Welcome to the TES music round-up! September has come and gone and artists from across the Eurovision universe have graced us with some absolutely amazing releases. In this edition: Covers, soundtracks, and albums (or their announcements).
The 2022 entries
REDDI – “Bad Pop Song”
REDDI might have shrunken from four to three after guitarist Agnes left the band, but the group’s discography is growing! “Bad Pop Song” is a pop-punk song about how the singer loves someone but also doesn’t want “to be played like a bad pop song”. Julia Fabrin and Chief 1, who were part of the team behind Eurovision entry “The Show” are back for this track, with Japanese musician her0ism contributing to the lyrics and composition for the new track as well.
alyona alyona x Jerry Heil x Monika Liu – “Dai Boh”
Mea culpa, mea maxima culpa. Forgive me mother, for I have sinned. I somehow managed to forget to include this absolute banger of a track in last month’s round-up! Which is strange, because I have been listening to it a lot since release. “Dai Boh” (“God Bless”) is Monika’s first release since “Bossa” in July. The song sees her working with alyona alyona (member of Ukraine’s 2021 Eurovision jury) and Jerry Heil (Vidbir 2020). “Dai Boh” features Monika Liu singing the chorus and bridge in Lithuanian, while alyona alyona and Jerry Heil perform the verses in Ukrainian. It’s nothing new for alyona alyona and Jerry Heil to work with former Eurovision artists. Previously they worked with Ela (Germany 2014) on the song “#KUPALA”. “Dai Boh” is also the title track of a new EP. The EP includes “#KUPALA” and two other traditional Ukrainian tracks partially translated to other languages.
The Rasmus – “Rise” (LP)
Finnish rockers have released new album “Rise,” which features Eurovision entry “Jezebel” and title track “Rise”. The album is fully produced by Desmond Child, who previously worked with The Rasmus for their 2008 album “Black Roses”. The album is the first with new guitarist Emilia Suhonen. Parts of the album are sonically closer to the darker sound that made the band big in the mid-00s, while other tracks follow in the footsteps of their more recent and pop-adjacent tracks. A music video for track “Live and Never Die,” which falls squarely in the latter category, was released along with the album.
LUM!X, DVBBS – “Where Do We Go”
June, July, August, and now September. Austria’s 2022 DJ LUM!X has been showing up in these rond-ups with frightening consistency and he is showing no sign of stopping. His latest release is “Where Do We Go,” a collab with Canadian production duo DVBBS, known for tracks such as 2013 hit “Tsunami”. The uncredited vocalist sings about knowing a place where we can go when we feel less than great, and the music gives an obvious answer: a dancefloor! For those keeping close track of LUM!X but also somehow depending on these round-ups for updates about him: musically the track is closest to “We Could Be Together”, which he released in June.
Ossama Attia featuring Andromache – “Matibkeesh / Μάτια Παιχνιδιάρικα”
Cyprus’ Andromache is back with another song following July’s “If you were alone“. “Matibkeesh / Μάτια Παιχνιδιάρικα” (Don’t Cry / Playful Eyes) sees Andromache collaborate with Egyptian singer Ossama Attia. For those searching on Spotify: the song is credited to Osama Atya and Andromachi Dimitropoulou there. Musically the song is a perfect combination of different Eastern Mediterranean sound with Osama performing in Arabic and Andromache in Greek.
Chanel – “La Estrella Azul”
Many a fan has been waiting for new music from Chanel, who finished third at Eurovision for Spain, and she finally released it! “La Estrella Azul” (The Blue Star) is the Spanish-language version of “When You Wish Upon A Star,” the main track of both the old and new version of Disney’s “Pinocchio”. Chanel and Disney revealed earlier this month that the singer would be part of the soundtrack of the new movie, with the release of both following soon after. If you want to hear the song in the movie, it can be heard in the credits of the new Pinocchio, streaming worldwide on Disney+ (Not spon. The song might be good but the movie is most definitely not).
Circus Mircus – “Soul Pop”
After a fairly quiet period for the artistic collective, fans of Circus Mircus (like me!) were treated to a new song last month, and the Georgian band have followed that up this month with “Soul Pop”. Continuing their eclectic mix and range of genres, the new song is a retro-ish indie-ish pop-ish track reminiscent of acts such as Saint Motel. Groovy, synthy, and just outright fun,, the track is part of Circus Mircus’ upcoming debut album. On YouTube, the band teased in the video description that there is “big news ahead”. Lyrically, the track is about the singer being willing to do anything to prove his devotion.
Systur – “Dusty Road”
The Icelandic folk sisters are back with new single “Dusty Road”. It’s a beautiful, slow, heartbreaking yet also slightly hopeful track. The lyrics were written by Elín, who on the Systur website writes about the song that:
It somehow happens when you are just inspired, as if there is some direct thread from another dimension and something just comes to you and you don’t know where, the text and the feeling and experiences mix with it and something is created.
Elín Ey
Marius Bear – “Waiting For Love”
“Waiting For Love,” Marius Bear’s latest single, has been dubbed the “big brother” of his Eurovision entry by the Swiss singer. The track is another soft, ballady track with Marius’ distinctive voice throughout. The track deals with waiting for love and feeling lonely. “Don’t you be feel fooled by my smile / Because all the while, I’m waiting for love”
Brooke – “Chaotic Heart” (EP)
Irish Eurovision contestant Brooke has released her debut EP “Chaotic Heart”. The 5 track EP includes “That’s Rich,” the 3 songs she has released since, and brand new pop ballad “Enough”. On the track, Brooke sings about how nothing she does ever seems to be enough for her lover. Brooke co-wrote the track with Izzy Warner and Karl Zine, who she also worked with for “That’s Rich”.
Nadir Rustamli – “Lənətli Şəhər”
Nadir Rustamli represented Azerbaijan with the ballad “Fade To Black,” but his latest single is something very different. “Lənətli Şəhər” (“The Cursed City”) combines Nadir’s powerful vocal with everything from powerful beats to sing-rapping to a screaming electric guitar. The song is completely in Azeri and, frankly, it is quite hard to describe in only a few words exactly how it sounds, so why not give it a listen yourself:
wrs – “La Melodía”
Romania’s 2022 representative wrs released his new single “La Melodía” early in September.
Sigala, David Guetta, Sam Ryder – “Living Without You”
2022 runner-up Sam Ryder worked with Sigala and David Guetta on new release “Living Without You”. You can read more about the track, which has charted in the UK and Sweden, here:
Amanda Tenfjord, Evangelia – “AMAN”
Amanda Tenfjord has teamed up with fellow Greek singer Evangelia for new track “AMAN”. You can read more about the song, which features lyrics in English and Greek, in the article here:
Next page: New releases from Eurovision Winners
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