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 30 Part 2
Check out the songs included in our part one roundup here.
Katrina from Katrina & The Waves – “Drive”
Katrina Leskanich lead the United Kingdom to their last Eurovision victory in 1997. Now, 23 years later, Katrina is showing she’s still got her musical touch with the release of her new single “Drive”. It’s a slightly retro pop-rock song that’s full of electric-guitar instrumentation. The track has an uplifting atmosphere to it as the American star sings about having total control over the course of her life: “Let me drive / I just wanna drive / Master of fates / Feeling alive”. “Drive” is the first song from Katrina’s upcoming new album Hearts, Loves & Babys, set for release on 28 August.
Poli Genova – Твоя
Bulgaria’s Poli Genova began a new era of her career after taking her country to fourth place at Eurovision 2016. And now, that era has concluded in the release of her new album Твоя (Yours). The LP features 15 tracks, including the singles that Genova has released over the past four years – “Слухове”, “Още”, “Г-н Президент”, “Твоя”, “Perfect Love”, “Героите” and most recently “How We End Up”. The Bulgarian star held a release party for the album, at which she told us more about this dream come true – click here for the interview.
Elena Temnikova – “Как Барби в поисках Кена”
Elena Temnikova comprised one third of Russia’s Eurovision 2007 girl group Serebro. Her latest solo release is “Как Барби в поисках Кена” (“Like Barbie finding Ken”). It sees the Eurovision bronze medallist moving away from the electro-R’n’B sound she’s been known for over recent years. Instead, “Как Барби в поисках Кена” leans more towards alternative pop. The music video was shot in Los Angeles and features actress Ganna Bogdan as she goes about the city. In a post on Instagram, Temnikova revealed why she decided to release this song now:
“Guys, I’m very proud of my song. … Barbie was not supposed to come out first this summer, but it so happened that in quarantine she entered my life and it became one hundred percent clear to me that I would start writing my story this year with her.”
Can Bonomo – “Güneş”
Can Bonomo’s latest single “Güneş” (“Sun”) comes from an emotional place. Turkey’s Eurovision 2012 star wrote the song on the anniversary of his mother’s death. Stuck in COVID-19 lockdown at the time, Can Bonomo was unable to share the day with the rest of his family. Nevertheless, the chilled acoustic guitar driven track has an overall positive atmosphere to it, with the Eurovision alum singing about taking each day as a fresh start: “If you are afraid to take steps or / Keep it from diving deep / Don’t be afraid the sun rises again”. This positivity is also evident in the music video, where Can Bonomo is finally able to join his family and friends for a picnic in the park.
Edyta Górniak – “LIME (TeQuila-ila)”
Polish singer Edyta Górniak has experimented with numerous musical genres over the course of her career. For her new single “LIME (TeQuila-ila)” the Eurovision 1994 star has mixed things up again and moved towards a Caribbean summer sound with an underlining reggae beat. The lyrics add to the summer feel, with Górniak singing about spending the nights on the beach with her loved one and a cocktail: “I want to be with you all the time … Oh na na, kissing in the nighttime / Baby, hold me tight / Yeah, tequila and a shot of lime”.
Brendan Murray – “Let Go”
The new single from the former Irish boy band member is a long way from the gentle sounds of his Eurovision 2017 entry. “Let Go” is a slice of contemporary, edgy R&B and examines a failing relationship. He remembers the giddy early stages (“We jumped straight into a taxi / So close to making love on the backseat”) before admitting “Lately it feels like you hate me”. Cleverly, the song includes disjointed electronic breaks that reflect the fragmented relationship. And, as to be expected, Brendan’s vocals are on point, which very much the sense that he’s found his groove with this style. (Robyn)
Lior Narkis and Mor – “אין לי שום סיכוי”
Since competing at Eurovision 2003, Lior Narkis has continued an established music career. His latest single is “אין לי שום סיכוי” (“I have no chance”), which is a duet alongside fellow Israeli singer Mor. The song starts off with not much more than the duo’s vocals and an accompanying piano. But, it then progressively builds to a bigger climax thanks to the addition of more instrumentation. Lyrically, Narkis and Mor sing about a relationship where one person has decided to leave, yet the other is not ready to part ways: “Why then do you leave? / Overall it was good here … You do not see my eyes / How tears stream of water / Without you I have no chance”.
Frans – Present
Swedish singer Frans has been building up to the release of his new album Present over the last four weeks. Following the release of “On A Wave”, “Monday” and “Mm mm mm”, the full LP is finally here. The nine tracks show off the star’s catchy percussion-driven pop sound that has continually developed since his appearance at Eurovision 2016. This latest gift to his fans also includes his 2019 single “Amsterdam”.
Nevena – “Produzi Dalje”
Serbia’s Nevena has recently released her new single “Produzi Dalje” (“Keep Going”). It’s a cover of the song originally performed by Zdravko Colic in 1977. Nevena’s version of the song updates the production and swaps out the guitars of the original for piano and saxophones. The lyrics tell a tale of someone who has made a name for themselves, but who doesn’t want others to idolise them: “Keep going, keep going / Get away from me / Because you are still a child / There are disappointments in me / A little bitterness and a lot of sadness”.
Lindita – “In The Air”
Lindita has recently mentioned that she’s considering a Eurovision comeback. But in the meantime she’s dropped the new single “In the Air”. An urban hip-hop track, Albania’s 2017 representative moves away from big power vocals and instead takes the opportunity to show off her rapping ability: “So baby keep coming / The bullets keep bouncing / I’m dancing around and they’re going so crazy / I put it in the air”.
Robin Bengtsson – “Honey I’m Home”
Fans of Robin Bengtsson are being fed well at the moment, with the Swedish star having now released his third new single in three weeks. The latest one is “Honey I’m Home”. Another guitar-driven indie-pop track, the Eurovision 2017 alum has certainly found a musical style that works well for him. In this song, Bengtsson sings to his loved one about how they’ve filled the space in his heart: “I’ve been longing for a loving embrace, baby / And a smile like that can make me go crazy … I didn’t know I needed more until you showed up at my door and said ‘Honey I’m home'”.
Tanel Padar and Lenna – “Uues Valguses”
Tanel Padar took Estonia right to the top of the Eurovision scoreboard in 2001 alongside Dave Benton. Now, the Eurovision champion has teamed up with Eesti Laul 2017 participant Lenna for the new song “Uues Valguses” (“In a new light”). It’s a simple mid-tempo duet with the two singers backed by guitars. Padar revealed more about the birth of the song in the audio video’s description:
“This story had been spinning in my head for some time and was not a duet at first. I played and whispered the idea just like that, but at some point I couldn’t remember the melody. As the intermediate situation was relatively grey, it was not at all certain when and how to get to the studio. When it came to the news that our long-planned tour with Lenna was still taking place, the idea came true, the old dream came true and the idea became a great duet.”
James Newman – The Things We Do
James Newman should have taken to the Eurovision stage in Rotterdam this year. But, while that unfortunately never happened, the British singer has still gone ahead with the release of his debut EP The Things We Do. Composed of four tracks, it includes his Eurovision 2020 selected song “My Last Breath”, as well as recent releases “Better Man” and “Enough”. The final song, “Alone”, is another soulful pop track underlined by a recurring percussion beat that sonically fits in well with the rest of the EP.
BB Jean – “Si froid si chaud”
One year after their collaboration on “Zumbaa”, Alma and Laurie Darmon have bit the bullet and formed a new duo — BB Jean. Writing on Instagram, France’s Eurovision 2017 singer explains how the project came to be: “You already know her but I present my BB Laurie Darmon to you. Officially. My friend, my confidante, my double. It turns out that in addition to being intelligent, sensitive and passionate, my BB is very talented. After many years of telling each other about our lives, songs were born. They come very quickly. A project that is close to our hearts and which I hope will touch yours”. The peppy “Si froid si choi” is their first single as a group. (Padraig)
PAENDA – “Want me not to want you”
PAENDA is delivering a summer bop of her own with the new song “Want me not to want you”. Austria’s Eurovision 2019 star still keeps her electro musical style, but turns the BPM up a bit to create something more danceable. The accompanying music video sees PAENDA floating in water and wandering around a forest. The Austrian singer noted on Instagram that the water was on the chilly side: “This song is absolutely special to me. So special that I even held out what felt like an eternity in – back then – freezing cold water. Worth all the shakes.”
Lili & Luna – “Kolme kaljaa ja kaupunkiin”
Leena Tirronen was one half of Finland’s Eurovision 2017 act Norma John. She’s now teamed up with her niece Sanni Savolainen to form the duo Lili & Luna. The pair have a different sound from the chamber pop of “Blackbird” and have instead delivered an upbeat country-pop sound with Finnish lyrics. “Kolme kaljaa ja kaupunkiin” means “three beers and a town” and is a summery celebration of love, freedom and good times. (Robyn)
Ana Guerra and Lérica – “Listo Va”
Back in 2018, Ana Guerra set the OT Eurovision Gala on fire with the fiery “Lo malo”. “Listo va” brings some Latin style, helmed by the Colombian producer Yera. As well, the Spanish group Lérica also contribute vocals. Ana has described the song being about two people having a summer flirtation and the song seems destined to be the soundtrack to many a steamy night. (Robyn)
Achille Lauro – 1990
The provocateur of Sanremo 2019 and 2020 has released a new collection with his take on pop classics from the 1990s. Achille Lauro reinterprets seven tracks, including La Bouche’s “Be My Lover” (reworked into “1990 (Back to Dance)”), Scatman John’s “Scatman (Ski-Ba-Bop-Ba-Dop-Bop)” (Lauro’s “Scatmen”) and Eiffel 65’s “Blue (Da Ba Dee)” which Lauro turns into “Blue”. The release includes a few guest performers, including fellow Sanremo star Annalisa. With mostly Italian lyrics and a modern sound influenced by electronic and hip hop music, this is the 1990s revival we’ve been waiting for. (Robyn)
SaRaha – “Ça plane pour moi”
Swedish-Tanzanian singer SaRaha continues to mix her roots into her new music. The Melodifestivalen 2016 star has now released the song “Ça plane pour moi” (“Everything’s going well for me”). It’s a cover of the 1977 hit by Belgian musician Plastic Bertrand. For her version, SaRaha mixes the Swahili, English, Swedish and French languages together. The song comes with a vibrant and colourful lyric video.
Andreas Stone – “Cold In Mexico”
“Too Late For Love” and prolific Melodifestivalen songwriter Andreas “Stone” Johansson has branched out with a single of his own. “Cold In Mexico” has been co-written with Stone and the Canadian dream team of Laurell Barker and Frazer Mac. The result is a cool electronic R&B track, which sits nicely alongside The Weeknd’s 2020 hit “Blinding Lights”. The playful lyrics are a wild ride, painting a colourful picture of Mexico that is frozen by a cruel lover who “drove away in your purple car”. (Robyn)
Click on the links below to read our individual articles on other new songs released this week by past Eurovision artists:
- Athena Manoukain – “Dolla” (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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I love Poli and Alma so much
I’m pleasantly surprised by Brendan Murray’s effort and I kinda wish he had this song three years ago in Kyiv. Dying to Try was just so bland and soppy, so it’s great he’s found a new direction
James Newman’s EP is absolutely amazing. I really hope the BBC select him again next year. He really deserves it.