Last week was a big week for many of us living in Europe as it saw the annual return of the Eurovision Song Contest (also referred to as Eurovision). This monumental singing competition that started in 1956 sees European countries compete against one another to be crowned the winner of each year's Eurovision Song Contest and have their country (or a nominated country) host the competition the year after. In 2022, America presented its own version that saw acts from all 50 U.S. states, five territories, and the capital, Washington D.C compete against each other with Oklahoma eventually taking the crown with K-Pop singer AleXa and her song “Wonderland.” 

Like K-Pop with the big three, the Eurovision Song Contest has the big five with France, Italy, Germany, Spain, and the UK, automatically qualifying for the grand final alongside the winning country: last year's winner, Ukraine. The countries outside of the big five battle it out in the semifinal and quarterfinal rounds with an overall total of 26 countries going on to compete in this year's Grand Final. This year's Grand Final took place on Saturday, May 13, 2023. Congratulations to Loreen and Sweden for winning!

But did you know that there are some Eurovision connections within the K-Pop world? Acts who have written for, collaborated with, or been covered by Korean artists? If not, then let’s take a look at some of these Eurovision x Korean crossovers.

“Moonlight” - AB6IX, Reiley

In September 2022, K-Pop boy group AB6IX collaborated with Faroese singer and Eurovision Song Contest 2023 Denmark representative, Reiley, on the single “Moonlight.” Carrying feel-good, summer vibes with its upbeat feel and ‘70s and ‘80s-inspired groove, there is a great universal pop energy to “Moonlight” that fans of pop music worldwide can enjoy. The composition and some of the vocal deliveries in “Moonlight” immediately made me think of the Jonas Brothers and their discography when I first listened to it. It’s definitely a K-Pop track to check out.

“사랑이 좀 어려워 Bye My First…” - NCT Dream

Singer Benjamin Ingrosso represented Sweden at the 2018 Eurovision Song Contest and has since gone on to co-write several songs for artists within the K-Pop world. One of these songs is “사랑이 좀 어려워 Bye My First…” the fourth song from NCT Dream’s third mini-album, We Boom, released in 2019. “사랑이 좀 어려워 Bye My First…” carries a nostalgic pop feel to it through the downbeat, low tempo, instrumentation, and group vocal delivery in the chorus. The song takes me back to some of the pop songs those of us in our twenties and early thirties might have heard growing up.

“Zitti E Buoni” - Rolling Quartz

Last year, female K-Rock band Rolling Quartz uploaded a cover of “Zitti E Buoni,” the winning 2021 Eurovision Song Contest single by Italian rock band winner Måneskin, on their YouTube account. Adding its own K-Rock flair to the song, Rolling Quartz’s take on “Zitti E Buoni” gives the song a different yet similar sound with it being performed in a higher key to the original. This cover also sees vocalist Jayoung take on Italian, putting in an outstanding and impressive effort to sing “Zitti E Buoni” in the song’s native language. 

If you like Rolling Quartz's version then make sure you check out the original Eurovision performance of “Zitti E Buoni” by Måneskin too.

“Closer” - TVXQ!

From TVXQ!’s eighth album New Chapter #1: The Chance of Love, MAX’s solo track “Closer” was co-written by Dutch singer Duncan Lawrence who won the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest with his global hit “Arcade,” representing The Netherlands. “Closer” is a sensual, R&B track with a downbeat instrumentation that perfectly compliments and highlights MAX’s enticing vocals. The low tone and smoothness of MAX’s voice pull you into the song and I particularly love the vocal runs he does on the ‘oh’ adlibs throughout. 

“La Rouge (Special Track)” - Red Velvet

Red Velvet’s “La Rouge (Special Track),” from their 2019 album ‘The ReVe Festival’ Finale was co-written by singer Maja Keuc, the Eurovision Song Contest 2011 Slovenian participant. “La Rouge” is a seductive, jazz-fused R&B track with electric guitar-driven instrumentation that later introduces piano and drum beats that contribute to the song’s alluring nature. “La Rouge” has a sound that is perfect for a musical movie soundtrack, like Chicago or Burlesque, showcasing the Red Velvet members' strong vocal presence and vocal chemistry.

Edited by Asia Moore