Eurovision 2021 rehearsals are in full swing and no doubt fans will have the songs from this yearās contest on repeat until we crown a winner. But that doesnāt mean we forget about the other new music being released from artists of past and present.
Contrary to the commonly perpetuated myth about the song contest killing careers, weāre always thrilled to report that singers and performers associated with both Eurovision itself and the various national selections are thriving.
Here is our latest weekly roundup with a selection of just some of the songs and music videos released recently by Eurovision stars.
New music from Eurovision artists: 2021 | Week 19
TIX – “Engel, Ikke Dra”
In between rehearsals for Eurovision 2021, Norway’s TIX has dropped the new single “Engel, Ikke Dra” (“Angel, Don’t Go”). Similarly to his Eurovision entry, it’s a pop ballad with an emotional backstory. The song is dedicated to a girl called Aurora, who was a big fan of TIX, but sadly passed away in 2019. In a long post on Instagram, TIX recounts the story of how he was invited to attend Aurora’s funeral before immediately flying to a different city in order to perform a concert. This juxtaposition made him realise how many of his fans may be struggling with their own issues. It was ultimately the reason that made TIX want to switch musical direction from crazy upbeat pop to songs with more emotion running through them:
“I walked off stage, and it struck me: How many of these kids are going through hard times right now? How many people struggle with anxiety, eating disorders, exclusion, violence, loneliness, bullying, etc.? And the biggest question. Statistically speakingā¦ How many of these may no longer be with us the next time I return to the city? That was the beginning of a new chapter, and the reason I chose to show the humanity behind TIX. The meeting with Aurora made me understand how important my music is in many people’s lives and everyday lives. And therefore I want to be the soundtrack to both the good and the bad moments.”
Elena Temnikova – TEMNIKOVA 5 PARIS
TEMNIKOVA 5 PARIS is the new album from Russia’s Elena Temnikova (and if you hadn’t guessed already, it is indeed her fifth album). The LP features 10 songs, including recent singles āŠ Š¼9ŃŠµā and āŠŠ°Š±Š¾ŃŠŗŠø Šø ŃŃŠøŠæā. The rest of the album follows in a relatively similar direction, with the Eurovision 2007 star delivering a mixture of dark R&B-pop tracks, often with an electronic dance beat underneath.
Mahmood – “Klan”
Mahmood is building up to the release of his new album in June. Ahead of this, the Italian superstar has dropped the new single “Klan”. A riveting hip-hop track, Mahmood’s musical stamp is ever present in amongst the production. The Eurovision 2019 runner-up is able to show off his swagger while also delivering a hook that quickly ingrains itself into the listener’s mind. Lyrically, Mahmood says that, as a team, he and his lover fire up a storm when they’re together overnight: “You shoot fire with AKs only when weāre alone / Midnight seems to be day standing on the minibus / Iām beside myself if you f*** me ācause / Iāve never told you that / In the night […]Ā The two of us are a Klan”.
Francesca Michielin & Samuel – “Cinema”
Another Italian star with new music this week is Francesca Michielin. The Eurovision 2016 alum has collaborated with with Samuel for the single “Cinema”. It’s a catchy Italian-pop track that’s filled with trumpets in the chorus. Francesca contributes from the second verse onwards. In the lyrics, although the duo admit that they don’t mind being alone, they insist that they’d prefer to spend the night with their lover: “Do you know that I don’t mind being alone? / I want to share the night with you / And when you think about going to sleep / Let’s start jumping again”.
Helena Paparizou – “Kathara Ta Dio Mou Heria Ta Krato”
Won’t somebody please think of the children?! Fear not, Helena Paparizou is here to teach the kids of Greece a lesson in basic hygiene. The Eurovision 2005 champion has joined forces with Dettol Greece to release the new song “Kathara Ta Dio Mou Heria Ta Krato” (“I keep both my hands clean”). Through the song, the Greek star hopes to combine hand hygiene with a fun and enjoyable process. As part of the music video, Helena appears as a primary school teacher and shares her words of wisdom with a group of children.
Diodato – “L’uomo dietro il campione”
Il Divin Codino (The Divine Ponytail) is a new Italian Netflix film about the life of Italian football player Roberto Baggio. Eurovision 2020 star Diodato was asked to write and record the film’s main theme song. The Italian singer noted that his was a great honour for him, as he looked up to Baggio a lot when he was younger: “I went to football school in his shoes, the black and yellow diadora, with his autograph on it”. Diodato eventually put his emotions into the rousing “L’uomo dietro il campione” (“The man behind the champion”). The music video gave Diodato the chance to meet Baggio in person and play a game of table football with him.
Dilara Kazimova – “Ćnvanımız XoÅbÉxtlik”
Dilara Kazimova has released the new song “Ćnvanımız XoÅbÉxtlik” (“Our Address is Happiness”). It’s a steady track that brings in a light drum and bass beat to the chorus. In the music video, Azerbaijan’s Eurovision 2014 singer spends time exploring different areas of her city while there are various on screen graphics added (oh, and Pac-Man makes an appearance).
fiedlerski (feat. Alicja & remme) – “growing up”
Alicja sadly missed out on her opportunity to represent Poland at Eurovision 2020, but the star is still connecting with musicians from across Europe through her other music. Alicja has collaborated with Czech music producer fiedlerski and Dutch singer remme for the new single “growing up”. It’s a soft-rock offering that sees the artists discussing the difficulties of being young and trying to find your place: “When you don’t know where to go / You try to run but you’re too slow / And though you think that you are lost / It’s just a part of growing up”. Alicja sings the second verse and contributes to the subsequent choruses.
Sanna Nielsen – “TƤnker pĆ„ dig”
Sweden’s Sanna Nielsen is showcasing her vocal talent in her new single. “TƤnker pĆ„ dig” starts off relatively calmly and lets Sanna demonstrate the texture in her voice. But come the second chorus, things begin to pick up and the the pop ballad reaches new heights as the Eurovision 2014 bronze medallist’s voice soars.
IVAN – “Go The Distance”
Much like Hercules, Belarus’ IVAN is determined that he can “Go The Distance”. The Eurovision 2016 star’s new track is a rock offering with a head-bopping drum beat that’s topped off with guitars in the chorus. IVAN sings about the long distance relationship he has, but he’s determined to close the gap between the two of them: “Show me the way /Ā I believe in two of us /Ā I believe in miracles /Ā I don’t want to keep long distance love”.
Srbuk – “Im Mankutyan Heros”
Srbuk’s latest single is “Im Mankutyan Heros” (“Hero of My Childhood”). It’s a beautiful piano ballad that the Armenian star adds a soft and emotional vocal line to. In the lyrics, the Eurovision 2019 alum sings about the person who helped her when she was younger. Srbuk reminisces about the time they spent together and hopes that they can be together in the present, just like the past: “We dance silently / The hero of my childhood / Round by round, up to our universe / Where it is always ‘yesterday'”.
KEiiNO – “Summer Of My Life”
Summer 2019, when there was no Covid-19 pandemic and we were blissfully unaware of how our lives would soon turn upside down. KEiiNO are going back to this time for their new single “Summer Of My Life” and are trying to capture the feeling of that summer. After all, the Norwegian group had just won the televote at Eurovision 2019 and were performing at concerts across the continent. The song doesn’t take it’s musical style from 2019 though. Instead, it taps into the 80s-inspired trend of the past year and adds in some SĆ”mi flair. The group spoke more about the new song on Instagram:
“It’s a song about Summer 2019. We could hug. We could dance. We could travel. We hope everybody can go back to their favourite places shortly, and this song is made to brighten up the wait.”
Flora Tandi (feat. Kati Wolf) – “JĆ”tszĆ³kert”
Hungary’s Kati Wolf is making sure to spend time playing in the garden that is our world. The Eurovision 2011 star has teamed up with Flora Tandi for the new song “JĆ”tszĆ³kert” (“Playground”). It’s an uplifting track full of life, and there’s a key change at the end for good measure. Lyrically, the pair remind us that the world is full of amazing things that we do at every stage of our lives: “This wonder garden still invites you to play today / Here the heart is renewed like the east / Spread a smile on us / Like the sun’s rays / This garden is the world”. This message is shown further in the music video, which sees people of all ages exploring an indoor jungle.
Ben Dolic – “Stuck in My Mind”
Ben Dolic was due to represent Germany at Eurovision 2020, but sadly the contest was cancelled. Thankfully, the star is back with his follow-up single “Stuck in My Mind”. The song mixes elements of pop, funk and trap. There’s also a catchy electric guitar riff in the chorus. Ben sings about how he can’t get a certain person out of his head, despite not liking the way they act in person: “So tired of being / Drunk on emotions / At four in the morning / Wide awake, yeah / Cuz’ you’re / Stuck in my, stuck in my mind”.
Riskykidd – “Demise”
Riskykidd represented Greece at Eurovision 2014 alongside Freaky Fortune. The rapper has now released the new single “Demise”. It’s an explicit urban hip-hop track in which Riskykidd raps about not getting involved with people who might want to bring him down, “Yeah, they plan my demise”. The Eurovision alum has also teased that we can expect a new album from him some time soon.
Didrik Solli-Tangen – “Vi Ere en Nasjon, Vi Med”
Didrik Solli-Tangen is turning poetry into song. His new single “Vi Ere en Nasjon, Vi Med” (“We are a nation, we as well”) is a musical take on the poem written by Henrik Wergeland. The poem expresses a desire for Norwegian Constitution Day (which this year falls on 17 May) to also be a day for the children. Didrik’s musical rendition starts with a 45 second instrumental before the Eurovision 2010 alum delivers an impassioned vocal with plenty of Nordic flair.
Selma BjƶrnsdĆ³ttir – “Undir stjƶrnum”
It’s been over ten years since we had a new music release from Selma BjƶrnsdĆ³ttir. Over the past decade, the Icelandic star has been focusing more on a career in theatre rather than music. Her new single “Undir stjƶrnum” (“Under the stars”) is also related to this change of focus. The song comes from the new production BĆddu bara (Just wait) that Selma has directed and will star in when it opens this autumn. It’s a charming track with brass accompaniment in the chorus that will no doubt give rise to a fun performance in the show. Speaking to RUV, the Eurovision 1999 runner-up talked more about why she decided to release the song ahead of the show’s premiere:
“I wanted to release this song this summer because it is a real joy bomb. And I thought it was a shame to sit on it all summer, even though the show will not see the light of day until this autumn.”
Amaury Vassili – “You’ll Never Walk Alone”
Ahead of his new album, Amaury Vassili has released his cover of “You’ll Never Walk Alone”. The song originates from the 1945 musical Carousel and has since become used as a song for crowds to sing at football matches. Vassili’s rendition forgoes the shouty chanting of football crowds and instead delivers a more classic style in line with the French singer’s opera training. The Eurovision 2011 alum is joined by a backing choir for the second half of the song.
Click on the links below to read our individual articles on other new songs released this week from Eurovision and national final stars:
21 Juin Le Duo, Ali, Casanova, Cephaz, Philippine & Clarence Clive (PonyX) ā āSi lāon chantait ensembleā
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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After she heard the news Alicja became a goth girl and I love it
Alicja love you
I love the new songs from TIX and Diodato very much !!
Alicjaās new song is sooo good! Like TVP select her after this yearās car crash!
Vanja Radovanovic (Montenegro 2018) released a new album called “BaÅ” je glupo Å”to sam mrtav” on 21. April. The lyrics are still in montenegrin, but the songs are more uptempo with a good folkpop feeling. I just recognized, you didn’t include it in the list on 25. April, but maybe you can write something about it next week.
And yeah he didn’t post much on his social media, so I understand why no one noticed, it was more a coincidene that I found it š
But I really think this is worth listening and deserves a bigger audience
Keiino are soo good!
I miss Armenia at Eurovision, I hope they will come back next year, and I hope that Ben Dolic will represent Slovenia at Eurovision in the future!
Iām sure he will!