The Eurovision 2022 season is in full swing. Over the course of the next few months, we will all fall in and out of love with scores of new national final and Eurovision entries. But that doesn’t mean we forget about the artists from past contests.
Contrary to the commonly perpetuated myth about the song contest killing careers, we’re always thrilled to report that singers associated with Eurovision 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: 2022 | Week 7
Nigar Jamal – “Gəl Qucaqla Məni”
Nigar Jamal released her new single on Valentine’s Day. But Azerbaijan’s Eurovision 2011 winner is focusing on an action of affection that sometimes gets overlooked – the hug. “Gəl Qucaqla Məni” (“Come and Hug Me”) is mid-tempo ethno-pop song in which Nigar hopes to entwine her body with her lover: “Come and hug me / Let’s hold these hands / I need you so much”. In a post on Instagram, Nigar explained why she wanted to focus on the simple hug:
“I think one of the best ways to express love is to hug. The brain produces endorphins when hugging. We hug and close our eyes, as if we are the happiest in the world.”
Anxhela Peristeri – “Lajkat”
Anxhela Peristeri has premiered a new music video for “Lajkat”. The song comes from the Albanian singer’s recent EP n’Tirane. Anxhela is joined in the video by a hatted gentleman, who dances around her. During the post-chorus instrumental, the Eurovision 2021 singer joins this man for a couple’s dance.
TIX – “Når Alt Ikke Er Nok”
The last episode of Hver gang vi møtes season 12 aired this week. This final part of the Norwegian show, where artists perform covers of other singer’s songs, was focused on Stig Brenner. TIX performed a rendition of “Når Alt Ikke Er Nok” (“When Everything Is Not Enough”), which Stig originally released as a duet alongside Melodifestivalen alum Molly Sandén.
TIX has also released another song in the past few days. Norway’s Eurovision 2021 star dropped “Delux” ahead of his new album next week.
Verka Serduchka – “Є пропозиція”
Verka Serduchka has released a song in Ukrainian for the first time in 20 years. “Є пропозиція” (“There is a proposal”) has been created for the new film Велика Прогулянка (The Great Walk) and the music video features a number of the characters from the movie. The song is rather retro, incorporating some 80’s synth-pop and schlager. Andriy Danylko, the man behind Ukraine’s Eurovision 2007 drag queen, commented about the message behind the song:
“‘There is an offer to wake up in the morning together…’ – is it possible to offer something more romantic? This offer has everything: reconciliation after the quarrel, and interesting plans for the night, and most importantly – the hope that as a result, everything will be fine!”
Samira Said – “Masterayahtesh”
Samira Said’s new single is “Masterayahtesh” (“What is your comfort?”). It’s a steady Arabic-pop song that continues at a relatively similar level for its duration. In the lyrics, Morocco’s Eurovision 1980 star questions what really makes her satisfied in life: “Suddenly I asked myself / Why are you really satisfied?”.
Yulia Savicheva – “Майский дождь”
Russia’s Yulia Savicheva has skipped forward a few months and is already living in May. The Eurovision 2004 alumna brings us the springtime song “Майский дождь” (“May rain”). It’s a breezy pop track with a danceable beat underlining much of it. Yulia sings about how the rain isn’t able to put out the fire in her heart: “Watching the May rain / Under the window all day / It aims to put out this love / That burns in our heart / But it pours off target”.
zalagasper – “love letter”
“With this song and the video we’re letting you catch a glimpse of our bubble”. In case you hadn’t twigged, Slovenia’s Eurovision 2019 act zalagasper are a duo both in music and in life. Zala and Gašper use their new single “love letter” to let us into their world and show us the connection between them. Zala sings about how their love is just as impressive as any painting: “Our love is my favourite piece of art / The best thing ever painted by my heart”.
Justyna Steczkowska – “Szamanka”
Ahead of the release of her new album next week, Justyna Steczkowska has now released the LP’s title track. “Szamanka”(“Shaman”) is another atmospheric offering from Poland’s Eurovision 1995 star. At over five minutes long, it’s a song to get swept up in and just let it flow.
mor ve ötesi – “İstiklal”
Last month, Turkey’s mor ve ötesi released their new album Sirenler. The band have now dropped a new single from the LP, which comes with its own music video. “İstiklal” (“Independence”) is a relatively lengthy song and it begins with a one minute and 30 seconds intro before the lyrics come in. In the music video, we see two women try to get into a concert that the Eurovision 2008 group are giving. Although they are initially refused access, they eventually manage to sneak their way in and get right to the front row.
AISEL – “Hold Me”
“I’ve got all – you / I’ve got nothing to decide”. AISEL has everything she needs and just wants her lover to “Hold Me”. Azerbaijan’s Eurovision 2018 star returns to the English language for this latest single. It also sees AISEL taking on a more R&B sound.
Lordi – ‘Skelectric Dinosaur’ and ‘Masterbeast From The Moon’ (Lordiversity)
We’ve finally made it to the end of Lordi’s Lordiversity series and the Finnish band have concluded things with a double whammy. Lordi released both Skelectric Dinosaur and Masterbeast From The Moon onto digital platforms this week. The former leans more towards hard rock, whilst the latter sees the Eurovision 2006 champions deliver progressive rock songs.
Nathan Trent – “Faith”
Nathan Trent is keeping the “Faith”. The Austrian singer’s new single is a mid-tempo R&B offering. It sees Nathan showing more vulnerability than some of his previous uptempo and pop-lead songs. The Eurovision 2017 alum sings about believing in yourself even when things get dark: “They’ll put my name up in lights one day / Got every reason to celebrate / That little voice there inside my head’s saying / Eh, you gotta have faith”.
Connect-R & Johny Romani – “Politai”
Connect-R has teamed up with Johny Romani for the new single “Politai” (“Police”). Romani leads much of the song, with Moldova’s Eurovision 2006 rapper delivering the second verse. Whilst mostly in Romanian, there are a few English lines thrown into the mix, including a spoken word outro.
DoReDoS – “Boom Boom”
Moldovan trio DoReDoS recently released the song “Boom Boom”. It’s a pop song that aims to have a little Latin spice underlying it. Each of Marina, Eugeniu and Sergiu gets their moment in the song, with a verse each. The music video features the two boys battling for Marina’s affection, though she doesn’t let them have it easily. In the description of the video, the Eurovision 2018 stars tell us about the message of the song:
“This is a story about love and strong affection for a person, without whom the roof is torn off, without which you can’t see or hear anything and anyone around. Love, in which you immerse yourself, completely lost in the space of time and feelings. But at the same time, the track envelops with its impressiveness and sexuality.”
Alban Ramosaj – “Love Letter (N’Tiranë Prej Berlini)”
Alban Ramosaj, runner-up of Festivali i Këngës 60, has shared the new single “Love Letter (N’Tiranë Prej Berlini)” (In Tirana From Berlin). Compared to his FiK 60 entry “Theje”, this latest single is a step down in terms of power. Instead, it takes on a slightly more chilled R&B vibe. Whilst mostly sung in Albanian, the second verse is in German. The lyric video features the words in both languages, as well as English.
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.
English is also a foreign language if you’re not from England.
My pick this week: Nigar Jamal. I really like the dark beat the song has… the video is pretty stereotypical though
Yes, the title of Mor ve Ötesi’s song ?stiklal means independence but ?stiklal is the name of one of the most popular streets in ?stanbul. The street itself and the square at the end of the street is the place and the symbol of all protest and resistance gatherings in the city. The song has references to this culture. It has nothing to do with independence.
I’d like to hear some song in Arabic at Eurovision. Tunisia and Morocco could join…