The Eurovision 2021 season is hotting 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 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 51
LOBODA – “moLOko”
Following the wild and crazy “Boom Boom”, LOBODA is calming things down a touch for her new single “moLOko”. It’s a mid-tempo track with acoustic-guitar accompaniment that gives it an almost Latin feel. Ukraine’s Eurovision 2009 star sings about the advice her mother gave her in regards to carrying on through difficult times: “She said enough / To be sad today is not appropriate … You can be happy / And you will definitely / The main thing is not to lose / There is fire in the eyes”. LOBODA commented further about the meaning of the song on Instagram:
“We live in difficult times and today, more than ever, we all need the love and support of our family. I sing this song with thoughts of each of us! This song is about the path to happiness, which sometimes seems elusive, but it will definitely happen if you are facing the LIGHT.”
Dima Bilan – Вторая жизнь
Dima Bilan is finishing off the year with the release of his second album of 2020, Вторая жизнь (Second life). The LP opens up with a monologue and the environmentalist title track. The ten songs that follow switch between a variety of genres and sounds, as seen in pre-released songs “Dreams” and “Сердце”. Russia’s Eurovision 2008 winner noted on Instagram that the album was one he had decided to experiment on:
“I compiled a lot, searched or the music found me on its own, tried other shades of my voice and timbre! There are works in which it is quite difficult to recognize me – and this is all the search for new horizons, so as not to be boring to yourself, to dodge traces, to make it more interesting for you! Fusion – this is what I call the general mood of the album, it contains everything from the multi-part work “Вторая жизнь” to absolutely easy for perception “невозможное-возможно 2.0″! I invite you to my world, where there is always a place for experiments! Enjoy your listening !!!”
Alexey Vorobyov – “Ты Моя Любовь”
Russia’s Alexey Vorobyov (otherwise known as Alex Sparrow) is returning to the good, old, faithful musical topic of love. His new single is “Ты Моя Любовь” (“You are my love”). From the title alone it’s relatively obvious that the Eurovision 2011 star uses the lyrics to tell his partner just how much they mean to him: “I am every morning / Falling in love with you / You will smile / And I confess / You are my love”. While Vorobyov usually showcases his cheeky personality through his music, this song takes a softer approach as the star delivers an emotional ballad.
Helena Paparizou (feat. Marseaux) – “Deja Vu”
Eurovision 2005 champion Helena Paparizou is experiencing “Deja Vu” with her latest single. Thankfully for us, the song sounds fresh and new in terms of what we’ve heard from the Greek signer previously. It’s a solid pop track with a funky saxophone instrumental in the chorus. Paparizou has teamed up with Marseaux on the song, who delivers the bridge of the track.
Netta – The Best Of Netta’s Office, Vol. 1
Netta used her NETTA’s Office series to connect with fans over the past year in a unique way. Now, Israel’s Eurovision 2018 winner has released an EP of songs that she performed in the online series. This includes the recent single “The Times They Are a-Changin'”, as well as her rendition of “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious”. Speaking about what the project has meant to her, Netta noted:
“When I started #NETTAsOffice, I never imagined the amount of love and support I’d receive from all you beautiful people. I have gotten so many requests over the past year for this project. I am so honored and grateful to be able to create music that touches people’s hearts. Please enjoy this gift from me to you.”
VOSTOK (Kristian Kostov) – Time
Kristian Kostov has been releasing music under the name VOSTOK over recent months. This has now culminated in the new EP Time. The EP contains four songs, including previous singles “Psycho” and “Welcome to the Show”. The other two tracks are “2020” and “Time”, which was the first song Kostov wrote for the project. Speaking more about the title track, Bulgaria’s Eurovision 2017 star commented:
““Time” means a lot to me… it let me explore how much more honest I could be in my music and the result is one of the best songs I’ve ever written. From the very first chord I had a very powerful image in my head: “End of the world as something beautiful and majestic, instead of sad and scary.””
Loreen – “Jag är en vampyr”
Vampires are alive! This weekend saw the final episode of Sweden’s Så mycket bättre 2020. For her last appearance on the show, Loreen delivered a cover of “Jag är en vampyr” (“I am a vampire”), originally by Markus Krunegård. Although her previous two performances were relatively dark, this time the Eurovision 2012 champion let loose a bit and showcased a lighter and more upbeat aspect of her music with an indie-rock styling.
Loreen’s Eurovision entry “Euphoria” also made an appearance in this final episode. Singer Helen Sjöholm gave a rendition of the song, turning it into the Swedish-language track “Euforia”.
Madame Monsieur – “Prochain soleil”
Madame Monsieur revealed to their fans on social media that they have spent 2020 “writing songs which for once speak a little about ourselves”. The French Eurovision 2018 duo of Émilie Satt and Jean-Karl Lucas have now released the first of these songs for us to listen to. “Prachain soleil” is a slow, atmospheric ballad with Émilie’s vocals effortlessly flowing over the accompaniment.
Polina Gagarina – “Зима”
The seasons may come and go, but Polina Gagarina’s love for a heartfelt ballad remains a constant. Her new single is “Зима” (“Winter”). Sonically, there’s not much that screams ‘wintry’ in the instrumentation, so it can’t really be described as a festive/Christmas song. However, it’s another strong ballad from the Russian star that will satisfy fans of Polina’s other releases. The Eurovision 2015 silver medallist sings about returning to her loved one to wait out the winter: “Yes, the winter is too long / I’ll come back to you myself / You have not forgotten me / Tell me what it seemed to me”. Speaking about her thoughts on the song after first hearing it, Polina noted:
“When I first heard my #Зима, it immediately echoed in my heart with incredible warmth. This is a very feminine song, with the most powerful creative energy, it has something from the young Polina, from the time of the Lullaby, it has folk influences. I am in love with her and I hope you will feel the same!”
Armin van Buuren (feat. James Newman) – “Slow Lane”
Armin van Buuren has got into the spirit of collaborating with Eurovision stars recently. Following his recent single with 2019 winner Duncan Laurence, the Dutch DJ is now teaming up with James Newman for “Slow Lane”. The EDM song with post-chorus drop is included on Van Buuren’s new EP Euthymia. James Newman is the featured vocalist on the track, singing: “Would you believe me / If I was sure that you and me met for a reason / Baby life’s a long road, I don’t care where we go / No right or wrong way, let’s take the slow lane”. Van Buuren previously collaborated with the United Kingdom’s Eurovision 2020 star on the hit “Therapy”.
Kállay Saunders, Zubi and anatu – “go slow”
It wouldn’t be a 2020 new music roundup without a new song from Kállay Saunders. The Hungarian star has now released “go slow”. Collaborating again with Zubi and anatu, it’s a mid-tempo R&B offering. The Eurovision 2014 alum encourages his lover to not rush things as they’ve got lots of time to spend with each other: “Go slow / We’ve got all night long”.
Bonnie Tyler – “When the Lights Go Down”
Eurovision 2013 star Bonnie Tyler is delivering a nostalgic love song with her new single “When the Lights Go Down”. A soft-rock track, the description of the lyric video notes “This song is for everyone who has lost their heart to the 80s – grab your loved one and turn your living room into a dance floor until it feels like the summer of ’85 again”. The Welsh singer reminisces about the good old days while also being hopeful for the future she can share with her partner, singing: “And when the lights go down / We’ll take the radio out on the back porch / We’ll dance real slow / ‘Til all this world just disappears”.
Highway – “Ponekad u noći”
While they were limited to three minutes at Eurovision, Highway are giving us more than double the fun for their new single. “Ponekad u noći” (“Sometimes at night”) is seven minutes and five seconds long. To keep the listener engaged, Montenegro’s 2016 band grow things steadily throughout the song. It culminates in a strong and dramatic climax that mixes electric guitars and a big orchestral sound.
Melyz – “Bad Together”
A few weeks ago, Switzerland’s Melyz (formerly Mélanie René) dropped the music video for her single “Bad Together”. It’s a dark-pop track in which the Eurovision 2015 star says she’s addicted to a bad relationship: “I want you to stay right here / No pain, no gain / Just crazy all over again / I want you to stay / Cuz we’re bad together”. The music video is floral themed and features shots of various growing and dying flowers.
Felix Sandman and Astrid S – “Relations”
Two Nordic stars collide with this next song. Sweden’s Felix Sandman has collaborated with popular Norwegian singer Astrid S for “Relations”. It’s a catchy light-pop track in which the three-time Melodifestivalen contestant declares that he’s not ready for a committed relationship yet: “I’m not here when you wake up / I’m tired of relations / I don’t mind getting down under you / But I can’t deal with these relations”. The song is featured on the second season of Netflix’s Norwegian television show Home for Christmas, which recently premiered.
Sheppard – “Learning To Fly”
Sheppard are finishing off a year of new music with “Learning To Fly”. The Australian band have released a new single every month throughout 2020 and this is the final one for December. “Learning To Fly” is an upbeat indie-pop track in which the Eurovision – Australia Decides 2019 alum sing about rediscovering your inner child. Lead vocalist George sings: “Don’t you ever wonder when it happened? / How did fun turn into fear? / I’m standing on the edge of now or never / And the skies are looking clear … I’m still learning to fly”.
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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Woooooow Helena Paparizou. You are on fire darling!!!
Deserves to be heard globally!!!
Any chance Astrid S would try MGP or is she already too big for that in Norway?
I think she is too big, she is to Norway what Zara Larsson is for Sweden more or less
That’s a pity, I think she would be a perfect fit for Eurovision
Thank you, Jonathan, your lists are always appreciated.
Thanks, glad to hear you enjoy them. It has been a relatively big task to keep on top of the roundup each week, but in a way it’s been nice to have something constant in my life throughout the mess of a year that has been 2020.