New music this week: 20 songs from Sergey Lazarev, Miki Nuñez, Aminata and more

Although we’re officially into the Eurovision 2021 season, it will still be some time before we hear any national final and Eurovision songs. Thankfully, the music will always continue and a number of past Eurovision artists are still producing new songs for us to enjoy.

Contrary to the commonly perpetuated myth about the song contest killing careers, we’re always thrilled to report that singers and performers associated with both Eurovision itself and the various national selections are thriving.

Here is a selection of just some of the songs and music videos released in the last week or so.

New music from Eurovision artists: 2020 | Week 43

Sergey Lazarev – “НеОдиночки”

Sergey Lazarev continues to be a master of the Russian pop scene and he proves it once again with his new single “НеОдиночки” (“Not loners”). The two-time Eurovision star keeps things simple in the verses but then adds in some catchy synth-pop and electronic sounds into the chorus. These changes in dynamics help to keep the song fresh and take the listener on a journey. Lyrically, Lazarev sings about how he’s no longer a singleton and has found someone to spend his days and nights with: “It’s over / We are not loners / We are not loners anymore / And tonight everything will be just / Will be just for love”.

Miki Nuñez & Despistaos – “Viento y vida”

Miki Nuñez is showing a different side by collaborating with the Spanish rock band Despistaos. “Viento y vida” (“Wind and life”) is a rousing rock anthem full of good vibes. Miki originally wrote it for his debut album, but the song didn’t make it to Amuza because he felt it didn’t fit in. Instead it’s found a new place as the second single from Miki’s upcoming second album, suggesting his second full-length release may have more of a rock sound. The video features Miki and Despistaos performing the song in a recording studio and also relaxing with some beers as the sun goes down. Cheers! (Robyn)

Aminata – “Šis ir mans laiks”

Latvia’s Aminata is starting a new chapter of her career after signing a contract with Universal Music. Her first single as part of the record label is “Šis ir mans laiks” (“This is my time”). It’s a solid pop track that uses elements of disco but still keeps a contemporary urban sound. This urban styling is carried through into the music video, with Latvia’s Eurovision 2015 representative rocking a variety of looks while out and about with her friends. While fans still loved the music Aminata served up as an independent artist, hopefully this new collaboration with Universal Music will truly make this her time!

The Starlings – “Heal”

Belgium’s Eurovision 2010 star Tom Dice and his partner Kato Callebaut continue to release new music as duo The Starlings. Their latest single is “Heal”, a soft acoustic-style ballad that sees the pair’s vocals accompanied by guitar, violin and cello. Dice and Callebaut sing about how we all sometimes need time to heal from things that happen in our lives: “In the little house by the water / There’s shelter for the rain / You could try to find some closure / You could try to start again / While your heart is getting stronger / Baby take your time to heal, heal, heal”. On Instagram, the Belgian duo commented about what the song means to them:

“We are so happy with this release. We wrote this song about two years ago. Both have been lost for a long time, looking for genuine happiness. And then everything fell into place. Everyone needs a place to put it all together, a home where you are 100% happy. And that’s our “Little House by The Water” here. A place where you can hide, process and make new memories.”

Kállay Saunders – “my demons”

Kállay Saunders continues a constant string of new releases with his next song “my demons”. It’s another R’n’B track, but this one has an extra rock accent to it in the chorus with the inclusion of some deep electric guitar chords. In the lyrics, Hungary’s Eurovision 2014 star declares that the demons associated with his relationship are keeping him up at night: “My demons are the reason / I can’t seem to close my eyes / My demons are the reason / I can’t seem to sleep at night”.

Saunders has got into the habit of releasing so much new music lately that he’s now doing two songs per week. The star also dropped the audio for “Drunk” this week, which is a collaboration with Gabriel.

Anja Nissen – “Can’t Do This”

Anja Nissen continues her journey as an independent artist with her new single “Can’t Do This”. It’s a mid-tempo pop track with subtle production that builds upon an underlying acoustic guitar rhythm. In the lyrics, Denmark’s Eurovision 2017 star tells her lover that things aren’t working out between them and it’s time for her to leave: “No, I can’t do this / I can’t stay a second more / I’ve packed my things, I’m out the door / I’m sorry / But, I’m not sorry”

PAENDA – “Friend Zone”

“Dunno if I’ve ever had so much fun writing a song like I had with this one”, PAENDA commented ahead of the release of her new single “Friend Zone”. Austria’s Eurovision 2019 star discusses the problem of falling in love with someone who only sees you as a friend. PAENDA wants to say how she truly feels, but can never seem to get the words out: “You take off your shirt and my sense is out of reach / But all you see is just a friend on the beach / And every time I try to take a chance my tongue feels weak”. Sonically, this new song is a fun electro-pop track that shows off the Austrian singer’s personality. The music video premieres at 16:00 GMT this afternoon.

Ani Lorak – “Страдаем и любим”

“I want to talk about love and pain. About an incredible feeling, without which I can’t imagine my life. About what makes us truly alive.”, commented Ani Lorak upon the release of her latest single “Страдаем и любим” (“We suffer and love”). A mid-tempo dark-pop track, Lorak’s vocal delivery still has somewhat of an emotional tug to it, but the beat here is more danceable and and adds a bit more vibrancy to proceedings. Ukraine’s Eurovision 2008 runner-up sings about a relationship where the star has experienced both moments of love and pain: “But we didn’t understand one thing / That we are all as people / We suffer and love / Don’t fool me, because I’m with you / It won’t get so close / No one else will”.

Jala Brat – “Partijam”

Jala Brat remains one of the Balkan’s top rap artists. His latest single is “Partijam” (“I Party”), which sees the Bosnian star once again delivering some slick rap lines over a mid-tempo hip-hop beat: “They say heads will come to me and that I was never ready for it / My brothers are celebrating tonight and I, drunk, can’t wait to turn the table over / It makes me party, she makes me mafia”. In the music video, the Eurovision 2016 artist flaunts his expensive car as he drives (somewhat dangerously with the doors open) around the city before stopping at a roadside food truck for burgers and champagne.

VOSTOK (Kristian Kostov) – “Psycho”

Kristian Kostov has continued to evolve as an artist since finishing in second place at Eurovision 2017. This evolution has now inspired him to create a new audio-visual project called VOSTOK. The Bulgarian singer is running the project alongside his brother Daniel Kostov and music producer Sasha Xuman. The first song from VOSTOK is “Psycho”, a dark track that mixes various elements and beats, with Kostov singing: “It’s about time we show them who’s the bad guy / I’m gonna seek / So you better go hide / Don’t mind the voices, they only know lies / Don’t ever forget I’m a / Psycho”.

The team have set up an Instagram page detailing the fantasy story that goes along with VOSTOK – something along the lines of an AI supercomputer attempting to create a carbon-based humanoid figure to transfer it’s knowledge into, but things don’t quite go according to plan. We’re definitely intrigued to see where the project goes next.

Roksana Węgiel (feat. Pawbeats) – “Tajemnice”

Roksana Węgiel’s voice has taken the Polish star to the top of the Junior Eurovision 2018 scoreboard and secured her an MTV EMA award. And now her voice can be heard in cinemas across Poland for the new film Tajemniczy Ogród, the Polish dub of The Secret Garden, in which Węgiel lends her voice to the lead character Mary Lennox. To coincide with the film’s release, the Junior Eurovision champion released the new song “Tajemnice” (“Secrets”) alongside Polish music producer Pawbeats. It’s a theatrical ballad that builds in the chorus with a full orchestral sound.

Viki Gabor – “Afera”

Last month, Viki Gabor dropped her debut album Getaway (Into My Imagination). Now, the Junior Eurovision 2019 winner has released the latest single from the LP. “Afera” (“Affair”) is Gabor’s first solo single to be sung entirely in Polish. It’s an upbeat track that channels some retro disco vibes and aims to get people up and dancing. Gabor sings about how we only live once, so she wants to make the most of it and live in the here and now. This is shown further in the music video, with the Polish singer ignoring the news headlines and heading out to have a good time with her friends.

If you want more from Viki, she’s also recently dropped a music video for “Wznieść się chcę”. It’s the Polish version of “Rocket to the Moon”, the title song of new animated Netflix film Over The Moon. Spanish national final star Aitana has also released the Spanish version of the song this week.

Janice Mangion – “Sajjetta Fil-Bnazzi”

Malta Eurovision Song Contest 2017 runner-up Janice Mangion has never shied away from performing in her native language. The star continues to sing in Maltese for her latest single “Sajjetta Fil-Bnazzi” (“Lightning in the calm”). It’s a ballad that once again showcases Mangion’s vocal ability. The message of the song discusses how life will always have ups and downs, with bad things happening when you least expect them to. In a press release, Mangion explained further:

“I wrote this song during these extremely difficult times, realising that certain things in life come about unexpectedly, without notice or warning. Hence the title, “Sajjetta fil-Bnazzi”, which I hope will serve as a means for us to appreciate life, and the people around us, because in a split second, they might be taken away. What this pandemic has shown us, is that we are all human, and not any different from each other, especially in the eyes of God.”

Margaret – “Xanax”

As the weather turns colder and darker across Europe, some people can begin to struggle with their mental health. Polish star Margaret sings of such “autumn depressions” in her new song “Xanax”. The Krajowe Eliminacje 2016 runner-up discusses how she’s being woken up by bad dreams and attempting to quell her problems with medication: “They tell me: You’re lucky / I know others are worse than me / The only happiness I know today / These are the prescription ones”. The music video showcases both the light and dark sides of Margaret, with her depressed self ultimately attempting to harm her happier side.

Hogland (feat. Wiktoria) – “Scars”

Three-time Melodifestivalen finalist Wiktoria features on the new song by Swedish DJ Hogland. A club-ready EDM track, this will no doubt help to lift people’s mood and add a spring to their step. Lyrically, Wiktoria sings about opening up to her new lover. Although there are things that the Swedish star usually tries to keep to herself, she’s ready to open up if her lover will do the same: “I cover my scars cause I’m insecure / But I’ll show you mine if you show me yours / If you open your heart I won’t close the door / Yeah, I’ll show you mine if you show me, you show me yours”.

Lanberry – Co gryzie Panią L?

Since competing in Krajowe Eliminacje 2017, Lanberry has gone on to release a number of chart-hitting songs, as well as co-writing both of Poland’s Junior Eurovision winning entries. The Polish singer has now dropped her third studio album, Co gryzie Panią L? (What’s eating Mrs. L?). There are eleven songs on the LP, including previous singles “Tracę” and “Plan Awaryjny”. Lanberry weaves through a predominantly pop-rock track list, but also delivers a splash of synth-pop and some slower ballads.

ISA and GROUNDSTROEM – “Never Change”

Following a slew of summer singles, Melodifestivalen star ISA teams up with GROUNDSTROEM for “Never Change”. The song, which is co-written by the duo, is extra meaningful to the “Don’t Stop” hitmaker – namely because Groundstroem is much more than a mere collaborator. He’s also her boyfriend! Writing on Instagram, ISA says, “And it’s super special cause it’s together with my ride or die @filipgroundstroem . I know I posted like a year ago that I was so nervous about releasing and felt a lot of pressure and anxiety. I’m so happy that all of that s*** is gone, I’m just f***ing excited to just make music in all its forms, produce, collaborate and get inspired. Legaaaaaooooooo”. (Padraig)

Ultimo – “22 Settembre”

He won almost half of the televote at Sanremo 2019. But, thanks to the jury, Ultimo ended up sandwiched between Mahmood and Il Volo on the final podium. Afterwards, he released multiple singles including the chart-topping “Tutto questo sei tu”. However, that was all in 2019. It wasn’t until mid-autumn this year that the singer gifted us with new music in the form of “22 Settembre”. Ultimo revealed on Instagram that he wrote the song several months ago, but felt it would be best to release it on 22 September. Which is exactly what he did. It’s currently entering its fifth week in the charts, having peaked at number three. (Padraig)

AIDAN – “Somebody Like You”

He’s a veteran of the Malta Eurovision Song Contest, X Factor Malta and the Wiwi Jam Tel Aviv. Earlier this month, Aidan Cassar released “Somebody Like You”, his first single in over a year. The slick pop tune is already proving to be a moderate hit on the Mediterranean island, racking up almost 70,000 views on YouTube, making it Aidan’s most popular track to date. (Padraig)

Carina Dahl – “Mammagutt”

Three-time Melodi Grand Prix contestant Carina Dahl has recently dropped the new single “Mammagutt” (“Mamma’s boy”). It’s a fun pop song that talks about dating boys who still live at home with their mum. The music video features the Norwegian singer attempting to gain the attention of her boyfriend. But, when not being photographed as a model, he only seems to put his focus towards the football game on his console.

Click on the links below to read our individual articles on other new songs released in the last week by past Eurovision and national final artists:

Samanta Tīna & Markus – “Man nesanāk”

Amaia & Alizzz – “El encuentro”

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.

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