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Raphael

Raphael sang at two Eurovision Song Contests, in 1966 and 1967, for Spain. The best result was 6th place in 1967, with “Hablemos del amor”.

who
Spanish recording artist; singer and actor
born
5 May 1943, Linares, Spain
contests
1966, 1967
best result
6th, 1967
music
pop
active
since 1961
record labels
EMI Latin, EMI, Philips Records, Hispavox
sang for
Spain

Biography

Raphael is a Spanish singer and actor, widely known for a broad vocal range and a commanding presence on stage. Raphael sang for Spain two years running and each time set the country’s best result up to then: “Yo soy aquél” finished joint seventh in Luxembourg in 1966, and “Hablemos del amor” sixth in Vienna in 1967.

Written by ESC Predictions, 8 October 2026. Sources: Wikipedia, “Raphael (singer)”.

At Eurovision

Two songs, oldest first, and what became of each.

  1. 1966 Luxembourg City

    Spain

    “Yo soy aquél”

    7th of 18 Finished 7th of 18, with 9 points.

    Sung in
    Spanish
    Written by
    Manuel Alejandro
    Conductor
    Rafael Ibarbia
    Running order
    11th of 18
    Age on the night
    22
    Won that year
    Austria: Udo Jürgens, “Merci, Chérie”

    The story of Eurovision 1966: Third time lucky for Udo Jürgens — and nul points for Modugno

  2. 1967 Vienna

    Spain

    “Hablemos del amor”

    6th of 17 Finished 6th of 17, with 9 points.

    Sung in
    Spanish
    Written by
    Manuel Alejandro
    Conductor
    Manuel Alejandro
    Running order
    12th of 17
    Age on the night
    23
    Won that year
    United Kingdom: Sandie Shaw, “Puppet on a String”

    The story of Eurovision 1967: Mirrors, a muddled scoreboard and Britain's first win

Away from Eurovision

Awards

  • Commander of the Order of Isabella the Catholic 1987
  • Gold Medal of Work Merit 1999
  • International Latin Music Hall of Fame 2003
  • Gold Medal of Merit in the Fine Arts 2006
  • Adopted Son of Madrid 2018
  • Medal of the Community of Madrid 2019
  • Lo Nuestro Excellence Award 2020
  • Billboard Latin Music Lifetime Achievement Award 2022

As recorded on Wikidata, which is rarely the whole list.

In our contest stories

What we wrote about Raphael, year by year. Follow a link for the rest of that night.

  • 1967 Seventeen

    Three singers had been here before: Italy's Claudio Villa, Norway's Kirsti Sparboe and Spain's Raphael, who had sung in Luxembourg the year before.

Results as published by the European Broadcasting Union. Biographical details from Wikidata. The photo is from Wikimedia Commons and is credited beside it. Spotted a mistake? Tell us and we'll fix it.