Sylvia Vrethammar, born Eva Sylvia Vrethammar on August 22, 1945, in Uddevalla, Sweden, is a Swedish singer known for her versatility across genres including pop, schlager, jazz, swing, samba, and ballads. Raised in Stockholm after moving there as a child, she initially aspired to be a concert pianist, studying under Astrid Berwald at Richard Andersson's Musikschule and continuing her education at the Royal Swedish Academy of Music. At 16, she began performing at amateur music festivals, winning several prizes. Sylvia Vrethammar's singing career commenced in 1967 with the Rune Öfwerman Trio. Her first television appearance followed in 1968, and her debut album, Tycker om dej, was released in 1969, featuring the hit single "Ich liebe dich" which charted successfully in Sweden. In 1970, she co-hosted the entertainment show Hylands hörna with Lennart Hyland and performed at the international Song Festival in Rio de Janeiro. Her breakthrough came in 1973 with the release of her most successful single "Y Viva Espana", which reached number 4 on the British Single Charts. Throughout the mid-1970s, she appeared on German television shows like Hit-Journal and ZDF-Hitparade, and starred in the television film Ein Sommernachtsball. Sylvia Vrethammar participated five times in the Melodifestivalen, Sweden's selection for the Eurovision Song Contest, with her last appearance in 2013. Notable collaborations include working with jazz pianist Jan Lundgren on the album Champagne (2006) and contributing to Kristian Anttila’s album Svenska Tjejer (2010). She continued to release music at a steady pace in the following years, including albums like Trivialitet (2013), MUSIK (2014), and The Girl from Uddevalla (2017).
