Eurovision Song Contest 2018: Ones To Watch

Eurovision week kicks off in just over a month so we reckon that’s enough time to start getting excited about the upcoming Song Contest (obviously we’ve been excited for the 2018 contest since the day the 2017 contest ended). We’ve picked out our favourites from the new class – it’s what we would describe as quite a solid year.


 Finland – Saara Aalto – Monsters


Finnish pop star Saara Aalto built up a steady fan base in the UK after landing second place in The X Factor 2017. She’s since been selected to represent Finland at the ESC with track Monsters (other potential entries Queens and Domino are worth a listen too), which seemed like the right choice. The stonking Europop dance track is a slickly produced instantaneous Eurovision favourite and should perform solidly on the night.






 Sweden – Benjamin Ingrosso – Dance You Off


Benjamin Ingrosso may have beat our favourite Jessica Andersson at Melodifestivalen this year, but we cannot deny the charms of Dance You Off. The very contemporary sounding track feels like a song that would feel perfectly at home on a Justin Bieber album – and that’s a compliment.

 United Kingdom – SuRie – Storm


The United Kingdom have selected a soaring mid-tempo ballad from former Eurovision backing vocalist, SuRie. The mellow track builds with its palpitating bass line to an inspiring chorus that will hopefully further benefit from some dramatic stage production.

 Ireland – Ryan O’Shaughnessy – Together


The former Britain’s Got Talent star represents his native country of Ireland with Together. The gentle acoustic track is sweetly touching and captures the highs, lows and uncertainties of a blossoming romantic relationship. The track benefits from a same-sex couple playing the romantic leads in the video – hopefully this will be reflected in the staging. 

 Israel – Netta – Toy


Probably the most buzzed track thus far is Israel’s Toy from Netta. The sassy diva delivers a heavily-accented rap-pop crossover track that delivers as much chicken clucking as it does sass.

 Australia – Jessica Mauboy -We Got Love


Australia continue to show us that they don’t take Eurovision lightly by sending establish pop artiste, Jessica Mauboy, to the semi-finals this year. Mauboy’s We Got Love is an upbeat pop number and marks a return to the contest for the singer who was the interval act at 2014’s second semi final.






 Malta – Christabelle – Taboo


Malta adopt a Mad Max aesthetic for their Eurovision entry – Christabelle’s Taboo. The track is a contemporary pop number ripe to fill a stadium with – blaring with rippling synths and empowering drum beats, Taboo is yet another winner for the always impressive Maltese selection.

 Azerbaijan – Aisel – X My Heart


Aisel’s soaring vocals bring life to the toe-tapping X My Heart, a less traditional entry from Azerbaijan that is likely to do qualify with ease.

 The Czech Republic – Mikolas Josef – Lie to Me


Fans of Sweden and Israel’s entries are likely to enjoy the Czech entry from Mikolas Josef. The sax heavy track blends vocals and rap for a sassy, slick combination that is likely to be one of the contest’s biggest earworms. It has that perfect blend of national ethnic pop and contemporary appeal.

 Cyprus – Eleni Foureira – Fuego


Tropical pop is in the house thanks to the Cypriot entry, Fuego. This lively anthem captures that hot Mediterranean appeal with catchy lyrics and upbeat electronic production.






 F.Y.R. Macedonia – Eye Cue – Lost and Found


There are chill light reggae vibes aplenty to be found in the FYR of Macedonia’s pleasant entry Lost and Found. Blending breezy reggae inspired pop with slight dance elements creates an interesting blend and there’s a fun Joss Stone vibe from the band’s lead vocalist.

 Moldova – DoReDos – My Lucky Day


All we are saying is sax, sax and sax.