She sang “when you’re down, down, low” at Eurovision 2015. But since Vienna, Marjetka Vovk’s career has gone in only one direction – up! Of course, husband Raay – the man who puts the Raay in Maraaya – has always been by her side, or almost always.
As of 2015, Marjetka has been a judge on Slovenia’s Got Talent. And after a one year hiatus in 2017, the show is back for a new season this autumn. Once again, she’ll join Branko Cakarmis, Ana Klasnja and Lado Bizovicar on jury duty.
The quartet were present for the show’s official launch last week, with Maraaya sharing a red carpet snap of them on Instagram. It is simply captioned “Lucky four leaf clover”.
What about new music?
Fear not, the Simon Cowell owned franchise isn’t all consuming. There’s still time for new music.
“Noć (Mi Corazón Es Tuyo)” dropped in June. It’s a collaboration between the Slovenian stars and the Croatian production team Domestikus, with versions in both English and Croatian. Also on board for the English cut is Charlie Mason, the lyricist behind multiple national final and Eurovision entries, including Conchita’s “Rise Like A Phoenix” and Maraaya’s own “Here For You”.
The single continues on the reggaeton vibes of the pair’s summer 2017 BQL collab “It’s Complicated”. Laid back and chilled, it’s the perfect soundtrack to a lazy day by the pool or beach — “I’m gonna lie forever with you / We’re going to lie together”. Spanish lyrics sung by a male voice add an extra dose of Latin realness.
Maraya & Domestikus “Noć (Mi Corazón Es Tuyo)” English Version
The music video showcases the Croatian edit and sees Maraaya head to the coast. Blessed with beautiful weather and phenomenal scenery, Marjetka paces the shoreline while Raay mixes amidst the sand dunes on his portable sound deck.
Maraaya & Domestikus “Noć (Mi Corazón Es Tuyo)”(Official Music Video)
Maraaya at Eurovision: Comprising of husband-wife duo Marjetka Vovk and Raay, Maraaya won Slovenia’s selection for Eurovision 2015. “Here For You” fast became a firm fan favourite, although the pair’s fondness for oversized headphones and invisible violins proved somewhat divisive. In Vienna, they easily made the final with producers deciding they should open the Saturday night show. But as the top few entries gobbled up all the points, Maraaya had to make do with 14th place – still one of Slovenia’s best results in the contest.
Here’s what Chris said in our Wiwi Jury:
It’s a danger sometimes to be “cool” at Eurovision – but Maraaya are the coolest act around and they are all the better for it. I love everything about this entry. It’s fresh, modern, and has some completely bonkers staging with the air violinist. It’s hard to find fault with it. I love the headphones, I love Marjetka, I love the sound. Slovenia could and maybe even should be gearing up to host in 2016.
What have they been up to since? Post-Eurovision, Raay and Marjetka have firmly established themselves as the power couple of Slovenia’s music scene. Alongside the steady flow of hit singles – “Living Again”, “Diamond Duck”, “It’s Complicated” – the pair have continued to dip their toes in the Eurovision pool. They’ve been behind multiple acts in the EMA selections, most notably BQL in both 2017 and 2018.
What do you think of Maraaya’s new single? Does it match up to “Here For You”? Let us know in the comments below.
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I like Noc a lot. I can’t find the English version anywhere. Presumably the English version has a different title but this post does not provide it.
The English version has the same title and is embedded in the post – the Spotify clip.
They also signed with Warner music last summer with single Diamond Duck <3
fun fact: Ana Klašnja (the other female judge) represented slovenia at the eurovision young dancers in 1997 & 1999
The first five (5) finalists in Depi Mankakan Evratesil (Armenia’s new national selection for the Junior Eurovision Song Contest) were decided, and they are as follows:
* “Angels” by Ani
* “Janaparh” by Vardan Margaryan
* “L.E.V.O.N.” by…well, L.E.V.O.N. (his real name is Levon Galstyan)
* “Kamac-Kamac” by Lia
* “Im Erazanq” by Eliza
https://www.esc-plus.com/junior-eurovision-first-5-finalists-decided-in-armenia/