After the 2020 Eurovision Song contest was cancelled, we haven’t got too long to wait until the participants of 2021 dazzle us with their sequins and singing talents. The majority of the countries decided to stick with their same acts that were internally selected for 2020 – but in the majority of cases, a different song was chosen.
For some, the chance of winning Eurovision 2021 lies with an artist who is no stranger to the Eurovision stage, and this year, three lead vocalists are returning, while there are an additional five artists who previously participated as backing vocalists, or even performed for a different country. Let’s take a look at some of the returning contenders.
Natalia Gordienko (Moldova)
Singer and dancer, Natalia, previously represented her country at the 2006 Eurovision Song Contest. Alongside Arsenium and Connect-R, the trio’s song Loca finished in 20th place (out of 24 countries) with a total of 22 points. Even the United Kingdom scored higher!
This year, the 33-year-old returns as a solo artist, hoping to woo the reduced crowd – and the jury – with her song Sugar. She will be performing in the second of two semi-finals, in a bid to reach the grand finale – where only the top 10 will progress.
Senhit (San Marino)
Italian singer Senhit, last represented San Marino at the 2011 Eurovision Song Contest. Sadly, her song Stand By finished in 16th out of the 19 countries in the semi-final, and so, wasn’t enough to reach the final.
Senhit was San Marino’s entry for the 2020 edition, before it was postponed, and instead of performing her song Freaky! She will be singing Adrenalina, which features vocals from American rapper Flo Rida. While it’s not been confirmed whether or not the star will also perform on stage, it’s Eurovision, so anything can happen!
Sanja Vučić (Serbia)
Now part of RnB girl band Hurricane, Serbian singer Sanja Vučić is no stranger to the Eurovision scene. She first represented her country at the 2016 contest, held in Stockholm. Performing Goodbye (Shelter), she finished 18th out of 26 participating nations, with a total of 115 points. Since then, she has also been an international jury member in the Czech national selection process (2018) and for the selection of the French entry (2019).
Hurricane will be performing in the second semi-final, with their song Loco Loco. The trio also consists of Ksenija Knežević, who was a former backing singer at Eurovision. She provided vocals for Knez, representing Montenegro at the 2015 contest – who finished 13th, scoring 44 points.
Other returning artists
Destiny Chukunyere (Malta) – the favourite according to the latest Eurovision odds, not only did Destiny win the 2015 Junior Eurovision Song Contest, but the Maltese singer also provided backing vocals for Michela Pace in 2019. She finished 14th in the final.
Stefania (Greece) – born in the Netherlands to Greek parents, Stefania is another former Junior Eurovision entrant. She represented the Netherlands as part of girl group Kisses in 2015, and the trio finished eighth.
Vincent Bueno (Austria) – formerly a backing vocalist for Nathan Trent at the 2017 Eurovision Song Contest, when the Austrian singer finished 16th out of 26 acts. Vasil (North Macedonia) – featured at the last contest in Tel Aviv (2019), as a backing vocalist for Tamara Todevska. After finishing second to eventual winner Duncan Lawrence in the second semi-final, on the night of the final, Todevska finished seventh with 305 points.
