New music this week (part 1): Songs from Jamala, TIX, Hooverphonic and more

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 18 part 1

With so many new songs this week, we’ve split the roundup into two smaller halves. You can find part 2 here.

Jamala – QIRIM

A new album comes from Jamala, the Ukrainian winner of Eurovision 2016, and it’s a very special one. The title of the album, QIRIM (Къырым), means Crimea. The album contains 15 tracks (14 songs and a symphonic outro) and every song is in Ukrainian, as Jamala carries the legacy of Ukrainian culture. Jamala said about her new album: “Each of the songs was found in a particular city or village in Crimea. (…)With this album, I fulfilled my lifelong dream of showing the world that despite any attempts to rewrite the history of Crimea; we will not let the truth be forgotten. And the truth lies in the folklore, in these incredible storylines that Qırım’s diaries reveal to us.” The album brings together more than 80 musicians and, as Jamala is one of the special guests of this year’s Eurovision edition, you will get the chance to see her performing songs from her new album with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra on 11 May in Liverpool within EuroFestival.

Engelbert Humperdinck – All About Love

The British music legend who represented the UK back in 2012 celebrated his birthday in a very special way this year. On 2 May, he celebrated by releasing his new album, All About Love. The album takes you back in time and gives a dose of British rock’n’roll at its finest. The album contains 13 songs and all of them are covers and re-orchestrations of famous hits. Get ready for: love songs such as “You’re The First, The Last, My Everything” or “I Only Have Eyes for You”; heart-breaking songs including “If You Don’t Know Me By Now” and “You’ll Never Find Another Love Like Mine”; and even two songs in Spanish: “Bésame Mucho” (performed with Lupita Infante) and “A Man Without Love/ Cuando Me Enamoro” (with Angelica Maria).

Hooverphonic – “Por Favor”

Hooverphonic (Belgium 2020 and 2021) are working on a new album that is scheduled to be released next year, in 2024. Meanwhile, they offer us a taste of what’s coming next. Their new single “Por Favor” (“Please”) takes us by surprise, being a track with strong Latino influences. The composition, production and lyrics belong to Hooverphonic’s Alex Callier in collaboration with Luca Chiaravalli. This song will make you move, having strong mariachi sounds influences (traditional Mexican folk music) — it prepares you for summer vibes. According to the band’s Instagram, the song is about respect, politeness and a good start for a healthy relationship.

The lyrics mix English and Spanish: “You get my attention when you say ‘Por Favor’/ You get the essential when you say ‘Por Favor’/ I walk out the door/ And look back no more/ Get on your knees and beg me please, ‘Por Favor’”.

Jan Johansen – “När orden tagit slut”

Jan Johansen represented Sweden at Eurovision back in 1995. The Swedish music legend released a sensitive ballad. The English title of his new song is “When the words have run out”. The song is warm, comforting and calm, transposing you in a dream world with Jan’s soft voice. The track is also Jan Johansen’s own production. 

Freddie – “Szívod a vérem”

A powerful ballad comes from Freddie (Hungary, 2016). The song starts peacefully, with a long instrumental part, very relaxing. Then Freddie’s voice takes over as the intensity of the song grows gradually. The translation of the title is “You suck my blood”. The lyrics are brutally honest, referring to a person who always takes but never gives: “You’re sucking my blood, maybe I’ll be cured one day/ I swear to God, you’re not a religious person.” Freddie himself describes this song on his Instagram by calling it “a song about hypocrisy”. 

Elena Ionescu & Nikolas – “Jocul Meu”

Elena was part of Mandinga as the main vocalist when the group represented Romania in 2012 with their song “Zaleilah”. The title of this track is “My Game” and it playfully speaks about the game of love. A part of the lyrics are in Spanish. The singers are involved in their own game of seduction and love: “I give you a chance and my feelings/ Photos with the two of us to hang on the wall.” 

TIX & Morgan Sulele  – “Danse En Gang Til”

Another week, another party anthem from TIX (Norway, 2021). His new song is a collaboration with Morgan Sulele, a Norwegian singer and composer. The title means “Dance One More Time” and you can guess already that the song is about having fun at a party. It’s the perfect song to put on repeat if you want to leave all your worries behind: “She was going home/ But she stayed a little longer in the bar/ Because she thought one more drink might make her happy (…) Because she just wants to dance one more time/ Dance one more time.” Time to raise your cups and to have fun with this new party song!

Sofi Marinova & Krisko – “Nomer Edno”

We hope you miss Bulgaria because here comes a song from Sofi Marinova, who represented her country in 2012. She sings alongside rapper Krisko. Their new song, “Number One”, brings party vibes. The music video itself is a party full of glitter, lights and champagne. The lyrics speak about finding your true love, the person who always makes you feel like a champion, like a “number one”: “We are number one again/ Number one and only number one/ You are my great love/ It’s always, always been that way.” Get ready to wash your hands with champagne (like Sofi does in the music video) and to party. 

Tijana Bogićević – “Krila od Dima”

The Serbian star represented her country at Eurovision in 2017. Her new song can be translated as “Wings of Smoke”. It’s a beautiful ballad in Serbian and the music video shows Tijana in the middle of a journey with an unknown destination. The lyrics of the song give even more meaning to the visuals of the video: “And I’m driving again, the road is unknown/ And life is somehow angry with me/ Like it’s against me/ Against love.” The song speaks about a breakup that can’t be avoided, yet a very difficult one, as she feels as she can’t live without her significant other.

Cláudia Pascoal – “Lugar I & Lugar II”

A double release comes from Cláudia Pascoal. She represented Portugal in 2018 together with Isaura, and she also competed in this year’s Festival da Canção. Her new songs are called “Place I” and “Place II”. The songs are also connected by a common music video. It shows Cláudia in a rollercoaster, highlighting the ups and downs in finding your place where you belong.

In the first song, she wears a bright pink outfit. It’s the first song where Cláudia has written about love: “Nobody lost me by chance/ I gave everything I had to give out there/ But now I stay here without sleep/ Looking for what I haven’t found… what is it?”

In the second song she wears black, and the song is her first composition about being disappointed in love: “Don’t get lost…/ Your place is not with me/ And I don’t know why/ That you don’t see my disappointment/ I swear I want you/ All within reason/ But being free is complicated/ When you choose not to hold hands.”

About these two songs, Cláudia stated: “I don’t like to express myself in songs about my frustrations in love, so I consider these two songs a rarity in my short stay in music. And even though I don’t like to cry for love, that’s the only way I knew it was true, so here’s one of my most genuine and transparent portraits.”

Alexandra Rotan & Kurt Nilsen – “Insane”

Together with her group KEiiNO, Alexandra represented Norway in 2019, winning the public’s hearts. Her new collaboration with Kurt Nilson is a country song. Alexandra confessed that collaborating with Kurt Nilsen was always a dream of hers. The song, even if it might sound calm and warm, speaks about a painful breakup: “It’s all in the past now/ This chapter is closed/ It didn’t work out the way, the way that we hoped/ So you should live your life and I’ll be living mine.” 

PAENDA – “loving myself”

PAENDA (Austria 2019) reminds everyone how important it is to love yourself with her new electronic track. The lyrics speak about loving the body you live in: “I’m loving myself and the body I live in/ I wanna feel every inch of my skin/ Even if I’m all alone in my bedroom tonight/ I know what I need to do, need to do/ I’m loving myself.” She encourages everyone to listen to her song and to ignore social conventions in an Instagram post where she also revealed the story of this song:

“I wrote ‘lovin myself’ in Vorarlberg last year, at a time when I once again didn’t feel comfortable in my own skin. I’ve put a few mantras on the upcoming album and this song is a request to myself not to make my worth, my body awareness and my sexuality dependent on others.” 

Sheldon Riley – “Insane”

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.