The Eurovision 2022 season is now in full swing and no doubt fans will have the songs from this year’s contest on repeat until we crown a winner in May. But that doesn’t mean we forget about the artists from past contests – they’re still brining us a lot of new music to enjoy.
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 17
Hurricane & Teodora – “Kontroverzne”
Get ready to go loco loco, because Eurovision 2021 trio Hurricane are back with a bang. This time they’ve collaborated with Serbian singer Teodora for the song “Kontroverzne” (“Controversial”). The four ladies bring a true banger filled with an abundance of energy and power. In the lyrics, the fierce foursome say they and their lovers are a controversial partnership, but they still believe they should be the ones for each other: “Who doesn’t know us / That team is controversial / The club burns when our song goes […] Yes my heart is your address / And I only want it with you, I want it / To always be together”.
fiedlerski feat. Ben Cristovao – “space cowboy*”
This is the return of the “space cowboy”. Eurovision 2021 star Ben Cristovao features on the new song by Czech music producer fiedlerski. It’s a spirited track that Ben’s sung-rap keeps pace with throughout. The video is a repeated animated sequence showing a cowboy riding his horse through space as he tries to search for his loved one.
James Righton feat. Benny Anderson – “Empty Rooms”
Benny Anderson is best know for being part of Swedish band ABBA. He’s recently helped British musician James Righton with his new song “Empty Rooms”. Benny is an instrumentalist, not a singer, so the Eurovision 1974 winner’s contribution takes the form of a keyboard solo as part of the song’s bridge. James explained on Instagram:
“Once the track was in a good place I still felt musically it could go somewhere else before the last chorus. It felt like it needed a solo (which is something I never usually do). I’d recently worked with Benny Andersson in helping him put together the band for the ABBA Voyage shows and thought he’d be perfect for the song. I sent Benny the track and a few days later he sent over his piano solo. His solo made the song and the track was complete.”
Zlata Ognevich & Artem Pivovarov – “До весни”
Ukrainian poetry meets contemporary music in this next song. Artem Pivovarov is releasing a series of songs that combine these two elements together. For the latest single in his Твої Вірші, Мої Ноти (Your Poems, My Notes) collection, Artem has brought onboard Eurovision 2013 star Zlata Ognevich. “До весни” (“Until spring”) utilises the words of poet Bohdan-Ihor Antonych: “Spring is wedding and intoxicating / Red maple, like a flag / You bewitched me / To death and to life”.
Roxen – “Printre Stele”
Roxen seems to have a thing for space-themed songs at the moment. Following “Dincolo de Marte” (“Beyond Mars”) and “UFO”, Romania’s Eurovision 2021 star has now released “Printre Stele” (“Among The Stars”). A mid-tempo pop track, Roxen sings about wanting to escape from the struggles of the world with her lover: “I’m looking for you among the stars at night / I’d like to fly with you, to carry you / Just the two of us in our world / Let’s run away from everything, everything, everything”.
Sevak – “Оставь себе”
Sevak’s new single is “Оставь себе” (“Keep it”). Considering the lamenting ballads the Armenian star can often give us, this latest offering is surprisingly pop in nature with synths added into the post-chorus. There’s still an emotional kick in the lyrics, with the Eurovision 2018 alum singing about how he misses his former lover: “My world is in you / I pluck the stars from the sky / To give you”.
KEiiNO – “Mother Of The Night”
After a number of years of cancelled concerts and parties, KEiiNO are excited to finally get back out and dance the night away with fans and friends. Norway’s Eurovision 2019 trio have released “Mother Of The Night”. Declared as “an anthem about going out again”, it naturally has all the elements you need from a song in order to dance along and feel free. The group sing “Mother of the night / Bring back the sinful and shameful in me / Cause I’ve been waiting so patiently / I’m on my knees if you want me to be / So we can rise, we can rise, we can rise”.
Monika Linkytė – “Naktis”
The sun is going down and Monika Linkytė is ready to enjoy the night time. The Lithuanian singer has delivered the atmospheric new single “Naktis” (“Night”), which brings an indie and minamilist feel. Speaking about the theme of the song on social media, the Eurovision 2015 star said:
“For me, night always presses a mystical note in my mind. Someone in it did not know. That unfamiliar part intertwines in dreams as well. We seem to live there as separate lives. And close and foreign. It seems like I know everything about the night, and I don’t know at once.”
Voltaj – “1 Mai Nebun”
Just like us Eurovision fans, Voltaj are getting ready to go wild this May (though no confirmation on whether it’s Eurovision that Voltaj are also super excited for). Romania’s Eurovision 2015 group have released “1 Mai Nebun” (“1 Crazy May”). The song has a very easy chorus to sing along to – it’s 95% comprised of “Lala la lalala la la la la la lala”, so no knowledge of the Romanian language is required.
Kunz feat. Sebalter – “Ciao (Versione Estate)”
Sebalter is getting in the summer spirit. The Eurovision 2014 star features on the new Versione Estate (Summer Version) of the song “Ciao”. The original song was released by fellow Swiss singer Kunz as part of his 2021 album Mai. There’s not many musical changes for this new version, with plenty of acoustic guitar and fiddle melodies filling up the instrumentation, but Sebalter’s vocals mean the pair can deliver some harmonies in the final chorus.
Benjamin Ingrosso & Markus Krunegård – “Ner från molnen/Ner på jorden/Dance You Off”
Benjmain Ingrosso’s latest collaboration is with singer Markus Krunegård. During the most recent episode of Benjamin’s, they performed “Ner från molnen, ner på jorden” (“Down from the clouds, down to earth”). This is the Swedish-language version of Benjamin’s Eurovision 2018 song “Dance You Off”, which Markus originally performed on season 11 of Så mycket bättre.
Elina Nechayeva – “Plan€t-B”
Elina Nechayeva is bringing an environmental message with her new single “Plan€t-B”. Estonia’s Eurovision 2018 star wants us to realise we only have one planet to live on; therefore, we need to take care of it for our future: “We are one with our planet Earth / We are one under the star called Sun / All we need is love and dignity / To heal our world”. The classically-trained singer commented more about the song’s message on Instagram:
“We don’t have planet B or another home somewhere far away in the sky if we destroy this one. There is only one planet Earth! Let’s take care of our beautiful green planet and each other, because WE ARE ONE!”
Grupa Viva feat. Doris Dragović – “Dva smo života”
Grupa Viva have asked two-time Eurovision star Doris Dragović to be part of their latest song “Dva smo života” (“We are two lives”). After a slower opening, it moves into a Balkan soft-rock song for the first chorus. Lyrically, they tell the story of two people who, even though they share two different lives, beat together as one: “We are two lives and when they add up / We are one heart beating in two / For our living and burning / The candle in the wind always burns”.
Riskykidd – “Smooth Operation”
Riskykidd has released the music video for the single “Smooth Operation”. The song comes from his most recent album I Am Risky II. We see a woman pick up a package that she then brings back to Greece’s Eurovision 2014 representative. This all happens as Riskykidd raps about the people who are trying to stop his operation: “They plan my demise / I know they don’t pray for me / So many times that I could have died / But that s*** ain’t phasing me / I’m just tryna run a smooth operation”.
If you want more from Riskykidd, he’s also just released the new song “Trap Out The Bowl” on streaming platforms.
Edyta Górniak – “W Tobie jest światło”
“Beloved, I am giving you one of the most beautiful modern prayer songs that I have discovered and loved”. Edyta Górniak released her latest single for Easter Sunday. “W Tobie jest światło” (“There is light in you”) is a delicate ballad that layers Edyta’s soft vocals over piano and harp accompaniment. Poland’s Eurovision 1994 star sings “There is light in you, every darkness will illuminate / There is life in you, death triumphs / I trust in You, merciful Jesus, save us”.
Sarit Hadad – “חוף מבטחים”
“There is a song I want to dedicate to the important things in my life – my family and you [fans]. This song is dedicated to you.” Sarit Hadad recently released the new song “חוף מבטחים” (“Safe shore”). It’s an emotional ballad that gradually builds as the instrumentation swells into the final chorus. Israel’s Eurovision 2002 star sings about how her family and friends give her shelter in times of need: “Knowing that I’m never alone / Even if it’s hard, you pick me up all the time again / And the truth / That you came to me like thunder / Even in the most difficult storms, in you I have always found a safe shore”.
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.
KEiiNO won the Public Vote in 2019. Since then, they continue to win our hearts with every new song that they release.
They were the Eurovision winners in my eyes.
i am so pleased to see SEBALTER who is for me the champion of the decade 2010-2019 Thank you Kunz.
This week I am rooting for the two strong ballads in this collection: Edyta Górniak and Sarit Hadad