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 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 32

Lesley Roy – “I’ll Be Fine”

Lesley Roy’s result at Eurovision 2021 might not have been what she wanted, but the Irish star is determined not to let it get her down. Lesley follows up her Eurovision entry with “I’ll Be Fine”. It’s a bright pop song with a chorus that’s perfect for dancing around the house. Lyrically, the track is all about picking yourself up after you fall. Our girl is going to keep dancing and move on to bigger and better things: “I’ll be fine / I take the pleasure with the pain / When I dance it off my mind / So I keep dancing on, I keep dancing on / Till I dance it off my mind”.

LOBODA – “Indie Rock (Vogue)”

Strike a pose, Vogue! LOBODA is leaning into the modelling industry for the theme of her new single, “Indie Rock (Vogue)”. Ukraine’s Eurovision 2009 superstar features in the music video as a new model starting out in the business. The photographer of the shoot has to bring out her talent, which the lyrics note she has  plenty of: “Pink ceiling / She’s like the cover of Vogue / Wild sex with indie rock / Your fingers will pull the trigger”. Sonically, the song isn’t specifically indie rock, but it does brings in a slightly grittier edge to LOBODA’s usual pop stylings. Two versions of the song were in fact released at the same time – one in Russian and one in the Ukrainian language.

Anna Bergendahl – “Grain of Trust”

Even in the darkest of times, hope can be the light at the end of the tunnel. Anna Bergendahl sings about that light in her new single “Grain of Trust”. The Swedish star wants people to know better times are just around the corner and we just need to trust that things will be okay again: “So I never really had a doubt / With a little grain of trust / It brushes off like dust / Cause it must, and in the end / I never really had a doubt”. Musically, it’s a rousing pop song that the Eurovision 2010 alum injects with country charm.

Tina Karol & KAZKA – “Зірочка”

The 24 August marks Ukraine’s Independence Day and this year is a special one as it’s the 30th anniversary. To commemorate the occasion, Tina Karol will be releasing the new album Молода кров (Young Blood), which will feature a number of Ukrainian-language duets with rising stars in the country’s music industry. Ahead of the LP’s full release next week, the Eurovision 2006 star has dropped the first song, “Зірочка” (“Asterisk”). For this track, Karol collaborates with Vidbir 2018 and 2019 act KAZKA. The group are known for blending ethnic Ukrainian sounds into catchy pop songs, and “Зірочка” is another great example of that. KAZKA commented on Instagram about the opportunity to perform with Tina Karol for this project:

“Not so long ago, we ourselves were in the role of young artists. KAZKA went through a short but thorny path. And we know first-hand how difficult it is for young musicians to bring creativity to an audience of millions. Therefore, we gladly decided to support the Молода кров project and join Tina’s wonderful initiative. We are sure that our joint track ‘Зірочка’ is a great start to a big and important project for all musicians.”

In addition, Karol has also released her own solo single. “Lovers” is the English-language version of “Любовники”, which was included on the Ukrainian star’s most recent album.

Whilst it starts off calmly, the song soon builds in a dance beat that takes it in an upbeat direction, as Karol sings, “Nobody but lovers will survive”.

Arilena Ara – “Aligator”

“Cuz you are a naughty boy”, sings Arilena Ara in her new single. The Albanian star is dealing with a troublesome fella, who she compares to an “Aligator” (presumably in terms of characteristics, rather than in terms of physical appearance). However, Arilena remains in control and brings out her full pop diva. The music video certainly involves a lot more choreography compared to the one for her intended Eurovision 2020 ballad “Fall From The Sky”. Although Arilena is aware of this person’s misbehaviour, she also knows that they’re loyal to her, following the first line up with “Cuz you are my naughty boy”.

Can Bonomo (feat. Demet Evgar) – “Rüyamda Buluttum”

Be careful what you wish for, as you just might get it. And Can Bonomo’s fans got just what they wished for with the release of the Turkish star’s new single “Rüyamda Buluttum” (“I was a cloud in my dream”). It’s a song that the Eurovision 2012 star has had on the side lines for a number of years. But after he casually performed it on an Instagram live session, Bonomo’s fans were adamant he should officially release it. To add an extra special touch for the official release, Can Bonomo is joined by Demet Evgar. Lyrically, the pair use the water cycle to represent their own journey: “I was a cloud in my dream / I forgot how it was being without you / I became rain, I cried you / I had you sleep on my knees / I woke up in the middle of the night / Neither air nor water”.

That’s not all, the single release of “Rüyamda Buluttum” comes with a B-side track. “Acı Kiraz” (“Bitter Cherry”) is a solo song from Can Bonomo that’s slightly more upbeat than the A-side offering.

In the lyrics, Bonomo says his personality can take on both a sweet and sour nature, comparing himself to a bitter cherry: “I am bitter cherry / Get to know me, sing me some songs […] I’m crazy mine / Don’t turn around and don’t be deceived / It’s poetry or a lie that escapes my tongue”.

Luca Hänni – “Dynamit”

Luca Hänni brought plenty of fire power to Eurovision 2019, courtesy of both his dynamic performance and some well-timed pyro. Now the Swiss star is singing about more “Dynamit” (“Dynamite”), but as a metaphor for the person of his affection. Musically, Hänni’s new single is a groovy pop song that glides along smoothly for its duration.

maNga & VEYasin – “Kırıla Kırıla”

As a band, Turkey’s maNga know the importance of collaboration. And so it was easy for them to work with producer VEYasin for the new single “Kırıla Kırıla” (“Broken to Broken”). Not as hard hitting as their Eurovision 2010 entry, but “Kırıla Kırıla” still brings a solid alternative rock feel in the second half. The band’s lead member, Ferman Akgül, sings: “You do not exist / Let the labyrinth begin in my head, the apocalypse / Someone bait me to find you / No getting trapped”.

Hooverphonc – “Thinking About You”

If you hadn’t got the message that you shouldn’t get on the wrong side of Hooverphonic’s Geike Arnaert after watching the group’s Eurovision 2021 music video, then perhaps the video for their latest single will do the trick. The lyrics of the indie rock song are relatively straight forward. The Belgian singer wonders if her former partner is thinking about her the way she does about them: “I’m missing the joking, the laughter / The tears that we shared […] And I’m thinking about you now / What about you? / Are you thinking about me now?”. However, things take a violent turn in the music video, as Geike attacks her partner. He’s played by the same person who joined her in “The Wrong Place” music video, but with his head back on his shoulders…only for Geike to shoot him in the face (and then reminisce about the times they spent together). Now you’ve really been warned – don’t wear her Johnny Cash t-shirt!

Arvingarna – Tänker inte alls gå hem

Since making it to the grand final of Melodifestivalen 2021, Swedish act Arvingarna have kept a good thing going. And now, the group have dropped their new album, titled after their Melfest 2021 song “Tänker inte alls gå hem” (“Not thinking of going home at all”). The other nine songs on the LP include an English-language version of the title track, other recent singles – “Jag går runt i solen (Lassemans altan)”“Stannar du kvar”“Sommar igen” – a remix of their Melfest 2019 song “I Do”, as well as some brand new songs. Arvingarna once again deliver on the bright and fun dansband style we’ve loved ever since they appeared at Eurovision 1993.

Philipp Kirkorov – “Yeezy”

Philipp Kirkorov and hip hop music might not be a combination we expected, but it’s what we’ve been given. Russia’s Eurovision 1995 star has dropped the song “Yeezy”. There’s not much to the track except for Kirkorov rapping over a repetitive beat, and then a chorus that repeats “Yeezy” 28 times. The lyrics are rather egotistical, with the Russian star boasting about his status: “35 years in show biz / I look 35 easy / Doing milli / Her whims / I’m like MC Hammer, I got a new Hummer / I have a house in Miami and you live with your mum / King of Russian Pop, president in my squad / Don’t call me I’m busy doing a hip-hop album”.

Sirusho – “Maral”

Sirusho isn’t just a singer, she’s also a businesswoman. The Eurovision 2008 star owns the Armenian jewellery store Pregomesh, which has a bridal offshoot called Gozal. Sirusho’s latest single “Maral” was created to accompany the new line of bridal dresses that Gozal has released. The song itself is steady yet atmospheric, with Sirusho singing in an almost spiritual fashion. There’s definitely an Armenian touch to proceedings, even if the underlying production is somewhat more electronic in nature.

No Angels – “Mad Wild”

Every great music group needs a reunion, or two. As part of their first reunion, No Angels represented Germany at Eurovision 2008, before later disbanding again. In 2021, they’ve reformed for a second time to commemorate the 20th anniversary of their musical debut. Earlier this year, No Angels released the celebration album 20. It featured re-recordings of their greatest hits (their Eurovision entry “Disappear” was not included), as well as a few new songs. One of the new songs is “Mad Wild”, which the group recently released as a new single with a lyric video. A solid pop song, No Angels sing about someone who has got them all hot and sweaty: “Oh, I can’t find a better reason / Not to take you home / In my bed, where our clothes is missing, baby / Mad, mad wild, baby, mad, mad wild”.

Ann Sophie – “April (Live)”

Ann Sophie is stripping things back for her latest release, “April”. Instead of adding in the extra layers of production, the German singer is keeping the focus on the raw emotion of the song and has recorded it in more of a live scenario. Ann Sophie accompanies herself on the piano as she asks her lover to stay with her forever: “Would you run away with me? / Would you stay awake til I fall asleep? / Cause I would baby”. The Eurovision 2015 star spoke more on social media about the decision to record the song in this fashion:

“It’s a big step for me releasing my music this way. This is how a song usually sounds before we go into bigger productions…and this time I just wanted to share my rawest self with you. This is me in it’s purest form…after taking a long walk outside…creativity floating through my mind and heart, then sitting down at the piano with a glass of red wine and start writing.”

Road Movie All Stars (with Magdolna Rúzsa) – “Sopron felé”

Road Movie is a Hungarian show that tours the country with singers/bands and then gets them to create songs inspired by the cities and landscapes. Eurovision 2007 star Magdolna Rúzsa took part in an All Stars edition, with a group of artists coming together for “Sopron felé” (“Towards Sopron”). Sopron is a city in western Hungary, on the Austrian border. The group have put together a bright pop track that highlights the charms of Sopron, which are also showcased in the music video.

Clara Klingenström – “Liv”

She was the breakout star of Melodifestivalen 2021, and now five months later Clara Klingenström has finally given us her follow-up single. “Liv” (“Life”) follows a similar formula to her Melfest entry, so will be right up the street of those who fell in love with her at the national final. The song has a sad origin, as Clara wrote it following the death of her father last year. However, the Swedish star turns the pain into something positive and delivers an upbeat track in which she sings about the peace she has found: “Everything that disappeared can now come to life / I can forgive that / Who once burned can now have peace / You can stop crying”.

Dotter – “Jealous”

Another Melfest 2021 favourite who’s back with a new track is Dotter. Her follow-up single is “Jealous”. It’s lighter in nature than “Little Tot” and it takes the Swedish star’s music in a fresh direction. The song is themed around Dotter being succumb with envy, after the person she has feelings for chooses someone else over her: “I can’t get you off my mind / Using her before me / I would say it blows my mind / Well, maybe I guess that I’m / I guess that I’m jealous, alright”.

Jerry Heil – “ТУК-ТУК-ТУК”

At Vidbir 2020, Jerry Heil proudly told us that she was “#Vegan”. But what she failed to mention was that she’s also a blue alien – at least in the world of her new “ТУК-ТУК-ТУК” (“Tuk-Tuk-Tuk”) music video. The video matches the fun and quirky nature of the song, and features Heil coming to Earth to marry her lover in a small Ukrainian village. In the description, the Ukrainian singer and social media star commented further about the story:

“It is about the clash of old “parental” traditions and new norms of society. […] Young people are forced to manoeuvre between these realities, building their own happy future. And at the same time not to deceive the heart, which – “tuk-tuk-tuk” – dictates something of its own.”

 

Click on the links below to read our individual articles on other new songs released in the last week by Eurovision stars:

Blind Channel – “Balboa”

Montaigne – “My Life Is Better With You”

Fyr Og Flamme – Fyr Og Flamme

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.

Read more new music reviews here

Follow our new music playlist on Spotify

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sam
sam
2 years ago

clara k strikes again <3 i really wish she’d reconsider entering melfest next year 🙁

Ashton
Ashton
2 years ago

seeing that not only has Philipp Kirkorov released a song, but also seeing its title and what the song is about has dealt me irreparable psychic damage

Cem Yildiz
Cem Yildiz
2 years ago

You need someone in your team who knows Turkish 🙂

Can Bonomo does not say “I slept on my knees”, he says “I had you sleep on my knees”

And he sings “I forgot -how it was- being without you”, not “I forgot the insensitivity”