As the days get shorter and the nights get longer across Europe, the ESCBubble team look back over the months of September and October to pick out our ten favourite songs from former Eurovision artists. As always don’t forgot to catch our Spotify and YouTube playlists at the end.
There have been some fantastic releases, so let’s get started!
10. Timebelle, Alejandro Reyes – Rapido (Switzerland 2017)
Our first entry sees a team of two Swiss acts – the 2017 entrants Timebelle alongside Alejandro Reyes, who finished 2nd in the 2018 National Final. This track evokes memories of warmer, sunnier weather which is complemented by the all Spanish lyrics.
Both acts have released some great tracks since their Eurovision related adventures, and we definitely recommend Timebelle’s hookup with Moldova’s Sunstroke Project called ‘Tocame‘
Timebelle’s Emanuel Daniel Andriescu had this to say about the track:
We discovered that latin-pop and Timebelle are the perfect match. Our goal is to create music that gives joy and latin-pop already includes this feeling in its rhythm.
9. Anja Nissen – Can’t Do This (Denmark 2017)
Anja Nissen made a name for herself at the 2017 contest with her powerful vocals on ‘Where I Am’. Since then, Anja has continuously shown a more commercial side moving away from the power ballad and to a more radio-friendly, pop sound. Back in October, Anja released ‘Can’t Do This’ which we’re absolutely loving!
The song itself is a positive mid-tempo about being resilient and striving forward towards freedom independently. If you enjoy this song make sure to also go back and check out some of her earlier releases. One that doesn’t get enough attention is ‘Tears Ago‘ which is nothing short of a banger.
8. Kreilis – Starp Mums (Latvia NF 2017, 18, 19 & 20)
You might think the name sounds familiar and it sure is – it’s Edgars Kreilis, the four time Supernova participant, who is now recording minus his first name. ‘Starp Mums’ translates to ‘Between Us’ in English and it definitely continues to show Edgars progression as both an artist and songwriter.
It’s been a busy year for him, as he also travelled to Lithuania to take part in their version of The Voice, where he reached the finals. And at ESCBubble, we couldn’t help notice a Eurovision connection – his mentor was the two time Lithuanian grand finalist Donny Montell! In a video reminding us of warmer times and our younger days, here’s our number 8 – “Starp Mums”
7. Anna Odobescu – My Oh My (Moldova 2019)
Yes it’s THE star of the Eurovision movie, our number 7 comes from the Moldovan queen Anna Odobescu. Before her iconic cameo earlier this year, Anna took had previously competed in the 2019 contest in Tel Aviv, finishing an agonising 12th in semi final 2 with her touching ballad ‘Stay’.
For ‘My Oh My’ she teams up once again with one of the composers of ‘Stay’ – one of the most prolific Eurovision national final songwriters, George Kalpakidis. This time Anna has put on her dancing shoes and served us up an ethno tinged bop, really showing us her flexibility as an artist and a desire to get us back to the dancefloor!
6. The Mamas – Touch The Sky (Sweden 2020)
Hot off the announcement of their return to Melodifestivalen 2021 we also have been treated to some recent new music from The Mamas, who recently dropped their first EP ‘Tomorrow Is Waiting’. Lead single from the EP is the incredible ‘Touch The Sky’, a soaring mix of soul and modern effects that is elevated by their always powerful vocals.
The EP also contains songs that are led by each member of the group and we definitely recommend you check out all six songs. For now enjoy a live performance of the song on the Swedish television show ‘After Fem’ and we look forward to see them again next year, maybe even at ESC!
5.Tanja – Hurricane (Estonia 2014)
We’re storming our way now into the Top 5 and we start off with a Hurricane (not no the Serbian trio) courtesy of Tanja. An experienced Eesti Laul competitor, she represented Estonia in the 2014 contest with ‘Amazing’, finishing 12th in the first semi final.
Since her Eurovision adventure she’s returned to Eesti Laul, teaming up with another winner Birgit in 2019 where they both joined The Swingers, showing off their ‘High Heels in The Neighbourhood’.
Tanja will be back for the 2021 competition with the song ‘Best Night Ever’ and we can’t wait to hear it when the songs are revealed this weekend. Before that though she’s dropped this absolute beast of a banger as her latest single. Get on your feet and enjoy ‘Hurricane’!
4. Mikolas Josef – Lalalalalalalalalala (Czech Republic 2018)
It’s impossible to recap on the past few months of Eurovision star releases without touching on Mikolas Josef’s new track ‘Lalalalalalalalalala‘. Almost a year after his last release ‘Colorado‘, fans will be happy to see him back with perhaps his edgiest music release to date. His style has definitely matured over the past year as he has battled anxiety in rebuilding himself however the song proves that he is still very much the full package. Speaking of his latest release;
“Tonight is not only about releasing a new single & merch. Tonight I step over the shadows I believed will be the end of me. We all got our demons and reasons to feel beaten down and I sincerely pray everyone emerges victorious from their struggles. Today that is my only wish. This one is for the fighters. Let the song be a reminder to everyone that when you take arms against the sea of troubles you already won. Thank you for your patience. And to all those who made me what I am now.”
— Mikolas Josef
3. Maruv – Sad Song (Ukraine 2019)
Maruv was the superstar that Europe sadly never got to see after Ukraine’s withdrawal prior the contest taking place in Tel Aviv, Israel. ‘Siren Song’ cemented Maruv as a fan favourite and since then all of her releases have been fantastic beat-heavy compositions and her latest release ‘Sad Song’ is no different.
The track is perfect for a club environment, fusing her smooth vocals with that intense deep house club beat which is sure to be played in every club and rave across Europe. Check out the official video below which features gripping choreography and a Maruv rap at the end! We’re still crossing our fingers that one day in the future Maruv will get the performance on the Eurovision stage that she deserves.
2. Dami Im – Paper Dragon (Australia 2016)
Every single song that Dami Im releases is utterly beautiful and ‘Paper Dragon’ is absolutely no different. It’s impossible not to fall in love with Dami Im, as she proved when she went from being a last minute wildcard to the winner of the Australian X Factor, when she soared to second place at the 2016 Eurovision Song Contest securing Australia’s best placement to-date or the fondness she has when talking about her Eurovision experience.
Her latest single ‘Paper Dragon’ is a softer side to Dami than we’ve seen before, with a powerful hook and fiery chorus. The video is equally stunning, with Dami working with an Italian stop-motion animator to create her vision entirely with paper cutouts. She felt that the world needed “something fun and colourful and happy” and we have to congratulate her for achieving that.
Perhaps making this even more interesting was that after confirming that she’d be looking to compete in the Australian national final Australia Decides in 2021 (before it was bumped to 2022) and this was going to be her song. We think she undoubtedly would’ve won and gone on to represent Australia again but what do you think?
And topping our Autumnal chart is……
1. Alicja – Pusto (Poland 2020)
We’ve been really impressed with Poland’s 2020 representative Alicja Szemplińska this year. Due to represent Poland earlier this year in Rotterdam with the wonderful Bond-style ballad ‘Empires’, unfortunately her dream of representing her country fell through when the contest was cancelled following the outbreak of the Coronavirus pandemic. She hasn’t let that put a pause on her promising music career though, releasing songs such as ‘Gdzieś‘, ‘Na Pamięć‘, and now ‘Pusto’.
She’s the ultimate package- commercial, a vocal powerhouse and charismatic enough to pull off both a ballad and an uptempo. Junior Eurovision fans will also have seen Alicja perform her Eurovision track ‘Empires’ at the weekend, once again showing just how talented she is!
One of her latest singles, ‘Pusto’, is an emotional and dark ballad with an explosive chorus and an even bigger ending.
That’s it for our latest chart, let us know which song was your favourite on our social media or did we miss out anything you really loved? All the songs featured today can be found in a YouTube and Spotify playlist below, see you next time!
No doubt Dami im is the most amazing artist, but Paper Dragon is not the same as sound of silence and don’t think the song in its present Format could of won EV