The Winners
Salvador Sobral – “TIMBRE”, “Alta traïció” with Clara Peya,
Portugal’s one and only winner is always a welcome sighting in this round-up, and now he is here with his new duet “de la mano de tu voz” (from the hand of your voice). It’s a graceful, soft, and gentle ballad featuring Silvana Estrada. Silvana is a rising star in Mexican music, with the musician and songwriter winning the Latin Grammy for Best New Artist in 2022. The track is part of Salvador’s new album “TIMBRE”, which also includes collabs with his sister Luisa, French eurofan-fave Barbara Pravi, and more! “TIMBRE” is out now.
Another collab of his this month was with Catalan pianist Clara Peya for a song on her new album “Corsé” (Corset). The track, “Alta traïció” (High treason) is a beautiful, experimental, track filled with piano, harsh moments of electronica, and Salvador’s voice. Track of the month!
Kalush Orchestra – “Вогонь горить”
At 1:57, this might be the shortest song I highlight in the round-up yet! And fitting too, as Kalush Orchestra’s “Вогонь горить” (The fire is burning) burns fierce and bright, with its extremely catchy hook and party vibes. The song, as the band write on YouTube, is released in celebration of a very special minitour by the band. The small tour is the first to not feature founder and leader Oleh Psiuk, as he is busy elsewhere.
KALUSH x Grubson x Mykola Vynar – “Lalala”, Скрябін x KALUSH – “То є Львів”
Speaking of things Oleh Psiuk is busy with: KALUSH! Their latest track is another addition to the long running trend of songs that had been waiting on the shelf for a while. This track first started in 2021, when Mykola Vynar proposed the idea to Grubson and KALUSH at a Polish festival. KALUSH’s gritty sound mix amazingly with the unique hip hop of Mykola Vynar and the reggae and dancehall influences of Grubson.
The other new track they released this month is a collab with Скрябін (Skryabin), a Ukrainian rock band. Together, the two groups mesh into a great, much more chill vibe on new track “То є Львів” (That is Lviv), an ode to the city of Lviv. On YouTube, KALUSH announced that this is the first track of an EP they have recorded with the Ukranian rock legends, which will be released on November 3rd.
Johnny Logan – “Heaven’s Closed”
Two time Eurovision winner Johnny Logan treated us to the rare thing that is a new song of his. “Heaven’s Closed” is a swing-inspired track written about the time Johnny and his brother spent in Europe during the 80s and 90s. The Irishman describes the track as being his favourite to perform live currently.
Måneskin – “HONEY (ARE U COMING?)”
They made you feel a “RUSH” at the start of the year, and now Måneskin are asking “HONEY (ARE U COMING?)”. A strong bass line and some excellent guitar riffs drive this song about Damiano wanting this night out with his crush to never end.
Netta – “Wonderful & Great”
Netta is going goofy and quirky on “Wonderful & Great”. It’s a purposefully silly confidence anthem, with a production that is actually richer than it might seem on first listen. Singer-songwriter Dafna Shilon and “Toy” composer Avahalom Ariel joined Netta in the writing booth for this song.
Alexander Rybak – “Kid”
Continuing his recent host of releases is 2009 winner Alexander Rybak. His latest offering is “Kid” is a spoken word-ish, jazz-adjacent track about not wanting to grow up. The song was written by Alexander Rybak and Vladimir Markin.
Duncan Laurence – “I Do”, “Lovin’ Arms”, “So in love”, “Skyboy” (LP)
The new season of Dutch show Beste Zangers (Best Singers) is underway again, and Duncan Laurence is taking part. In episode 1, he performed a cover of “I Do” by fellow Eurovision-alum Douwe Bob. You can find out more down below. Later in the show the Dutch winner also covered Elvis Presley’s “Lovin’ Arms” and Cole Porter’s “So in love”.
With all this happening, it is easy to forget that Duncan also has released his new (and much delayed) new album “Skyboy”! The title track is from March, and you can read more about it below:
Next page: The best and biggest new releases from other Eurovision artists
Giwrgos Oiko