New music from Katerine Duska, Aram Mp3, Samra and more

The Eurovision season is hotting up. Over recent months we’ve been falling 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 11

Katerine Duska – “Sanctuary”

Greece and Canada joined forces in Katerine Duska at Eurovision 2019. Now, the star has dropped her first solo release since her performance in Tel Aviv. The new track is called “Sanctuary”, and fans of her Eurovision entry will certainly find much to love here as well. A staccato percussion beat underlines the alternative-pop song, while Duska’s vocals are laid effortlessly on top. The song builds to an empowering final chorus.

Francesca Michielin – FEAT (Stato di Natura)

Over the past few weeks, Francesca Michielin has been dropping a number of songs in the lead up to her new collaborative album, FEAT (Stato de Natura). Thankfully, the LP is now here in all its glory. There’s eleven tracks for fans to enjoy, with each song featuring one or more stars from across the Italian music scene.

Aram Mp3 – “Heriq Eghav”

Aram Mp3 secured Armenia’s best result of the 2010’s, finishing fourth at Eurovision 2014. Although his entry to the contest was a contemporary power ballad, over the past six years the star has perhaps become better known for his uptempo tracks. His latest song, “Heriw Eghav”, sits somewhere in the middle – it’s mid-tempo in nature, but has enough of a dance beat to get the listener bopping along. The accompanying music video was shot inside a warehouse and features cars, gas masks and a giant teddy bear.

Samra – “Queen”

The word “Queen” gets thrown around a lot on social media. But, Eurovision 2016 act Samra is here to let us know that she is most definitely one in her new single. The track was co-written by Johanna Jansson – better known as Melodifestivalen 2020 runner-up Dotter. In a statement sent to wiwibloggs, the Azerbaijani singer reveals more about the track and her upcoming album:

My new single “Queen” is about haters. It’s all about a mock smile and a mock life, as I’m singing in the song “I am a queen, and you are a clown”. On that song I collaborated with Swedish composers and I trust we did really well. At the moment I’m working on my new album, which is in hip-hop style and it’s almost ready. But first, I decided to release a single that I have been keeping for so long. I decided to release it on International Women’s Day and dedicate it to all self-confident and self-sufficient “Queens” all around the World.

Douwe Bob – “Until Then”

The Netherlands’ streak of sending country songs to Eurovision may have come to an end for now, but Douwe Bob is still releasing such tracks for fans of the genre. His new song is “Until Then”, and it mixes guitar and piano instrumentation. Lyrically, Douwe sings about wanting to reconnect with a former lover, but until then he’s happy to be friends.

Emma – “Luci Blu”

Emma has established herself as a force to be reckoned with in the Italian music scene. Now, Italy’s Eurovision 2014 representative has dropped the music video for her latest single “Luci Blu” (“Blue Lights”), which comes from her most recent album Fortuna. The video is set in a remote countryside house. Emma travels to the property, where she begins to reminisce about the time she once spent with a loved one at that location.

Cláudia Pascoal – “Espalha Brasas”

Cláudia Pascoal represented Portugal on home soil at Eurovision 2018. Sadly, she wasn’t able to replicate their victory the year before, finishing last in the grand final. Nevertheless, the Portuguese singer isn’t letting that put her down and has now released her new single “Espalha Brasas” (“Spreading Embers”). The accompanying music video sees Pascoal rocking blue-coloured hair and singing around an abandoned house with four backing singers.

Alexey Vorobyov (feat. Frendy) – “Мама все пройдёт”

Russia’s Alexey Vorobyov is known for his cheeky personality and upbeat songs in both Russian and English. However, for his latest single, the Eurovision 2011 star has slowed things down and released a more personal track. “Мама все пройдёт” (“Mum, all will pass”) sees Vorobyov talk about his childhood, and the music video includes clips and photos from this time. The song comes from his new EP Аудиозаметки, and features vocals from the Russian duo Frendy.

KEiiNO (feat. Charlotte Qamaniq) – “Black Leather” (Official Music Video)

A couple of week’s ago, Norway’s KEiiNO released their new single “Black Leather”, featuring Canadian throat singer Charlotte Qamaniq. Now, the Eurovision 2019 act have dropped the music video for the track. It sees Alexandra Rotan, Tom Hugo and Fred Buljo head to a club and get right amongst the action on the dance floor.

R3HAB and Elena Temnikova – “Where You Wanna Be”

Elena Temnikova was one of the three original members of Serebro, Russia’s Eurovision 2007 girl-group. She’s since developed a successful solo career; but, for her latest release the star has collaborated with Dutch-Moroccan DJ R3HAB. Their song “Where You Wanna Be” is a dance track that builds up to an electronic drop in the chorus.

Profetik & MBX (feat. Rykka) – “Higher”

If you’re in need of a club song to dance the night away to then Rykka has you covered. The Swiss singer has teamed up with Profetik and MBX on their new track “Higher”. Providing vocals for the chorus, the Eurovision 2016 act is ready to get us in the party spirit.

Justinas Jarutis and Monique – “Baby Blue”

Monique was a fan favourite in Lithuania’s Pabandom is naujo 2020. Unfortunatley, it wasn’t to be her year, but she still gained a number of fans from across Europe. Now, those fans have a new track to enjoy. Monique has teamed up with Justinas Jarutis on “Baby Blue”. It’s an indie-pop track full of percussion instrumentation that sees the two Lithuanian stars harmonising in the chorus.

Klara & Jag (feat. Oscar Enestad) – “Aska”

Osar Enestad is a two-time Melodifestivalen star – once with the boy band FO&O and once as a soloist. The singer has now put his vocals to the bridge of the new song by Swedish duo Klara & Jag. “Aska” (“Ash”) is a solid pop track and utilises a synthesised voice in the post-chorus.

Famous Oberogo – “Hoy Ya No”

Although Famous Oberogo was the winner of Operación Triunfo 2018, it was Miki Núñez who won the Eurovision Gala and represented Spain at Eurovision 2019. Oberogo has nonetheless gone on to develop his musical career. His new song is “Hoy Ya No” (“Not Today”). It’s a soulful ballad that shows off the Spanish singer’s vocal strengths and just why he won the reality singing competition.