Now That’s What I Call… The Extended Eurovision Universe
As Eurovision fans (and some who aren’t) know, 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- and small-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 is some of the best new music by Eurovision-adjacent acts.
FIЇNKA – “ГРУШКА”
A “ГРУШКА”, FIÏNKA writes in the video description, is a Hutsul funeral rite that consists of fun and games themed around the deceased, to celebrate life and distract from the pain of their loss. Befitting both this tradition and FIÏNKA’s musical style, this song is a fun party. While there are plenty of traditional elements woven in throughout the song, it fundamentally is an excellent alternative pop track. All this adds up to a lot of fun.
AVDYSH – “Lua (feat. Elisa Rodrigues)”
You thought the Eurovision-unrelated Ukrainian jazz project would only show up once in this month’s round-up? Well think again as AVDYSH also worked with Elisa Rodrigues, who competed in FdC 2020 which was won by another Elisa. “Lua” (Moon) is in Portuguese and is a gorgeously gentle piano piece with the vocals of Kateryna Avdysh and Elisa Rodrigues taking centre stage and adding some nice texture and depth to the track.
ДК Енергетик – “Дзвін” | DK Energetyk – “Dzvin” (Ringing)
I was a big fan of ДК Енергетик’s Vidbir entry this year, although this is even better. I would also like to thank the band for giving us a latinized spelling of the band plus song and including a translation themselves. Anyhoo, “Dzvin” (Ringing) is another piece of dreamy, post-punky goodness with those guitar effects that I just can never get enough off. If you liked their Vidbir entry, you will love this, and if you didn’t but do enjoy the occasional rock music or dream pop, give them a second chance with this.
HELEZA – “kaardimaja”
Back to the well of electronic bangers we go as HELEZA of Eesti Laul fame sings about a “kaardimaja” (house of cards). She has a nice voice, and there just is some cool songwriting and excellent production work going on here. It isn’t often I describe something with dunts as sounding open and sweeping, but this is definitely one of those times.
Meisterjaan – “Tõde Ja Tegu”
“Tõde Ja Tegu” (Truth and Deed) is the title of the new song by Eesti Laul 2016 finalists Meisterjaan. This is one of those delightful lofi-indie-folk-whatevers that ends up feeling like your way too talented musical friends just playing at the kitchen table in the best way possible. A great track for people who somehow have a similar taste to me.
Antsud Metal Project – “Külm”
Once again in the round-up is the Antsud Metal Project. It was a bit of a busier month for Antsud this time around, as they also released a song as the original group, but I must say that “Külm” (Cold) is the vastly superior one. It’s another deeply cinematic piece of folk metal, with the unique thing about this track being the guitar solo and it just being a bit less in your face than some of the other tracks by this project.
INGER – “Tantsin iseendaga”
It’s a very Estonian month this time, huh? INGER returns once again to the round-up with new music in the form of “Tantsin iseendaga” (I dance with myself). This song will be part of INGER’s upcoming album next month and is a lovely smooth piece of guitar-led indiepop.
Lisa Miskovsky – “Eljest” (LP)
Also bringing us some lovely and smooth music, although more in the adult contemporary corner of the record store, is Lisa Miskovsky. “Eljest” (Otherwise) is a nice collection of midtempo tracks to accompany wherever you are headed. I am not going to pretend it is anything it isn’t, but neither will this album. Just a delightful slice of unpretentions music that feels like a warm hug from Lisa Miskovsky.
Lucas Bun, Jeanette – “Como Un Cristal”
While I wasn’t the biggest fan of his Benidorm entry, Lucas Bun’s potential as an artist was always visible to me. I’m happy to report that “Como Un Cristal” (Like A Crystal) sees the singer shine in a duet with Jeanette. A song that quietly, then suddenly takes you on its bittersweet journey.
Petunija – “Per stiklą”
Petunija‘s electronic arc continues on “Per stiklą” (Through the glass), with a pounding beat punctuating her excellent vocals which are delivered with such astounding confidence and attitude on this track. There also is just some stellar songwriting on display here, courtesy of Petunija herself and go-to co-songwriter Kęstutis Vaitkevičius.
Lextraneus – “Fontanelle feat. Nicklas Sonne“
Looking for some Danish music that goes hard? Well, here you go. DMGP alum Nicklas Sonne teams up with Lextraneus, a band who describe themselves as bridging the gap between metal and hard rock. Which feels like a fair description of the sound of this song, really. Nicklas shows up about halfway through to add some metal vocals and add just that little bit extra to this song that really makes it stand out.
LaBrassBanda – “Polka Party” (LP)
Bavarian chaos outfit LaBrassBanda almost made it to Eurovision 2013, but to me they are just the brass band you put on if you want some delightful chaos. And this “Polka Party” delivers just that, with 12 different brass powered tracks that all bring their own thing to the party. So get your dancing shoes on and ignore everything else in your life, it is time to party and do the Teufelstanz (Devil’s dance).
C:real – “Thelo Na Ksereis”
“Thelo Na Ksereis” (I Want You To Know) that C:real is serving up a pure injection of nostalgia with this song that just feels like something you have known forever, while still managing to feel new and its own thing. Makes you want to learn Greek and sing along.
Rogério Charraz, Joana Alegre – “Anónimos de Abril, Vol. I” (LP)
Last month I wrote a fair bit about the “Anónimos de Abril” (Anonymous of April) project, which saw former Festival da Canção participant Joana Alegre work with Rogerio Charraz and José Fialho Gouveia to create an album telling the stories of those who resisted the Portuguese dictatorship and helped Portuguese freedom take shape after the Carnation Revolution. Now, the first album of this project has arrived, telling 7 stories plus that of “Mariana” last month. Highly worth checking out if you have an interest in Portuguese music and/or history.
MEAU – “Vergeef Me”
And this month’s round-up ends on a, “Vergeef Me” (Forgive Me), slightly looser connection once again. MEAU is a Dutch singer-songwriter who has been both a participant in and judge of the Junior Songfestival, the Dutch national final for Junior Eurovision. It’s another emotionally stirring track from her, dealing with insecurities when it comes to love and sees her ask for forgiveness for failures real and imagined. You can sense that the lyrics come from a very personal place, and the song gives her voice all the space it needs to make you feel her emotions. As the one song this month that made me teary eyed, this obviously has to be my Track of the month!
Listen to all the songs above and more
We’ve made a handy Spotify playlist of the songs in this article and all other new music from Eurovision artists this month, including remixes and other special releases. So get ready for everything from iolanda, Victoria, and Katarsis to MARO, Käärijä, Stig Rästa MP and many 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 your social media of choice.
What was your favourite new music this month? And whose music are you looking forward to next month? As always, let us know what you think by commenting below. Also, be sure to follow ‘That Eurovision Site’ on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Threads, tumblr, and Bluesky for all the latest Eurovision news and more!
News Source: That Eurovision Site / Various
Photo Credit: Gustaph, Marina Satti, Lucio Corsi/Francis Delacroix, Loreen. Collage by That Eurovision Site.
Giwrgos Oiko