rêverie×Rêverie2 July 2021 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)", in 2022 she released the song "Loin d'ici (Far from Here)", a reworking with English verses of her Eurovision entry, with the support of newcomer Leonardo Davi.

Personal life

Straub lives in Vienna with her husband Kaspar Leuhusen, whom she met in 2010 and married on 3 August 2022. On 4 February 2020, she gave birth to their son Viktor.
Straub's favorite television series is Close Up, which focuses on the lives of various celebrities from different fields, such as music, film, and sports. She also looks up to a range of individuals from the worlds of music, film, and fashion. Among her personal idols are Mika, Avril Lavigne and Romy Schneider.