New Music Friday this week with Helena Paparizou, Jedward, Eric Saade, Aminata & More!

Another week comes to an end and that means it’s New Music Friday! So it’s time to share the best new releases we’ve found from the Eurovision world. Over the following pages is everything you need to know for your weekend playlists. Helena Paparizou - 'Kalokairi Kai Pathos' First up this week on New Music Friday we have a vibrant new summer anthem from Helena Paparizou. The Greek Queen of pop is taking Kendji Girac's 'Que Dieu me pardonne' with Claudio Capeo and giving it new life with Greek lyrics. This 'Summer and Passion' combines the joy of being loved with the forces of the Mediterranean Sea. Although with a slight detour to the African coast, as Claudio's accordion has been replaced with the tropical production of some steel drums. See Helena sizzling on the shore in the music video below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1VMqpq7gThY Jedward - 'Bodies In Action' The twins that gave Ireland their best result this decade are back with new music. Planet Jedward is set to take over as John and Edward gear up for the release of their fourth album Voice of a Rebel. The 22 track album will be available on 27th June and is part of the commemoration of their 10th year in music. Lead single 'Soul Crushing' was released in the Asian market last week, following the switch to new label Universal Music Asia and their popularity in the East. The duo have grown up in front of our eyes since their X Factor days and 'Bodies In Action' shows the maturity in their musical growth with the suggestive lyrics and urban beat. https://open.spotify.com/album/1IObajrPeBZE4qZ60s82Xd?si=-MbHiYTDS5aFOMP53jdgKg Donny Montell - 'Ryto Saulė' Donny gave Lithuania their highest ever points score back in 2016 and has been soaring the heights of the charts since. Between continuing to support emerging talent in Eurovizijos - Junà reached the final this year, Donny has also found time to self-produce and write new music for himself. 'Ryto Saulė' is a melancholic electro-ballad that speaks of a young love where you're moving in different places like the metaphors of the seaside scenery the lyrics transport you to. Eric Saade - 'Skit för varandra' Fresh from being one of the co-hosts of this year's edition of Melodifestivalen, the ever popular Eric Saade has returned to the Swede-pop scene. With a new team around him, including Jimmy Jansson, who himself has a Melodifestivalen pedigree, Eric brings a soulful native ballad to this week's New Music Friday. Translating the song title would bring the censors down heavily on this article. So it's safe to say the song is a love song about being there for each other. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WbyQVnzsVEk Aminata - 'Maiga Vara' As an artist and composer she gave Latvia their only two qualifications this decade. Now Aminata is adding to her diverse archive of releases with new track 'Maiga Vara'. For this creative process Aminata learned piano to get into the sensuality of the song. This is her first song in the Latvian language. It's a meaningful ballad about the manipulation of love and learning to love yourself and self-acceptance. The song is available on streaming platforms here. But as a treat, Aminata has showcased an acoustic version of her playing the piano: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NM1ahkI70s Paula - 'Body Talk' (EP) During her break from back to back Eurovizjos appearances, Paula kept busy starring in her acting debut and working on new music. This has come in the form of her debut EP Body Talk. A collection of four tracks - 'Body Talk', 'Boys', 'Gimme What I Want' and 'Say Something'. 'Body Talk' and 'Boys' blend Paula's melodic and fierce energy with interesting industrial electronic beats. Meanwhile 'Gimme What I Want' takes a late night urban swerve for those after something more sensual. Then the EP closes with 'Say Something' serving as the end of the night, gentle slow jam. https://open.spotify.com/album/2Kfo6DmecTy2GTtgHn9ATJ?si=UsJMsffYRSiRHvMOgzTrKw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_WKFgdLS-g Dinah Nah - 'Equivocal' Over two years we have been starved since Dinah Nah served the rap breakdown of 2017 in robbed banger 'One More Night'. Finally she returns, better than ever with another floor filler to add to her collection. 'Equivocal' is a dark club anthem fitting to the angst driven lyrics of the turmoil of misreading signals in a relationship. Everything is open to interpretation, but there's no miscommunication in the desire to bop to this! Maybe we will see Dinah make another Melodifestivalen comeback in the future. https://open.spotify.com/track/0DHbCZJpPEK40WQfGjHOdS?si=tjJZEKmARsqMs7xkzC5I2Q Pages - 'Beautiful Weirdo' (EP) You might recognise the familiar tone of this vocalist. Under a new name, Pages is the project of Molly Smitten-Downes who represented the United Kingdom in 2014. After taking time away from music, Molly has found her creative flow again working on this new EP. It features four tracks 'Maybe It's Time', 'Thought I was Yours', 'Beautiful Weirdo' and 'Somewhere Along The Line'. As a collective the EP is an atmospheric experience in composition and story telling. To start, 'Maybe It's Time' is the closest in sound to 'Children of The Universe'. Thereafter the comparisons end and it's a journey of lyrical intensity and symphonic ballads. https://open.spotify.com/album/2Cm8DXjthVj8BAEPHGHGcd?si=H_VxP9HjSXi8ngnrrQJZbQ Laura Põldvere - 'Keerleme' Back in 2017 Laura Põldvere was lost in 'Verona' with Koit Toome. Whilst it didn't achieve the expected result in Kyiv, it hasn't stopped Laura's solo career flourishing. The ever popular Estonian brings her dance-pop best in new single 'Keerleme'. With pulsing beats, electronic guitar and lush Estonian vowels it's a melodic triple threat. Ready for the summer it's an inspiring anthem describing the forces of time and life passing by and how we should enjoy every moment. Later this year Laura will be releasing a new album, on which 'Keerleme' will feature. Enjoy Laura's one woman neon rave at the local fairground below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvsGr_xHyGY Vaidas Baumila ft. JUSTÉ - 'Milijonai' Back to the Baltic region again. This time (pun intended) for Vaidas Baumila's new single 'Milijonai'. Here Vaidas teams up with JUSTÉ, who has been a regular in Eurovizijos as part of the band Saulės kliošas. 'Millions' tells the story of escapism and breaking free of the restrictions of life and daydreaming with your lover. In this case Vaidas is dreaming of Tokyo, despite having never visited Japan. However it relates to that feeling of wanting to be as far away as possible. Watch the video below, filmed in the Fabijoniškės district of Vilnius. Made famous for being one of the locations where the hit TV show Chernobyl was filmed. xtra basic feat. Katrin Ruuse - 'Love Ain't Gone' Last but not least on New Music Friday we travel back to Estonia for our Eesti Laul mascots and their lush new track 'Love Ain't Gone'. For this track they have teamed up with vocalist Katrin Ruuse who made her name on the Estonian version of Pop Idol. A collaborative of Eesti Laul pedigree, the song was composed by Karl Ander-Reismann. This year the talented producer had three songs in the national final. These included the entries from Sissi, Stefan and Inger. Further to this, Stefan himself is a backing vocalist on the new single. The vocals of Katrin and guitar melody fuse to give this chill out heartbreak anthem a folk edge. See a live version below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m72gjyd2Exw That was the best of New Music Friday this week. Which are your favourites? Have we missed anything? We may include it in a future week! Let us know in the comments and on social media @ESCXTRA

New Music Friday this week with Helena Paparizou, Jedward, Eric Saade, Aminata & More!

Helena Paparizou – ‘Kalokairi Kai Pathos’

Lisa Bird

Helena Paparizou – ‘Kalokairi Kai Pathos’

Lisa Bird

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