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: 2024 | Week 7 part 1
With so many new songs this week, we’ve split the roundup into two smaller parts. You can find part 2 here.
Raiven – Sirene, Pt. 1
Raiven is building up to her participation at Eurovision 2024. As part of this, the Slovenian star has dropped the first part of her new album, Sirene. This initial EP contains five songs, including her Eurovision entry “Veronika”. Much like her song for the contest, all of the other songs also focus on the stories of iconic women: Ophelia (“Ofelija”), Helen of Troy (“Ikona”), Electra (“Elektrino srce”), Carmen (“Habanera”) and Veronika Deseniška (“Veronika”). In a press release, Raiven noted that the EP can be summed up in three words: “dark, sensual and vulnerable.”
Mae Muller – “Billionaire”
Mae Muller has made her acting debut in the new British film Gassed Up, where she plays the roll of Kelly. But despite the transition to acting, she hasn’t completely left music behind. The Eurovision 2023 star has recorded a song for the soundtrack of the film. “Billionaire” is a drum & bass track, though the beat has a chilled quality to it. Lyrically, Mae sings about building up the resources to escape to a faraway land: “I’m here to take what’s mine, every dime / No, I don’t want to waste my time / I’m tired, I’m gonna get out of here / As soon as I’m a billionaire.”
Efendi – “Sev Məni”
Efendi is taking a pause from pop music to release a classic Azeri ballad. “Sev Məni” translates to “Love Me”, which clearly captures the theme of the song. Azerbaijan’s Eurovision 2021 star is falling for a particular person, and she hopes they will reciprocate those feelings: “Love me, love me like angels / Both endless and gratuitous / Soak me in kisses, soak me in kisses / Let the rain be jealous of your lips.”
Alessandra – “Best Year Of My Life”
2023 will truly remain a standout year for Alessandra. After finishing fifth at Eurovision, having a viral hit with “Queen of Kings”, and experiencing countless other amazing highs, the Norwegian star is now fondly looking back on the past 12 months. To top it all off, Alessandra has dropped the EP Best Year Of My Life. The seven songs on the EP include her Eurovision entry, other recent singles, plus two brand new tracks — “Best Year Of My Life” and “Mama I’m Sorry”. The title track comes with a lyric video featuring numerous clips from Alessandra’s wonderful 2023.
Elena Tsagrionu & DJ Stephan – “Misi Kardia”
Elena Tsagrinou released her new single on Valentine’s Day. However, Cyprus’ Eurovision 2021 star isn’t celebrating those who are deep in love. Instead, she and DJ Stephan have written a song for those suffering with a broken heart. “Misi Kardia” (“Half Heart”) is a mid-tempo pop track that has a strong beat but is also simultaneously jam-packed with emotion.
Ilse DeLange – “Tainted”
If Eurovision wasn’t enough excitement for May, Ilse DeLange has recently announced she’ll be releasing a new album in the same month. The title track is “Tainted”, a drama-filled country song in which DeLange feels her heart becoming contaminated as each moment passes: “Thought I found the real me when I met you / A different sky above me out of the blue / I thought you were just painting new pictures on my walls / With every stroke you tainted my heart after the fall / I got a tainted heart.” The Netherlands’ Eurovision 2014 runner-up went into more detail about the song on social media:
“How can something so good go so wrong…it’s a question we all ask ourselves sometimes. When you think something is unbreakable and then it breaks. Everyone creates their own truth, their own perspective, it colours your thoughts about the other and the situation. You need some time to get yourself together. And then…through the cracks, new light breaks through and brings you flowers.”
Brunette & Parg – “AREV ES”
Eurovision 2023 star Brunette celebrated Valentine’s Day by dropping the new single “AREV ES”. A duet alongside fellow Armenian singer Parg, the song translates to “You are the sun”. The pair aimed to deliver a sunny and hot track to capture how love can provide warmth even on the coldest of days: “You are sun, light and fire / Let me soar in your flames / Let me touch your warm lips / Let me burn endlessly.”
Samra – “Tamagotchi”
“I ain’t got no time for you left / ‘Cause I got business to attend / I’m not your little pet / Adios / Here’s the exit / I’m not your little Tamagotchi / I don’t need nobody, nobody looking after me.” Samra is fed up of her partner trying to control her. She feels like they’re just trying to puppeteer her to do their own bidding, even going as far to say “Kim Jong Un ain’t got nothing on you”. Azerbaijan’s Eurovision 2016 representative wants to make it clear that she deserves a lot more, noting on Instagram:
“Let’s remove toxic people from our lives that negatively impact our mental health. Those who want to control and change us, let us change to others, because they can’t be our people. Let those who understand that we are the 8th wonder be with us, and those who don’t understand love their mothers. Tamagotchi is a toy, but don’t be a toy in his hands.”
Samira Said – “KAN” and “Fan El Taghafol”
Samira Said has not one, but two new songs for us this week. Both “KAN” (“Was”) and “Fan El Taghafol” (“The Art of Neglecting”) are soft acoustic-style songs. In the former, Morocco’s Eurovision 1980 representative is accompanied by simple piano and guitar melodies. The lyrics of the song question how events of the past have resulted in the present situation: “What happened to us? / We walk and forget us / We live in the picture / And the spirit is broken.” In the latter, Samira adds in some strings and drum machine beats, whilst singing: “The art of neglect is a blessing / Why do we flip through the books? /A smile is a treasure.”
Flo Rida & Brian Kelley – “Feels Right (I Love It)”
Beyonce ain’t the only one going country. Flo Rida has also added a twang to his latest single by bringing on board Brian Kelley, a member of country duo Florida Georgia Line. Outside of Kelley’s verse, there’s still a hip house feel to much of “Feels Right (I Love It)”. In the lyrics, San Marino’s Eurovision 2021 rapper sings about a certain woman who he hopes to spend a lot more time with: “I like it, I love it, I want some more of it / She got it, she know it, she loosen up them buttons / And she say she know it’s wrong, but it feel right when she does it.”
Can Bonomo – Kara Konular
Eurovision 2012 alum Can Bonomo has a new album for us all. It’s an LP filled with Kara Konular (Dark Topics) that the Turkish singer infuses his alternative rock style with. The album release comes with a new music video for the title song, in which Can Bonomo sings: “Dark topics are swarming like this, swarming around me / The clouds in my head emanate from it like plastic hopes / Broken memories suddenly fall down on me / The cuts on my hands are from that / They bleed like slices from the past.”
Aija Andrejeva & ansis – “Jūk”
Something is leaving a bad taste in Aija Andrejeva’s mouth. The Eurovision 2010 alumna is exclaiming “Jūk” (“Yuck”) throughout her latest single. It’s a collaboration with fellow Latvian artist ansis. The pair deliver a strong-willed rock offering that also has a rap verse courtesy of ansis.
Engelbert Humperdinck – “Bésame Mucho”
“Bésame Mucho” (“Kiss Me A Lot”) was first released by Mexican songwriter Consuelo Velázquez in 1932. The song has been covered by a multitude of artists since then, and now it’s the turn of Engelbert Humperdinck. The UK’s Eurovision 2012 act delivers a bi-lingual version, with a mixture of lyrics in Spanish and English: “Dearest one, if you should leave me now / Each little dream would take wing / My life would be through / Bésame, bésame mucho / Love me forever and make all my dreams come true.” Humperdinck released his cover specifically for Valentine’s Day.
Tijana Bogicevic – “Kad odem”
Tijana Bogicevic is walking out the door. Serbia’s Eurovision 2017 star has decided her current partner is no longer providing her with the any form of joy or warmth: “When I leave, oblivion will take me everywhere / When I leave, even the trace that I was there will disappear / When I leave / All my desires / In the sea of your words they have dried up / I’m not running anymore, no / I just want everything, everything to disappear.” “Kad odem” (“When I leave”) is a passionate ballad that commences with a piano intro, then builds with the addition of strings and later an electric guitar.
Kati Wolf Band feat. Madi – “Engem szeretni nehéz”
Kati Wolf’s latest single with her new band is “Engem szeretni nehéz” (“I’m hard to love”). A duet alongside vocalist Madi, the song tells the story of a relationship that’s falling apart. Hungary’s Eurovision 2011 representative questions why the love that the pair had the beginning is now fading away: “I don’t understand, why are we falling apart now? / I want you, you wanted me / You played something else and if you chose / Tell me, why did we fall apart?”
VAL – “Снежная королева”
Europe is currently in the depths of winter. Amongst these dark and cold times, VAL’s Valeria Gribusova has become a “Снежная королева” (“Snow Queen”). However, something is managing to melt her chilly heart — the love radiating from her husband Vlad: “You melted, you warmed up my fire, my love / I’m so happy with you for a moment / I’m dreaming, wake up with me.” The pop-rock track discuses overcoming the fear to trust our feelings and the moments when we lose control by plunging into unexplored emotions. Speaking more about the song on social media, Belarus’ Eurovision 2020 entrants noted:
“This is a profound love story that can overcome the toughest trials and warm hearts even in the coldest of times. This is a powerful and emotionally charged track that opens a new chapter in our work. This release is a bold experiment in sound combining elements of rock with insightful lyrics. An experiment that we could afford only now. Today we live like this – emotionally, honestly and sincerely, knowing exactly what we want to tell you.”
Sirusho – “My Bad”
“I could swear I thought you loved me / Instead all you did was hurt me / I can never trust you anymore.” Sirusho has had her heart broken and is now shifting the way she thinks about her ex-partner. Armenia’s Eurovision 2008 star delivers a piano ballad that is jam-packed with heartfelt emotion. “My Bad” is sung mostly in English, but contains a few lines in Armenian. Through the song, Sirusho discusses the pain that this person has caused her; though, she also thinks about where her own judgement may have been clouded: “My bad, I let you too close / My bad, I lost my focus / My bad, you got in my head.”
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.
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