| abstract | - Åse Maria Kleveland is a Norwegian singer, songwriter musician and politician born in Sweden. She began playing classical guitar at the age of eight and made her debut on a radio show two years later. She represented her country at the Eurovision Song Contest 1966 in Luxembourg with the song Intet er nytt under solen. She finished third, which at that time was the highest placing for a Norwegian entry until Bobbysocks!' victory in 1985. Because of her achievement, Åse was asked to host the Eurovision Song Contest 1986 in Bergen, following her fellow 1966 contestant Lill Lindfors. Six years prior, she appeared at the Eurovision Song Contest 1980 in The Hague to introduce the Norwegian entry. From 1990 until 1996, she was appointed the Minister of Culture in the Norwegian government, and from 1999 to 2006 she served as the president of the Swedish Film Institute. She currently serves as Chairman of the Board for the Norwegian Humanist Association, a position she has held since 2007.
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