1. Jacques Houdek was born on Zeljko Houdek; 14 April 1981 and is a Croatian recording artist who represented Croatia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 with the song "My Friend".
12 Facts About Jacques Houdek
1. 2.
Jacques Houdek is one of the mentors in the Croatian version of the TV talent show The Voice.
3.
Jacques Houdek was born as Zeljko Houdek on 14 April 1981 in Velika Gorica.
4.
Jacques Houdek attended singing lessons with professor Viktorija Badrov who wanted him to become an opera singer.
5.
Jacques Houdek continued to build up his knowledge on Berklee seminars in Europe, where he had the opportunity to be mentored by Donna McElroy, a Grammy Award nominee.
6.
The next month, Jacques Houdek signed an exclusive contract with Croatia Records, the leading music publisher in the region, with whom he has produced 13 albums.
7.
Jacques Houdek said in an interview for Jutarnji list that he is apolitical and that those were just professional engagements as any other.
8.
In January 2011, Jacques Houdek placed fourth in the finals of the Open Mic UK singing contest held in London's O2 Arena.
9.
Jacques Houdek participated in the British TV show X Factor, where he was given the nickname "Croatian Sensation" and entered the top 100 candidates.
10.
Jacques Houdek was unable to continue his participation in the contest because he did not receive a work permit in time.
11.
In February 2017, Jacques Houdek was selected to represent Croatia at the Eurovision Song Contest in Kyiv, Ukraine.
12.
In 2011, Jacques Houdek was nominated for the title "Homophobe of the Decade" by the LGBT Zagreb Pride organisation which called him "without doubt the biggest homophobe in Croatian showbiz".