Whatever Happened to the Olsen Brothers, Eurovision’s Most Unexpected Winners?

The Night Two Ordinary Danes Made Eurovision History

Picture it: Eurovision 2000, Stockholm. Sequins, fireworks, and the usual parade of over-choreographed pop acts. And then… two Danish brothers with guitars, singing a tender love song that sounded more suited to a cosy living room than Europe’s biggest stage.

Yet Jørgen and Niels “Noller” Olsen swept the board with “Fly on the Wings of Love”, earning a staggering 195 points– Denmark’s first win since 1963. It was the kind of victory that made every middle-aged man with an acoustic guitar briefly believe he could win Eurovision too. (Spoiler: he couldn’t.)

Post-Eurovision: Riding the Wave (and Sometimes Missing It)

Far from vanishing into the abyss of “where-are-they-now” acts, the brothers milked their moment wisely. Between 2001 and 2013, they dropped seven albums, from heartfelt ballads to soft-rock numbers, including Walk Right Back and Brothers to Brothers.

They weren’t shy about trying to make a comeback either. In 2005, they came second at the Danish national final with “Little Yellow Radio”. By 2007, Jørgen had gone solo, entering with “Vi elsker bare danske piger”… only to finish dead last. Eurovision had clearly moved on to younger, shinier toys.

Life Today: One Brother on Stage, One Fighting for His Life

The fairytale took a cruel turn in 2019 when Niels was diagnosed with a brain tumour after a stroke. That same year, the duo officially retired.

Miraculously, in 2020, Niels was declared cancer-free. But in 2023, the illness returned. Ever the optimist, Niels quipped he was aiming for “six more years”, while Jørgen joked, “Make it twelve.” A dry, Nordic brand of humour that feels like a survival tactic.

Jørgen, meanwhile, refuses to hang up his guitar completely. In 2025, he returned to the Eurovision stage in Basel for a 25th-anniversary interval act, performing a refreshed version of their winning song, aptly renamed “United by Music”.

Their Legacy: Still Flying High

The Olsen Brothers sold over 3 million albums and remain one of Eurovision’s most beloved winners. Their song was voted among the Top 14 Eurovision classics during the 2005 “Congratulations” show – a rare honour for a ballad that was once dismissed as “too old-fashioned”.

Two decades later, Fly on the Wings of Love still does exactly what it promised: makes people smile, sway, and believe – if only for three minutes – that love (and good harmonies) can conquer everything.