The Eurovision 2024 season is beginning to heat up. Over the course of the next few months, we will all fall in and out of love with scores of new national final and Eurovision entries. But that doesn’t mean we forget about the artists from past contests.
Contrary to the commonly perpetuated myth about the song contest killing careers, we’re always thrilled to report that singers associated with Eurovision are thriving.
Here is our latest weekly roundup with a selection of the songs and music videos released recently by Eurovision stars.
New music from Eurovision artists: 2023 | Week 48
Efendi – “Mi Momento”
Efendi may hail from Azerbaijan, but she’s decided to sing her new song entirely in Spanish. The Eurovision 2021 star is taking control of her life and she’s ready to have the spotlight focused purely on her: “And I feel like there’s no way / That someone overshadows me / I defeated the elements / Because now is my time.” The lyrics of “Mi Momento” (“My Moment”) may be in Spanish, but the music still has an Azeri influence courtesy of the traditional instruments used at the end of each chorus and in the bridge. The overall result is a fierce bop that effortlessly blends different elements together.
Lord Of The Lost feat. Blümchen – “The Look”
Lord Of The Lost recorded a cover of “The Look” for their 2022 album Blood & Glitter, and now we have a full music video for it. The song was originally performed by Swedish pop rock duo Roxette. Germany’s Eurovision 2023 performers are joined on the song by singer Jasmin Wagner, known professionally as Blümchen. Some may associate Lord of the Lost with a dark visual style to accompany their rock aesthetic. And whilst the music video begins in a similar way, at the one-minute mark the group surprise us by switching to a more colourful aesthetic that draws upon the song’s original 80’s era of release.
WISBORG feat. Chris Harms – “Im freien Fall”
There’s even more from Lord of the Lost frontman Chris Harms this week. He also features on “Im freien Fall” (“In free fall”), the latest single from WISBORG. A stirring rock offering with a driving beat running throughout, Chris supplies harmonies during the chorus but also leads the start of the bridge.
Cleo – “Tylko z Tobą”
Cleo celebrated St Andrew’s Day with the release of her new song “Tylko z Tobą” (“Only With You”). It’s a steady pop track with a mixture of drum machine and string accompaniment. Poland’s Eurovision 2014 star sings to her loved one and notes how they are the only person she wants to be with right now: “And when the wind blows strong, it won’t destroy us / I only want to be here with you, only with you / I feel good only with you, only with you.” Cleo goes into more detail about the song’s message in the description of the lyric video:
“At some point, in the multitude of external stimuli, impulses, aspirations and goals, we will notice a lack of peace and happiness. It will turn out that true fulfilment can only be achieved with a truly close and loved person, then all external elements will cease to matter. ‘Tylko z Tobą’ is a song about understanding priorities.”
Ermal Meta feat. Jake La Furia – “Male più non fare”
Ermal Meta is dancing his life away. Italy’s Eurovision 2018 star delivers the chorus of the groovy new song “Male più non fare” (“Don’t do any more harm”). Meanwhile, the verses come courtesy of rapper Jake La Furia. The pair suggest that everyone should be able to live their lives as they want and to “dance as you like under this sky.” Those around are not truly able to pass judgement because “Only God or the court can judge you.” They only have one rule when it comes to living freely: “But don’t forget, you won’t do any more harm.”
Blind Channel feat. RØRY – “Die Another Day”
Blind Channel showcase another side to their violent pop style through the new single “Die Another Day”. In fact, the song is not so much “violent” but has an emotional pull to it, including a soft opening formed by a quiet piano melody. The guitars and drums do eventually arrive to help the song build, in addition to extra vocals from English singer RØRY. Lyrically, Finland’s Eurovision 2021 band are trying to retain hope amongst all the darkness in their lives: “You don’t wanna carry on / I know all about giving up / ‘Cause lately I’ve been looking hard / Where is my love? / Where is my luck? / Where is my faith? / My reason to die another day.”
Majk Spirit feat. Ben Cristovao – “realMan”
Slovak rapper Majk Spirit has a new album out this week — nový čLOVEk 2.0. Track #7, “realMan”, features vocals from Czechia’s Eurovision 2021 entrant Ben Cristovao. It’s a mid-tempo track that layers the pair’s rap lines over drum machine beats and melodic guitars.
Ronela Hajati – “Jeta Kriminale”
Ronela Hajati has been busy creating lots of new music for her upcoming EP, Bardh e zi (Black and white). She’s releasing one song from the record every Thursday, starting this week with “Jeta Kriminale” (“Criminal Life”). An urban pop offering, Ronela sings about how there is no end to what she will do in order to be with her criminal boyfriend, even if that means going over to the bad side herself: “Life with collisions / Attempted murder / See you today / I have gone to the end of the world.” The accompanying music video is shot in black and white, but a spot of colour is added when Albania’s Eurovision 2022 star becomes the criminal herself.
Patrick Fiori – “Le chant est libre”
“The singing is free / The voice is there right in front of you / The singing is free / If you want to live stronger than that / Sing with me.” Patrick Fiori is encouraging everyone to lift their voices to the sky. France’s Eurovision 1993 representative uses his new song to talk about the childhood dreams we abandon when adult life begins to take up too much of our time. He suggests that forgetting what we want to do is in itself forgetting who we truly are. Therefore, Fiori reminds us that “Le chant est libre” (“The singing is free”) and that we’re capable of breaking the chains that are holding us back from truly soaring.
Michał Wiśniewski & Piotr Cajdler – “Taniec z Diabłem”
Ich Troje member, and two-time Eurovision participant, Michał Wiśniewski has released a joint song with Piotr Cajdler. “Taniec z Diabłem” (“Dancing with the Devil”) is a mid-tempo ballad with a percussion accompaniment that creates the sensation of a duo dancing the waltz. This is very apt for the lyrics of the song, which see the Polish singers discussing how the devil can entice you to dance. But Michał and Piotr remain steadfast, singing in the final lines of the song: “Tempting devil / Tempting, I must say / But you know what? / Go away now.”
INÊS APENAS feat. Cláudia Pascoal – “Bloqueada (acústico)”
On this date two years ago, “INÊS APENAS” premiered the drum-and-bass-infused single “Bloqueada” (“Blocked”). To kick off December 2023, the Festival da Canção 2023 finalist has shared an EP with new acoustic versions of her previous songs. For the new rendition of “Bloqueada”, APENAS has brought on board the help of fellow Portuguese singer Cláudia Pascoal. The Eurovision 2018 star contributes her smooth vocals to the second verse of the soft piano ballad.
Alicja & Bartek Deryło – “Morze”
Alicja shot to fame after winning season 10 of The Voice Poland. Now she’s teamed up with another alum of the contest, season 13 contestant Bartek Deryło. The pair have recorded the new duet “Morze” (“Sea”). It starts off as a delicate piano ballad, but we get an increasing amount of orchestral accompaniment added during the chorus to help lift the song to new heights.
Voltaj & Zdob si Zdub – “Fratz”
Romania and Moldova join forces for this next single. Eurovision 2015 stars Voltaj have collaborated with three-time entrants Zdob si Zdub for “Fratz”. Combining their styles, the two groups bring us an anthem about unity: “The greens raised me / On both banks of the Prut / That’s it, that’s who I am / I will drink and sing / I will shout ‘I love you!’ / Look, this is how I want to live.” The River Prut forms part of the border between Romania and Moldova.
O.TORVALD – “Я повернусь”
“Why is time going so fast now? / My face… / Where did the smile go? / And where is that weirdo familiar to everyone?” O.TORVALD are trying to come to terms with the passage of time. Ukraine’s Eurovision 2017 band ponder about everything they’ve achieved and whether they’ve made their mark. “Я повернусь” (“I will return”) also has a hidden meaning behind it, as the song was originally written with the intention of being O.TORVALD’s last ever song. The band reveal in the music video’s description:
“The song ‘Я повернусь’ should have ended O.Torvald’s musical career, but the day before we were supposed to announce it at a concert in Lviv, the decision changed.”
Nimrod feat. Ronnie Romero – “Neon Knights”
Nimrod, a thrash metal band from Chile, have this week released their new album Legacy of the Dead. When you make it all the way to the closing song, “Neon Knights”, you’ll hear extra vocals courtesy of Ronnie Romero. Bulgaria’s Eurovision 2021 singer rounds off the album with his rock expertise and delivers a rousing vocal line alongside the multitude of accompanying guitars.
randominacija feat. Who See – “Crtani film”
Montenegrin rapper randominacija has just dropped his new album Origano. Track #13, “Crtani film” (“Cartoon”), features vocals from Eurovision 2013 duo Who See. In the lyrics, the three of them discuss chasing better dreams beyond fictional ideals, and they reference a whole variety of cartoon characters: “Beauty and the Beast, screw it, it’s a small world / It’s rave at the disco and order at the store / Ninja Turtles, choppers, ninja feet 5 / And as in Frozen, the beer is ice cold / Like Ice Age or The Jungle Book.”
Omar Naber – “Sam v mestu”
Omar Naber is “Sam v mestu” (“Alone in the city”). Slovenia’s two-time Eurovision entrant brings a fun new song with an abundance of energy from the offset. It blends elements of pop rock, courtesy of the guitar accompaniment, along with jazz, owing to the inclusion of trumpets and saxophones.
Ivo Fomins – “Vēl viens pagrieziens”
Ivo Fomins was one half of Latvia’s act at Eurovision 2004. His new solo single is “Vēl viens pagrieziens” (“Another twist”). It starts off as a soft-rock track, but becomes increasingly grittier as extra guitars and drums are added. In the chorus, Fomins sings: “Another twist / Then the intersection / Who will be the first, who will be the last of us / One more touch / And nothing, and no one.”
Linda Martin – “Downtown”
Ireland’s Eurovision 1992 champion is back with her first new single in two years. Linda Martin has dropped a cover of “Downtown”, first released in 1964 by Petula Clark. This version is jazzed up courtesy of music producer Matt Pop, who adds in synths and electronic beats to transform it into a retro dance-pop track.
Dolly Parton feat. Måneskin – “Jolene”
Acclaimed country singer Dolly Parton recently swapped to the rock genre for the very first time with the release of her latest album, Rockstar. As part of the record’s deluxe version, Dolly has collaborated with Italy’s Eurovision 2021 winners, Måneskin, for a new cover of her smash hit song “Jolene”. Damiano takes lead vocals on the track, with Parton providing backup. Officially, this bonus track is only available via the download-only version of Rockstar, so sadly isn’t on streaming platforms at the moment.
Which of these new songs is your favourite? Have we missed out on any? Do you have any artists you want to shout out to? Let us know in the comments.
