I love the Belgian singer Tonia so much - I think Germany would have done much better with Tonia and the song "Sebastian" at the 1973 Eurovision Song Contest than Gitte.

I love the Belgian singer Tonia so much - I think Germany would have done much better with Tonia and the song "Sebastian" at the 1973 Eurovision Song Contest than Gitte. Tonia - Sebastian-------------------------- Tonia Mertens (born Arlette Antoine Dominicus on July 25, 1947 in Anderlecht) is a Flemish singer. Career Tonia first appeared on stage at the age of twelve and later worked as a singer and dancer at the Folies Bergère in Brussels. In 1962, she released her first record, "Mon p'tit copain de vacances" in French. In 1965, she performed at the Knokke Song Festival. This was followed by Flemish versions of German hits such as Drie musketiers (Three Musketeers) and Met 16 kan je nog dromen (At 17 You Still Have Dreams). Her biggest hit of this period was "Geef mij voor mijn verjaardag toch een Beatle" / "Pour mon anniversaire je voudrais un Beatle" (I wish I had a Beatle for my birthday). She was also successful in Germany with songs such as "Texas-Cowboy-Pferde-Sattel-Verkäuferin" (German Hit Competition 1969). She rose to international fame when she represented Belgium at the 1966 Eurovision Song Contest with the song "Un peu de poivre, un peu de sel" (Un peu de sel), finishing fourth. With the song "Sebastian," composed by Heinz Kiessling and written by Carl J. Schäuble, she placed second in the German preliminary round for the 1973 contest in Luxembourg, just one point behind Gitte's entry "Junger Tag." She also placed seventh in the same preliminary round with "Mir gefällt diese Welt." Tonia is the daughter of professional cyclist Jef Dominicus. Her mother was a revue and operetta singer. Her first husband was trumpeter Albert Mertens. She is married to musician Paul Bourdiaudhy.