New music this week: Songs from Barbara Pravi, Ira Losco & AIDAN, Senhit and more

The Eurovision 2023 season is beginning to heat up. 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 first weekly roundup of the year with a selection of the songs and music videos released recently by Eurovision stars.

New music from Eurovision artists: 2023 | Week 1

Barbara Pravi – Les prières – guérir

Barbara Pravi has released her third set of Les prières (Prayers). This new addition to the series of EPs is focused on guérir (healing). It features six gentle tracks, four of which are collaborations with other artists. In a post on Instagram, France’s Eurovision 2021 star described how the theme of the album came to her in a dream:

“How to heal? Step back, open up, let the light in, see hope in the small things and the falling apart, not fear the horizon, allow yourself to drift away to come alive and finally, slowly, heal. I have learned that there is always a shore waiting at the end of the journey.”

Anouk & Emma Heesters – “Met Jou Kan Ik Het Aan”

 “‘Met Jou Kan Ik Het Aan’ is about unconditional love for anyone; your friends, your loved one, your family, your neighbours or your pets”. Anouk is sharing the love with her first single of the year. The Eurovision 2013 act has joined forces with fellow Dutch singer and YouTube star Emma Heesters for “Met Jou Kan Ik Het Aan” (“With You I Can Handle It”). The pair sing of the support we can give one another: “Yes, my best friend / You stood your ground through all the storms / Sometimes I myself lack the strength / But with you I can handle it”.

Ira Losco & AIDAN – “Rip (Rest in Peace)”

Ira Losco (Eurovision 2002, 2016) and AIDAN (MESC 2018, 2022, 2023) entered 2023 together with the new collaboration “Rip (Rest in Peace)”. The Maltese duo bring us a solid pop track with a repetitive chorus refrain they hope will get stuck in your brain: “If you want more / Better go low / Doing it slow / I tried to rest in peace”. They sing about how they’d originally planned to take some time to rest and recuperate. But, everyone keeps catching their eye and calling them back: “We do it on the bathroom floor / Aye Mama we Aye Mama / We won’t get tired no more”.

Jala Brat, Buba Corelli & Devito – “Karamela”

At only two minutes long, Jala Brat’s new single packages everything up into a compact piece. Bosnia & Herzegovina’s Eurovision 2016 rapper collaborates with Buba Corelli and Devito for “Karamela” (“Caramel”). They comment on a certain individual who they’re spending the night with: “She’s not home tonight, she just wanted to have a good time / She just wanted to pull, I know / And half of the city is covered in fog, everything is white / And your body is baby caramel”.

Senhit – “Try To Love You”

“I don’t try to love you / Cause I know why I do / You make it easy / Try to believe me”. Senhit has no doubts when it comes to the love she has for her loved one; she just wishes they could understand this like she does. San Marino’s two-time Eurovision star delivers an R&B-pop offering through “Try To Love You”, with backing production that’s reminiscent of Sam Smith’s “How Do You Sleep?”.

Jeroen van der Boom – “Waarom Jij”

Those who attended Muziekfeest van het Jaar (Music festival of the year) at Amsterdam’s Ziggo Dome in December were able to see Jeroen van der Boom perform his new single for the very first time. The rest of us had to wait for the year to roll over to 2023 for the official song release. “Waarom Jij” (“Why You”) is a steady ballad with a mixture of strings and percussion. It builds towards a guitar solo in the bridge.

SuRie – “Because the Night”

“Because the Night” was first released by Patti Smith Group in 1978. Now, SuRie has recorded a cover of the rock track. As with the Eurovision 2018 star’s other recent covers, SuRie strips things back to the song’s bare bones. A piano ballad, the British singer highlights the emotion in the song’s lyrics: “Take my hand come undercover / They can’t hurt you now / Can’t hurt you now, can’t hurt you now / Because the night belongs to lovers […] Because the night belongs to us”.

Aksel Kankaanranta – “Ilman sua”

Aksel Kankaanranta is kicking off the new year with what he does best — emotive pop ballads. Finland’s Eurovision 2020 entrant starts off only accompanied by a piano. But, “Ilman sua” (“Without you”) gradually grows and develops an alternative pop edge with added production.

Wig Wam – “High ‘N Dry”

Wig Wam are gearing up for the release of their new album in a month’s time. Ahead of this, they’ve dropped the single “High ‘N Dry”. Norway’s Eurovision 2005 glam rock band take aim at a former lover who’s come crawling back to them. They sing about it being too late for any sort of reconciliation: “It’s way too late / To regret and change / The hands of fate / And Karma’s such a bitch / Life’s been fine / From the day you left me / High ‘n dry”.

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.