Singer Monroe performs during the Eurovision semifinal. Photo: Tobias Schwarz/AFP via Getty Images)
To reach the Eurovision Grand Final this weekend, pop-classical sensation Monroe began her journey to the stage an ocean away.
The intrigue: Monroe, who represented France in the annual song contest, hails from Utah.
She was born in Salt Lake to a French mother and grew up in Brigham City.
The latest: Monroe ranked 11th in the contest, which Bulgaria's Dara won with the dance hit "Bangaranga."
What they're saying: "It was in church that I began to sing, in my small town of Brigham City," she told the French magazine Pèlerin. "It was there that I understood the power of music to create connections between people, but also between heaven and earth."
By the numbers: At 17, she was this year's youngest contestant, the AP reports.
Worth your time: Watch Monroe's performance of "Regarde" on YouTube.
