Welcome to our series of posts – “The Looker” where we will share our wish list of artists participating in Eurovision.
This is the second year in a row that we are running the project.
But before we start, let us remark that our recommendations will not necessarily come true (as for example some countries select their artists by reality shows)
Chapter 1 (Belgium, Israel, The Netherlands) can be found here
Chapter 2 (Denmark, Iceland, North Macedonia) can be found here
Chapter 3 (Finland, Norway, Sweden) can be found here
Chapter 4 (Austria, Germany, Switzerland) can be found here
Chapter 5 (Albania, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Greece) can be found here
Chapter 6 (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia) can be found here
Chapter 7 (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania) can be found here
Previous Wishes: Pomme, Alice et Moi, Hervé
#1. Lyna Mahyem
Lyna is a 27 year-old French singer. She was born and raised in Argenteuil, France.
She was discovered through covers she uploaded to YouTube
In 2014, she won the “Révélation R&B du Web” award.
In 2015, she released her debut EP – “Avec Mes Ladies“.
In 2017, she released her debut album – “LM”.
In 2020, she released her second album – “Femme Forte”.
In 2022, she released her latest album to date: “Authentic”
In 2021, she released the single “Ena W Yek” (Eng: Me and You) :
In March 2022, she released the song “Ciao“:
In May 2022, she released the song “Mal de toi” (Eng: Sick of you):
Lyna combines ethnic elements with pop, rap, and mostly R&B.
There is something authentic in her music, like the title of her latest album.
We know that authenticity works well at Eurovision.
#2. Al.Hy
Al.Hy (real name: Ophelie Moisan) is a 28 year-old French singer-songwriter.
She was born in Saint-Saulve, in the north of France.
At the age of 4, she started learning to play the piano.
As a teenager, she wrote a diary where she gave herself the nickname Al.Hy – which she seems to have adopted just before “The Voice” – from that of one of the characters, “Al ” Coming from “Alceste“, hero of Molière’s “Misanthrope“, while “Hy” comes from “Hypheurite“, a word mixing the adjectives “hypocrite” and “happy”.
In 2012, she participated in the first season of “The Voice of France“, where she ended up as runner-up. She was mentores by Jenifer Yaël Dadouche Bartoli.
In 2013, she released her first EP, carrying her name – “Al.Hy“
In 2014, she released her debut album “Alphabête“.
She disappeared for several years in order to recognize and identify her creature as an artist.
Later on, she flew to New York to join and work with Mark Plati, David Bowie’s producer.
He encouraged her to write and compose her own music.
At the end of 2019, she came back and continued to release singles.
In 2021, she returned to the “All Stars” season of “The Voice of France“, where she was eliminated on the cross-battle:
In 2021, she released a second EP – “Mon Ami Piano“.
In the coming weeks, she will release her second studio album.
Let’s listen to 3 of her original songs:
In 2021, she released the song “Venez me chercher” (Eng: Come Get Me)
In 2021, she released the song “Mon joli rêve” (Eng: My pretty dream):
In 2022, she released the song “Sensible” (Eng: Sensitive):
Al.Hy suggests the full package – wonderful voice, artistic character and musical versatility.
She composes and writes her music and has already gained popularity in France.
Previous wishes: Filipe Keil, Tomás Adrião, Janeiro
#1. David Carreira
David Araújo Antunes (better known as David Carreira) is a 30 year-old Portuguese singer, actor and model.
He was born in France, but has never claimed French citizenship.
In October 2011, he released his debut album “Nº 1“. The album was produced by French production duo Tefa et Blasta. The album was a huge success in Portugal, peaking at number 1st in the charts and staying in the top places for 43 consecutive weeks!
In 2013, he released his 2nd album “A força está em nós” (Eng: The Strength is in us) that peaked at number 2nd in the Portuguese charts.
In 2014, he released his 3rd album, which was this time in the French language.
The album “Tout recommencer” (Eng: Start all over again) included plenty of collaborations with Snoop Dogg, Dry, Leck, Tal Benizry and more. The album peaked at number 8th in the French charts.
In 2015, he released an additional album, this time aiming for the Portuguese market.
The album “3” earned positive reviews and peaked at number 1st in the Portuguese charts.
In 2017, he released the album “1991“.
In 2018, he released the album “7″.
Listen to 3 of his songs:
In 2019, he released the single “Será que são pó” (Eng: Are They Dust?)
In 2020, he collaborated with Kevinho on the song “Fetsa“
In 2022, he collaborated with Rich and Mendes in the song “BabyBoo“:
David Carreira is an established pop singer who has gained popularity in Portugal and outside the country.
He can take Portugal in a different direction – one that we haven’t seen in competition for years – mainstream pop with Latin influence.
#2. April Ivy
Mariana Barreiros Dos Santos Gonçalves (better known as April Iby) is a 23 year-old Portuguese singer-songwriter.
She started her journey in show-business already at a young age, when she voiced characters in Disney movies. The first of them was when shw was 9 years old.
As a teenager, she was part of the band “Flames on Fire”, where she was the lead singer and guitarist.
She started posting her own songs and covers on YouTube and it helped her to gain attention.
At the age of 16, she released her first single – “Be OK“.
She reached the top of the national radio charts, as well as on YouTube, Spotify and iTunes.
In June 2016, she signed a contract with Universal Music Group.
Later this year, she released the song “Shut Up“.
In 2016, she was nominated for “Best Portuguese Artist” by MTV.
In 2017, she was awarded the “Best Newcomer” by Radio Nova Era.
On July 2019, she released her debut album “Game.of.love“.
Listen to 3 of her songs:
In 2019, she released the song “Tell Me Baby”:
In 2021, she released the song “Fico Por Aqui” (Eng: I\m staying here):
In 2021, she released the single “Broken Apologies“:
April Ivy has been on stage for years, and she is still young.
She suggests electro-pop music, alongside touching ballads.
And maybe more important: she shines even though it is mainstream music.
Previous Wishes: Aitana, Pablo Alborán, Rosalía
#1. Second
Second is a Spanish Indie pop-rock band.
The band was formed in 1997 by Sean Frutos (vocals) and Jorge Guirao (guitarist).
Later on, they were joined by Nando Robles (bassist), Fran Guirao (drums) and Javi Vox (guitar / keyboards).
In 2000, they released their first album, “Private Life“.
In 2003, they released their second album, “Pose“.
In 2006, they released their 3rd album, “Invisible“.
In 2009, they released their 4th album, “Fracciones De Un Segundo” (Eng: Fractions of a second).
In 2011, they released their 5th album “Demasiado soñadores” (Eng: Too Dreamers).
In 2012, they released their 6th album “15” (to mark 15 years of their career).
In 2013, they released their 7th album “Montaña rusa” (Eng: Roller Coaster).
In 2015, they released their 8th album “Viaje iniciatico” (Eng: Initiatic Journey).
In 2018, they released their 9th album “Anillos Y raíces” (Eng: Rings and Races).
The band’s line-up has changed over the years.
The current members are:
- Sean Frutos (voice)
- Jorge Guirao (guitar)
- Nando Robles (bassist)
- Fran Guirao (drums)
- David Lozano (guitar)
- Ricardo Ruiz (keyboards)
Let’s listen to 3 of their songs:
In 2013, they released the song “2502“:
In 2022, they released the song “Flores Imposibles” (Eng: Impossbiel Flowers):
In 2022, they released the song “El contorno de tus miedos” (Eng: The outline of your fears):
Second are probably some of the most experienced bands in Spain.
They keep on delivering high quality music over the years.
Their style is unique and even more so since it is different from mainstream Spanish music (which is excellent).
#2. Dvicio
Dvicio is a Latin-pop Spanish band. The band was formed in 2013.
The band consists of 5 members:
- Andrés Ceballos Sánchez – Lead singer, 29 years old
- Martín Ceballos Sánchez – Bass guitarist, 31 years old
- Nacho Gotor – Guitarist, 32 years old
- Luis Gonzalvo – Drummer, 32 years old
- Alberto “Missis” González – Guitarist, 32 years old
The group started its activity in 2011, under the name Tiempo Limite.
They released several songs under this name, until they decided to change the name to Dvicio.
During their career, the band released the following albums:
- “Justo Ahora” (Eng: Just Now) – 2014. The album peaked at number 4th in the Spanish charts.
- “Qué Tienes Tú” (Eng: What Do You Have?) – 2017. The album peaked at number 2nd in the Spanish charts.
- “Impulso” (Eng: Impulse) – 2020. The album peaked at number 1st in the Spanish charts.
- “El Laberinto” (Eng: The Labyrinth) – 2022
In 2021, they released the song “Hazlo Por Ti” (Eng: Do It For You):
In 2022, they released the song “Superbien” (Eng: Very Good):
In 2022, they released the song “Aire” (Eng: Air):
All of us wanted to see Spain enjoying the advantage of sending Latin pop to Eurovision. It is one of the dominant music genres nowadays, and it will be a good decision to showcase it at Eurovision.
Dvicio has proven over the years that they have got the passion and the talent.
What do you think about the recommended artists?
Stay tuned for more recommendations to come, next time we will travel to other countries
