Ilse De Lange Vaidas Baumila Mandinga Elena Ionescu Ivi Adamou

It’s a long wait until Eurovision season kicks back into gear again. So, here’s some recent new music releases from past artists to help tide you over until the national finals kick off again next winter.

Ilse DeLange “Ok”

She may be keeping quiet when it comes to her views on Waylon’s Eurovision 2018 stint, but Dutch singer Ilse DeLange certainly hasn’t been silent on the music front. In March she released “OK”, her first solo single since forming the Common Linnets in 2014. It’s a mid-tempo country number with mainstream pop influences. “Let me be your safety when the fall is dark and deep / I’ve been where you’ve been / Lean on me, my friend”, she sings. “It’s okay with me”. A full album is scheduled to drop later in the summer.

Vaidas Baumila “Suknelė”

He sang of a blossoming romance with Monika Linkytė at Eurovision 2015. But this time, Lithuanian popstar Vaidas Baumila is getting flirty on “Suknelė” (The Dress). Singing in Lithuanian, Vaidas inhabits the role of a player — “What are you thinking about / Because I believe it / My thoughts are not good” and “You can touch it there / You have never been / So close”. The funky earworm landed in April, and the slick music video quickly racked up over 2.5 million views on YouTube — very impressive given Lithuania only has a population of 2.8 million.

Ivi Adamou “Πάμε… και μη ρωτάς”

Before Eleni Foureira, she was Cyprus’ ultimate dance-pop queen. But since 2012, Ivi Adamou has regularly dabbled with mellower sounds. Her latest single “Πάμε… και μη ρωτάς” (Let’s Go… And Do Not Ask) is much more chilled than the iconic “La La Love”, yet it’s every bit as hot. Set to warm R&B beats, the one-time X Factor hopeful tells a tale of overcoming obstacles in the quest for love. The music video, which was released in April, continues the summery vibes. Whatever about the past, there doesn’t appear to be any obstacles in the way of Ivi’s own love story with Greek hip hop performer Mixhalis Kouinelis. In June, the pair welcomed their first child into the world, a baby girl.

Glance feat. Elena Ionescu “Ploaia si focul”

As Mandinga’s front-woman she gave us carefree upbeat pop. But since going solo, Elena Ionescu has traversed down darker paths. There’s no fear of mistaking her latest release “Ploaia si focul” (Rain And Fire)  with Romania’s perpetually cheerful Eurovision 2012 entry Zaleilah”. Collaborating with rapper Glance, Elena mournfully sings of a tempestuous relationship breaking down. And she doesn’t spare the melodrama — “Let the rain fall / Let the fire burn / To wash the heartbeats that suffer in the night”.

Mandinga “Arquitectura”

Eleni might be down in the dumps, but thankfully her former bandmates are here to bring everyone’s mood back up. In April, Mandinga gave us the Spanish-language “Arquitectura” (Architecture). Of course, the Romanian outfit traded in the Latin pop genre long before it went global. But now, they’ve swapped the europop flourishes for reggaeton beats. At times you could almost mistake Barbara Isasi — Elena’s replacement — for Demi Lovato on one of her own Latin hits.

FOLLOW ALL OUR NEW MUSIC REVIEWS.

Listen to our new music playlist on Spotify.

3 Comments
Newest
Oldest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Bumblebee
Bumblebee
5 years ago

Sorry but why aren’t you mentioning latvian artists? Like Aminata had a new song, Brainstorm for example?

Juan Cena
Juan Cena
5 years ago

Link for Ilse De Lange’s song that works for US readers:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BL92f9D0nLo

M_K
M_K
5 years ago

Ilse DeLange – “Ok” Ilse DeLange’s solo efforts have always been very… nice. “Ok” is another piece of enjoyable radio pop music that just doesn’t really seem to reach for higher goals. Yeah, so basically, it’s indeed “ok”. Vaidas Baumila – “Suknel?” Out of the songs above, this is my clear favourite. I like how well the funk, pop and salsa elements blend. It’s catchy, but also laid back in a cool kind of way. And Vaidas really seems to enjoy this tune. Makes me wanna dance! Ivi Adamou – “????… ??? ?? ?????” This song has got a nice… Read more »