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 33

Polina Gagarina – “Вчера”

Out with the old and in with the new. Polina Gagarina is starting a new era of her career, and based on the first song alone it’s looking like it’ll be a very exciting one. The Eurovision 2015 runner-up has released “Вчера” (“Yesterday”), where she’s breaking free of the things that used to hold her back: “I’m killing insomnia in the dance / Overtaking with an insane speed, yesterday, yesterday / I’m not trying to understand you anymore / How could all this hold me yesterday, just yesterday”. It’s a dynamic track that brings out a fiery, strong and bold side to the Russian singer. Polina has always had a range of tracks in her discography beyond just power ballads. However, “Вчера” really shakes things up and exposes Polina as a true popstar, nae superstar! Speaking about this new era of music on social media, Polina noted:

“‘Вчера’ has become for me a feature that separated the past from the present. Now I feel free, it seems to me easier to breathe, for me many things have become easier and more understandable, and from this I feel confident in myself. The feeling that a completely new stage is beginning penetrates me through and through, and I look at my life experience, at the past, not with regret, but with gratitude. I understand that the main power is now in me, this is a resource, a large and interesting world that I can always turn to, and I will feel good there.”

Kenan Doğulu – “Bumaya”

Turkish ethnic sounds meet aristocratic splendour in the form of Kenan Doğulu’s new music video. The Eurovision 2007 star delivers a compelling audio-visual experience with “Bumaya”. Sonically, the song is said to draw “inspiration from world music and carries a musical richness with its percussive tones and modern vocal arrangement”. The note in the music video’s description also details the inspiration for the visual elements: “Bumaya has a theatrical vision inspired by Giallo and New French Extremity and questions the themes of life, death, time and magic by symbolising them with colours”.

Eden Alene – “לקום”

Eden Alene follows up her appearance at Eurovision 2021 with the new single “לקום” (“Get up”). It’s more chilled and laid-back than Eden’s Eurovision entry, but it still features some whistle notes in the background of the second chorus. The Israeli star sings about a person who has treated her poorly and who she no longer has any intention of being in a relationship with: “And no longer comfortable in bed / Feeling suffocated in my blanket / You made me sleep and I wanted to get up”. In the animated music video, we see Eden in the aftermath of a meeting with said person. As she drifts off to sleep, she dreams of getting up and flying all the way into outer space so that she can… pick up a cold beverage. In a post on Instagram, Eden noted that she’s been working on this song for a year:

“This song has been going with me for almost a year. It underwent drastic changes and also barely got out. I have an inexplicable love for it and I feel like it is summing up a crazy time for me that now I can say hello to it and put it aside. This song and I evolved together and I feel like I put my heart out and I really hope it reaches each and every one of you and gets warm and loving hands.”

Tina Karol – Молода кров

Last week, Tina Karol released the first single from her Молода кров (Young Blood) project. And now we have the full album, which was created in honour of Ukraine’s 30th anniversary of independence on 24 August. The Eurovision 2006 singer has collaborated with seven rising stars in the country’s music industry for a series of Ukrainian-language duets. There’s also a solo single from Karol at the end. The songs vary in genre a fair amount, switching between cheery summery pop, indie rock, electropop and more.

Jamala & TAYANNA – “Моя Земля”

Another song for Ukraine’s Independence Day comes from Eurovision 2016 winner Jamala and two-time Vidbir runner-up TAYANNA. The two singers have teamed up for “Моя Земля” (“My Land”), in which they sing about the beauty of Ukraine: “This is my land, land / My only one / From edge to edge / It has no boundaries / Ukraine is your mother and mine”. TAYANNA kicks proceedings off with a straighter pop-like vocal, then Jamala comes in for the second verse and adds in her jazzy flourishes.

Jala Brat & Elena – “Bijele flase”

Jala Brat is building up to the release of his new album Futura. The Bosnian rapper began by releasing the new single “Bijele flase” (“White bottles”) on Wednesday, which he performs alongside singer Elena. Blending hip hop with a house beat, Brat sings: “They have been the same for me for a long time / White bottles and on the soul everything is flat / They told me what they thought of you / I don’t care, I never checked”.

Since Wednesday, the Eurovision 2016 alum has continued to release new songs from the album every two days. We got title track “Futura” on Friday, and then Brat dropped “Dugme” on Sunday.

Bilal Hassani – “Baby”

Bilal Hassani’s new single is “Baby”. It’s a multi-lingual song, with the Eurovision 2019 star singing in both French and English (and one line of Italian). Bilal tells his lover that he wants to keep the flame between them burning, but it’s up to them to put the effort in: “Baby tell me you love me and you mean it / That at night you can’t forget me / Promise me, don’t say no, ah, no, ah”. The French singer keeps the instrumentation more organic and percussion based, which gives it a slight Mediterranean feel. Meanwhile, the music video features Bilal serving fashion in a variety of outfits, and also serving body in a lack of outfits.

Lordi – “Believe Me”

Even Finnish hard rock monsters need to let loose and dance from time to time. And so Lordi have decided to add a little disco music into their new single. Mr Lordi’s gravelly vocals don’t perhaps lend themselves to a usual disco-style song, so there’s still a rock edge to “Believe Me”. In the lyrics of the song, the Eurovision 2006 champion comes across his ex-partner, who he thought he’d buried beneath the ground: “Please believe me baby / I never wanted us to part that way / I never thought you’d be alive today”. Mr Lordi’s former lover comes back to show him how it’s done: “You can’t do nothing right / Not even take my life […] Look here, I got your gun / I’ll show you how it’s done”. This story is told in cartoon form as part of the accompanying music video.

Dima Bilan & Zivert – “Это была любовь”

Dima Bilan is celebrating 20 years in the music industry. The Eurovision 2008 champion is the honoured artist of the New Wave 2021 competition currently taking place in Sochi, where he’s performing a number of his songs alongside other Russian stars. For his collaboration with Zivert, the pair have taken it a step further by revamping one of Bilan’s previous songs and re-releasing it. “Это была любовь” (“It was love”) was originally released in 2006. This new version completely removes the dated 00’s pop sound and brings in more contemporary production. Dima and Zivert sing of the pain they feel when the person they have feelings for says there is no connection between them: “Forgive me my sorrow, let me cry a little / You will say that everything was not serious between us / The pain will go away for today, but tomorrow it will return again / I know it was love, because it was love, it was love”.

Guy Sebastian – “Believer”

“Believer” is the seventh single from Guy Sebastian’s album T.R.U.T.H., released last year. The soulful ballad was written for the Australian singer’s wife, Jules Egan. In the lyrics, Guy tells Jules to stop doubting herself and to know that he will always be by her side: “If you think I should leave / Sell it to me like a preacher / But you’ll never make me / Never make me a believer”. For the music video, the Eurovision 2015 star headed to a derelict building in the midst of a frosty landscape.

Intars Busulis, Abonementa orķestris & GG Choir – “Vai”

Magician Intars Busulis is here to amaze you with his wonderous magic tricks. Latvia’s Eurovision 2009 star takes to the stage of a small theatre in the music video for his new single “Vai”. Whilst some of the audience aren’t initially that interested, they eventually get more excited after watching some of the magic tricks. The song itself is a funk offering with saxophone-fuelled production. Intars is joined on the song by music group Abonementa orķestris and gospel choir GG Choir.

Timebelle – “No Te Vayas De Aqui”

Timebelle took a trip to Saona Island in the Dominican Republic for their new music video. Lead singer Miruna Mănescu spends her time on the beach, enjoying the sun, sea and sand. This is of course done to coincide with the Latin pop flavour of the new single “No Te Vayas De Aqui” (“Do not leave here”). Miruna sings about the way her lover makes her feel and that she doesn’t want them to leave her side: “When you kiss me / I lose my mind […] I will give you everything and more / Do not leave here”. In the music video’s description, Switzerland’s Eurovision 2017 act talk more about the song:

“‘No Te Vayas de Aqui’ is the track you would enjoy on a hot summer day at the beach with a Margarita in your hand. […] The song combines the romantic lyrics with a touch of bachata flavour and the pop-regaetton rhythm that immediately creates that Latin spark. ‘No Te Vayas de Aqui’ speaks of unpredictable love, the kind that changes you completely, gives you hope that life can be shared between two persons, despite your old patterns and beliefs.”

ela. – “Lila Cadillac”

Germany’s ela. has truly come into her own since starting her solo career. This continues with her new single “Lila Cadillac”. The Eurovision 2014 star delivers a gritty yet emotional pop song underlined by a mixture of snappy electronic drum beats and more melodic piano melodies. ela. sings of a relationship between two big personalities that is bound to explode (for good and bad): “We are like water and fire / Rinse and burn away the doubts / Get in – I’m already behind the wheel / In our purple Cadillac”. The accompanying music video features a couple arguing on a night out. But they eventually make up and go out for a ride in a… Cadillac with purple lights fitted to it.

Vanilla Ninja – “The Reason Is You”

Vanilla Ninja are certainly making up for lost time. The Estonian band have now released the third single of their reunion. “The Reason Is You” is a spirited pop-rock song with a short guitar solo in the bridge. Lyrically, Switzerland’s Eurovision 2005 representatives want the person of their affections to move on from the past and spend a lifetime with them: “I take a look in your eyes / You blow my mind, you’re surprised / All the things that you say / I can never run away / The reason is you”.

Natalia Podolskaya – “Спутники”

Like a satellite, I’m in orbit all the way around you! Natalia Podolskaya has used a Eurovision-winning theme for her latest song. “Спутники” (“Sattelites”) is an interstellar dance-pop song that takes flight from the first chorus onward. Russia’s Eurovision 2005 representative sings of the eternal connection between her and her lover and how they’ll always be destined to rotate around each other: “Satellites / You and I are companions / And love has something eternal / Wherever we are, we’ll be here”.

Ermal Meta – “Stelle cadenti”

Ermal Meta is looking to the night’s sky for his latest single. “Stelle cadenti” (“Shooting stars”), which comes from the Italian singer’s recent album, is a mid-tempo electro-rock track with a slight 80s/90s retro flavour to it. Ermal sings of the unattainable figures we sometimes draw whilst looking at the stars and the dreams these become: “Tell me you want to leave / Lend me some memories / Tell me that you love me more and more than all the others / We’re not shooting stars”. Even though some of these dreams may seem out of the question, the Eurovision 2018 alum notes on social media that he hopes people will keep striving to achieve them, “Keep looking at the sky and expressing your wishes, but above all keep fighting to make them come true”.

Kobi Marimi – “יוצא מזה”

“No one knows what tomorrow will be like, so live your wildest dreams and imaginations” – these are the words of wisdom that form the basis of Kobi Marimi’s new single “יוצא מזה” (“Get out of this”). Rather than living a life that goes nowhere, Israel’s Eurovision 2019 star wants to break the cycle and live freely: “I do not understand how I get out of this, why it’s so hard / There is no logic here / How scary it is to discover that there is no future / From now on and forever, I live in the imagination”. Musically, the song starts off softly with Kobi in his feelings. But it then brings in a more upbeat pop beat from the second chorus onward as the Eurovision alum journeys to this new state of mind. Kobi commented more about the writing process behind the song in a post on Instagram:

“The weird year we all went through gave me a chance to stop for a moment, get back to myself, write, get into the studio, and be more precise with my music. Today I am releasing a first song on the way to a debut album. I wrote and composed the song ‘יוצא מזה’ a few months ago in the days when I felt everything was in place. And I invite you to embark on a journey in the imagination and dance with me all the way to happiness.”

ELDAR – “Aman-Aman”

“Summer is coming to an end quickly, and I’m prolonging it”, says ELDAR of his latest single. And indeed, the Eurovision 2011 winner brings us a catchy Azeri pop song with a light and bouncy feel to it. ELDAR heads to the beach for the accompanying music video and performs as the sun is setting. Though the wind was anything but light whilst the Azeri star was recording, with ELDAR’s shirt looking as if it wants to blow right of his body.

Kasia Moś & Jarecki – “Dobre Moce”

Poland’s Eurovision 2017 star Kasia Moś is collaborating with singer Jarecki for her latest single. The pair have released “Dobre Moce” (“Good powers”). It’s a steady song with a hint of jazz thrown into the mix courtesy of some trumpets in the final chorus. Kasia and Jarecki sing the chorus in unison, before adding in some harmonies for the final go through. They sing about their natural chemistry and the mystical forces that brought them together: “In the middle of the day / It’s dark without you / We burn together at night / We attract each other / They say it’s fate / They say good powers / That I found you”.

PAENDA, ZE.Express & Moodygee – “Be the One”

PAENDA’s latest dance track is “Be the One”. The Austrian singer has once again teamed up with music producer Moodygee, but this time also ZE.Express. “Be the One” is a club-ready bop with the usual beat drop moment – though the first one is initially a bit tamer before bringing in the brass. Lyrically, the Eurovision 2019 alum tells someone that she hopes she can be the person of their dreams: “I’ll stay the night / If you want me to / Let me touch you right / I’ll be the one for you”.

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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Guorga
Guorga
2 years ago

Tom Hugo (Norway 2019) has released Stolt, a pride song in Norwegian.

Sot
Sot
2 years ago

I still need Zivert in ESC

BTW I guess the girl who sang along with Jala was not Elena from Romania! 😀

Carlo
Carlo
2 years ago

You missed Loboda Vouge – A new Ukriainian song released in Odessa last week.

usain1
usain1
2 years ago

My strong favorite from this week is the song by Natalia Podolskaya. Very typical russian pop: dark, melodic with a driving beat. I quite like that very much! The new song by Ermal Meta sounds nice too…