Summer is always the quiet period for Eurovision fans as we wait for national finals to start once again. Thankfully, the music will always continue and a number of past Eurovision artists are still producing new songs for us to enjoy.
Contrary to the commonly perpetuated myth about the song contest killing careers, we’re always thrilled to report that singers and performers associated with both Eurovision itself and the various national selections are thriving.
Here is a selection of just some of the songs and music videos released in the last week or so.
New music from Eurovision artists: 2020 | Week 24
Hooverphonic – “Summer Sun”
Hooverphonic were set to represent Belgium at Eurovision 2020, but they’ll now have to wait an extra year before they can compete at the contest. Not letting Covid-19 stop all their musical endeavours though, the group have now released their new song “Summer Sun”. This new track once again showcases Hooverphonic’s ambient-pop charm, but has more dynamism than their Eurovision 2020 selected entry “Release Me”. The subtle changes in instrumentation keeps the listener intrigued about where the song is going. Luka Cruysberghs’ vocals then provide a vehicle for the audience to travel on that journey through.
Uku Suviste – “Müüdud ja Pakitud”
Estonia chose Uku Suviste to be their act for Eurovision 2020. He’ll now have to win Eesti Laul 2021 in order to make it to the Eurovision stage. Nevertheless, Suviste has taken the time in between to drop the new single “Müüdud ja Pakitud” (“Sold and packed”). It’s more upbeat than his Eurovision 2020 song “What Love Is” and has a pop-funk feel to it. The music video sees Suviste plus a series of male and female dancers enjoying a clear summer day. But, there’s one dancer he has his eye on in particular, as he sings about his heart being signed, sealed and delivered to them: “Like warm summer winds / Over my lips / They go everywhere and it’s so hot … I know / To my heart / It has been sold to you and packed”.
Amir – “La fête”
In November 2019, French star Amir announced that he would be taking a break from the music scene in order to write the next chapter of his story. Now, that tale is ready to be told. The Eurovision 2016 singer has released his first solo single in almost two years, titled “La fête” (“Party”). Starting with an electric guitar riff, the song utilises a mixture of percussion instrumentation. While not a full-on party feel as the title might suggest, the melody is still relatively danceable. Lyrically, Amir sings about forgetting your troubles and enjoying life to its fullest: “You’re tired from yesterday again / It’s nothing / We’ll think about it tomorrow … We were all born to party / As if we’d never done it before”.
Benjamin Ingrosso – “Shampoo”
A week later than originally planned, Sweden’s Benjamin Ingrosso has now released his new single “Shampoo”. The Eurovision 2018 star gives us a glimpse of the personal hygiene routine that he goes through before his lover comes over: “I have showered an hour or more / Need some towels to wipe up this floor … Now put on some shampoo”. Sonically, the track is percussion-driven and has a wonderful casual-summer vibe to it. The last third of the song is mainly an instrument breakdown, with the trumpets adding an extra Latin-jazz flavour to the track.
Ruth Lorenzo – “Miedo”
It’s been six years since Spain finished in the top ten at Eurovision. Ruth Lorenzo was the last act to achieve this, in 2014. The Spanish star is now back with her new song “Miedo” (“Fear”), which is the first single from her next album Crisálida. It sees Lorenzo return to the Spanish-language after a couple of years of releasing English songs. An emotional ballad, the song builds to a powerful climax. Accompanied by a black and white music video, Lorenzo sings about overcoming her fears: “Dear fear / No, no / I’m not scared of you anymore / Not anymore”.
Madame Monsieur (feat. Black M) – “Terre inconnue”
French duo Madame Monsieur are set to release their new album Tandem on 26 June – an LP of collaborations with other artists, which follows on from their 2016 debut album of the same name. In anticipation of this, the Eurovision 2018 act have dropped another song from Tandem. “Terre inconnue” (“Unknown land”) features French rapper Black M. It’s a catchy track that successfully combines Madame Monsieur and Black M’s styles together. Lyrically, the performers sing about doing everything you can to chase your dreams even if you feel lost along the way: “How to stop? Getting started is a good start / Passing unknown lands into known territory / What way? I don’t know where to go / I don’t know where to start, it will take years”.
Eric Saade – “Nån som du”
After changing his creative path two years ago and beginning to release Swedish-language songs, Eric Saade has now dropped his first fully Swedish album, titled Det svarta fåret (The black sheep). It’s the Eurovision 2011 bronze medallist’s first studio album release since 2013. The LP contains seven songs, including the new single “Nån som du” (“Someone like you”). Another mid-tempo track, the single fits in well with the rest of the album’s styling. The lyric video features Saade sat at a piano writing down his feelings into the song.
Edurne – Catarsis
Edurne represented Spain at Eurovision 2015. She took a break from the musical spotlight in the following years, but has recently returned with new music for her fans. This week, the Spanish star released Catarsis (Catharsis), her first studio album in five years. There are 12 songs on the LP, including singles “Demasiado Tarde” and “No Te Lo Mereces”. Filled with solid Latin-pop tracks, Catarsis sees Edurne return on form. It would be a good musical accompaniment to a chilled day in the summer sun.
Monika Linkytė – “Visada šalia”
Lithuania’s Eurovision 2015 selection process took an unexpected turn when Monika Linkytė and Vaidas Baumila teamed up and were selected to represent their country as a duo. Since then, both stars have released a number of solo singles. Monika’s new song is titled “Visada šalia” (“Always close”). It’s an alternative-pop track with a sombre undertone to it. The Lithuanian star really exposes herself emotionally to the listener. In the music video we see Linkytė performing a contemporary dance alongside a partner in the midst of some greenery. The Eurovision alum revealed on Instagram that she suffered an injury during the filming, but was thankfully able to carry on and complete the necessary shots.
Kállay Saunders and Zubi – “generous”
Hungary’s Kállay Saunders has already released a trio of songs this year. Not stopping there, the Eurovision 2014 star has now teamed up with singer-songwriter Zubi for the new track “generous”. A light-R’n’B track, the production here is simple but still has enough of a beat to capture the listener. Saunders provides the vocals for the chorus while Zubi features on the verses. The pair sing about a woman who, although they know is feisty, they’ve nonetheless fallen for: “No running away / I can’t deny she’s dangerous / Look at her, wow / So generous, so generous / I’ll be outside cos she’s shaped like she fights”.
Sevak – “Для тебя”
At Eurovision 2018, Sevak competed in what is seen as one of the toughest semi-finals to have ever happened at the contest. Despite failing to qualify to the grand final, the Armenian star has continued to release a number of singles since. His latest song is “Для тебя” (“For you”), which sees Sevak taking a more upbeat approach to his music. Utilising modern production, there’s enough of a beat here to get the listener tapping and dancing along. The Armenian singer uses the lyrics to tell his former lover that he’s moving on: “For you / No more space in my heart / Leave the fog”.
Sakis Rouvas & Nicol Raidman – “Love Can Change The World”
Sakis Rouvas represented Greece twice at Eurovision in 2004 and 2009. Nicol Raidman is a star of Israel’s answer to The Real Housewives. Now, the pair have teamed up for their third song together. “Love Can Change The World” is a dated pop duet with ethnic flourishes that wouldn’t have been out of place at Eurovision in the 2000s. As one might expect from the title, the lyrics are full of cliché lines about love being the most powerful force on the planet: “Love can change the world / Love can change our lives / Mend our differences / Keep our hopes alive”.
Lena Philipsson – Maria Magdalena
Sweden have regularly featured in the top five at Eurovision. Lena Philipsson helped the country climb the scoreboard once again in 2004. Continuing a successful career since her appearance at the contest, Philipsson has now released her fourteenth studio album Maria Magdalena. Nine tracks in total, all in Swedish, the LP features a mixture of classic pop, schlager and disco.
Małe TGD and Roksana Węgiel – “Nie z tej ziemi”
Roksana Węgiel gave Poland their first victory at any Eurovision contest, triumphing at Junior Eurovision 2018. She’s since released her debut album and won the 2019 MTV EMA award for Best Polish Act. Not stopping there, Węgiel’s latest release is “Nie z tej ziemi” (“Out of this world”). The track was recorded for Poland’s National Children’s Day in collaboration with child musical-group Małe TGD. A fun upbeat song, Roksana provides most of the vocals while Małe TGD form a sort of choir behind her. The music video is full of colour as the group perform in front of primary-coloured backdrops.
Viki Gabor – “Still Standing”
Poland became the first country to win Junior Eurovision two years in a row thanks to Viki Gabor’s victory on home soil in 2019. Her latest song is “Still Standing”. A mid-tempo offering, the song has elements of both pop and R’n’B. The track does get fairly repetitive, with Gabor repeating the phrase “I’m still standing” for the entire chorus and bridge. Nevertheless, the Polish star does get to show off some vocal runs in the final third of the song that help spice things up a bit.
Kymppilinja (feat. Erika Vikman) – “OMG”
UMK 2020 was all about Erika Vikman and her ode to Hungarian-Italian former adult star, turned politician and singer, Cicciolina. Although she didn’t win the contest, the Finnish star is making sure to continue on with her music career. Vikman now features on “OMG”, the new song by Finnish artist Kymppilinja. It’s a nice hip-hop track with added Latin flair that pushes it into the realm of summer bop. Erika serves the vocals for the chorus while Kymppilinja provides a series of rap verses.
Hanna Ferm – “Sweet Temptation”
Hanna Ferm went solo for her second appearance at Melodifestivalen in 2020. The Swedish star has now released her new single “Sweet Temptation”, co-written by fellow Melfest 2020 star Dotter. “Sweet Temptation” is a luscious pop track with just the right amount of sultry-sex attitude. Ferm sings about how her lover is tempting her with their charm: “Sweet temptation / You got me on the weekend / Round and around until the night / I lose a little sight, then do it again”.
Mitch Tambo – “Love”
Australian artist Mitch Tambo fuses his music with influences from his aboriginal routes. Tambo brought this to the Eurovision – Australia Decides 2020 stage, ultimately placing fifth in the selection. Last month, the star released his new upbeat pop single “Love”. Sung in Tambo’s indigenous Gamilaraay language, the song is all about hope and letting love into our hearts: “Open up my heart / Set my spirit free / With love”.
Sondrey – “Type Of Way”
Sondrey was one of five acts that got an automatic spot in the grand final of Melodi Grand Prix 2020. The Norwegian singer’s new song is “Type Of Way”. It’s a synth-filled track that taps into the retro 80s vibe seen in many contemporary chart hits. Lyrically, Sondrey sings about how a particular woman may be the one to help him break out of his shell: “Whenever someone tries to hold me close / I always try to run away / I never want someone to see my loss / But girl you make me want to say / You make me feel some type of way”.
Foothills and Laurell – “Chocolat”
Although there’s an artist at the centre of each Eurovision entry, there’s also a full team of people behind the scenes that help to make them shine. From the songwriters, to the conductors of yesteryear, and the staging directors of more modern entries, these people often become well-known names within the Eurovision community.
Canadian songwriter Laurell Barker has been behind a number of recent Eurovision entries, being the first female songwriter to have three songs competing in any one contest in 2019. Now Barker has briefly stepped up to the microphone herself for the new song “Chocolat” in collaboration with Polish musical duo Foothills. The track centres around a violin melody but still has a quirky pop feel to it. A multi-lingual affair, Laurell sings in both English and French.
Click on the links below to read our individual articles on other new songs released this week by past Eurovision artists:
- Tamta and Stephane Legar – “Yalla”
- Ulrikke – “What Would You Do For Love?”
- James Newman – “Better Man”
- Netta – “Cuckoo” music video
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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Omg that Hooverphonic song “Summer Sun” is amazing!!! They should have kept it for Eurovision!!!! Damn them ?
Hanna Ferm’s song, not bad. Better than Brave.
Uku Suviste’s new song is way better than “What love is” ! The chorus are are a bit bland but the verses are really catchy and he can move, so why bother with ballads everytime when he can sing good and catchy uptempo songs ?
Mitch Tambo – Love was released last month?
Still an amazing song, I hope Australia select him in the future
Where is Ulrikke?
Closing your ears and eyes at someone because dude associated with it is a doodle seems pretty childish
I wish I could be that optimistic but this is only a step towards the vaccine, which itself is only a step towards the end of the pandemic. Personally, I wouldn’t be so quick to jump to conclusions.
Yes, you’re right
I am, Hooverphonic are just a classic, I really appreciate their unique style.