The Eurovision 2024 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 latest weekly roundup with a selection of the songs and music videos released recently by Eurovision stars.
New music from Eurovision artists: 2023 | Week 46 part 1
With so many new songs this week, we’ve split the roundup into two smaller parts. You can find part 2 here.
Luke Black – “God’s Too Cool”
Luke Black is throwing a party and everyone’s invited. But somebody who won’t be in attendance is God: “God’s too cool to say hi like that / God’s too cool for a party hat / Head in the clouds while I scream to the beat / God’s too cool for a guy like me.” Whilst the song’s intro is led by string accompaniment, an electronic beat subsequently drops to produce a dynamic experimental pop track from Serbia’s Eurovision 2023 star.
Zlata Ognevich – “Віддаю”
“I give everything to you, I give / Body, soul, my dreams.” Zlata Ognevich is fully committing herself to her loved one. Ukraine’s Eurovision 2013 representative delivers a sensual pop track with “Віддаю” (“I give”), the feeling of which is taken further by the music video that sees Zlata dancing in the rain. In the video’s description, the singer went into more detail about the song’s message:
“‘Віддаю’ is a story about crazy love that overflows the heart. This song reflects that unstoppable desire to fully share feelings with a loved one. Giving back and frankness are the main themes of this track, which convince everyone: ‘When you love, there is no word ‘no”.”
Eleni Foureira & APON – “Gdysou”
“Get undressed, I want to talk / Now, until we sort this out.” Eleni Foureira is meeting up with APON, but there won’t be any clothes in sight whilst the pair are together. They have released the seductive new single “Gdysou” (“Undressed”) with an alluring R&B spirit. Cyprus’ Eurovision 2018 star knows just how to get APON on her side: “I talk to him without saying a word / I challenge him, I want to see how long he can last / He gets angry and says that at first he yelled at me / But as I undress his mood changes.”
Ochman – Testament
The Testament of Ochman is the Polish singer’s latest musical story. In addition to a musical intro, the LP features 13 songs that encapsulate the Eurovision 2022 star’s dark trip hop style. Not limiting himself to one language, there are a mixture of songs in both English and Polish.
In tandem with the album release, Ochman has also shared a music video for the title song. Within this track, Ochman sings about those who deceive him and how he wants people to be more direct with him: “A written testament, I don’t know what I can give / Whatever happens, please tell me to my face / Instead of next to me / Although it’s more convenient this way.”
Diodato – “La mia terra”
Palazzina LAF is an upcoming Italian movie about the first ever reported case of workplace bullying in the country, from the Ilva steelworks in Taranto. You’ll hear Eurovision 2020 entrant Diodato on the soundtrack of the film with the new song “La mia terra” (“My land”). An orchestral ballad, there’s a sense of trepidation in the verses owing to the staccato string accompaniment. But as we transition into the legato chorus, a warmth emerges: “This fairy dream / Which keeps us tied to the earth with all our love / Which we didn’t defend / And now it’s a minefield / On which beautiful flowers grow.”
Elena Tsagrinou – “Erotas”
“You touch me, I don’t feel anything / You look at me without emotion.” Elena Tsagrinou has come to the realisation that her current partnership is not providing in the way it should. Cyprus’ Eurovision 2021 star has lost all sense of “Erotas” (“Love”). Through her latest mid-tempo R&B single, Elena comes to terms with this lack of emotion: “It’s not, it’s not, it’s not love / If you leave, you leave me and never come back / You don’t know, you don’t know, you don’t know how to love.”
Maraaya – Pesmi, ki jih piše življenje
Maraaya have been a consistent part of the Slovenian music scene since 2014. This is why it may be a surprise to learn the duo are only now releasing their debut album. Pesmi, ki jih piše življenje (Songs, written by life) brings together many of their singles from the past decade, including their Eurovision 2015 entry “Here For You”.
Gerard Joling – Dit Ben Ik
This is Gerard Joling and this is his new album, Dit Ben Ik (This Is Me). There are 17 schlager songs on the LP, many of which fans will have heard as previous singles or from other EPs. But the Eurovision 1988 star has also included some brand new songs as well — including “Altijd Vrijgezel” and “Van Je Dromen”, which the Dutch singer has simultaneously released music videos for.
Reyhan Karaca – “Bi’şey Olmaz”
Reyhan Karaca represented Türkiye at Eurovision in 1991. Her latest single is “Bi’şey Olmaz”. It’s a steady pop track that comes to life once the beat hits in the chorus: “You said nothing would happen to me but / An acrobat doesn’t walk on the tightrope of love / Such a thing falls from one’s eyes.”
Kati Wolf Band – “Végtelen tánc”
Kati Wolf has formed her own band. Hungary’s Eurovision 2011 singer will be releasing an album with the group later in the month. To tease us, they’ve dropped the first single “Végtelen tánc” (“Endless dance”). It showcases the pop-rock style they’ve been working on for this new project, including a guitar solo part way through.
Tom Hugo – Eden
Through his new album, Eden (Eng: Oath), Tom Hugo aims to challenge stereotypes and instead encourage diversity. Norway’s Eurovision 2019 star, and one-third of KEiiNO, has long championed inclusivity, and now he’s doing so in his music as well. The LP features nine tracks, four of which fans will have heard as previous singles — “Royal”, “Fade Out”, “Stuck In The Middle Of Nowhere”, “I Was a Fool”. Only the title song is sung in Hugo’s native Norwegian; the remainder are a mixture of English-language pop tracks and ballads. Taking to Instagram, Tom noted:
“If you like pop-songs with vocals and ‘real’ instruments, I think there’s a good chance you’ll find a song for one of your playlists. In a musical landscape often dominated by conventional narratives, these songs inspired by stories from the lives of LBGTQI+ individuals are our little contribution in challenging stereotypes and promote diversity.”
Ben Cristovao – ZVÍŘE
Ben Cristovao is unleashing his inner ZVÍŘE (Animal) with his brand new album — based on the cover art, this appears to be a sloth. The LP contains 11 songs, including recent singles “Nemusim nic” & “NELITUJU”. Czechia’s Eurovision 2021 representative delivers a variety of hip-hop tracks amongst the remaining nine. Some of these, such as “999” and “Oslavujem”, incorporate African rhythms from Cristovao’s Angolan heritage.
Sofi Marinova & Toni Storaro – “Две лъжи”
“If you ask how I keep her, I will lie twice / First, that I don’t love you, second, that it doesn’t hurt me.” Eurovision 2012 star Sofi Marinova is having to keep her love for Toni Storaro a secret from others around them. The Bulgarian singers deliver a rousing ballad about their hidden passion through “Две лъжи” (“Two lies”), with traditional instrumentation incorporated into the production.
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.
The opening of Luke’s new song sounds like “Gladiator,” no?
That’s what it reminded me of!! Thanks!
No offense, but Gerard Joling looks more and more like Cher without a wig on. I do like some of his songs though…