NORTH MACEDONIA 🇲🇰
Eye Cue, the North Macedonian fan favourites from 2018, return with a modern take on the classic Macedonian folk song “Jano Mori”. The song itself is kept simple. Soothing guitar sounds paired with a groovy beat are in the forefront but we are still getting the typical sound that screams “Eye Cue”! On top of that Marija is serving flawless vocals while singing in Macedonian and channelling traditional Macedonian sounds.
GREECE 🇬🇷
Yianna Terzi was born on 7 May 1980 in Thessaloniki. She is the daughter of Greek singer Paschalis Terzis. At age 20, she moved to Athens to pursue a music career, releasing her first CD single in 2005, and the album Gyrna to kleidi in 2006 through Cobalt Music. She then signed to Minos EMI and released the album Ase me na taxidepso in 2008 along with a single of the same name. Terzi later moved to the United States and worked as a talent scout for Interscope Records. Terzi was selected as one of the twenty shortlisted artists for the Ellinikós Telikós 2018 with the song “Óneiró mou” on 27 October 2017, representing Panik Records.[5] Later, on 8 November, she became one of the five acts to be selected to move on to the televised final. Following the disqualification of two of the five acts for not having a “Greek sound”, “Óneiró mou” entered the top three. On 15 February 2018, it was reported that the record labels for the two other competing artists refused to pay a €20,000 fee to the Greek broadcaster Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation (ERT) and were disqualified from the competition, leaving “Óneiró mou” as the only song remaining and the default Greek entry.
SPAIN 🇪🇸
Alfred García Castillo (born 14 March 1997) is a Spanish singer. He gained national recognition when he took part in series nine of the reality television talent competition Operación Triunfo, where he finished in fourth place, and also represented Spain in the Eurovision Song Contest 2018 in Lisbon, Portugal, alongside Amaia Romero, with the song “Tu canción”, finishing in twenty-third place.
SWEDEN 🇸🇪
John Lundvik is a Swedish singer, songwriter, and former sprinter. He was part of the athletic team for IFK Växjö. Lundvik also has a singing and songwriter career having composed songs for films and the Wedding of Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden, and Daniel Westling in 2010. In 2018, he competed in Melodifestivalen with his song “My Turn”, finishing in 3rd place. He represented Sweden in Eurovision Song Contest 2019 with “Too Late for Love” finishing fifth. In the same contest, he represented the United Kingdom as one of the songwriters for the song “Bigger Than Us” performed by Michael Rice, which finished last in the grand final.
UKRAINE 🇺🇦
Having received Ukraine’s most prestigious and honorary title, the People’s Artist of Ukraine, Lorak has been cited as one of the most powerful and influential women in her country, as well as ranked one of the most beautiful women from Eastern Europe. Ani Lorak reported the highest income of all singers in Ukraine in 2014. Lorak became known outside of the former Soviet Union after she represented Ukraine at the Eurovision Song Contest 2008 with the song “Shady Lady”, coming in second place behind Dima Bilan from Russia.
SWEDEN 🇸🇪
Almost two years have passed since we heard something new from Loreen, but now it’s time. During these two years, she has worked with some of the music industry’s leading producers in studios around the world. The single “Walk With Me” is the starting point – more music will be released in 2020.
ARMENIA 🇦🇲
Srbuk, Armenia’s representative, has now released her first single since her Eurovision entry, as part of the soundtrack for an upcoming film. Na Na Na sees Srbuk return to singing in Armenian, following two English language singles (Half A Goddess and Walking Out).
FINLAND 🇫🇮
Born in Oulunsalo, Finland, Aalto grew up in a musical family and received piano lessons from pianist and pedagogue Olga Maslak, born in Odessa, Soviet Union. Aalto wrote her first song at the age of five. Her close relatives include painter and documentary director Eeli Aalto and magician Simo Aalto. In 1998 at age 11, she won the Kotka Maritime Festival song contest for children with one of her own compositions. Aalto also won the Charlotte Church international singing competition, organised in US, in 2003 with her own composition. Aalto represented Finland in the Golden Stag International Song Contest in Romania in 2004. She went to the Madetoja secondary school for music, where she graduated in 2005. After graduation, she moved to Helsinki to study music at the Sibelius Academy, and at the same time also studied singing in the Helsinki Pop & Jazz Conservatory.
