Elastinen is the stage name of Kimmo Ilpo Juhani Laiho, Finnish rap musician who was born in Helsinki in 1981. "Supervoimii" is the title of his new single. It's a song with an involving melody and a chorus which sticks to the head extremely quickly.
Grand Blanc is a French electropop act hailing from Paris. Their most recent single is entitled "Belleville", and it also involves alternative and indie touches, creating a very interesting mix of sounds.
Great song coming from North Macedonia! Russian-born star Victoria Loba has gathered with Tyzee, from Kumanovo, to record and release "Kade sme nie". It's a smooth electropop with marking beats and a very effective chorus.
Anne-Marie's "2002" is starting to chart all over Europe. This week, the song – which close to reaching the continental top ten – is going especially well in Ireland and in the United Kingdom: it is, respectively, #2 and #3 in them.
A new star has been rising in the Maltese music scene. And, while we were in Lisbon for this year's Eurovision Song Contest, we had the chance of meeting with him backstage and talking a bit about his work. He was extremely friendly, and the conversation was very fun! These are our 10 questions for AIDAN:
Sounds European!: We would like to start this interview by getting to know a bit about your background with music. So, who were your idols when you were growing up? At what age did you start singing? And when did you take your first professional steps?
AIDAN: I used to listen to Justin Bieber and Miley Cyrus during that time. I was around seven or eight when I started singing, and that was the time they had their boom. So, mainly them. And I started taking singing lessons when I was around 12, I think.
SE!: You are mostly known, internationally speaking, for your participations in Eurovision selections. But you have also taken part of other music festivals, such as Arpeggi, Sanremo Junior and Konkors Kanzunetta Indipendenza Junior. What can you tell us about these other experiences?
A: I think the best one, the best experience so far, for me, was MESC[Malta Eurovision Song Contest], for Eurovision. But I loved the other ones too! They were quite beneficial for me. And I am always looking forward to the next one!
SE!: You took part of the Maltese National Final for Junior Eurovision in 2015, and then this year for Eurovision. Malta has a history of artists who had to try many times until they were finally selected for Eurovision. Are you ready, if you need to go through all of that? And since when do you dream of going to it?
A: (Laughter) I hope it won't be the case for me! But if it will, at least I would go to Eurovision!
My first Eurovision experience was in 2007. Malta sent Olivia Lewis, with "Vertigo". Following that, I have been kind of a fan since 2012, 2013, I think. And it has been a dream forever! This year, I got to be on the backstage, see a bit more of it, and it was incredible. It would be so good, for someone who loves Eurovision as a fan, to compete in it!
SE!: You are an artist who is always trying to improve as a singer. You are directed by Joshua Alamu (renowned vocal coach, author and mentor) and Pamela Bezzina (Maltese singer and vocal instructor). How is this process? How do they train you? What do you do with them?
A: Basically, I meet with Pamela every week. By the way, Pamela was a backing vocalist this year [on Eurovision], for "Taboo". So, I train with Pamela every week. We mainly train vocals, stage presence, that kind of thing.
With Joshua, I meet every month, because he is so busy – he works with Rita Ora, Little Mix... so he gets to be in Malta once a month. And I do basically the same with him: we train vocals, we do vocal exercises, we perform different types of songs.
And I write songs with them. I go to classes with five songs, very basic songs, and they are the judges – like, "This one goes in", "The other four go out" (laughter).
SE!: You come from Malta, a small country for European patterns. How is it to develop a music career in Malta? Can you live off music? Or do you need to expand to other countries?
A: It's actually really, really hard. We don't get to have a lot of festivals to showcase our music. I think Eurovision is the biggest event for Malta. And that's the only festival which gives us an opportunity, actually. So it's really hard, yeah!
"It would be so good, for someone who loves Eurovision as a fan, to compete in it!" (Picture: Gary Bugeja; official Facebook page)
SE!: Your music style is very different from what we usually listen from Malta. We think you sound more international than most Maltese artists. How would you describe your own music, in genre and style?
A: Well, I started off singing blues and soul. I remember listening to Aretha Franklin, Etta James... that kind of groove. I also liked Michael Jackson, back then. I think my style is pop-soul, contemporary pop. I'd go to commercial pop as well, I think.
SE!: You are still a very young artist. What do you dream of achieving as a singer, looking 10, 20 years in the future?
A: I plan to share a message with my music and to gain respect as an artist. Mostly, that.
SE!: What are your professional projects for the near future? What can your fans expect from you in 2018?
A: Actually, after Malta Eurovision Song Contest, I took a small break, because it was hectic. It involved so much preparation, so much pressure!
Some time ago, I released a Eurovision mashup, with songs of this year. And it was lovely to work on it! I love Eurovision, so getting to work on something like that is amazing.
I am working on new singles right now. And maybe, another song for next year [for the National Final], who knows!
SE!: If you could choose anyone, who would be some Maltese and international artists you would like to collaborate with?
A: Maltese, definitely Amber, who was on Eurovision in 2015, with "Warrior". I love her, she is the artist I respect the most in Malta. And international act, I think it would be Zara Larsson. I love her style, her sense of fashion, the way she keeps up with music. So yeah, those two!
SE!: We would like to finish this interview with a song of yours. What is your favorite song by AIDAN, and why?
A: At the moment, I think it's "Dai laga". It got me the most recognition, I think. And it was so lovely to work on it in the National Final! So that would be the best one for me at the moment.
Despistaos is a band hailing from Guadalajara, Spain, and formed by Daniel Marco, José Krespo, Lázaro Fernández and Pablo Alonso. After a five-year hiatus, the band is back together to release their ninth studio album, and here we have one of the singles to emerge from it: "Estamos enteros" shows the true power of Spanish rock!
NOTD are a Swedish DJ, producer and songwriter duo formed by Tobias Danielsson and Samuel Brandt. They have gathered with American singer Bea Miller to release "I wanna know". It's an exciting electropop song with a very marking chorus.
It's time to remeet Swiss singer Vincent Gross, who has a new single on offer. "Dieser beat" has a very exciting melody, which grows, from the bridge to the chorus, into a more intense set of beats. It's absolutely irresistible!
Our friends from Royaume are back to Sounds European!! The French duo returns with "Again", a song with a pop base which evolves to a more electronic chorus, all wrapped in a delicate and classy atmosphere.
