Time to remeet our favorite artists from Iceland. Dikta has released a new single, entitled "Hope for the best". And you can also hope for the best, because this song won't let your expectations down! It's a great track, with one of the nicest and most involving chorus of the recent months.
We were already missing the massive sounds of VIA Gra! Their latest single, released by the end of last year, is "Tak sil'no", a powerful pop track which is flooding both Ukraine and Russia!
It's time to go to Ireland and remeet one of our favorite bands of the entire continent. The Coronas has just released a song. And it's not just any song: it's the song they quoted, on their participation on our 10 questions for, as their favorite of themselves. And we totally agree with them! "The long way", title track of their most recent album, is a beautiful song. We love it!
We featured Croatian duo Colonia some times already, and here they come again! They took us by surprise by changing from their usual upbeat singles to a deep and melancholic ballad: "Za šaku dukata" has all the strength that this genre needs!
Some days ago, we featured Yall and Gabriela Richardson's "Hundred miles", and we said it has the vibe of worldwide hits. Well... we weren't wrong: this week, the song is charting at #6 in France!
Time for one more interview on Sounds European!. Now, we are traveling far West, to Portugal, where we will talk to one of the most talented artists from the country. She deserved much more on Eurovision – and the singles which she released after are proof of that. These are our 10 questions for Ella Nor:
Sounds European!: We are always curious about the relationship of artists with music when they were kids. Who were your childhood idols? Do you believe they have any influence on the style of music you produce nowadays?
Ella Nor: I've got so many names! Nina Simone, Etta James, Amy Winehouse and so on! Sure that they influenced me and my music, although I created my own style and direction.
SE!: About your first steps as a singer. When did you start singing? And how were your first presentations as a singer?
EN: My first steps as a singer were taken when I went to sing in a rock band. It was at that point I realized that singing was what I want to do forever.
SE!: You took part of the second season of The Voice Portugal. How was the experience of participating of the show as a whole? And what did you learn from it?
EN: It was an amazing experience that made me grow as an artist and taught me how to deal with the pressure.
SE!: You had just left a competition, and you were already in another one: you won the traditional Festival da Canção in 2015 (in our opinion, well deserved; your song and performance were stupendous). How was it to take part of this event? What did you feel after winning such a traditional festival?
EN: It was a huge feeling to win Festival da Canção. I was not expecting, as there were great voices in contest. In the end, it was an honor to win and be the representative of Portugal in Eurovision. I would do it all over again.
SE!: As a winner of Festival da Canção, you went to Eurovision Song Contest, in Vienna. Even though you didn't qualify to the final, the audience in the venue reacted very positively to your song. What can you tell us about your week on Eurovision? Is it something you would try again?
EN: People were very nice with me in Austria. I think they enjoyed the song, but we all know how difficult it is for Portugal. Anyway, I would do it again, for sure.
"In the end, it was an honor to win and be the representative of Portugal in Eurovision. I would do it all over again" (Picture: eurovision.tv)
SE!: You have songs in Portuguese and in English. Do you have a preference for any of the two languages? Do you think of trying an international career, with songs in English?
EN: I use both languages in my songs because when I write songs, a few of them naturally sound better in English. I would love to have an international career, but that is not that simple. For that, it's necessary to have a good international label.
SE!: You have also worked as an actress. Do you prefer any of the two professions, or do both please you the same way?
EN: I had a chance to work and act in a Portuguese series, "Água de mar". I loved that experience, but I prefer music. Singing and writing songs is my path.
SE!: If you could choose anyone, who would be some Portuguese and international artists you'd like to collaborate with?
EN: Well, I don’t know, it would depend on the song. Every song has a distinct personality, message. It would depend on that to choose an artist for a duet. But as an example, I have a duet on one of my songs with Marisa Liz, from Amor Electro.
SE!: What are your professional projects for the near future? What can your fans expect?
EN: My future project is the release of my album. It will happen soon, and my fans can expect a very good album. I hope the fans like it! After that, we will see what future holds.
SE!: We would like to post a song of yours to close this interview. What is your favorite song of yourself, and why?
EN: I don't have a favorite song, because to me all my songs make sense. But I would choose my latest single, "Strong for too long", precisely because it is the latest one, my latest release.
Updated on December 25th, 2017, with the new stage name of the artist.
Few reality shows in Europe present so many new talented artists as The X Factor in Italy. And now it's time to meet one more: Enrica Tara is a singer from Rome, and she was the fourth place of the show's latest season. When you listen to her debut single "I found you", you can't ever guess she is only 17 years old: her music, and specially her voice, are very mature. It's quite a song!
Meet Uvertira, a Serbian band from Novi Sad, formed by Igor, Filip and Luka. Their new single is a hit in the Balkan region, and we can easily understand why: "Od oboda oluje, do praga tvoje kuće" is rock at its purest state. Great song, great instrumentals, great vocals. Wonderful result!
IRRA is the stage name of Irina Ruseva, Bulgarian singer who was born in Burgas. She is inviting us to the dance floor with her new single "Sekunda vreme". And for sure, we are joining her there: it's such an involving song, with great groove and cool chorus!
Alessiee are a Russian pop-rock band from Moscow, formed by Alesya Perminova, Denis Agarev, Igor Potrusaev, Sergey Sidorov, Grigory Berenov and Andrey Bronin. Their new single, entitled "Honest", is a really good one. It is, at the same time, powerful and light. Its instrumentals are quite marking and the chorus is very effective.
