Following the cancellation of Eurovision last year, the majority of the class of 2020 received the comeback ticket to sing again at Eurovision 2021. A massive 26 artists will return to represent their countries at Eurovision 2021. But as per the standard Eurovision rules, they’ve all got new songs.
Thus, comparisons to their previous entries are inevitable. So, we put the new songs to the test. In a series of poll battles, we asked our readers whether they prefer the returning artist’ 2020 or 2021 songs. And now, the results are in!
Across our 26 poll battles, you cast a whopping 43,882 votes. We can now reveal that you prefer 12 songs from 2020 and 14 songs from 2021. So it’s an extremely close competition all round! We’ve combined all the individual results into one post, so we’ll be going through each country one by one. Scroll down to see how your favourites performed!
Poll battle results: Eurovision 2021 returning artists
Australia: Montaigne
- “Dont Break Me” (2020) — 56.17% (1,698 votes)
- “Technicolour” (2021) — 42.83% (1,325 votes)
Total votes: 3,023
Serving Mr. Mime clown realness, hyperpop artist Montaigne won Australia Decides 2020 with “Don’t Break Me”. Her new track “Technicolour” marks a shift in aesthetic, with the singer from down under sporting a more vibrant fantasy look and sound. The vote was close, but our readers preferred Montaigne’s 2020 entry to her 2021 track.
Austria: Vincent Bueno
- “Alive” (2020) — 65.01% (953 votes)
- “Amen” (2021) — 34.99% (513 votes)
Total votes: 1,466
Vincent Bueno goes to both ends of the pop music spectrum with his Eurovision discography. In 2020, he showed his energy with a dance-pop number. And this year, he’s showing his heart, singing an emotional ballad with themes of death and sorrow. “Alive” won the poll battle over “Amen”.
Azerbaijan: Efendi
- “Cleopatra” (2020) — 61.04% (1,175 votes)
- “Mata Hari” (2021) — 38.96% (750 votes)
Total votes: 1,925
With both 2020’s “Cleopatra” and 2021’s “Mata Hari”, Azerbaijan’s Efendi celebrates the lives of powerful women. But with our readers, the Ptolemaic Egyptian ruler edged out in front ahead of the Dutch exotic dancer-turned-spy.
Belgium: Hooverphonic
- “Release Me” (2020) — 21.65% (371 votes)
- “The Wrong Place” (2021) — 78.35% (1,343 votes)
Total votes: 1,714
The Hooverphonic lineup changed this year. Last year, Luka Cruysberghs provided vocals on “Release Me”. But for Eurovision 2021, Alex and Raymond drafted in former band member Geike Arnaert to sing the lead on “The Wrong Place”. Ultimately, y’all preferred Geike’s song.
Bulgaria: VICTORIA
- “Tears Getting Sober” (2020) — 66.7% (1,336 votes)
- “Growing Up Is Getting Old” (2021) — 33.3% (667 votes)
Total votes: 2,003
She was one of the bookmakers’ favourites to win Eurovision 2020. VICTORIA had a lot of expectations to live up to after last year. However, our readers preferred 2020’s “Tears Getting Sober” to 2021’s “Growing Up Is Getting Old”, with a little over two thirds of the vote.
Czech Republic: Benny Cristo
- “Kemama” (2020) — 26.56% (404 votes)
- “Omaga” (2021) — 73.44% (1,117 votes)
Total votes: 1,521
Benny Cristo is a worldwide artist who brings various musical elements from different cultures to his art. In 2020, he was set to sing “Kemama” — a portmanteau abbreviation of “okay mama”. This year, he’s bringing a flirtatious vibe to Rotterdam with “Omaga” — a contraction of “of my god”. In our poll battle, the latter picked up more votes.
Estonia: Uku Suviste
- “What Love Is” (2020) — 21.16% (190 votes)
- “The Lucky One” (2021) — 78.84% (708 votes)
Total votes: 898
Uku Suviste wasn’t given the Estonian ticket to Rotterdam automatically. Instead, he had to fight his way through Eesti Laul to earn his spot at Eurovision 2021. You voted “The Lucky One” as your favourite over “What Love Is”.
Georgia: Tornike Kipiani
- “Take Me As I Am” (2020) — 78.42% (872 votes)
- “You” (2021) — 21.58% (240 votes)
Total votes: 1,112
The Georgian Idol champion serves two very different vibes with his 2020 and 2021 Eurovision songs. But our readers preferred the hard grit of “Take Me As I Am” to the soft mellow tones of “You”.
Greece: Stefania
- “SUPERG!RL” (2020) — 19.07% (538 votes)
- “Last Dance” (2021) — 80.93% (2,283 votes)
Total votes: 2,821
Greece’s Stefania showed off her superpowers in 2020 with “SUPERG!RL”. And this year, she’s continuing the fantasy themes, bringing dreampop together with modern disco on “Last Dance”. She rode her pegasus into the hearts of our readers — the latter won the poll battle by a landslide.
Iceland: Daði og Gagnamagnið
- “Think About Things” (2020) — 77.08% (1,567 votes)
- “10 Years” (2021) — 22.92% (466 votes)
Total votes: 2,033
Another one of the favourites to win Eurovision 2020, and the initial favourite to win Eurovision 2021 ahead of the song’s release, Daði og Gagnamagnið had a lot to live up to. In our poll, their 2020 viral hit “Think About Things” outperformed Iceland’s 2021 offering “10 Years” by a considerable margin.
Ireland: Lesley Roy
- “Story of My Life” (2020) — 17.46% (263 votes)
- “Maps” (2021) — 82.54% (1,243 votes)
“Story of My Life” saw Lesley Roy celebrate uniqueness and individuality. “Maps” sees the Irish singer go back to her roots and find strength in weakness. Lesley’s 2021 entry struck a chord with our readers, beating out its predecessor by a huge margin.
Total votes: 1,506
Israel: Eden Alene
- “Feker Libi” (2020) — 57.6% (1,315 votes)
- “Set Me Free” (2021) — 42.4% (968 votes)
Eden Alene’s track for Eurovision 2020 contained lyrics in English, Hebrew, Amharic and Arabic. For 2021, she’s sending another multi-lingual track — complete with whistle tones and the highest note in Eurovision history. But our readers voted “Feker Libi” as their favourite over the newly revamped “Set Me Free”.
Total votes: 2,283
Latvia: Samanta Tina
- “Still Breathing” (2020) — 58.91% (836 votes)
- “The Moon Is Rising” (2021) — 41.09% (583 votes)
Total votes: 1,419
Life is music, she is a composer. But composers will always have that one piece that music lovers prefer over everything else in their catalogue. Samanta Tina’s 2020 entry “Still Breathing” beat out her 2021 entry “The Moon Is Rising” as wiwibloggs readers’ favourite.
Lithuania: The Roop
- “On Fire” (2020) — 60.7% (1,259 votes)
- “Discoteque” (2021) — 39.3% (815 votes)
Total votes: 2,074
After triumphing at national final Pabandom iš Naujo! for the second year in a row, Lithuania’s The Roop secured their Eurovision return ticket. In 2020, they set the world “On Fire” with their iconic dance routines. And this year they’re bringing the “Discoteque” to Rotterdam. Our readers voted “On Fire” their favourite of the two.
Malta: Destiny
- “All of My Love” (2020) — 38.04% — (512 votes)
- “Je Me Casse” (2021) — 61.96% (834 votes)
Total votes: 1,346
The Junior Eurovision 2015 champion went from gospel to Charleston with her back-to-back Eurovision entries. “Je Me Casse” is currently the bookmakers’ favourite to win Eurovision 2021 and bring Malta its first song contest victory. And our readers liked it too — winning the poll by a decent margin over “All of My Love”.
Moldova: Natalia Gordienko
- “Prison” (2020) — 16.91% (241 votes)
- “Sugar” (2021) — 83.09% (1,184 votes)
Total votes: 1,425
With the help of Philipp Kirkorov and The Dream Team, Moldova’s Natalia Gordienko shifted from a dramatic ballad in 2020 to a sugary pop-happy track in 2021. And our readers couldn’t resist the sweetness. “Sugar” beat out “Prison” by a huge majority.
The Netherlands: Jeangu Macrooy
- “Grow” (2020) — 71% (1,026 votes)
- “Birth of a New Age” (2021) — 29% (419 votes)
Total votes: 1,445
Last year, Jeangu Macrooy was set to represent The Netherlands on home soil with “Grow”. And this year, he’ll celebrate his Surinamese heritage, fusing sounds from multiple reference points on “Birth of a New Age”. Y’all voted Jeangu’s 2020 entry as favourite of the two.
North Macedonia: Vasil
- “You” (2020) — 76.54% (757 votes)
- “Here I Stand” (2021) — 23.46% (232 votes)
Total votes: 989
From sultry dance-pop to dramatic musical theatre, Vasil serves two distinct vibes across his two Eurovision entries. In the end, y’all voted “You” as your favourite over “Here I Stand”.
Romania: Roxen
- “Alcohol You” (2020) — 34.57% (757 votes)
- “Amnesia” (2021) — 65.43% (1,433 votes)
Total votes: 2,190
She once sang of depression and mental health struggles in “Alcohol You”, but this year Roxen is lifting spirits and reminding listeners to practice self care with “Amnesia”. In our poll, wiwibloggs readers voted the latter their favourite of the two Romanian entries.
San Marino: Senhit
- “Freaky!” (2020) — 5.39% (97 votes)
- “Adrenalina” (2021) — 94.61% (1,704 votes)
Total votes: 1,801
She flew under the radar in 2020, but the “Freaky!” Queen delivered the gag of the season when she announced her Eurovision 2021 song would feature American rap sensation Flo Rida. The pair’s collaboration on “Adrenalina” caused waves amongst fans, and pushed San Marino up the odds with bookmakers. Our readers loved it, too. “Adrenalina” won the poll by the widest margin in any of our 2020 vs. 2021 poll battles.
Serbia: Hurricane
- “Hasta La Vista” (2020) — 47.34% (766 votes)
- “Loco Loco” (2021) — 52.66% (862 votes)
Total votes: 1,618
Serbia’s biggest girl group on the block are turning up the heat. They were set to sing “Hasta La Vista” at Eurovision 2020, and this year they’re bringing back the Latin flair with “Loco Loco”. In our poll battle, the latter beat out its predecessor by a slim margin.
Slovenia: Ana Soklič
- “Voda” (2020) — 37.26% (462 votes)
- “Amen” (2021) — 62.74% (778 votes)
Total votes: 1,240
Two big ballads. One in Slovene, one in English. Ana Soklič’s powerful vocals are stellar, regardless of which language she sings in. But ultimately, our readers preferred 2021’s “Amen” over 2020’s “Voda”.
Spain: Blas Cantó
- “Universo” (2020) — 54.72% (805 votes)
- “Voy a quedarme” (2021) — 45.28% (666 votes)
Total votes: 1,471
In 2020, Blas Cantó brought energetic pop with “Universo”. But in 2021, he’s delivering a softer, more vulnerable side with the classic ballad “Voy a quedarme”. The vote was close, but Blas’ 2020 entry emerged as the winner of our poll battle.
Switzerland: Gjon’s Tears
- “Répondez-moi” (2020) — 49.67% (750 votes)
- “Tout l’univers” (2021) — 50.33% (760 votes)
Total votes: 1,509
One of the favourites to win both Eurovision 2020 and Eurovision 2021, Gjon’s Tears brings big vocals with his two dramatic ballads. With the slimmest margin in all of our poll battles, “Tout l’univers” beats out “Répondez-moi” as our readers favourite by just ten votes.
Ukraine: Go_A
- “Solovey” (2020) — 42.24% (757 votes)
- “SHUM” (2021) — 57.76% (1,035)
Total votes: 1,792
Ukraine’s Go_A serve folk-EDM fusion on both of their Eurovision entries. But in the end, wiwibloggs readers preferred the rave vibes of “SHUM” over the rockier metal-influenced “Solovey”.
United Kingdom: James Newman
- “My Last Breath” (2020) — 22.97% (289 votes)
- “Embers” (2021) — 77.03% (969 votes)
Total votes: 1,258
Last year, James Newman gave us his last breath as we clung on to hope. And this year, he’s promised to light up the room. Indeed, the icy themes of the UK’s 2020 entry have been melted away by a blast of fire — our readers prefer “Embers” over “My Last Breath” by a huge margin.
What do you think of the poll results? Which artist had the biggest glow up from 2020 to 2021? Let us know in the comments below.
“Amen” over “Voda”… heeeell no.
“Voy a quedarme” better than “Universo” at least less artificial and organic.
“Rezpondez-moi” better than “Tout l’universe”. Both are so good, but the former is brilliant.
I agree with most of the results, except I like Tehnicolor, Solovey, Growing up is gettig old, Discoteque, Hasta la vista and Prison more.
Cool article! Thanks for compiling all of that. 🙂
Australia: 2020 (I’ve really tried, but I just can’t connect with Technicolour, sorry :/) Austria: 2020: (Even though Amen has grown on me a bit, I still prefer Alive by far, which was heavily underratted imo) Azerbaijan: 2021 (slightly prefer Mata Hari, since it’s more catchy, but loved Cleopatra as well) Belgium: 2021 Bulgaria: 2020 (even tho GUIGO has grown on me, TGS will always have a special place in my heart and was just a masterpiece) Czech Republic: 2021 (actually a really catchy tune, I do think that this will come alive on the stage and will surprise in… Read more »
technicolor is miles better than don’t break me in my opinion
Same! It’s so interesting.
So, basically the smallest margin was with Gjon’s songs while the biggest one was with Senhit’s (not a surprise) but I’m actually really amazed by the insane amount of people who prefer ‘Think About Things’ over ‘10 Years’! His 2021 song is better imo and I really don’t know why people underrate it so much! Both are perfect, to keep it straight
I think Think about things is much more catchy and memorable, and maybe also the novelty wore off one year later.
I prefer 10 years too.
2020: Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iceland, Israel, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Moldova, Netherlands, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland
2021: Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Ireland, Malta, San Marino, Serbia, Ukraine, United Kingdom
And Ireland lol difference is huge
It’s great to see so many artists actually improving after 1 year, one could think of Eurovision was biannual maybe we’d get strong songs with each country getting longer to prepare. Blasphemy for a Eurovision fan to suggest such a thing, forget I said anything. Ireland San Marino United Kingdom Australia Netherlands Switzerland Upped their game while Bulgaria Lithuania Ukraine Iceland Brought something of equal comparison to their 2020 attempt. Disappointment for me would have to be Malta, I love Destiny so much and have a lot of respect for her and I definitely had Malta as a winner last… Read more »
For me Ireland and San Marino were the biggest growers compared to last year. Hooverphonic are a big grower too, but I liked Release Me too and I think it’s objectively better written and composed than The Wrong Place, however The Wrong Place is more accessible for me and I guess many other people. The biggest faller is (I know I’m getting dislikes) The Roop. Destiny and Eden are big fallers too, but not like Lithuania. For Tornike I like both, but yes Take Me As I am was definitely the best among the two. Gjon, Roxen and Go_A I… Read more »
For me have Belgium, Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Ireland, Malta, Moldova, Romania, San Marino, Slovenia & United Kingdom better songs in this year than 2020 of all returning artists.
Of course, they are not in this poll, as they are not sending the same performer, but a big shout-out to France and Cyprus! Definitely the ones who skyrocketed the most on my list in comparison to last year.
Agree with France, Cyprus dropped a few places in my list. I’m sorry to say the biggest faller is ypur country, Croatia, Damir was really amazing, he scored a 10/10 for me and all my friends who listened to Divlji Vietre (and usually dislike non English songs) loved it. On the other hand they totally forgot Tick Tock and even for me it’s just a 6/10. If Croatia was in second semi final, I wouldn’t mind to see Albina going through, but in that strong field I hope some other (imo) stronger countries qualify (such as Ukraine, Belgium and Slovenia)
I am happy that there are more people who appreciated Damir’s song. I had him as my qualifier, and I have Albina qualifying now as well. However, there are some countries which I have in front, like Ukraine, Belgium, and Lithuania. As well as a few which just have a great track record in general. It will be tough to qualify, definitely.
Glad you also enjoyed Divlji Vietre, it was easily the most underrated song in 2020. I wish you good luck in the semi this year anyway. Who are your other qualifiers in SF1?
I also loved Divji vietre.
That’s just a few people. Alcohol you would’ve done a lot better.
voda not winning the Slovenian poll is truly concerning
The Moldova result makes me die inside, just a little as I am reminded that there is little hope for the human race
Oh come on, Prison was definitely a guilty pleasure but Sugar is THE DEFINITION of a guilty pleasure
My most improved are Romania, Croatia, Russia, and San Marino. The rest are slightly higher or slightly lower compared to last year!
100% agreed! I believe it can reach top 10 with good staging!
I am okay with most of these results. Either I agree with the result, or I consider songs to be too close in quality to make a pick.
However, there are two notable exceptions:
Everything else I can understand, even if I would slightly go in a different direction.
I must be hearing something completely different, then. I admit that Universo had a more immediate hook on first ten seconds of listening, but it was so impersonal, and left me completely indifferent. Voy a quedarme, on the other hand, is a really lovely song, full of emotion and takes me on a journey. That’s my take, at least.
Your taste is bad lmao. Voy a quedarme for the win.
wow I disagree with like 95% of these.
Austria’s song 2020 is so much better than 2021. it had way more chances to do well.