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
Chapter 8 (France, Portugal, Spain) can be found here
Previous Wishes: Dean Lewis, Delta Goodrem, Jaguar Jonze
#1. Josef Salvat
Josef Ignatius Salvat is a 33 year-old Australian singer-songwriter.
He rose to fame in 2014, when releasing his first EP (“Your Prime”) that also included a cover version of “Diamonds” (By Rihanna). This release reached number 2nd in the French charts and was used in commercials.
In 2015, he released his debut album “Night Swim“.
During 2015, he appeared in several festivals in the UK, The Netherlands and more.
Some of his songs were featured as soundtracks for TV series.
In 2016, he released several singles and focused on producing music.
He took a break from music for several years and returned back to business in 2020.
In 2022, he released his second album – “Modern Anxiety“.
In 2021, he released his second EP – “The Close / Le Réveil”.
In 2022, he released his 3rd album – “Islands“.
During his career, he has collaborated and written for other artists like Paloma Faith, Gryffin and Jonas Rathsman.
In 2015, he released the song “Open Season” which already achieved 10 million views:
In 2021, he released the song “Carry On“:
In 2021, he released the song “I’m Sorry“:
Josef supplied high-quality music with production on point.
Most of the time, he sings about love and it still sounds authentic, even though it is one of the most popular topics.
#2. CXLOE
Chloe Papandrea (Better known as CXLOE) is a 27 year-old Australian pop singer-songwriter.
Prior to the Covid 19 pandemic, she split her life between Los Angeles and Sydney.
In 2014, she auditioned for the 6th season of “X Factor Australia” and was eliminated from the home visits stage. A year later, she tried her luck again and was eliminated in the “Chair Challenge“.
In 2017, she released her debut single “Tough Love”.
One of her singles, “Show You“, was co-written and produced by Sam Farrar (Maroon 5 member).
In 2019, she supported Maroon 5 on their tour and released several singles.
In 2020, she released her debut EP “Heavy Pt. 1“.
Let’s listen to 3 of her songs:
In 2020, she released the song “Heavy“:
In 2021, she released the single “Cry & Drive”:
In 2021, she released the song “Close“:
CXLOE brings to our ears sensible pop, with the influence of alternative music, electronic and dark pop.
She can take Australia out of the comfort zone, but still being a song that will encourage people to vote.
Previous Wishes: LYRA, Dermot Kennedy, Greywind
#1. Soulé
Soulé (real name: Samantha Kay) is a 27-year-old Irish R&B and Pop singer-songwriter.
She was born in London to a Congolese mother. The family moved to Ireland when Soulé was at a very young age.
In 2011, she auditioned for the “X Factor UK“, but didn’t advance to the live shows.
In 2015, she caught the attention of an Irish producer, who invited her to feature on a song he produced.
Her first single “Love No More” was released in September 2016. In 2017, she released her second single “Troublemaker“. Both singles pathed her the way for the “Choice Music Awards“. She was nominated for the “Best Song of The Year” in 2017 and 2018.
In 2018 and 2019, she took part in several music festivals in Ireland, such as: Eurosonic 2018, Electric Picnic, Longitude, and Forbidden Fruit.
In 2019, she released the EP “Love Cycle”.
In 2019, she collaborated with C Cane on the song “Love Tonight“, which was featured on each episode of the TV series “Love Island”.
In 2020, Soulé was part of an Irish collective of female singers and musicians called “Irish Women in Harmony“, which recorded a version of “Dreams” in aid of the charity SafeIreland, which deals with domestic abuse.
Let’s listen to 3 of her songs:
In 2019, she released the song “Love Tonight” with C Cane:
In 2021, she released the song “Queenish“:
In 2022, she released the song “Body“:
Soulé brings fresh new air to R&B music, with one leg in the 1990s and the other one in modern pop music. She will be the one to catch the viewer’s eyes and the listener’s ears.
#2. Mick Flannery
Mick Flannery is a 38-year-old Irish singer-songwriter.
He started writing music as a teenager.
He rose to prominence in 2007. This year, he signed a contract with “EMI Records“.
In 2009, he was included in “The 50 Best Irish Acts Right Now” by the Irish Times.
Mick was the first Irish artist to win the International Songwriting Competition in Nashville, Tennessee.
The singer has released 9 studio albums so far:
| Album | Year | Peak Chart Positions (Ireland) |
| “Evening Train” | 2007 | 84 |
| “White Lies” | 2008 | 6 |
| “Red To Blue” | 2012 | 1 |
| “By The Rule” | 2014 | 1 |
| “I Own You” | 2016 | 3 |
| “Mick Flannery” | 2019 | 1 |
| “Alive – Cork Opera House” | 2020 | 1 |
| “In The Game” (With Susan O’Neill) | 2021 | 2 |
| “Night at The Opera” | 2022 |
In 2017, he released the song “How Long“:
In 2019, he released the song “Fool“:
In 2021, he collaborated with the singer Susan O’Neill on the song “Are We Free?“:
Mick’s raspy voice and the uniqueness of authentic Irish Indie music make him stand out.
There’s something comforting about his music.
Previous Wishes: Tom Grennan, Charli XCX, Jessie Ware
#1. James Blake
James Blake Litherland is a 33-year-old English singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer.
In 2009-2010, he released a series of EPs that helped him gain recognition from BBC radio and the music industry. These 3 Eps were: “The Bells Sketch”, “CMYK”, and “Klavierwerke”.
In 2010, he won the “Worldwide Winners Awards” for song of the year.
In 2011, he released his debut album, “James Blake“.
That same year, he was nominated for “The Sound of the Year” by the BBC (and finally ended 2nd).
He kept on releasing additional singles in 2011.
In 2012, he collaborated with several rappers.
In 2013, James released his second album, “Overgrown“. It was selected as Variance Magazine‘s Album of the Year. He won the “Mercury Prize” for this album in 2013.
In 2014, he was nominated as the best artist of the year at the “Grammy Awards”.
In 2014 he won the Ivor Novello Award for “The Best Contemporary Song” (The song “Retrograde“).
In 2016, he released his 3rd album, “The Color in Anything“.
In 2016, he was one of the writers and composers for the album “Lemonade” by Beyonce.
He has also collaborated with Jay-Z on his album “4:44“.
In 2018, he co-wrote songs with Jay Rock, Kendrick Lamar, and Future. One of the songs “King’s Dad” and the whole album gained great success in America and the UK.
The song led him to win a “Grammy Award” in 2019
In 2019, he released his 4th album “Assume Form“. The album also included collaborations with the musicians Travis Scott, Moses Sumney, Rosalía, and André 3000.
In 2020, he released several singles.
In 2021, James released his 5th album “Friends that Break Your Heart“.
In 2021, he was awarded the Grammy Award: Best Alternative Video for the song “Say that You Will“.
In 2022, he released an instrumental album with the name “Wind Down“.
Listen to 3 of his songs:
In 2013, he released the single “Retrograde” (which is one of my all-time favorite songs):
In 2020, he released the song “Godspeed”:
In 2021, he released the song “Foot Forward”
James suggests an almost impossible combination of genres: British Indie, R&B, Soul, Electronic, Pop, and Post-dubstep.
You’ll never get bored of him.
You will have to wait for the moment that will surprise you in each one of his songs.
#2. Birdy
Jasmine Lucilla Elizabeth Jennifer van den Bogaerde (better known as Birdy) is an 26 year-old English singer-songwriter.
Birdy‘s stage name comes from the nickname her parents gave her as a baby, because she opened her mouth like a little bird when being fed
Birdy learned to play the piano at the age of 7, and started to write her own songs when she was 8 years old.
In 2008, Birdy won the competition “Open Mic UK“, while she was 12 years old. She defeated 10,000 competitors.
In 2011, she released a cover with her own interpretation of the song “Skinny Love” by Bon Iver.
It marked her breakthrough, peaking at number 17th in the UK’s charts.
Later on she released additional cover versions of other songs like: “Shelter” (by the XX) and “The A Team” (by Ed Shearan).
In 2011, she released an album of covers – “Birdy“. The album was a huge success: peaking 13th in the UK, 40th in Ireland, and 1st in Belgium, Australia and The Netherlands.
She received 3 Gold and 8 Platinum for this album.
In 2013, she released her second album – “Fire Within“. The album was a huge success as well:
Peaking top 10 in the UK, Switzerland, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Belgium and France.
She was awarded 4 Gold and 1 Platinum for this album.
In 2014, she was awarded the “Best International Pop/Rock Female Artist” by Echo Music Prize.
In 2014, she was awarded the “Best International Artist” by LO40 Music Awards.
In 2016, she released her 3rd album, “Beautiful Lies“. The album was a huge success as well:
Peaking top 10 in the UK, Switzerland, Australia, Germany, Belgium and France.
In 2021, she released her 4th album, “Young Heart“.
In 2021, she released the song “Young Heart“:
In 2021, she released the song “Loneliness“:
In 2021, she released the song “Surrender“
Birdy has a fragile voice you can’t ignore.
She has a conquering stage presence and she is also a great song writer.
This is what the UK needs at Eurovision.
What do you think about the recommended artists?
Stay tuned for more recommendations to come, next time we will travel to other countries
