Now That’s What I Call… The Extended Eurovision Universe
As any Eurovision megafan knows, Eurovision neither starts nor ends with the main contest. From National Final season introducing the world to new and exciting artists, to former Junior Eurovision artists, to the big-name songwriters and producers that work behind the scenes, people from all over the music industry make Eurovision the amazing thing that it is. Here are some of the best new releases by Eurovision-adjacent acts. Before we kick off properly, I have to admit that I feel this section has, at times, been a little short. So to make up for it, a mega-edition!
TVORCHI – “Hidden Code”
As per my arbitrary rules, upcoming Eurovision artists will appear here. This time it is TVORCHI, as the Ukrainian duo is part of the OST for the film “The First Code”. The movie is a documentary about the Ukrainian IT industry. Fitting for such a topic, TVORCHI are more electronic than ever, sounding both celebratory and tense both musically and lyrically.
neonme – “Tea”
Salka finished runner-up in last year’s Söngvakeppnin as part of ReykjavÃkurdætur, and recently started releasing music solo as well. Under the name “neonme,” she has released three singles so far, the latest being “Tea”. It’s a gentle yet hardhitting experimental affair taking from a number of genres as it creates an atmosphere that feels both moody and, at times, strangely uplifting. The song is a beautiful journey that I highly recommend you go on.
Crista – “Desene pe pereti”
Crista was one of the standouts of the, in my opinion, very strong Moldovan National Final Etapa naÈ›ională 2023 this year. She missed out making it to the final by only two points, but this loss has clearly not discouraged her, as she now presents us “Desene pe pereti” (Drawings on the wall). It’s a gentle track, with a plucked acoustic guitar sometimes being joined by a piano, then a harp, and some ethereal strings as well. Crista wrote and composed the song, while Paulsmallmusic took on production, mixing, and mastering.
Alina Pash – “KARPATSKA”
Vidbir 2022 contestant Alina Pash has released new song “KARPATSKA”. Karpatska is the Ukrainian name for the Carpathian Mountains. The song combines Hutsul folk music from said Carpathian region with new lyrics by Alina Pash, who also wrote and produced the track together with Orest Halytskyi and Taras Bazeev. It’s jazzy, folky, and anthemic all at the same time.
Rayden, Nanpa Básico – “Mujeryego”
Benidorm 2021 star Rayden is changing career paths to being an author, but he is leaving us with soime new music first. His latest (but, as far as I know, not last) song is a collaboration with Colombian rapper Nanpa Básico and is called “Mujeryego” (Womanizer). It’s dark, moody and also just a tiny bit seductive.
Skywalker – “Goliath”
Skywalker were the very first act I got to interview for this site. Now, the post-hardcore group has released new track “Goliath”. The song is a further evolution of the band’s sound, with even more contrast between the softer and harder parts of the song. Skywalker’s melodies are tighter than ever in this song about not knowing where life is taking someone.
Jone feat. Daskeladden – “Bøgdamann”
Jone made it all the way to the Melodi Grand Prix final with “Ekko inni meg”, and now he is making it into the TES round-up with “Bøgdamann”. This song has a campfire-but-make-it-pop vibe and is very relistenable (I’m listening to it on repeat as I write this so I’d know). Daskeladden has worked with Jone, including on his hit single “Eventyr”.
Silke – “Cold”
Silke’s pre-recorded vocals for Jone’s entry didn’t get a credit at MGP, but she did make a digital on screen appearance and her voice is unmistakable. She has now released “Cold,” a powerful pop ballad featuring ethereal vocals and a build-up so strong you almost want a beat to start dropping. Silke co-wrote the track with 3 others including Audun Agnar Gulbrandsen, who was part of the team behind “Ekko inni meg”.
Grant Knoche – “Intrusive Thoughts”
American Song Contest finalist Grant Knoche has released “Intrusive Thoughts”. Picked by Rolling Stone magazine as one of the best releases of that week, the track is a moody pop affair about, well, the title says it all really. To be more specific, the song sees Grant sing about wanting to give in to his intrusive thoughts and dance with somebody to forget his loneliness, but being worried about getting caught doing so.
Madame – “L’AMORE” (LP)
Madame enchanted even this Sanremo skeptic this year with her entry “Il bene nel male”, and now she has released her second album, “L’AMORE” (THE LOVE). The lyrics are all Madame, but for the compositions she was joined by a rotating, star-studded cast of modern Italian music, with Dardust arguably being the most notable credit. With the well-reviewed album clocking in at 15 tracks including her Sanremo effort, there is too much here on each track to get in to. So, for those who want to read more, I recommend this interview (in Italian) with her by Cosmopolitan in which Madame some of the stories behind the songs.
Renaida – “Flyga högt”
2018 Melfest finalist Renaida has been asked to supply some music to SVT again. This time, she was asked to make a song for the TV series “Fejk”(Fake), a 6 episodes miniseries. “Flyga högt” (Fly High) is fittingly dark and dramatic considering the show it is for. Renaida wrote and composed the song together with Eric Wiktor and Ellen FalkÃ¥s, with Ellen also providing backing vocals and Eric taking on the music production side of things.
Medina – “Bon Appetit”
Medina have released a couple of tracks since their triumphant reunion in 2021, which culminated in a third place in the 2022 Melodifestivalen final. Their latest release is the boppy “Bon Appetit,” which is as varied as it is hard to Google. Which is to say: very. The song was written and produced by the duo themselves.
KUUMAA – “Hyvikset ja pahikset” (LP)
Fresh off competing at UMK, Finnish group KUUMAA have released their second album. “Hyvikset ja pahikset” (The good and the bad) is filled with the slightly retro electro-indie-pop they captured many a fan with during UMK23, and obviously their UMK entry “Ylivoimainen” is on the album as well.
AIDAN – “This is Aidan” (LP)
And to close off the round-up I present you the debut album by an NF artist known to pretty much every Eurofan: Aidan! “This is Aidan” has 11 tracks, including his hit “Ritmu” and a song with two-time Maltese Eurovision representative Ira Losco. With songs in Maltese and in English, there is a lot of new material for fans of the Maltese performer.
Listen to all the songs above and more
We’ve made a handy Spotify playlist of the songs in this article and all other releases from Eurovision artists this month, including remixes and other special releases. So get ready for everything from Kalush Orchestra and Andromache to Mikolas Josef, Diodato, Gerard Joling, and more. The playlist gets updated every month, so don’t forget to follow it to always stay up to date. Did we miss anything? Then send Angus a message over on Twitter.
What were your favourite releases this month? And whose music are you looking forward to in April? Be sure to follow THAT Eurovision Site on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Tik-Tok as we gear up for Eurovision 2023.
Photo Credit: Various
