New music this week: 17 songs from Blanche, Sergey Lazarev, Francesco Gabbani and more

The Eurovision season is hotting up. And 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 and performers associated with both Eurovision itself and the various national selections are thriving.

Here is a selection of just some of the songs and music videos released in the last week or so.

New music from Eurovision artists: 2020 | Week 7

Blanche – “Empire”

She took Belgium to the top four at Eurovision 2017. Now, Blanche has released the new track “Empire”. The song is the title track of her debut album, which is set for release on 24th April. Talking about the song on Instagram, Blanche notes the track has been a long time coming:

I started writing the song “Empire” in my studio in Brussels in November 2017, it evolved a lot through the years and through the new people I met who worked on it. I couldn’t be happier with the way things have turned out and I truly hope the song reaches your heart.

Sergey Lazarev feat. DJ Ivan Martin – “Back In Time”

Two-time Eurovision bronze medallist Sergey Lazarev is taking us “Back In Time” for his latest single. The 2016 and 2019 participant has teamed up with DJ Ivan Martin for the English-language song. As the title might suggest, the dance-pop track has a retro vibe to it and features plenty of electronic production elements.

Eugent Bushpepa – “Stary With Me Tonight”

At Eurovision 2018, Eugent Bushpepa gave Albania to a solid eleventh place finish, not least due to his insane vocal talent. The talented crooner has now released the new song “Stay with Me Tonight”. It’s a slow but sweeping ballad, with piano and string instruments providing the perfect accompaniment for Eugent’s masterful vocals. The result is a song that displays every bit of his amazing ability to connect words and emotions to music.

The accompanying music video sees the Albanian star working through the pain of losing the love of his life, but ever hopeful and longing for his love to come back to him. Through flashback replays of the good (and bad) moments in the relationship, Eugent pleads for his love to give him another chance so they can reclaim what made their connection so strong. (Josh)

Francesco Gabbani – Viceversa

Italy’s Eurovision 2017 participant Francesco Gabbani was back on our screens just over a week ago for Festival di Sanremo 2020. After achieving an impressive second place, the singer has now released his new album Viceversa. The LP includes nine new songs, including his Sanremo 2020 entry “Viceversa”, for fans to enjoy.

Mihai Traistariu – “Sorries are never enough”

Along with composer Alex Luft, Mihai had prepared “Sorries Are Never Enough” for submission to Selectia Nationala. However, his intentions turned to dust when Romanian broadcaster TVR announced its collaboration with record label Global Records for Eurovision 2020. Regardless, the Eurovision 2006 contestant has gone ahead and published the song on YouTube. It’s a symphonic ballad with an electronic/dub-step flair and some rather dodgy English lyrics. Read more here. (Barnabás)

Lake Malawi – “Lucy”

Lake Malawi’s new song “Lucy” is a radio-pop number. It has rock and electro elements with pitch-perfect harmonies in the chorus. The style here sits well with the Czech band’s 80’s inspired catalogue. The track was inspired by the band’s fun experiences with a cardboard cut-out of Eurovision 2019 host Lucy Ayoub in the press room during their time in Tel Aviv. Read more about the song here. (Deban)

zalagasper – 4

With new music Friday falling on Valentine’s Day this week, it was perhaps fitting that this was the date zalagasper chose to release their debut album 4. The couple, who represented Slovenia at Eurovision 2019, dropped the ten-song LP. The album includes their Eurovision entry “Sebi” and follow-up single “Come to Me”.

Aminata – “Nejauc man prātu”

Eurovision 2015 singer Aminata has transitioned to releasing music in her native Latvian language over the last year. This continues into her new single “Nejauc man prātu” (“Do no confuse me”), which features a catchy combination of electronic and percussion instrumentation. The accompanying music video sees Aminata and her band performing in an abandoned warehouse while all dressed in red.

Philipp Kirkorov – “Романы”

Philipp Kirkorov represented Russia at Eurovision 1995 and has gone on to be the mastermind behind many of their entries over the past decade. His new single is “Романы” (Novels”), and is the title track of his upcoming album set for release on 6th March. As we expect from the star, it’s another upbeat track mixing old-school pop with modern production. In the music video, Philipp plays a priest who is trying to deal with the lust he feels for a woman. Thankfully, there are some karate-fighting nuns to help him out.

Dami Im – “Marching On” (Official Music Video)

Last week, Australia’s Dami Im released her new song “Marching On”. Now, the Eurovision 2016 runner-up has dropped the music video for the single. In it, we see Dami exploring the forest. This is interspersed with clips of the Australian star at various points of her life, including as a baby, performing music recitals and at her wedding.

Polina Gagarina – “Сияй со мной”

Polina Gagarina took home the silver medal at Eurovision 2015. Following on from this, she dropped the album 9 in 2016. Now, the Russian star has released “Сияй со мной” (“Shine with me”), which is a new version of the song “Танцуй со мной” (“Dance with me”) that originally featured on 9. This new version is in honour of Polina’s collaboration with Russian cosmetics brand Shine is! The music video is hence full of glitter and sparkle.

Ryan Dolan – “Blinding Lights”

Ryan Dolan represented Ireland at Eurovision 2013 with “Only Love Survives”. This week, he released a cover of “Blinding Lights” by The Weekend. Ryan strips it back and slows the tempo down a bit, turning it into an emotional ballad.

Sakis Rouvas and Nicol Raidman – “Always”

Greek superstar Sakis Rouvas went to Eurovision twice for Greece. But, recently he’s turned his attention to Israel and been teaming up with Nicol Raidman, a star of Israel’s answer to The Real Housewives franchise. After doing a cover of his Eurovision 2004 entry “Shake It”, the duo have now released the new single “Always”. Despite being a generally fun mid-tempo pop track featuring traditional instrumentation, the music video takes a dramatic turn after the second chorus…

Lena Katina – “Вирус”

Lena Katina was one half of Russian musical duo t.A.T.u., who placed third at Eurovision 2003. Since the duo’s breakup, Katina has kept up her solo career and now released the song “Вирус” (“Virus”). It’s a mid-tempo offering with a fairly repetitive beat and chorus.

REȘIȚA ROCKS feat. Ovidiu Anton – “Never Let Go”

There’s rarely a Eurovision season that goes by without any Eurodrama involved. Sadly, in 2016, it was mainly centred around Romania’s forced withdrawal from the contest owing to financial debts to the EBU. This meant Anton, who had already been selected to represent Romania at the contest, was also forced to withdraw. Thankfully, that hasn’t put him off continuing his music career. He recently teamed up with rock band REȘIȚA ROCKS on the song “Never Let Go”.

Max Barskih – “Лей, не жалей” (Official Music Video)

Maz Barskih finished second in Ukraine’s national selection for Eurovision 2012. Since then, he’s gone to to become a bona fide star in his home country and the surrounding region with countless chart-hitting songs to his name. Last week, Barskih released the music video for his latest single “Лей, не жалей” (“Lei, don’t be sorry”). Racking up seven million views since it’s release, the clip sees the Ukrainian star at a house party that gets continuously wild throughout the night.

Joakim Lundell feat. Dotter – “Under Water”

Dotter earned a spot at the Melodifestivalen 2020 final after being one of the top two finishers in the second semi-final last week. But, the Swedish star isn’t resting with her time off until the grand final. She features on the new song “Under Water” by Joakim Lundell. The song calls for people to leave relationships at the first sign of any violence.

Which song 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.

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