Winta Efrem Negassi, known professionally as Winta, was born on March 20, 1984, in Haugerud, Oslo, Norway. She is a Norwegian singer with Eritrean parents who showed an early interest in music. Her first singles, "Emotions" and "Hot Romance (Rok With You)", were released between 2002 and 2004, with the latter being written by Taio Cruz. Winta's debut album First was released in 2004, featuring videos for her singles directed by Ray Kay. In 2011, she released her second album My Life, which included notable tracks such as "Top of the World" and "Nails on a Chalkboard". Winta also contributed to the album Nå har vi vaska golvet - Sanger av Alf Prøysen with a duet performance of "Julekveldsvisa" alongside Maria Arredondo. She participated in the Melodi Grand Prix 2013, performing "Not Afraid".
