This year we are trying something a little different, and offering Eurovision fans two music round-ups a month, one from current and former Eurovision participants and the other from those who unfortunately never made it to the ESC stage. We believe that all artists who enter the Eurovision pre-selections are still a big part of the community, and we hope this new series will help you celebrate them and their hard work!
Now January was a bit of a quiet month in the music world, but we still got a solid 31 releases from around the world to share featuring a multitude of languages like Spanish, Armenian, Slovenian, Albanian, Ukranian, and Portuguese just to name a few. You can check out the full playlist of songs at the end of the article!
Luka Nižetić – Ako Tražiš Ljubav (Croatia – Dora 2019)
Luka Nižetić took place in Dora back in 2019, coming in third place agaist Lorena Bućan and winner Roko Blažević – but what you might not know about Luka is that he has 5 studio albums and numerous singles that have charted in Croatia going all the way back to 2012. His song “Ako Tražiš Ljubav” or “If You are Looking for Love” features uplifting lyrics in Croatian that deal with the subject of falling in love, and how it is most important to love yourself first before seeking love for yourself. The music video shows Luka sinking to the bottom of a pool in an almost meditative state, possibly seeking out the same self-love he is singing about.
Carlos Right – Acuérdate (Spain – Operación Triunfo 2018)
“Acuérdate” is yet another sharp turn musically for Carlos Right, who in the years following Operación Triunfo has been experimenting win genres and sounds in his releases. His prior releases have been the ballads “Marinero” and “Perdóname”, a dance pop track “Prisionero”, and the emotional midtempo single “Borrándote”. But now it appears that Carlos has turned to the dark side, giving us a much more pop meets punk version of his personality. The music video features two rebels in life, Carlso and his drummer, who are continuously encountering a mysterious but attractive woman on their adventures. This is a song that is sure to get you up and dancing!
Dotter – Bon Voyage (Sweden – Melodifestivalen 2018, 2020, 2021)
Swedish singer and songwriter Dotter is back with another strong pop single, this time entirely in Swedish. The music video tells a story of Dotter’s so called “friends” leaving her at the convenience store and to arrive at the nightclub on her own. Then when she arrives they are having the time of their lives….without her. She appears to be lost and overwhelmed with the happenings around her, and also struggling with the feeling of being ignored by the other patrons of the nightclub. This leads her to take a moment alone in the bathroom, followed by a new found sense of confidence that the patrons just can’t ignore. Overall, the music video is a full short film of 80’s nostalgia, which has already collected 47.5 thousand views on YouTube alone.
Lanberry – Nocny Express (Poland – Krajowe Eliminacje 2017)
Lanberry is a singer that has tearing up the Polish music scene for a while now, but her career really took off after her participation in the Polish national final in 2017 where she came in 6th place. Since then, she has had numerous singles chart in the number one position in Poland like her latest songs “Tracę”, “Mówiłeś”, and “Nieznajomy”. Fans of Junior Eurovision may also be shocked to learn that she was on the writing team for both Roksana and Wiktoria’s songs which went on to win the contest back to back. Her new song “Nocny Express” tells the story of missed connections, a pair who for some reason can never be together. If you are looking for a new artists to add to your playlist – we highly recommend you listen to her catalog, you won’t regret it!
Fernando Daniel feat. Carolina Deslandes – Fim (Portugal – Festival da Canção 2017 and 2021)
We love when two national final artists pair up to deliver an amazing song, and that’s exactly what “Fim” is. Eurovision fans should remember Carolina from this past year’s edition of the Portuguese national final where she came second to The Black Mamba wiuth the song “Por um triz”. Fernando participated in Festival da Canção right after winning the fourth season of The Voice Portugal, and worked with Henrique Feist on his song for the contest. After coming 5th in the national final, he went on to release 2 studio albums, with numerous charting singles, and was picked in 2021 to be a coach on The Voice Portugal for kids. His contestant Simão Oliveira would go on to win the show and represent Portugal in JESC 2021, with Fernando helping to write his song.
Anja Kotar – January (Slovenia – EMA 2016)
Anja has also been making some great music outside of the Eurovision bubble, and for 2022 she has started a project of writing a new song for every month of the year. This song is a heartfelt ballad about what new things the month of January can hold for us, and how resolutions are likely to fade away as quickly as they were made. She is known for her home-made styled music videos, and her music has released a number of hit songs with over 20,000 plays on YouTube. Her most popular releases to date are the songs “House Party”, “Tuscany”, and “Kids”.
Check out the full playlist of songs below!
Are there any songs that stand out to #YOU from our playlist? Let us know on social media @ESCUnited, on our discord, or on our forum page!
