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: 2024 | Week 1
Alessandra – “Narcissist”
In one month, Alessandra will have to hand over her Melodi Grand Prix crown to the next winner. But before then, Norway’s Eurovision 2023 star has dropped the new single “Narcissist”. Alessandra sings about her partner having these qualities and how their unreasonably high sense of self-worth is hurting her: “Can’t you see I’m crying / Can’t you see I’m broken […] Giving me the whole world / Then set it all on fire.” However, as the song picks up, and even takes on drum and bass qualities towards the end, Alessandra realises she also has to become a pseudo-narcissist and put herself first in order to escape from this pain: “So I run to the car / Leave you in the past / Driving fast, driving far / When you call me hurting / I won’t flinch, I won’t fall / And I’ll do it for the hell of it / Cause even I can be a narcissist.”
Anastasia Prikhodko & SUROV – “Холодно”
“It’s cold, it’s cold in my house / But I will not leave it / It doesn’t matter, it doesn’t matter / I will wait, I will wait for silence.” As we head into the depths of European winter, temperatures are plummeting. But the season will feel particularly “Холодно” (“Cold”) for those who are simultaneously dealing with the impacts of the ongoing war in Ukraine. Eurovision 2009 alum Anastasia Prikhodko has released a duet with fellow Ukrainian singer SUROV that is dedicated to those who have stayed in their homeland. Writing on Instagram, Prikhodko noted:
“‘Холодно’ is a song about freedom and indomitability, about everyone who did not leave their home in the most difficult times. About those people who are not afraid of the enemy, because they know well that everyone walks under the same sky.”
Gustaph & MEROL – “Vernissage”
Gustaph is showing off his linguistic abilities with the new bi-lingual track “Vernissage” (“Opening”). Belgium’s Eurovision 2023 star has joined Dutch singer MEROL for the catchy song, which mixes together lyrics in both French and Dutch. The pair sing of always wanting to stand out rather than blending in to the crowd: “I put on my glitter heels / Spray some lacquer in my hair / My make-up / My friend is the mirror / I’m waiting for everything for tonight […] I like the opening / The opening, no camouflage.”
Pol Batlle feat. MARO – “No Ho Has Entès”
Portugal’s Eurovision 2022 star, MARO, has joined forces with Barcelona-based singer Pol Batlle. The pair sing in Catalan for the new duet, “No Ho Has Entès” (“You Didn’t Understand”). A percussion-driven song with an acoustic feel, the track focuses on Batlle’s experience of becoming a parent. Written for his daughter, the lyrics express how it is not only parents who are the teachers in such situations, but that children also have the ability to enlighten their parents about the forces of life and death.
Donny Montell & Jovani – “Star”
The 2024 European Figure Skating Championships takes place in Lithuania over the coming week. Two-time Eurovision participant Donny Montell has contributed vocals to the competition’s official song, which is composed by DJ Jovani. “Star” is an uplifting dance track that blends electronic production with string instrumentation. Lyrically, Montell speaks of overcoming obstacles and never giving up on the dream: “I won’t stop now / I came too far / I won’t come down / Now watch me shoot like a star in the sky.”
Eva Boto – “Kjer Najbolj Gori”
Eva Boto kicks off the year with the new single “Kjer Najbolj Gori” (“Where It Burns The Most”). Slovenia’s Eurovision 2012 participant leads the song with an acoustic guitar — which features heavily in the accompanying music video — before being joined by a backing choir for the second half. In the chorus, Eva sings: “Let’s go where it burns the most / Like lightning through fire and ice / Like fingers through my hair, into my heart / And when it goes no further, you know I love you.”
ByeAlex és a Slepp – egy se sláger
ByeAlex és a Slepp have dropped a new EP to start 2024. egy se sláger (not a single hit) includes four mid-tempo songs, mostly led by percussion instrumentation. Each of the songs comes with a corresponding lyric video featuring Hungary’s Eurovision 2013 singer, which you can watch in the playlist below.
Ferman Akgül, Haluk Kurosman & Birol Namoğlu – “Dünyanın Sonuna Doğmuşum”
Turkish band maNga first released “Dünyanın Sonuna Doğmuşum” (“We Were Born to the End of the World”) in 2009, one year before they took to the Eurovision stage. The song was co-written by Haluk Kurosman and Birol Namoğlu. Kurosman is now undertaking the DURU project where he adds his own vocals to new versions of the songs he has written over the course of his career. Whilst the first two parts of the project were both solo efforts, Kurosman has decided to bring in the co-writers of “Dünyanın Sonuna Doğmuşum” for this new rendition. Speaking about how the lyrics of the song are still relevant today, maNga frontman Ferman Akgül noted the following in the video’s description:
“I was looking for a starting point for the song to make the lyrics flow. As soon as I heard the sentence [‘we were born to the end of the world’] from Birol, I jumped on it. Then six months passed to finish the lyrics. Haluk pushed us a lot, but it was worth it. I’m surprised when I say that what we said is still current. It is very good because it embraces the problems of every generation. It’s too bad because it’s hard to write better. The song was beautiful the way it was.”
New national final songs from Eurovision artists
As fans will attest, once you’ve got the Eurovision bug it’s hard to let go. So it’s no wonder that every year some past participants of the contest want to have another chance at representing their country.
Here are the new songs from Eurovision stars released this week that have been entered into a national selection for Eurovision 2024.
KEiiNO – “Damdiggida” (Melodi Grand Prix)
Eurovision participation: Norway 2019
Margaret Berger – “Oblivion” (Melodi Grand Prix)
Eurovision participation: Norway 2013
Let 3 – “Babaroga” (Dora)
Eurovision participation: Croatia 2023
Damir Kedžo – “Voljena Ženo” (Dora)
Eurovision participation: Croatia 2020 (contest cancelled)
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.
This article appears to combine two different articles in one.