The Eurovision 2023 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 bringing 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 the songs and music videos released recently by Eurovision stars.
New music from Eurovision artists: 2023 | Week 16 part 2
With so many new songs this week, we’ve split the roundup into two smaller halves. You can find part 1 by clicking here.
Brunette – “Dimak”
While preparing to represent her country, Armenia, at this year’s Eurovision Song Contest in Liverpool, Brunette remains active by releasing a brand-new song. The Armenian artist stated on her Instagram account that: “There is never a bad time for creating art, even when rehearsing and preparing for Eurovision 24/7.” Her new song is in Armenian, mixing a traditional sound with a modern instrumental and also adding an amazing rap part, proving once again that Brunette is not only an outstanding singer, but also an outstanding rapper. The title of the song is “Mask” and the lyrics speak about being fooled by a person who wears a mask and causes pain. In the lyrics, Brunette is ready to walk away and, who knows, maybe to find a future lover: “It’s your mask, me and my chains/ I’m leaving, taking my shadow away with me/ No, I’m no longer listening to my thoughts/ They haven’t been mine for a long time.”
Alexander Rybak feat. Grace Kelly – “1000 VIEWS”
Alexander Rybak is the legendary Eurovision icon who brought the victory to Norway in 2009 with his song “Fairytale”. He returned to Eurovision in 2018. His new track is a collaboration with the American sax musician Grace Kelly. It’s a very uplifting beat that will make you dance and a song that has a very high potential to get popular on platforms such as Instagram or TikTok. The song itself is related to social media, as social media is a way to interact with people and to reach their hearts. About the song, Alexander stated: “It is about celebrating every little victory in life, like reaching out to a 1000 people with your talent!” The lyrics speak about working hard to fulfil your aspirations: “I’ve been working hard/ And I’ve been waiting all this time/ I wanna celebrate now/ Feels like I’m losing my mind.”
Amaia – “Fiebre”
Amaia represented Spain in 2018 together with Alfred. Her new song is a cover of the Spanish artist Bad Gyal. The original version of the song is a dance one and Amaia made an acoustic and slow cover of it, showcasing her warm voice. The song speaks about bringing some fever (as the translation of the title is also “Fever”) in a relationship, about making someone madly in love with you: “There is no contract here, I already see the sparkle in your eyes/ When I dance for you I know that I drive you crazy.”
ByeAlex és a Slepp – “Csokko”
ByeAlex represented Hungary in Eurovision 2013. So if you miss Hungary in Eurovision just as much as we do, here’s the song for you! The title of the song is “Chocolate” and when it comes to the message of the song… well, let’s say that a suitable motto would be “too much love will kill you”. The sound of this one is absolutely addictive and it will get stuck in your head. The lyrics are about a beautiful girl with skin like chocolate, a desired girl who does not share any mutual feelings: “Her kiss makes my heart spin/ Her skin is brown, her hair is black/ Naughty girl, her eyes are not good either/ You don’t have much of a chance/ She laughs at you.” The music video is created in a funny manner, showing the desperate attempts of a wife to get rid of her husband.
Loïc Nottet – “Addictocrate”
Loïc (Belgium, 2015) prepares big surprises for his fans. He is about to drop a new album called Addictocrate on 26 May. He worked three years on the LP and he gives us a teaser of what it’s coming by releasing its title song. His new album will mark a new era of his music career, and if the title song was released to give some spoilers about the direction of his new album, we can say for sure that it’s going to be a very deep, personal and sensitive one.
His new song is mostly a piano song with an electro drop as an outro. Loïc’s voice is packed with emotions. “My obsession for more keeps me away from happiness/ I don’t take advantage of anything anymore, I want too much, I’m afraid/ Sometimes I expect so much that I no longer notice the colours/ Everything seems empty and bland without the slightest warmth/ Beauty and magic are all around/ But everything goes so fast that we avoid detours/ We consume to excess we consider that success.” His new song speaks about how in the rush of chasing our aspirations that only get bigger and bigger, we fail to notice the beauty of the life we live.
Michał Wiśniewski & Paulina Jurczak & Dominik Kudaj – “Niekochani”
Trijntje & Tjeerd Oosterhuis – “Lied Van De Zevende Dag”
Trijntje represented the Netherlands in 2015. She’s now joined hands with the Dutch music producer and composer Tjeerd Oosterhuis in order to release a very touching ballad. The song is in Dutch, its title is “Song of the Seventh Day”, and there’s a perfect harmony between the symphonic instrumental and Trijntje’s soft voice. The song has a very deep meaning as it’s dedicated to Tjeerd’s father who passed away recently: “With this ode to him I want to express my feeling, but above all my gratitude for everything he has done for me, for everything he has meant to me. I will take this baggage with me for the rest of my life. Join us on the journey that is yet to come.” Tjeerd was encouraged by his father to start playing piano since he was seven and they used to compose together. “Lied Van De Zevende Dag” is the last song text Huub Oosterhuis (Tjeerd’s father) wrote.
Kaliopi & Željko Samardžić – “Znam”
Kaliopi carried the flag of North Macedonia at Eurovision twice, in 2012 and in 2016. Kaliopi and the Bosnian-Serb singer Željko Samardžić combined their phenomenal voices and long-standing friendship in a duet. Every word about their careers is unnecessary, as they are among the biggest stars in the Balkans. Love permeates all the songs that marked their careers, and now it’s time to intertwine the notes in a duet called “Znam”(I Know): “I know, I know you, I know/ When you were a child, you also fell in love with me/ I know, I still know/ If only you gave me good, never evil.” You will hear a perfect vocal harmony and a wonderful ballad that will touch your soul.
Anna Bergendahl – “Dance With Me”
Anna is one of Sweden’s queens of pop music. She represented her country in 2010. Her new song is an invitation to dance, an invitation to leave all your worries behind and to enjoy your life: “The world is on your shoulders/ We’re only getting older/ Have a little dance with me.” The song has a huge radio potential and for sure it will make you move with its uplifting beat. So leave all the negativity behind and enjoy this dance of life.
Frans & Sieneke – Frans & Sieneke
Sienke represented the Netherlands in 2010 with “Ik Ben Verliefd (Sha-la-lie)”, a song with strong retro influences. If you are into retro music, this album is the perfect one for you. As the title of the album says, this album is a collaboration with Frans Bauer. The 12-song LP contains all of their other recent duets, in addition to a few brand new ones. There are love songs, melancholic songs as well as international inspirations – Spanish influences can be found on “Vaya con Dios” (Go with God) and Greek influences can be found on “Hoor Bouzouki’s klinken” (Hear Bouzouki’s sound), where a Bouzouki (Greek musical instrument with strings) is used.
Katrina Leskanich – “Shut Your Mouth”
A rock song comes from United Kingdom. Katrina Leskanich is a legend in the Eurovision community, as she won the contest in 1997 with “Love Shine a Light” together with her band Katrina and the Waves. Her new track is an authentic rock song that will take you back in time to the ’90s. The song was written and recorded in New York. About the song, Katrina stated: “With all the noise in the world it was kinda fun to shout Shut Your Mouth a few hundred times.”
Barbara Dex – Dex in ‘t Groot
Barbara Dex (Belgium, 1993) comes with an album that contains a collection of famous classic songs in Dutch. The album contains 12 songs. Barbara described her album as “a collection of known and forgotten Dutch music pearls in a symphonic setting. Songs she knows from her childhood, her youth, songs that influenced her.” Three songs of her album belong to the discographies of former Eurovision participants, even if none of the songs are the ones from the contest. The three songs are: “Drie Zomers Lang” (Three Summers Long) by Conny Vandenbos (Netherlands, 1965), “Mijn Drop in de Kempen” (My village in the Campine) by Louis Neefs (Belgium, 1969) and “Spiegelbeeld” (Reflection) by Willeke Alberti (Netherlands, 1994). The last song on the album is “Iemand Als Jij” (Someone Like You), Barbara Dex’s song with which she represented Belgium in 1993.
Ester Peony & Bo Leroy – “Nuit”
The last song of this week comes from Romania. Ester Peony shows her incredible voice in her new collaboration with Bo Leroy. The English title of the song is “Night” and the whole song is in French. Ester brings a perfect electronic dance track that is absolutely addictive and that will make you move for sure. Enjoy the colours of Ester’s night with her new track.
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.
Dona Dona Dona Dona….we love Kaliopi!
On a side note, Corinne Hermès (last Luxembourgish victory) released today a new version of her song “Si la vie est cadeau” to mark the 40th anniversary of her win in Munich at Eurovision 1983.