Male Artists

Mørland

© EBU/Andres Putting About Quick Facts NameKjetil Mørland Born03 October 1980 Nationality🇳🇴 Norway National SelectionNorsk Melodi Grand Prix 2019Norsk Melodi Grand Prix 2015 In Eurovision2015 Vienna SongA Monster Like Me (2015, with Debrah Scarlett) Biography Kjetil Mørland (born October 3, 1980) is a Norwegian singer and songwriter, born in Grimstad in the southern part of Norway. He has lived in England for most of his adult life. With his British band Absent Elk, Mørland released the album “Caught in the Headlights” in 2009, produced by Toby Smith (Jamiroquai). In the fall of 2014, Mørland temporarily moved to Oslo to establish himself as a solo artist under the name Mørland. Mørland wrote the song “A Monster Like Me,” which won the Norwegian final of the Melodi Grand Prix 2015. “A Monster Like Me” was performed by Kjetil Mørland and Debrah Scarlett. Through their victory in the Melodi Grand Prix, Mørland and Debrah Scarlett represented Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest 2015 in Vienna, Austria. Mørland and Debrah Scarlett qualified for the final on Saturday, May 23. In the final, Norway placed eighth. Mørland won the Marcel Bezençon Award in the Composer category for “A Monster Like Me.” Mørland also participated as a songwriter in Melodi Grand Prix 2018 with the song “Who We Are.” The song was performed by Rebecca Thorsen and finished in second place. In 2019, he participated again as a songwriter and vocalist with the song “En livredd mann” and as one of the songwriters for “The Bubble,” performed by Adrian Jørgensen. “En livredd mann” was eliminated in the first round, while “The Bubble” finished in second place in the final. In 2020, Mørland won the Melodi Grand Prix for the second time, this time as a songwriter for “Attention,” performed by Ulrikke Brandstorp. The song was intended to be the Norwegian entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 in the Netherlands. However, the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. During the Melodi Grand Prix 2021, he contributed as one of the songwriters for “Eyes Wide Open,” performed by Rein Alexander. Unfortunately, the song did not make it to the gold final. Moving on to the Melodi Grand Prix 2022, he collaborated with Sofie Fjellvang as a songwriter for “Made of Glass,” which was also performed by Sofie. This entry achieved a respectable third or fourth place. In the Melodi Grand Prix 2023, he teamed up with Kate Gulbrandsen as a songwriter for “Tårer i paradis,” performed by Kate herself. However, this song was eliminated during the first semi-final round. Entries A Monster Like Me (with Debrah Scarlett) Country🇳🇴 Norway Year2015 LanguageEnglish LyricsKjetil Mørland MusicKjetil Mørland BackingsHåvard GrytingMay Kristin KaspersenJulie Lillehaug KaasaBjørnar Reime Erlandsen Results Semi Points: 123Position: 4Running order: 6 Results Finals Points: 102Position: 8Running order: 9 https://youtu.be/vY1FCXDojMU

Jala Brat

© EBU/Andres Putting About Quick Facts NameJasmin Fazlić Born16 October 1986 Nationality🇧🇦 Bosnian National SelectionInternal selection 2016 In Eurovision2016 Stockholm SongLjubav je (Dalal & Deen ft. Ana Rucner & Jala, 2016) Biography Jasmin Fazlić, better known as Jala Brat, is a Bosnian rapper, singer-songwriter, and producer. Jasmin Fazlić was born in Sarajevo. He took his first steps in the music career in early 2000 by recording his first demo songs. He soon realized that rap was the genre he wanted to pursue. He created his first original songs in his home studio, which he shared with a close group of friends, and adopted his nickname “Jala” as his stage name. Initially, Jala worked alone, but in 2011, he formed a group called Blunt Blyon, with whom he worked more seriously and released his first album “Replay.” After the album’s release, his music career as a rapper started to flourish. In 2012, Jala met Sarajevo rapper Amar Hodžić. That same year, Jala and Amar started collaborating together, not only in music but also in live performances. Jala began releasing his songs on the YouTube channel Imperia, which they jointly managed. After the release of the album “Replay”, Jala worked on new material and collaborated with rappers such as Frenkie, Sajfer, Mayer, Klijent, and Buba Corelli. He recorded a total of 10 songs and released an album called “Riječ na riječ”, which came out on June 12, 2012. At the end of 2012, together with Buba and Kontro, he featured on the song “RMX” released on the album “Troyanac” by Tuzla rapper Frenkie, for which they also made a music video. The song received positive reviews, further launching Jala into the music scene. In the period from 2012 to 2013, he released two EP albums named “SA Sin City” in collaboration with Buba, and “Mahala” with rapper Shtela. In the same year, he met singer and producer Almir Ajanović, who decided to produce his music in his Tempo studio. Jala and Buba worked on new songs between 2013 and 2014, and together they recorded a studio album called “Pakt s đavolom” (Devil’s Pact). The album featured collaborations with various rappers and singers, including Rasta, Juice, MCN, and Sedžida Matoruga. “Pakt s đavolom” was released in 2014 and received positive reviews from the audience. The album was released by Tempo Digital, in cooperation with the record label RedEye Vision. In early 2015, Jala decided to change his stage name to Jala Brat, citing the fact that the nickname “Brat” (Brother) had started to appear frequently alongside his old name, Jala. He adopted it as his own and first introduced it in the music video for the song “Dom” (Home). Soon after, he recorded another joint album with Buba, titled “Stari radio” (Old Radio). The most popular songs from the album were “Skandal” and “Casino.” However, their collaboration with Buba was interrupted due to Buba being arrested. A significant turning point in Jala Brat’s career was his participation in the Eurovision Song Contest 2016, where he co-wrote the song “Ljubav je” and performed it with singers Dalal Midhat-Talakić, Deen, and cellist Ana Rucner from Croatia. The Bosnian delegation did not qualify for the final of the competition after performing the song in the semi-final evening. The song was also recorded in English under the title “Love is all.” In November 2016, Jala Brat and Buba Corelli recorded an album titled “Kruna” (Crown). This was the first album released under the label of the Imperia publishing and media house. During the commercial success of the album “Kruna,” Jala Brat established contacts with mainstream singers from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, and Croatia. He recorded the song “Zvezde plaču za nama” (Stars Cry for Us, 2015) with rapper Vuk Mob, and the song “Dominantna” (Dominant, 2016) with folk singer Dado Polumenta. He collaborated with Elena Kitić again, this time on the song “Folira” (She’s Pretending, 2016), which he recorded in collaboration with Buba. Afterward, he continued to release singles collaborating with folk singer Maya Berović on the song “To me radi” (What She Does to Me, 2016), which he recorded together with Buba Corelli. In early 2017, he collaborated with Croatian pop singer Severina on the song “Otrove” (Poison), and with Serbian pop-folk singer Milan Stanković on the song “Ego.” In 2016, Jala decided to become politically involved and ran for the Municipal Council in the Local Elections in the Municipality of Vogošća as a candidate of the Party of Democratic Action. He faced criticism, mainly from the public and audience, for his candidacy, but he remained on the list due to the insufficient number of votes. Afterward, he withdrew from the political scene. The album “Alfa i Omega” (2016) was recorded in the Imperia studio and represents a continuation of Jala Brat’s collaboration with Buba Corelli. The highlight of the album was a concert tour, culminating in a sold-out concert at the Tašmajdan Arena in Belgrade, with an audience of over 15,000 people. Album “99” (2019) After seven years since the release of Jala’s first album, “Riječ na riječ,” his second solo album, titled “99,” was released on September 9, 2019. Jala Brat announced the album on July 4 via his Instagram profile. The album features collaborations with Buba Corelli, Coby, and Raf Camora. Music videos were made for all the songs. After launching the Imperia YouTube channel, Jala decided to produce songs for prominent artists from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, and Croatia, together with Buba Corelli. He wrote lyrics and music for Milan Stanković, Dado Polumenta, Severina, Katarina Grujić, Aca Pejović, Dara Bubamara, and Selma Bajrami. However, his most significant collaboration was with pop-folk singer Maya Berović, for whom he and Buba produced several studio albums and most of the songs from 2017 onwards. Entries Ljubav je (with Dalal, Deen & Ana Rucner) Country🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina Year2016 LanguageBosnian LyricsAlmir AjanovićJasmin Fazlić Jala MusicAlmir Ajanović BackingsEna ĐapoZorana Guja Results Semi Points: 104Position: 11Running order: 17 Results Finals Points: –Position: –Running order: – https://youtu.be/QLrXmTB8OaY

In the spotlight: Käärijä

The grand final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 will take place in Liverpool on Saturday 13th of May. One of the favorites for the win is Käärijä, who represents Finland. But who is Käärijä ? Let’s give him a spotlight! Käärijä (Jere Pöyhönen) is a Finnish singer, rapper and songwriter born in Helsinki on October 21, 1993.He grew up in the Ruskeasanta district of Vantaa, near the Finnish capital Helsinki. While growing up Käärijä was a hockey player. Later on, he discovered his passion for music, while learning to play the drums. Start musical career and stage name His stage name comes from a joke with his friends about gambling (kääriminen), a recurring theme in his music. In 2014, Jere was rushed into hospital, when he was diagnosed with a sudden serious illness in the colon. His condition worsened fast to the point Jere’s life was threatened due to the illness. Emergency surgery followed, after which he started to recover. However, the incident signalled a turning point in his artistic career, allowing him to focus solely on producing music. Pöyhönen self-released his music until 2017 when he signed a contract with the record label Monsp Records. He subsequently released the double single “Koppi tules” / “Nou roblem”. The following year, he released an extended play, titled “Peliä”. His debut album Fantastista was released in 2020. This album was announced in a very special way: At the beginning of 2023 he took part in Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu, the Finnish preselection for the Eurovision Song Contest. The song he brought, is nothing more than a cozy song about a night out, and the drinks that are drunk, but catchy it absolutely is. Nevertheless, “Cha cha cha” convincingly won Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu. Will he also win he Eurovision Song Contest 2023? We will know on Saturday.

Road to Liverpool: Serbia

We can not wait for the Eurovision Song Contest in Liverpool. Therefore, we have a closer look at one of the contestants every day. Today: Serbia. Luke Black Luke Black won the Serbian national final with the song “Samo mi se spava”. The song is written and composed by Luke Black himself. It is sung in both Serbian and English. Luke Black’s real name is Luka Ivanović. He was born in Čačak, Serbia, in 1992. His career started in 2014, when he performed at the Groveland Festival. His first hit single “D-generation” was released in 2015. In 2016, Luke Black was one of the contenders to represent Serbia in the Eurovision Song Contest. The song “Demons” was not selected but became a success for Luke. In total, Luke Black released 3 EP’s. The most recent one was “F23.8” this year. It included his 2021 hit “Amsterdam“. Pesma Za Evroviziju This year’s national final was called Pesma Za Evroviziju 2023. After two semifinals, a final with 16 songs was held on 4 March. Remarkable participant was the group Hurricane. They won the national selection in 2020. Due to the cancellation of the contest, the group was invited for the 2021 edition. In the end both jury and televoters had different opinions. Nađa won the jury vote, while Princ was the favourite of the televoters. Both jury’s had Luke Black in 2nd place. Serbia in the Eurovision Song Contest When Yugoslavia participated in the Eurovision Song Contest, Serbia provided the entry on 6 occasions but never ended up higher than the 12th place. How different it was when Serbia and Montenegro started to participate. Željko Joksimović reached a 2nd place. In 2006, the country withdrew. Serbian TV and the audience in the national final did not agree with the Montenegrin winner. Shortly after the contest, Montenegro voted for independence in a referendum. That was when Serbia started to participate…. and won rightaway! Marija Šerifović reached the first place with “Molitva”. Željko Joksimović participated again in 2012 and became 3rd. Last year, Serbia was also succesful with a 5th place for Konstrakta’s “In corpore sano”. The bookmakers Serbia is currently 15th according to the bookmakers. That would not be as high as Konstrakta last year. But at least Serbia would reach the final in this case. However, Konstrakta was a big surprise. So who knows… The song This is the song:

Switzerland: Remo Forrer to sing “Watergun”

(Photo by Lukas Mäder/SRF) It was already revealed that Remo Forrer was going to represent Switzerland. Today, at 12:00 CET, the song was revealed. Remo is especially known as the winner of The Voice Of Switzerland 2020. On 20 February of this year, it was announced that he will represent Switzerland in the Eurovision Song Contest. Now we know that the song is titled “Watergun”. Switzerland will perform in the 2nd half of the 1st semifinal. Do you like the song? You can watch the video here.

Luke Black

© EBU/Chloe Hashemi About Quick Facts NameLuka Ivanović Born18 May 1992 Nationality🇷🇸 Serbian National SelectionPesma za Evroviziju 2023 In Eurovision2023 Liverpool SongSamo mi ne spava (2023) Biography Luka Ivanović , better known by his stage name Luke Black, is a Serbian singer-songwriter. Luka Ivanović was born in Čačak, in Serbia. He has been making original music since 2005. Luka started writing lyrics at the age of 12, and composing music and writing arrangements at the age of 16. In that period, he recorded six albums that only his closest friends had the opportunity to hear. Two years later, he moved to Belgrade to study English language and literature. Luka presented himself to the public for the first time in May 2014, at the Groveland Festival, when he premiered the single “D-Generation”. The representatives of Universal Music noticed him and invited him to their office in Belgrade, in order to start cooperation. He is the first solo performer from Serbia with an exclusive contract for Universal Music. In addition to his own music, he also produces audio and directs his own performances and music videos. Looking for his artistic expression, he experiments and tries out new and unexpected forms and styles. In November 2014, before the start of the official collaboration with Universal Music, Luke Black independently released the single “Nebula Lullaby”, on the digital service Spinnup. The song was recorded via the Internet service Skype. His debut single, “D-Generation”, was released on 24 February 2015. The music video for this song premiered on MTV Adrija, and a few hours later on his official Vevo channel. Luke wrote “D-Generation” himself. At the end of 2014, Radio B92 included this song in their first shortlist for single of the year. Together with the young artist Vasilij Vujović (VASSO), Luke Black created the concept for the video of this single, which was recorded in Subotica in 2014. With the premiere of the video on February 24, 2015 on the global Vevo service, the collaboration with Universal Music was officially announced and the first studio EP release was announced. On the same day, a digital reissue of the D-Generation single appeared worldwide (except in the USA) For the American market, the single was released on 10 March 2015. The single debuted at number 9 on the MTV Adria top list of artists from the region and among the top 50 on the Deezer streaming service in Serbia. Also, the single was on the 10th place on the Gradski Radio singles list – Your hit on the first place. The song “Holding On To Love” was created at the end of 2014 and was published by Universal Music Group. It premiered on 29 May 2015. The song was also released in the US, Canada and Mexico on June 2, 2015. Luke Black’s first EP release — “Thorns” was on 18 September 2015. Soon after that, Luka performed in Belgrade, Vienna and Zagreb, where he was the opening for Lust For Youth. A few days before Christmas, on 18 December 2015, Luke Black released “Jingle Bell Rock / Nebula Lullaby”. In February 2016, as reported by Blic, Luka was one of the contenders to represent Serbia at the Eurovision Song Contest by Radio-Television of Serbia. Sanja Vučić won the selection. After the release of the single “Demons”, Luke confirmed that he was shortlisted by RTS to represent Serbia at the Eurovision Song Contest 2016 with this song. After the release of the single, he went on tour to China. At the end of March 2017, Luka gave a performance in the famous Berlin club Berghain at the fashion show of designer Ivana Pilje, in which he premiered the single “Walpurgis Night”. The single was officially released in April 2017. In October of the same year, he premiered the single “Olive Tree”. This was also his first song (partially) in the Serbian language. The song was later translated into Mandarin and performed by Chi Yu. In July 2018, he released the “Neoslavic” EP, which contained the singles “Demons”, “Walpurgis Night” and “Olive Tree” with two remixes. In January 2023, Luke releases the EP “F23.8”, which contained four singles that he released during 2021 and 2022: “A House on the Hill”, “Amsterdam”, “Heartless” and “238”. On March 4th, 2023, Luke Black won the final of Pesma Za Evorviziju, the national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest. And thus he represented his country in the contest with the song “Samo mi se spava”. The song reached the final and became 24th there. Entries Samo mi se spava Country🇷🇸 Serbia Year2023 LanguageEnglishSerbian LyricsLuka Ivanović MusicLuka Ivanović DancersLea VaupotićŽiga JanškovecEva MauricioKostja Komel Nardin Results Semi Points: 37Position: 10Running order: 3 Results Finals Points: 30Position: 24Running order: 5 https://youtu.be/gPRfg9wzbpw

Luke Black represents Serbia

Luke Black is going to represent Serbia in Liverpool. The song is called “Samo mi se spava” and it is written and composed by the singer himself. Expectations where and are high after the success of Konstrakta (5th place) last year. Serbia will perform in the first half of the first semifinal. Below you’ll find the full result of the national selection: Luke Black, “Samo mi se spava”, 20 pts. Princ, “Cvet sa istoka”, 18 pts. Nađa, “Moj prvi ožiljak na duši”, 18 pts. Filip Baloš, “Novi plan, drugi san”, 15 pts. Dzipsii, “Greh”, 13 pts. Stefan Shy, “Od jastuka do jastuka”, 11 pts. Zejna, “Rumba”, 6 pts. Nadia, “Devojka tvog dečka”, 4 pts. Gift, “Liberta”, 4 pts. Chegi & Braća Bluz Band, “Svadba ili kagba”, 3 pts. Empathy Soul Project, “Indigo”, 3 pts. Hurricane, “Zumi, zimi, zami”, 1 pt. Boris Subotić, “Nedostupan”, 0 pts. Duo Grand, “Viva la vida”, 0 pts. Frajile, “Neka, neka”, 0 pts. Filarri, “Posle mene”, 0 pts. And this is the song:

Pasha Parfeny will return to the contest for Moldova

Pasha Parfeny won Etapa Națională, the Moldovan national final. He will therefore represent Moldova in the upcoming Eurovision Song Contest in Liverpool. The song is called “Soarele şi luna”and was written by Iuliana Parfeni and composed by Pasha himself and Andrei Vulpe. It is not the first time represents Moldova. did it before in and became. Moldova will sing in the second half of the first semifinal. Here are the full results: Pasha Parfeny, “Soarele şi luna”, 24 pts. Sunstroke Project, “Yummy mommy”, 18 pts. Aliona Moon, “Du-mă”, 17 pts. Surrorile Oroianu, “Bade, bădişor, bădiţă”, 15 pts. Donia, “Red zone”, 11 pts. OL, “Why you play it cool”, 7 pts. Corina Ivanov, “When love is real”, 7 pts. Cosmina, “Indestructible”, 7 pts. Victor Gulick, “Let’s dance”, 5 pts. Nördika, “Damn and down”, 5 pt. Here you’ll find the video of the live performance:

Vaidas Baumila

About Quick Facts NameVaidotas Baumila Born28 March 1987 Nationality🇱🇹 Lithuanian National SelectionEurovizijos dainų konkurso nacionalinė atranka 2016Eurovizijos dainų konkurso nacionalinė atranka 2015Eurovizijos dainų konkurso nacionalinė atranka 2014 In Eurovision2015 Vienna SongThis Time (2015, with Monika Linkytė) Biography Vaidas Baumila (born in 1987 in Vilnius) is a Lithuanian singer. When he started his career in 2005, Vaidas Baumila was known by the pseudonym Ozono. Soon, he decided to participate in the TV reality show “Danguje”. He reached the final there and finished third. After the success of “Danguje”, he started to perform a lot. On 11 December 2006 Vaidas released his debut album “Ká tu mýsti?”, which sold over 5,000 copies. In 2007 he was working on the second album. 6 songs were already prepared for the new album. Vaidas Baumila hoped to record a song with the lead singer of “G&G Sindikato”, Gabrielis Liaudanskas-Svarus. in 2008 he released the solo album “Išklausyk”, won two Radiocentr statuettes – in the best artist and post-realism nominations. He was chosen as the best children’s performer of that year at the Vaikau balsa awards held at the beginning of the summer. He participated in the music show Žvaigždžių duetai 2 with businesswoman Violeta Buožyte. In January 2009 month of January, his duet with Daura Zenkevičiūte reached the semi-finals of Žvaigždžių duetai and reached the semi-finals. In Vilnius College he finished his studies in entertainment stage art and decided to continue his studies at the University of Scotland. He attended preparatory acting courses. In 2010 he entered the GSA musical theater school in Guilford, UK. in 2012 worked as a singer on the cruise ship Queen Elizabeth. in 2015 participated in the Eurovision Song Contest, in a duet with Monika Linkyte. The duo reached the final where they got an 18th place. in 2022, Vaidas led the project The Voice of Lithuania, together with Ieva Prudnikovaite, members of the group 69 Danguje, Karina Krysko, Nijolė Pareigyte-Rukaitiene and Goda Aliyeva and rock music representative Bena Aleksandravičius from the group Ba. Entries This time (with Monika Linkytė) Country🇱🇹 Lithuania Year2015 LanguageEnglish LyricsMonika Liubinaitė MusicVytautas Bikus Backings Rūta ŽibaitytėJustė KraujalytėDainotas VarnasJurijus Veklenko Results Semi Points: 67Position: 7Running order: 1 Results Finals Points: 30Position: 18Running order: 7 https://youtu.be/xtB_slM63JA

Cyprus: Andrew Lambrou presents entry

photo: instagram Today was the day that Andrew Lambrou presented his entry. Andrew will represent Cyprus with the song “Break a broken heart”. The song is written by Jimmy ‘Joker’ Thornfeldt, Jimmy Jansson, Thomas Stengaard and Marcus Winther-John. Jimmy ‘Joker’ Thornfeldt and Thomas Stengaard already wrote “Adrenalina” (San Marino) and “El diablo” (Cyprus), Thornfeldt also wrote “Voices” (Sweden), all in 2021. Stengaard also wrote “Fade to black” (Azerbeidzjan) in 2022, “Sister” in 2019 and “You let me walk alone” in 2018, both for Germany. His Eurovision debut was a winning one: “Only teardrops” for Emmelie de Forrest (Denmark) in 2013. Andrew Lambrou himself is also not completely new to this world: last year he took part in the Australian national final. This is the Cypriot song: