Over the past few days we at ESCXTRA have poured over the archives of New Music Friday releases throughout 2020. Here we have picked out ten of the best and asked the team to rank the contenders. So which songs made the cut and what was the team’s overall ranking? Let’s find out!
10. 🇺🇦 Luca Dayz ft. Snoop Dogg, Tina Karol & LOE – ‘Blow Your Mind’ – (25 Points)
First up in our list of New Music Friday 2020… Not many people start their career and become famous after Eurovision, but it has become a favourite pastime of Ukrainian artists! After 14 years, Tina Karol is still showing us her love through music. In 2020 she meant it when she dropped ‘Blow Your Mind’ with none other than hip-hop legend Snoop Dogg! Wanting to branch out to the English markets, this tied in with release of her latest album Nayti Svoikh (Find Your Own). Earlier this month Tina showed her softer side in the gentle ballad ‘Heaven’. Outside of her own chart successes, Tina has been helping the next generation of talent, as a judge on The Voice Ukraine. As well as also helping pick Go_A for Eurovision this year on the Vidbir panel.
Spotify: 226k/YouTube: 772k
“Snoop Dogg and Eurovision – The most unlikely friendship”
9. 🇵🇱 Edyta Górniak – ‘LIME TeQuila-ila’ – (32 Points)
Next up is Poland’s debutant and 1994 Eurovision runner-up Edyta Górniak returned to help us through the lockdown summer with some ‘LIME (TeQuila-ila)’. One of the surprises of 2020 with this fruity, reggae swerve in style. This was also about Edyta celebrating over 25 years in music with the re-master of her 1995 debut Dotyk. More recently Edyta put all that experience to use in her fourth stint as a coach on The Voice Poland. Where her act, Anna Gąsienica Byrcyn finished in third place.
Spotify: 372k/YouTube: 1.3 million
Best scores:
8. 🇸🇪 Eric Saade – ‘Nån som du’ – (41 Points)
Of course this was just the start of things to come for Sweden’s popular Eurovision and Melodifestivalen star! Earlier this summer Eric Saade released his fifth studio album ‘Det svarta fåret’ and its lead single ‘Nån som du’. Which came at a difficult time in Eric’s personal life after recovering from Covid-19 and the heartbreak of separating from his partner Nicole Falciani. However he soon bounced back to announce his Melodifestivalen comeback. Next year he will be taking to the stage for the fourth time with his entry ‘Every Minute’.
Spotify: 746k/YouTube: 73k
Best scores: 10 – Sami.
7. 🇩🇪 Cascada – ‘I’m Feeling It (In The Air)’ – (49 points)
With a glittering career, spanning 16 years and over 1 billion combined YouTube streams, it is no surprise that Germany’s 2013 Eurovision fan favourites can still find their way around the DJ decks. Although lead singer Natalie Horler had her own health battle with Covid-19, that did not stop the group from ensuring we could still have a virtual party in lockdown. Here in ‘I’m Feeling It (In The Air) Cascada put their own twist on this Morgan Page dance track.
Spotify: 787k/YouTube: 226k
Best scores: 10 – Nathan P.
