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Eurovision Class of 2019: Returning artists

12 April 2019 at 17:21 CEST
Eurovision Class of 2019: Comebacks
This year, 5 former artists will take to the Eurovision stage again. Returning to the competition can bring mixed results, with several returning artists going on to capture the Eurovision crown. But can one of this year’s 5 comeback kids go all the way to victory?

At least 6 Eurovision winners took the title after participating before, proving that practice makes perfect! Cheryl Baker from Bucks Fizz (United Kingdom, 1981), Carola (Sweden, 1991), Linda Martin (Ireland, 1992), Helena Paparizou (Greece, 2004), Dima Bilan (Russia, 2008) and both Hanne Krogh and Elisabeth Andreassen from Bobbysocks (Norway, 1985) were all returning artists when they won the Eurovision Song Contest.

This year's returning artists

Sergey Lazarev (Russia)

Sergey Lazarev returns to the Eurovision Song Contest with the song Scream. It is produced by Philip Kirkorov, composed by Dimitris Kontopoulos, written by Sharon Vaughn and accompanied by  none other than the Moscow Symphony Orchestra. Sergey will compete in the second Semi-Final on Thursday 16 May.

Sergey is a Eurovision heavyweight who won the international televote to finish in third place in the 2016 Eurovision Song Contest Grand Final with You Are The Only One. That makes him the most successful of this year's returning Eurovision artists, so far! This time Sergey Lazarev will perform Scream and will be hoping to emulate fellow countryman Dima Bilan who came second in 2006 and then returned to win in Belgrade 2 years later.

Sergey's 2016 attempt was a big up-tempo pop entry, but this timee he is going for glory with the big hitting power ballad Scream.

Joci Pápai (Hungary)

For the second time in 3 years, Joci Pápai will sing for Hungary at the Eurovision Song Contest. His song Az Én Apám is composed by himself and Ferenc Molnár, who also wrote the lyrics. Joci will compete in the first Semi-Final on Tuesday 14 May. 

Hungary has reached the Eurovision Song Contest Grand Final every year since 2011 and when Joci Pápai represented his country for the first time in 2017, he finished in eighth place with Origo. That result was Hungary’s third best result since joining Eurovision back in 1994.

After winning the Hungarian national final 'A Dal' for a second time this year, he will perform Az Én Apám which translates as My Father at the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest in Tel Aviv. 

If Joci can finish in the top 3, he will become the most successful Hungarian Eurovision entrant of all time.

Tamara Todevska (North Macedonia)

Tamara Todevska will represent North Macedonia at the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest with the song Proud. The song is composed by Robert Bilbilov, Lazar Cvetkoski, Darko Dimitrov and the lyrics are written by Kosta Petrov, Sanja Popovska. She will compete in the second Semi-Final on Thursday 16 May.

The name North Macedonia will appear at the Eurovision Song Contest for the first time this year, after the country’s name changed from Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.

Singer Tamara Todevska has already appeared 3 times at the Eurovision Song Contest. She first came to Eurovision as a backing singer for the late Tose Proeski in 2004. They finished 14th in the Grand Final with Life. 4 years later, she won the Macedonian national final as part of a trio and took 10th place in the 2008 second Semi-Final with the song Let Me Love You. That year, only the top 9 songs qualified along with the next most popular jury entry and she missed out on a place in the Grand Final. She has since returned to the Eurovision Song Contest again as a backing singer for her sister Tijana in 2014 helping to take To The Sky to 13th place in the Semi-Final.

Nevena Božović (Serbia)

Nevena Božović will perform Kruna for Serbia. She wrote the lyrics to the song herself and composed the song along with Darko Dimitrov, who also co-composed North Macedonia’s entry this year. Nevena will perform in the first Semi-Final on Tuesday 14 May.

Nevena, like Tamara, will perform for the first time as a solo artist at the Eurovision Song Contest after participating with the song Ljubav je svuda as part of the band 'Moje 3' in 2013. Also like Tamara, she missed out on qualification for the Grand Final by a single place, finishing 11th in the Semi-Final and will hope to go one better in 2019 by taking Serbia to the Grand Final with her song Kruna.

Nevena Božović has however competed at the Junior Eurovision Song Contest. Back in 2007, she finished in third place with Piši Mi (Write To Me). It remains Serbia’s best ever result at the Junior Eurovision Song Contest.

Serhat (San Marino)

Serhat will return to the Eurovision Song Contest with the self-composed song Say Na Na Na. The lyrics are written by Serhat and Mary Susan Applegate. He will compete in the first Semi-Final on Tuesday 14 May.

Serhat will be representing San Marino for the second time at the Eurovision Song Contest. He made his Eurovision debut back in 2016 with I Didn’t Know and finished 12th in his Semi-Final.

As a returning artist, Serhat certainly knows what is needed to take San Marino to the Grand Final for only the second time in their Eurovision history. He is now second to Valentina Monetta in terms of most participations for San Marino, and she reached the Grand Final at the third attempt. Serhat will hope to make it second time lucky with Say Na Na Na. He is certainly done his Eurovision homework too, collaborating with former Eurovision winner (at the second attempt) Helena Paparizou on the song Total Disguise.

Do you think that one of the 2019 comeback kids can win the Eurovision Song Contest this year? Let us know in the comments below!