Over the last few months, between postcard filming and Tel Aviv revamps, we’ve all been a bit caught up with Euro-fever and the goings on in the run-up to Eurovision in Tel Aviv. This has been to the detriment of certain past stars who were silly enough to gift the world with new music at the height of ESC madness – when nobody was listening to them.
But since we love all our Eurovision contestants equally (well most of them), we’ve gathered up some of the tracks that got lost amidst the melee. Listen and enjoy.
Class of 2017
Demy – “Έλα” and “Δίπλα Μου”
Demy’s upbeat single “Έλα”, which translates to “Come on!” in English, features on the soundtrack of Waiting for God, a Greek comedy film. Look out for the poster of the film at the beginning of the music video. In addition to clips from the film interspersed into the music video, we also see dancing on the rooftops and Demy leading a sing-a-long in the street. It’s a Mamma Mia fantasy, and we love it!
We hope Demy has a special place on the Waiting for God credits, as she features in another song from the soundtrack. Although the music video follows a similar formula, Demy takes a different direction in the ballad “Δίπλα Μου”, which translates to “Next to Me” in English. She duets with Katerina Papoutsaki, and in the music video we see them both harmonising in the studio – girl power all round!
Naviband – “Вдаль”
The new single from Belarus’ Naviband, “Вдаль”, translating to “Into The Distance”, has us wondering once again whether we’re in Minsk or Nashville. The stripped-bare single is more mellow than their Eurovision song. However, true to form, Naviband need only acoustic guitars and vocals to make a track their own. In the laid-back Russian-language track, the duo are lamenting over whether or not to take a train and reluctantly leave their happy place.
Robin Bengtsson – “The First To Know”
Following on from “Never Born To Love” late last year, Robin Bengtsson’s new single is a far-cry from the strobe lights and pyrotechnics of Sweden’s Melodifestivalen. “The First to Know” is simply a man and his guitar. A nod to James Arthur, it’s a mellow and heartfelt song about leaving a loved one in order to search for meaning and answers in life, but promising not to forget them: “Taking control ’cause I need it / Taking the role if I feel it / Searching my soul for some meaning / And when I find it, yeah, when I find it / You’ll be the first to know”.
Salvador Sobral – “Anda Estragar-me Os planos”
Nothing makes us happier than to see that Portugal’s Eurovision 2017 winner Salvador Sobral is healthy and working on his music. As well as performing around the globe in locations as far-flung as Macau, Salvador has released an adaptation of “Anda Estragar-me Os planos”, originally sung by Joana Barra Vaz at Festival da Cancao 2017. The song translates to “Come and Ruin my Plans” in English. The ukulele-fuelled track nods to Vance Joy whilst oozing Iberian realness. What more could you want?
Svala – “Skin 2 Skin”
“Skin 2 Skin”, Bomarz’s new single featuring Iceland’s Svala, is a treat for the eyes as well as the ears. The animated video is something Daft Punk would be proud to call their own, but the music that accompanies it is chilled-out synth pop rather than a club banger. A cartoon Svala drives through the LA sunset, as she sings about her cartoon beau. She stops off at a vintage cassette store on her way into the city.
Class of 2016
Frans – “One Floor Down” and “Snakes”
Frans’ new single, “One Floor Down”, comes with an artsy music video that looks like it’s fresh from an episode of scandi-teen drama Skam. As you can imagine, the drama is real in both the lyrics and the music video: “My heart won’t stop it now / ‘Cause your eyes, they feel like profit / But did you know you can’t top it, no / End of me, let this be the end of me, now”.
As well as the music video for “One Floor Down”, the Swedish singer has also released the audio for another new single, “Snakes”. In this track, he doesn’t hold back: “I see how you’re playing nice / I’ve been seeing through your lies / Snakes slither through your eyes / Wicked what a good disguise”. He’s throwing more than shade, he’s calling out the snakes!
Greta Salóme – “Mess It Up”
Greta’s new single “Mess it Up” is an anthem of female empowerment. The Icelandic songstress loves her man, but she isn’t letting him stand in her way or change her: “I’m never gonna change / You should know by now / Never gonna change”. It’s her way or the highway. In the immortal words of Cher, “a man is a luxury, not a necessity”!
Jamala – “Solo”
Our Eurovision 2016 winner’s new single, “Solo”, is in-keeping with her signature atmospheric sound. However, the new offering highlights a turn towards a more piano-pop focused style. Jamala sings about the universal reality of finding independence after heartbreak: “Stop doing what you’re doing / You wont win me over / And I’ll just keep rollin’ my eyes / I move away and you come in a little closer / But I don’t want you / Tonight I’m solo but I don’t want you / Tonight I’m solo”.
What do you think? Which is your favourite of these new tracks, or are you obsessing over a new track we’ve missed? Let us know in the comments!
Navi’s song is the far best of all mentioned in this article! It’s just freaking amazing! It happens rarely to me not to cringe when I hear a song in my language, and this is one of the few examples of how to really sound good while singing in Russian.
Great to see Salvador embracing commercialism by producing the introduction theme for Bobs Burgers.
ah ah ah so funny… eyes rolling.
Robin’s new single is a BOP!
Is a bop of sh!t
Demy’s 2 new songs are quite good
same goes for Svala her new bop 🙂
It’s great to see Salvador’s international carrear bloomming. After all the pain he had gonne through, he deserves this.
Salvador’s new album was phisically released in 13 different countries and is a true delight. It includes a beautiful duet with Luísa Sobral (Prometo não prometer) and a precious chanson francaise, penned by his wife Jenna Thiam (La soufflese). My favourite song is Presságio (an adaptation of a poem by Fernando Pessoa).
It’s so beautiful! 🙂
When will Jamala release her next single “Uncomfortable Question”?